Road King Back Pain - Harley Davidson Forums: Harley Davidson Motorcycle Forum

Tweedster · 08-02-2009, 10:00 PM

After 30 minutes on my Road King my lower back starts burning.* I put my feet on the passanger pegs and that takes to pressure off and it feels better.* I can ride my Triumph Thunderbird for hours with no back pain.* The gear positioning is standard so my hip is more open.* Has anyone seen this problem or is it just me?* My Harley riding buddies often complain of low back pain so I was wondering if the forward positioning is part of the problem.* I love riding the Road King but I need to figure this problem out.* Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.* Thanks.*

51panrider · 08-02-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tweedster

After 30 minutes on my Road King my lower back starts burning.* I put my feet on the passanger pegs and that takes to pressure off and it feels better.* I can ride my Triumph Thunderbird for hours with no back pain.* The gear positioning is standard so my hip is more open.* Has anyone seen this problem or is it just me?* My Harley riding buddies often complain of low back pain so I was wondering if the forward positioning is part of the problem.* I love riding the Road King but I need to figure this problem out.* Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.* Thanks.*

Are you the Rider or passenger? I find this odd because my back has a host of problems and either one bothers my back. My Ol Lady claims that the Roadking is more comfortable for a passenger then the Streetglide. They both are nice and comfy for me.

Rob

theseacherman · 08-02-2009, 10:33 PM

Riding a RK makes my back feel good, real good. In fact, everything feels good when I ride a RK.

Tweedster · 08-02-2009, 10:53 PM

yeah. It definately feels good to ride a RK. It may be that I'm not used to riding it and I'm not relaxing my hip and back. Otherwise, all I want to do is ride that thing.
Thanks.

Pete · 08-03-2009, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tweedster

After 30 minutes on my Road King my lower back starts burning.* I put my feet on the passanger pegs and that takes to pressure off and it feels better.* I can ride my Triumph Thunderbird for hours with no back pain.* The gear positioning is standard so my hip is more open.* Has anyone seen this problem or is it just me?* My Harley riding buddies often complain of low back pain so I was wondering if the forward positioning is part of the problem.* I love riding the Road King but I need to figure this problem out.* Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.* Thanks.*

As crazy as this sounds, my back feels better when I get off my Sportster after 200 miles than when I got on it at the beginning of the trip.

By the time we are all 40 or 50 years old we have back problems, even if we can't feel them. So many issue contribute to rider comfort or pain and they are so specific to the individual rider that they can be hard to address.

For you, the good news is that your back issues do not crop up on all motorcycles, which is often the case for most riders with back problems. In your case, I think that I would whip out the old tape measure and draw diagram of the basic cockpit dimensions on each bike. You are primarily interested in distance and angle to the bars from the back of the seat. Seat height relative to the bars, seat to the controls, etc.

What you want to do is to find out where the Harley is different from the Triumph. Are your legs stretched out too far on the Harley, or are the cramped. Are you having to reach for the handelbars or are you riding with your weight being supported by your wrists, arms, and back instead of in a more upright riding position?

An almost universal solution for riders with lower back problems is to buy a seat, [Mustang makes some great seats], that has a backrest. Of all the attempts to fix lower back issues, the most successful one is the seat with a backrest. I know riders who would quit riding if they could not have a backrest.

Pete

hd2000 · 08-03-2009, 04:44 AM

When I first got my RK, my shoulders killed me after a short while, but I knew it was the bars. A new seat and new bars later, I can ride all day long and feel no pain anywhere. My lower back has never been a problem on any bike I've had. Now my kidneys on my old FX, solid mount, shovel, that's another story.

juke · 08-03-2009, 06:49 AM

Highway pegs relieves my back pain. New handlebars are next.

Rockerbox1 · 08-03-2009, 07:10 AM

how tall are you? if you find yourself needing to lean a little forward to reach the bars on the RK you might just need a slightly taller set of bars pulled back to you a little. When I started riding my fatboy, my hip would hurt non stop after riding for a short period of time and for a bit after getting off the bike. I put a set of highway pegs on it so my legs are stretched more forward and out a little and now have no hip pain from the bike at all

tibadoe · 08-03-2009, 07:13 AM

A riders backrest on my RK helped my sore back out. Straightened me right up.

nt6977 · 08-03-2009, 10:44 AM

I too used to have back pain when riding, now that I have a adjustable back rest that has went away. I did a 8744 mile trip in early spring and didn't have any problems with the back what so ever. With the adjustable it let you move the back rest to different positions even while riding without stopping. If you can afford one get it. They are easy to install. JMHO. RIDE SAFE.