Seat lowering modification- 2001 std

[BWANA]

I would like to lower my seat height by 1 or 2 inches.
Has anyone tried removing foam from the bottom? ( near base pan )
Local upholstery shop suggested this method.
New seat or shocks are not in my budget at this time. ???

[larryh0841]

I have done several seats for myself and others and I never have taken material off the bottom.  I like to take the cover off the area that I am working on leaving some of the staples or rivets in place to assist in properly locating the cover when putting it back on.  I use a disc sander and make several cuts about 1" apart with the edge of the disc to the depth that I want to go.  Then I remove the material to that depth with the same disc.  Be careful to blend the modified area with the part you don't touch.  I is also important to narrow the area of the seat that contacts the inside of your thighs when you are setting with your feet on the ground.  I always do a little at a time so I don't wind up with a mess that I can't fix.  Try it and sit on it, if it fits you're done.  If not take off a little more.  When you like the fit you can put the cover back on.  Fit it evenly going from side to side and front to back to assure a uniform fit.  Use staples or pop rivets.  It is not hard to do.  However, if you take too much material out of the center it will have a tendency to stretch the cover across the low spot like a drum head.  It will fit o.k. when you are on it, but it won't look right.
                                                                                               Larry

[Robert]

Didn't use the oem seat pan but had a Corbin seat on it that started to get a hole in it and they wouldn't do anything about it so I had a local guy make a custom seat. He took some of the foam out and fit the seat, the Corbin was already lower than the stock and the custom is a bit lower. Generally you can find someone to replace the foam with something a bit stiffer and a little more comfortable. You can lower it though without to much problem.

[RP#62]

I did that on my wife's bike by trimming the foam with an electric carving knife.  I also narrowed the nose of the seat by bending the pan inward.  If you look underneath, you'll see that there's around an inch clearance between the front sides of the pan and the frame.  If you heat the pan and put a strap on it, you can bend it inward to get about 1/4 inch clearance.
-RP

[BWANA]

Thanks for the info.
I'll give it a try.