I haven't ridden a sportster yet. I've sat on a few though. I've sat on an XL, a Low, a Nightster, and a Custom. I fell in love with the Custom because of the forward controls, and I like the bars that aren't bent as much. I'm 5'9, and I'm long-legged. The custom felt wonderful to me.While the custom felt good to sit on for 2 minutes, I wonder if the forward controls might affect my posture and make my back hurt (my back does tend to hurt sometimes). Do you think I might be better off going for a sportster with the pegs sitting straighter down? My legs would be bent more, but maybe I'd tend to sit up straighter.
5'9'' is probably the limit for a sporty. You might want to pursue this before you fork out the cash for one.
Yes the forward controls put more pressure on your lower back, you should get the mid controls and you can add a set of highway pegs up front that will allow you to stretch your legs out when you need to.
You can always get a set of longer (aka buckhorn) bars (you might need new control cables if the dealer doesn't do it for you). I never had that many issues, it's a matter of what riding position fits you/your back. DynaWideGlide sits you back real nice if you can spend the extra $. But you can pretty much get the same feel with some changes to a Sportster (don't know what the new Sporty's offer for accesories). Otherwise go w/fwd controls longer bars (maybe a cushier seat) if you need em.
