2 Up Comfy Seats :o))

[robelst]

I just got a new job and I will need to ride from Bristol to Luton once every one or two weeks. These options look interesting but the heavily shaped seat reminds me of my old BMW R1100RT: Not a bad seat, but hardly opportunity to move around which meant a fixed position and relative discomfort. I'd like some more padding but rather keep the straight shape it has now. Anyone knows a supplier or a company that modifies the OE seat as such?

[Xander]

G'day Pinoy-al,
GA wells just adds a better foam and increased the width.. and rumor has it that it is just 25£... I dont however rememebr were they can be found..

[Yeti]

.. and if he is happy to adjust to fit our want that is even better.. I am 6'1" and my wife is 5'2" ..
Want i want to know is how much did you get the back raised so she can see and what is the height difference between you two...

I'm not sure this would be entirely the case if it was going backwards and forward in the post or more than a slight tweak. He basically firmed it up and tightened the weave fabric up as it had given a bit in one place. Not normally the case judging by his reaction so he tightened everything back up and added a bit more under my seat. If it's a case of a re-shape after you have tried it then it is pretty much a start from scratch affair so would probably cost to modify. I'm quite sure the first attempt will be suitable for most though.

She still can't see over my helmet but can at least now see over my shoulder. I am 6'3-4" ish and she is probably 5 and a half ish. I'll post some more detailed pics soon. Remember that my seat has been lifted too and looks a bit high to most under 6ft

[robelst]

Meanwhile, I have just ordered a big gel-pad to stick on top of the seat. It looks rather "medical", like an item from an emergency piles survival-kit but if it helps on long trips I'll go with it And if it does, I can always decide integrating it with the padding under the cover, a nice bit of home-craft to get through those long winter evenings.

I will let you know if it's worth buying. The first challenge is actually getting the thing delivered because in a moment of complete madness I decided to order from M&P

[robelst]

Well then, a miracle happened and I received the M and P gel-pad:


As I feared, this setup as shown is far from perfect: It's like sitting on a hot-water bottle, a very unsteady feel despite the strap. So plan B came into action: I removed the seat cover , used a bread knife cutting out the outline of the pad (I only cut it halfway deep because I wanted a wider and higher seat at the same time), put the pad in and gun-stapled the whole thing back together again:

Again, because I deliberately only cut out half the shape for the pad, it looks like me wearing a T-shirt that would have fitted me well 15 years ago , but I am sure if you make it a bit deeper you wouldn't see anything bulging out. Getting the cover back up was surprisingly easy despite not having any experience with this sort of thing; just get a rather powerful gun-stapler, first stretch & staple the rear of the cover (I left the front on) then the sides. The old folds of the cover help you putting it back exactly as it was, so no real need for professional assistence.

Make sure to put the pad not too far to the front, measure carefully where most of your bum actually rests on the seat most of the time. I was surprised how far back that was, but that may be different for others, esp for those who ride most of their long distances two-up. You could buy the a smaller gelpad to do the rear of the seat as well in that case.

I just had an hour ride and the effect is really positive. All the unsteadiness when using it strapped on top of the seat had gone as well. Because it's sunken into the foam of the seat and quite sticky by nature it doesn't move a bit.
The ultimate test is Monday when I will have a trip from Bristol to Luton (and back) on it.

The gelpad is not cheap (around 40 quid) but it's a heavy quality one and I am quite sure it is more effective than just have a denser type of foam. If I had to do it again, I'd obviously just buy the pad without the strap / bag of the M&P one; have a look on eBay, there are some US traders selling just the pads for around £25.

[robelst]

Well then, spent 300 miles / 6 hours in the saddle today (trafic was terrible between Reading and Luton, roadworks with small temporary lanes so difficult to filter). What can I say, the AT will probably never be the best long distance bike comfort-wise (seat-shape and position being too much straight-up) but the gelly solution definitely takes much of the sting out of long trips
So: maybe it's not perfect but it's cheap and I can definitely recommend this solution.

Nevertheless, I will take my Buell Cyclone next time to Luton: far better seat / position, 20% better mpg, needs less space to filter and engine-noise wakes up everybody far in advance Just wished the engine and -mounts were as bullet proof as the AT

[McVicar]

Why wont people listen.
http://www.xrv.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtop...ht=tony+archer

[robelst]

Why wont people listen.
http://www.xrv.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtop...ht=tony+archer

Maybe because I don't visit the Varadero forum often enough
I wouldn't go there anyway for seat-tips, because the Vara seat is top-notch already, isn't it?

[McVicar]

Why wont people listen.
http://www.xrv.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtop...ht=tony+archer

Maybe because I don't visit the Varadero forum often enough
I wouldn't go there anyway for seat-tips, because the Vara seat is top-notch already, isn't it?

Thats why I also posted it in the "Recommended dealers/Service providers" section as well. But you're welcome anyway.

[markincyberspace]

Custom seats of Coventry www.customseats.co.uk

Got mine recovered with gel pads for rider and passeger £250

Send you old and they will turn it round in under a week.

Second vote for Custom Seats......
Also, I haven't tried these guys yet, but they're supposed to add that extra level of comfort...sheep skin rugs at http://www.alaskaleather.com/

Good luck with your travels Mike.