Went on my first longish ride today.

Finally had enough time off and decent enough weather to take it out on it's first longish ride. Went about 150 miles round trip. I know that's not huge for many people here but I've only been riding a month and the bike only had about 280 miles on it when I started out.

First of all the bike performed flawlessly. The more I ride this thing the more I never want to get off of it. The bike is completely stock and I got 60.3 MPG which I was very happy about. I was only expecting around 50.

Took a bumble bee to the cheek at 55 mph, that woke me up. Had the visor up about a thumb width and it just came right in there.

I live in east Tennessee so I have just awesome roads pretty much any direction I want to go. The only real issue I had was even at a conservative pace, riding well within my comfort zone, I still managed to drag the footpegs three or four times. Not really comforting. I'm debating pulling the wear pegs off to gain a little more clearance but I don't know how much room I have before I start dragging real hard parts. I'll probably just leave them on and grind em' down. Might look into doing some suspension mods in the future to gain some ground clearance.

Got about 80 miles before my ass went numb and the pain shooting down my leg was so bad I had to stop and walk around a while. Don't know how much it has to do with me being 6' with long legs and mid controls or the stock seat sucking balls. I'd say a combination of both.

The only other thing that stood out was the amount of vibrations coming through the handle pars and pegs at 55-60 mph. It's very smooth up to that point but at 55 it really is noticeable. Not sure if there is a problem or that's just the way it is.

All in all it was a great ride, and a nice way to get a lot more comfortable with the bike.

Vibrations and ass numbing = wrong bike for the task. You may be able to get a different seat that may help, and possibly some different grips, but vibration at highway speed isn't going to go away. Was a bitter pill to swallow for myself with my KLR.

Since most bikes don't travel long distances most aren't built with comfort in mind to do that. They are built for looks first. It's the rare combination of bike that fits your body well, has a good seat and ergos, and is smooth as well as nimble. Everyone's best fit will be different too.

Vibrations at 55-60 would drive me nuts.

I've heard it said that when going on longer rides, it's a good idea to stop about ever 60-90 minutes or so. Just get off your bike and stretch your legs for a few. Numb ass and shooting pain are probably beyond the normal scope of a 5-minute break, and it may mean the ergos on your bike just to not work for you.

Impressive gas mileage! I get around 40mpg on the Street Triple. Of course, I'm also flogging the piss out of it in 2nd or 3rd gear most of the time negotiating the turns around here.

Congrats on the long ride! They'll keep growing in distance every time :).

I went back and read your bike thread, wow that is sharp looking! I definitely get why you were interested in the shadow, apparently we have a similar eye for style haha.

On the distance/ vibration thing, I can't speak to Harleys, never having ridden one that long, but my bike buzzes a little above 70mph, over time you get used to it, and I may try to rubber mount my footpegs (thats where most of it is on mine, the bars not so much) to try and limit it more. I've always been curious how a sportster would stack up vs my bike on the ride comfort standpoint. Similar story on muscle numbness, I'm always a bit stiff after the first couple longs rides of the season until muscle memory catches up. The stock seat may have something to do with it too, the shadow has a pretty good seat, the sv650 does not, I need to stop about twice as often. Keep meaning to upgrade that.

Pain shooting down the leg......sciatic pain? Maybe a back brace/weightlifter belt would help. My back protector/armadillo has a wide belt that serves the same purpose.

Glad you're liking it.

Lots of threads on other boards about making the Sportster more comfortable for longer rides.

Glad you're on the road and liking the bike! Holy killer MPG. That's an 883 for ya .

Vibrations are a Harley thing, although I don't notice any excessive vibes on my sporty like you mention. It shakes quite a bit at idle and if i'm in too high of gear at slower speeds, otherwise I find it to be quite smooth, especially at 50+. Our bikes are rubber mounted which is tons better than the older bikes. Maybe you aren't used to it yet? I've never ridden an 883 though.

There is plenty you can do in order to make it more comfortable. When I bought mine it had forward controls, badlander seat, and mini apes. I had the same numbing after long rides. Turns out I was sitting on the Curve of the tiny badlander and my handle bars were tilted backwards too much for me.

I obviously kept the forwards, but I loosened the handle bar mounts and titled the bars vertical so i'm stretched out. I then went to J&P cycles for some seat shopping. They let me try a couple on my bike. I left with a Mustang Wide Tripper solo seat. After these small things, I now sit farther back and I get to extend my arms and legs. I rode 100 miles 2 days ago and didn't feel a thing. Best $300 i've ever spent.

Definitely get some forward controls and a seat. I'd imagine that will help you out big time!