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So on my way home tonight i experimented with some different riding positions.

On long expressway trips i like to use the passenger pegs and crouch down a little (ie: old racebikes) However since i made my bags the passenger pegs are covered so that rules that option out. I digress...

On the way home tonight i moved my feet back to the exhaust mounting brackets (i'll include a pic) and sat a little bit further back in my seat, which made for a slightly leaned forward riding position. which i find i like a whole lot.

Heres a picture of what i'm talking about, (since i lost all the good pictures of my bike when my hard drive crashed this is a stock photo) I marked the exhaust brackets with a red line and the footpegs with a red circle.

Anybody know if they make rearsets for a 83-85 nighthawk 650?



I also took a picture of my bike when i got to work after a very wet ride so ill post it for your viewing pleasure... ( *i took my helmet in afterward*). Kinda dark i apologise but oh well



Oh and one more thing, I have all my parts sanded and ready to paint, I'm just waiting for a day in which the humidity is not rediculous...
Just a quick question about that.

I decided to go with a spray can job. I bought a couple cans of sandable black primer and a couple cans of "semi gloss black" engine enamel. The Enamel can says to apply to base metal, should i use primer on the plastic peices prior to painting? or just sand them down to bare plastic?

when i had my cruiser (marauder 800) i used to ride with my feet on the passenger pegs, but not race bike style. id bend my legs back so the peg would rest on the front of my ankle and my toes would be pointing down. great for keeping the cold wind from going up your pant legs. id also stretch my legs way forward so the regular pegs would be resting on the back of my ankle and my feet out beyond the shifter/brake which was very comfortable.

my bike now though im stuck pretty much, no room to move around.

i saw some guy i was riding with put the heels of both feet on top of each peg on his cruiser. therefore his left foot and ankle was completely under the shifter(back of ankle resting on peg) and the same with the right foot/ankle under the brake. all i can say is im glad i saw that because crusing on a long stretch of road and using this position enables to to keep your legs totally straight and its very relaxing. im sure most people do it buts its nice to pick stuff up hjere and there.

edit: ahem, i type too slow apparently!!

I tried doing that once, I was wayyy to scared that I'd catch a heel, brake my leg and dump my bike.

See if you can reverse your footpeg brackets and put them on the opposite side. I think this might be what was done to my bike. The effect on mine is to set the pegs back 4 inches and up one inch. It gives you the options you're talking about, but you'll need to fab or find foot controls that will work. On the highway (four lane), I like the position you noted ...leaning forward with feet under you, scooted back on the seat. On the curvey sections in the country, I just sit near the tank and that puts my feet behind me, with arms bent for great control. Here's a pic...

Yeah i was thinking about that Ron, but the shifter linkage attaches to the left foot peg on a pivot, which leads to a bar which actuates the shifter, so i need to keep the pegs on the same side that they are on..

Mine does that, too...but on mine, that isn't the stock setup. Maybe yours has already been moved, or your setup is different...do you have better pics, yet?

As A matter of fact...





I do

I see. It looks like the brake lever is just as much of a problem, because of the lack of mounting space. Mine has a two bolt bracket, and it is clear when you reverse them. Try Kzrider.com and ask if those guys know a source for cafe racer parts. Some of those guys are really into the cafe scene, and can probably point you in the right direction.

thanks Ron, i'll check it out.