Hi, 

Am considering forward controls on my Iron when i get it in May. However i'm concerned with how comfortable it'll be when i install drag bars (30" wide 4 inch pull back).

Im 5'7 1/2

Not sure if this has been discussed, had a look and could not find anything on this topic.

Im sure it wont be comfortable for long rides, but i wont be going for long rides that often.

What do you guys reckon? 

I have an Iron with 28-inch drag bars and I'm 6 foot tall. I originally thought that forwards were going to be needed after initially sitting on a 1200C with forwards at the dealer. However, having installed the drag bars the riding position is far different than that of the higher up and further rearwards hand position you get when sitting on the 1200C. With drag bars your back is hunched over a lot more and I have found the more upright mid controls to be quite confortable even if my knees are up in the air a bit. It probably looks more awkwards but I think that forwards would accentuate the hunch a fair bit.

Since the Iron comes with mids which you have to pay for I suggest trying it for a month or two with the drag bars installed first. You may find, like I did, that Harley's $700 (plus installation) cast mid controls may be not only expensive on a $13500 bike but a waste of cash altogether.

Based on a custom the forward controls are awesome, very natural and comfortable position,

The sporty forwards are more like forward-mids than the forwards on a Dynas or Softail

 I first found the mids plus stock bars on the Iron uncomfortable but soon got used to it. One thing I do like (call me weird) is that the forward hunched riding position promotes alertness. Also, last Sunday I was on the freeway sitting on about 115 and experimented moving my feet forward to see if forwards or pegs might be more comfortable but it didn't seem to make much difference. The rear suspension on the Iron is pretty rough at speed so I spend a bit of time taking my weight on the mids.  Plenty of people have forwards though so I guess the trick is to live with the mids for a bit and see how you go. 

Thanks for the feedback guys, I leave the mid's when i get the bike and just install the drag bars. See how i go. I imagined id be stretched out if i had forwards. If i had ape's it would be no dramas, ill consider ape's later on. I will let you guys know how i go.