Ultimate seat - Specific question

[msb]

Just received my new Ultimate Big Boy seat (4 piece) for my '99 Interstate. After 11 years on my beloved Corbin (yes, probably one of the few who stuck it out so long), it is now just too hard and I decided that with my long ride to Morgantown coming up, it was a good time to pull the plug on another new seat. Since I only have a short time to decide if the Big Boy is going to be a long term fit, I thought I would ask for specific experiences from others here. I am 6' tall and weigh in at 240, with a 30" inseam....by Ultimate's definition, the Big Boy is what I should have. My question is....has anyone of similar dimensions had long term success with the Big Boy, or conversely has anyone of similar size tried the Big Boy but then opted for the King and found a better fit?
Initial ride went well today, but did wonder if I could be sitting back a little further. I will get out for a couple more longer rides in the next few days hopefully if the rains hold off, but I thought I'd try to get a jump on things by tapping into others' experiences which might help me to make a quick decision to keep the Big Boy or swap out for the King if needed in time for my departure date in a couple of weeks. Any responses or comments to this specific inquiry appreciated...thx

[Bighead]

I have tried them all with no luck ( pushes the boys up where they don't belong) so I will just stick with my Mustang.

[gordonv]

Hi Mike,

Just got back from Hope from my first long ride on my IS. I've had the Ultimate seat for about 300 miles. 5'10", 210#, 32" inseam. 2 sets of Hwy pegs. Ulitmate recommends 100 miles before returning.

Just put another 200 miles on today. By the time I got passed Chilliwack, my bottom was starting to get uncomfortable. Survived to Hope. Had breakfast, and an hour later left back home (gave up trying for Kamloops, wet/cold).

By the time I hit Aldergrove, I pulled over, and put the AirHawk on the bike. Just a little air. Made it home without any further discomfort on my bottom. Back was getting a little sore, need to figure out how to sit now without my backrest/wife to lean against.

Might try again on Monday up to Kamloops. This time with the AirHawk the whole way.

(will change my post after I verify which seat I have, Low or Big Boy).

[Jess from VA]

I'm 5'9" 200lb 29" inseam and like the Big Boy best.  (certainly taller than my Lowboy, but no problems with feet down)

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort)

The king puts you back farther (2 full inches?), but I don't know if it's taller than the big boy.

The king also sticks the dr backrest in the back seat, I think.

I seem to recall several saying they swapped from the big boy to the king.  

[Medina]

6' tall and weigh in at 240, with a 30" inseam

230, otherwise the same.

Mustang seat with backrest. Love it. Took...oh, about 300-400 miles to break in, and it keeps getting better at 1100-1200

First 50-100 miles thought I'd made a 450 dollar mistake...sat in the sun all day at work and boom, instant better. just keeps getting better

and.....backrest

[msb]

I'm 5'9" 200lb 29" inseam and like the Big Boy best.  (certainly taller than my Lowboy, but no problems with feet down)

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort

Thx. I do not have taller risers...researched on here and meant to get this Spring, but the combination of a wickedly busy work travel schedule these past few months and my 59 year affliction with procrastination has left me out of time for this trip. With Cobra floor boards and stock risers, my old Corbin has been a very good set up for me for many years, but the body is now telling me it's time for a change...hopefully I get a few hundred more km's on the new seat this weekend ...

[Houdini]

Hated my Ultimate seat and had a bad customer experienced when calling for advice.

I went back to the stock seat with an AirHawk for many years until I bought a Russell Day Long.  I'm sold on the Russell.

[hubcapsc]

Hated my Ultimate seat and had a bad customer experienced when calling for advice.

I went back to the stock seat with an AirHawk for many years until I bought a Russell Day Long.  I'm sold on the Russell.

As an aside, I'm getting GREAT help from Corbin... they exchanged my roid-cushion
backrest with a really fat regular backrest, pushing me forward another inch... gives my
elbows just the right amount of bend to make counter-steering comfortable... makes
me feel like I'm out of "the back seat". I'm also out of the seat's sweet-spot... they just
told me today they will be happy to move the sweet-spot forward to match the
new backrest, of course it will take 6 weeks or more...



-Mike

[gordonv]

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort

Thx. I do not have taller risers...researched on here and meant to get this Spring,

I too was thinking of taller (extended) risers. Those 1" extensions. To see if I can move them back towards the driver a little bit. No back rest, wife loosing weight, no longer can lean back nicely, so thinking of seeing if I can even rotate my bars and have them a little further back. This kind of thing was mentioned from other users.

Mike, I mentioned before, you are welcome to try my AirHawk.

[Jess from VA]

I'm 5'9" 200lb 29" inseam and like the Big Boy best.  (certainly taller than my Lowboy, but no problems with feet down)

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort

Thx. I do not have taller risers...researched on here and meant to get this Spring, but the combination of a wickedly busy work travel schedule these past few months and my 59 year affliction with procrastination has left me out of time for this trip. With Cobra floor boards and stock risers, my old Corbin has been a very good set up for me for many years, but the body is now telling me it's time for a change...hopefully I get a few hundred more km's on the new seat this weekend ...

Well, I only brought it up because it's possible the riser issue could affect your opinion on your seat.  I am betting the Big Boy is taller than your old Corbin (even with a bit more sinking into the cushion of the softer seat), and if this causes an increase in reach forward, it could affect how your bottom contacts the seat.  

Remember that (after padding the tank), even with your OE risers, you can still loosen the riser bolts and raise the bar ends up an inch or so.  Course that can increase the angle of bent wrists on the bars (another issue).  And of course Hwy peg use will change how your bottom contacts the seat as well.

I realize you only have a week or so to make your mind up on the Ultimate (to return), and that you wanted a new seat for the journey to WVa.  I'm glad I rode my ancient old Bigboy to NC so I could try a new one at Inzane, with the vendor right there in the parking lot.  My old Bigboy was probably a first year production model and was totally shot (though it looked good).  The new one was not even in the same ball park as the old one (much better) (I stopped using my Airhawk cushion entirely once I got the new one).

But years on this forum shows that seats are such an individual decision that other people's experiences are only marginally helpful.  

I am wondering if Dez might let you go past the return deadline, ride to WVa, try a King there, and make the swap even (or pay any extra for a King), if you like it better.  He might do that, but would probably not like the idea of a late exchange for cash only (instead of a swap).  I'm assuming he'll have a King (or three) with him in WVa.  I believe he's planning to be at Inzane.

[gordonv]

I was going to buy an Ultimate seat last year (for my Goldwing), but Ultimate didn't show up at Inzane.

I would check and confirm that they are showing up in W VA for Inzane.

[Hef]

When I bought my 2000 Standard it had 10k miles on it. After a 400 mile trip, I knew I had to change the stock seat. I'm 6-1 and 270 with 30" inseam. Bought the Ultimate Big Boy and love it. I now have 104K on my bike and have done many trips over a thousand miles long. Purchased with backrest which for me is a must. Also sprung for the Ultimate passenger seat. For me, it's a great package.

[Lyle Laun]

I'm 6' 2" and 220lbs with a 32" inseam. I've got both a Big Boy & a King Big Boy. I certainly like the King Big Boy a lot better than the Big Boy, but as was said in a previous post - seats are a rider specific thing.

Lyle...

[0leman]

There was a Big Boy with back rest on my Valk when I bought it in 2008 with 30K miles on the clock.  Now am within 600 miles of 100K.   Would like to try the King Big Boy ( according to Ultimate size chart should have one - 6' 3"), but am to cheap to pay for one.   I do find that I tend to get off around a hour and a half of riding to stretch legs.  That is, if I am going for a ride longer than 100 miles.  I do experience some butt discomfort when I haven't been riding much and go for 200 miles or more.  But a short stop of walking around takes care of that problem. 

In my opinion, the back rest is a necessary part of the seat.   

I would like to try a Russell Day Long, but again, I am a bit cheap an would rather buy gas and tires.

[Hook#3287]

I've got the "Big Boy" Ultimate and have put thousands of miles on it.  It's as comfortable as a seat can be, IMHO, but, I've never tried a "Russell".  I put tens of thousands of miles on my Mustang, but it started to feel a little hard.  Guess my butt changed, cause the seat didn't, it looks as new as when I bought it.

6', 190 lbs, 32" IS

When riding on a long trip, I put the sheepskin on, and no monkey butt.

I test rode the "King" in FL when I bought my seat and I felt it was a little more comfortable, but, the drivers back rest is mounted to the bike with the "King" and my plan was ( and is) to move the Ultimate from bike to bike.  Didn't want to pull out the tools every time I wanted to move the seat.

If I was putting it on a bike for keeps, I probably would have gone with the "King".

[Steve K (IA)]

Just received my new Ultimate Big Boy seat (4 piece) for my '99 Interstate. After 11 years on my beloved Corbin (yes, probably one of the few who stuck it out so long), it is now just too hard and I decided that with my long ride to Morgantown coming up, it was a good time to pull the plug on another new seat. Since I only have a short time to decide if the Big Boy is going to be a long term fit, I thought I would ask for specific experiences from others here. I am 6' tall and weigh in at 240, with a 30" inseam....by Ultimate's definition, the Big Boy is what I should have. My question is....has anyone of similar dimensions had long term success with the Big Boy, or conversely has anyone of similar size tried the Big Boy but then opted for the King and found a better fit?
Initial ride went well today, but did wonder if I could be sitting back a little further. I will get out for a couple more longer rides in the next few days hopefully if the rains hold off, but I thought I'd try to get a jump on things by tapping into others' experiences which might help me to make a quick decision to keep the Big Boy or swap out for the King if needed in time for my departure date in a couple of weeks. Any responses or comments to this specific inquiry appreciated...thx

I have both, a Big Boy and a King.  Big Boy with the backrest on my I/S and the King on my Std with a Utopia backrest. 

I'm 5'11" currently 340#    30" inseam.  When I put the Big Boy on my I/S 12 - 13 years ago I was your weight.  Liked it then and still do.

Now the King.  For me the King mated with the Utopia backrest is the perfect combination.  It sets me farther back. And on my Std I have the Deuse (sp?) risers which brings the bars back much further than the bars on my I/S.  So between my two bikes the reach to the bars are about the same.  (LaMonster risers on the I/S)
If I had the extra cash, I would duplicate the King set up on my I/S, or.........get a Day Long.

I have done 600, 900 and 1000 mile days on the Big Boy without much complaint.  I do have a sheepskin and beads that I sometime use.  Sheepskin is better.  Even better if you slip a one foot square of bubble wrap between the seat and sheepskin on the really long rides. (no kidding    )

[msb]

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort

Thx. I do not have taller risers...researched on here and meant to get this Spring,

Mike, I mentioned before, you are welcome to try my AirHawk.

Might take you up on thast...thx

[msb]

I'm 5'9" 200lb 29" inseam and like the Big Boy best.  (certainly taller than my Lowboy, but no problems with feet down)

But I do have taller risers on both bikes.  Do you?  (Bars/risers, seat and foot position is the golden triangle of comfort

Thx. I do not have taller risers...researched on here and meant to get this Spring, but the combination of a wickedly busy work travel schedule these past few months and my 59 year affliction with procrastination has left me out of time for this trip. With Cobra floor boards and stock risers, my old Corbin has been a very good set up for me for many years, but the body is now telling me it's time for a change...hopefully I get a few hundred more km's on the new seat this weekend ...

But years on this forum shows that seats are such an individual decision that other people's experiences are only marginally helpful.  

I am wondering if Dez might let you go past the return deadline, ride to WVa, try a King there, and make the swap even (or pay any extra for a King), if you like it better.  He might do that, but would probably not like the idea of a late exchange for cash only (instead of a swap).  I'm assuming he'll have a King (or three) with him in WVa.  I believe he's planning to be at Inzane.

Again, thx... I agree, everyone is different. I just figured that with so many of this group that has or has had an Ultimate I'd get a few relevant opinions which I could use in helping me to make my decision. I was correct...a lot of good info here - I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions.

Look for a guy on a R&B IS with BC liscence plates pulling up to GZ in Morgantown... you'll be able to tell if he made the right decision by the way he gets off his bike and walks in 

[BF]

I've tried a bunch of seats including the Ultimates. 

The major problem I had with them was that they are a very wide seat.  It spread my legs out making it hard that much harder for me to reach the ground. 

I have a Corbin that I use for around town some for when I feel like I want to sit lower, but I like my Mustang most of all. 

[Hook#3287]

Even better if you slip a one foot square of bubble wrap between the seat and sheepskin on the really long rides. (no kidding   Cheesy )

Awesome!!