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1200 Nightster - Quick Questions! (I hope!)

nastipunk

New Member
Hi all. Great site and forum. Being a newbie I am loving all the info.

Just a couple of quick questions. I am hoping to buy a 1200 Nightster in the next month or two. Primarily it's purely for solo riding, but my partner has always liked to get on the back and go on runs and travels with me from time to time.

So my 2 questions are:

1. Can you get a pillion seat for it (and are the pillion pegs already there or would you have to get them too?)

2. I'm thinking of travelling round Europe for a few months on the new bike, would you say the Nightster would be a copeable ride (for me) over the journeys?

Many thanks all. Sorry if the questions sound a little dumb. I'm a sports bike rider (soon to be 'ex'), so all the Harley stuff is new to me! :)

Andy
 
If you're looking to do some touring, you're going to want to upgrade the shocks (rear at the very least) and get a better seat. I don't know how tall you are but for longer rides, stretching out your legs will be more comfortable than mid controls.

I personally went with Progressive 440's for the rear and did the front suspension as well but many people get the 412's and are very happy with them. Progressive is one of the most popular aftermarket suspension options available. They generally have two version of each model. Heavy Duty or normal if you're not putting too much weight on the bike with two people and luggage or whatever.

Another thing about going longer distances with the bike.....you're gonna need a new seat. I went with the Mustang Vintage for me and added the Mustang Vintage Wide for my gf. She isn't big by any means but I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible and trust me, that sucker is a couch. If you really want the back passenger to be comfortable, consider getting a sissy bar as well.

Now that you have sorted out the suspension and seats, you need to know some extra little bits. For example, you will need to get a rear foot passenger kit. They are like $80 and you can get them in chrome or black. Being as you have a 1200N like me, black is probably your best bet :)

One final quick thing to mention is the tuning of your bike. In stock form, it's going to be fast and powerful enough...no doubt. But if you want to open it up a bit and really get some power out of it, there are maaany different options for you.

Changing out the air intake, tuning the bike for more fuel and different exhaust are the basics. How you combine different parts to suit your needs is up to you.

If you need part numbers for stuff, just ask and I will provide them for you based on what I know. I have done quite a bit to mine and have all of the info on each. Good luck with your ride and enjoy the form and bike :)
 
All Nightster is 100% correct. New Shocks - go Progressive, I also went with new fork springs, again Progressive and new seat.

You might also want to think about forward controls. Nearly everyone that has legs with more than a 25" inseam gets uncomfortable with the seat/leg combination as offered stock. I installed the forward controls and found that the standard seat was suddenly much better!

I have also installed the detachable system that allows the use of back rest (for Sundowner seat that I also purchased) as well as a luggage rack that you may find useful.

Go travel, have fun and keep the shiny side up!
 
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