[gtrman66]

The rainy 4th of July was spent putting them on. I got the bars and brake line from forum members. It cost about $40 in parts and $5 in brake fluid. It took a couple hours and I adjusted out the clunk while I was in there.

The kicker was using a tubing bender to alter the routing of the brake line enough to fit without rubbing anywhere. I used a 1/2" thick spacer when reinstalling the bolt into the bottom of the fork tube.

The DX mirrors look great and I can SEEEEEE!

I hope the Sundowner will break in over time a little. It does have a slight forward tilt. I have a nice slight bend in the elbows now. I put 40 miles on last night and I'm getting ready to head out right now. Stay tuned...

 

[Bgjames111]

That's cool. I've been wanting to see a pic of the sundowner on an R. Looks like a comfy ride.

 

[gtrman66]

The Sundowner is MUCH more comfy, but still not as comfy as the geezer glide.

 

[Dale "R"]

They Look good. I might have to give them a try.

 

[gtrman66]

UPDATE:

120 miles today... wow what a difference! My back and shoulders feel much better. The steering feels much better, but part of that might be due to fixing the loose front end too.

 

[Ghost]

Your bike looks really familiar. I used the Sporty 1200 Low bars for a slightly more buckhorn profile.

I'm curious about how the change in handlebar position impacted your comfort. With the more upright seating position, do you find that the Sundowner tends to push you forward into the tank? (You made a comment that suggests this...) I've also found that when I've got my feet on my highway pegs the ridge at the upper-rear of the Sundowner tends to cut across the middle of my ass and create an unwanted pressure point.

I'm considering remolding the seat foam to provide:

• Slightly higher front.
• Slightly deeper bowl, a little further back.
• Little higher ridge in the back.

Ghost

 

[Fletch]

Your bike looks really familiar. I used the Sporty 1200 Low bars for a slightly more buckhorn profile.

I'm curious about how the change in handlebar position impacted your comfort. With the more upright seating position, do you find that the Sundowner tends to push you forward into the tank? (You made a comment that suggests this...) I've also found that when I've got my feet on my highway pegs the ridge at the upper-rear of the Sundowner tends to cut across the middle of my ass and create an unwanted pressure point.

I'm considering remolding the seat foam to provide:

• Slightly higher front.
• Slightly deeper bowl, a little further back.
• Little higher ridge in the back.

Ghost

I had a custom seat made by Russell Cycle Products:
Business Address: 4917 Shata Dam Blvd.
Shasta Lake, CA 96019
Business: (530) 275-5829
Business 2: (800) 432-9566
Web Page: http://www.day-long.com

There is an area of thinner foam on mine (to allow for an even contouring of the seat) in the same region as on the Sundowner which could possibly be uncomfortable with a more upright riding position - works great with either the stock R bars or the drag bars that I'm running. The R frame is taller in the seat pan/fuel tank area than the A, B, D, DX and X models and the R model's ECU is mounted under the passenger pillion requiring a taller seat pan for the rear and a step up in the main seat pan to accommodate the rear's step. I would doubt the viability of recontouring the seat without relocating the ECU [and alarm] module and redesigning the rear pan. The seat would have to become taller (I believe) in order to shift things about as you indicated.

 

[gtrman66]

The seat initially "tilted" me forward, but I kept sitting up on the ridge and let the bumps, obesity and gravity have at it. After about 200 miles, the seat seems to be giving in it's position a bit.

Fletch's seat is the best looking one I've seen yet. It lloks like you sit back a bit more.

 

[Fletch]

The seat initially "tilted" me forward, but I kept sitting up on the ridge and let the bumps, obesity and gravity have at it. After about 200 miles, the seat seems to be giving in it's position a bit.

Fletch's seat is the best looking one I've seen yet. It lloks like you sit back a bit more.

Thanks for the compliment - the guys at Russell worked with my ideas to make a seat that was functional AND good looking. The seated position is farther back on my seat than on the Sundowner (I tried a SnDwnr & was too far forward, so returned it). My custom seat becomes more comfortable every day, but HAS required some break in to feel just right.

 

[gtrman66]

BTW Ghost, I love those solid bags, are they the Corbins? How did you clear the exhaust?

 

[Ghost]

BTW Ghost, I love those solid bags, are they the Corbins? How did you clear the exhaust?

They are the Corbin Beetlebags. These bags are specifically designed to clear the stock exhaust. If you check the Corbin site, you'll notice that they have a specific set of Beetlebags for the R.

Ghost

 

[gtrman66]

Corbin = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ but they do look nice.