Replacement seat

[Soup dragon]

Hi all,
Just bought a 99 Valkyrie should have done it years ago what a bike!!!
Looking to change seat for a bit more comfort long distance anyone use a saddlemen tour special ?
seen one on UK ebay site for a good price, any comments advice appreciated.
Any more UK members on here ?
Cheers
Soup dragon

[Gideon]

Welcome to a "GREAT" forum. 
I changed to a Corbin Seat. However, I am sure you will get many replies on the benefits of going with a Saddlemen Seat.
God bless,
Ride safe

[northernvalk]

Have a look to see if any local shops to seat rebuilds, many riders go that route for a custom seat at the same or lower price than the big aftermarket companies

[cookiedough]

might want to try out a seat before spending say over 200 bucks (US currency) on any seat IMO.  Maybe try out an airhawk seat cushion inflated slightly so it just lifts your butt off the seat a smidge is all that is needed, it will help but how much depends on the rider of course.  I bought a near new used one on craigslist local for 50 bucks retail for around 100 and use it occasionally for rides over 100 miles one way. 

concensus states ultimate or best being russell day long but to me, over 400 bucks is pretty pricey unless absolutely hate the stock Valk seat which I feel the stock Valkryie Interstate seat is o.k. for 95% of my rides being mostly under 100 miles one way.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Hi all,
Just bought a 99 Valkyrie should have done it years ago what a bike!!!
Looking to change seat for a bit more comfort long distance anyone use a saddlemen tour special ?
seen one on UK ebay site for a good price, any comments advice appreciated.
Any more UK members on here ?
Cheers
Soup dragon

Welcome  yes there are UK members on here. There is also Euro VRCC forum, and they also have their Inzane in the summer.

[Bagger John - #3785]

I have a variety of seats on-hand for my two Valkyries:

Mustang w/backrest, Ultimate Big Boy and King Boy (ditto backrests), Corbin touring saddle plus driver and passenger backrests (and I/S trunk pad, when run with a trunk), a Saddlemen low-profile solo and a Corbin Gunfighter. This in addition to the stock seats, one of each OEM model being destined for conversion to a Russell setup.

The seats frequently get swapped around, depending on the style of riding I'm planning. I've put the most per day on the King Boy and the Corbin Touring packages.

[hubcapsc]

Depending on what's available where you are, a decent
option might be a newer OEM seat. They're cheap - under
$100 here in the US. The seats on the first few years of
Valkyries were so awful that Honda made much better
seats for the later years.

A second generation OEM seat + a Utopia backrest would
probably be a very good combination, maybe for a relatively
low price...

https://utpr.com is the Utopia site, and they say that shipping out
of the US should cost $45-$75 depending...

I like my Ultimate setup  , probably costly for overseas...



-Mike

[Savago]

Before buying a new seat, I would try a sheep skin:
https://alaskaleather.com/products/large-sheepskin-buttpad

*Before* having one, I could do only about 50 miles in my Vstrom without feeling discomfort. *After* I can do over 100 just fine.

The same case for my I/S: I was able to do up to 50-70 miles with no stop. *After*, I can do 100-120 miles just fine.

YMMV, but another advantage is that you can move the sheep skin between bikes (if you have more than one).

What I really like about it is that it warms you up in the winter and helps to ventilate in the summer.
:-P

[Soup dragon]

Thanks for all replies, been looking at the sheepskin option and going to try it from a UK source , works out at about $45 so worth a go will report back when I've tried it.
Cheers
Soup dragon

[MarkT]

I have lots of seats but the best solns are surely spendy across the pond.  The best being Russell - it doesn't limit my riding distance at all and I'm talking about Iron Butt rides - over a thousand miles in a day.  And repeated high mile days.  I also have Ultimate, Corbin, Mustang, and used to have The Rood Saddle Mod you can do yourself which was also outstanding.  See my tech article on how to do that:  http://www.horseapple.com/Valkyrie/Tech_Tips/Rood_Saddle_Mod/rood_saddle_mod.html

[merla]

maybe you can try this mash seat cover. I use it and it's great help for comfort, especially on very hot weather when you feel air flowing under youre butt 
easy to find on ebay, and cheap too.


 

[msb]

I've had a Corbin w/rider backrest for 14 years on my Interstate. Have tried others  especially in recent years  but nothing fits me better or puts me in a better riding position for long distance rides than the Corbin, so have resisted changing it. 2 years ago I purchased the new version of the Airhawk-R seat pad, and I absolutely swear by it. First ride with it was 7600 mi in total with  500 - 800 mi  daily , and I regularly ride 500  + mi on our multi-day rides. The Airhawk makes a huge difference. No sweating on hot days so no burn,  no real noticeable change to seat height (only requires a minute amount of air), and you can change the amount of air or take it off all together to change things up on longer rides if you wish. For the money, definitely worth a shot before putting out the big bucks for one of the aftermarket seats in my mind.

[JimmyG]

I bought a saddleman a few months ago. It is a renegade model. I am extremely pleased with the way it feels. After break in period, it is a very comfortable seat. I have tried other seats, already mentioned here,and I think saddleman is just as comfortable, if not more so. Well made,and not so overpriced as the others.

[MarkT]

Forgot to mention.  Seats & butts are very personal.  What's great for one rider might not be so much for the next.  (With the exception of Russells - never heard of anyone not loving theirs, if it was made for them. Ultimates also have a strong following, though not all owners - I'm one of the latter.  Mine's OK, and it looks nice, but my butt is tired of it at the end of the day.)  The best way is to try out other's seats to find one that works for you.  Lots cheaper anyway.  Having pals that can help with that is the trouble with that. It's great that the seats can swap fast & w/o tools on the standard & tourer models. Also with the I/S but not as easy.  If you can borrow a seat for a long day ride, that will tell you a lot.  Seems like that would be a business opportunity - but not so much now that the bike has been out of production since '03.

Here's my Russell:

[Curly]

I've had a Corbin w/rider backrest for 14 years on my Interstate. Have tried others  especially in recent years  but nothing fits me better or puts me in a better riding position for long distance rides than the Corbin, so have resisted changing it. 2 years ago I purchased the new version of the Airhawk-R seat pad, and I absolutely swear by it. First ride with it was 7600 mi in total with  500 - 800 mi  daily , and I regularly ride 500  + mi on our multi-day rides. The Airhawk makes a huge difference. No sweating on hot days so no burn,  no real noticeable change to seat height (only requires a minute amount of air), and you can change the amount of air or take it off all together to change things up on longer rides if you wish. For the money, definitely worth a shot before putting out the big bucks for one of the aftermarket seats in my mind.

Just for confirmation. On the Airhawk website, the filter for Valkyrie shows up "Medium" size for the Airhawk-R seat pad. Is that the size you got - or did you "go large"?

[Bighead]

Before buying a new seat, I would try a sheep skin:
https://alaskaleather.com/products/large-sheepskin-buttpad

*Before* having one, I could do only about 50 miles in my Vstrom without feeling discomfort. *After* I can do over 100 just fine.

The same case for my I/S: I was able to do up to 50-70 miles with no stop. *After*, I can do 100-120 miles just fine.

YMMV, but another advantage is that you can move the sheep skin between bikes (if you have more than one).

What I really like about it is that it warms you up in the winter and helps to ventilate in the summer.
:-P

50-70 miles with no stop wow! Seems you need to ride more . The first time I put my butt on my IS I rode it from Chicago to Huntsville al only stopping for gas and it had the stock seat.
When I ride I don't stop til the tank is empty,ride that bike man.

[msb]

I've had a Corbin w/rider backrest for 14 years on my Interstate. Have tried others  especially in recent years  but nothing fits me better or puts me in a better riding position for long distance rides than the Corbin, so have resisted changing it. 2 years ago I purchased the new version of the Airhawk-R seat pad, and I absolutely swear by it. First ride with it was 7600 mi in total with  500 - 800 mi  daily , and I regularly ride 500  + mi on our multi-day rides. The Airhawk makes a huge difference. No sweating on hot days so no burn,  no real noticeable change to seat height (only requires a minute amount of air), and you can change the amount of air or take it off all together to change things up on longer rides if you wish. For the money, definitely worth a shot before putting out the big bucks for one of the aftermarket seats in my mind.

Just for confirmation. On the Airhawk website, the filter for Valkyrie shows up "Medium" size for the Airhawk-R seat pad. Is that the size you got - or did you "go large"?

I went Large...fits perfectly in the bucket of my Corbin seat and stays put...has a non-skid surface on back. Bonus - red accent matched the piping on the seat

[hubcapsc]

Before buying a new seat, I would try a sheep skin:
https://alaskaleather.com/products/large-sheepskin-buttpad

*Before* having one, I could do only about 50 miles in my Vstrom without feeling discomfort. *After* I can do over 100 just fine.

The same case for my I/S: I was able to do up to 50-70 miles with no stop. *After*, I can do 100-120 miles just fine.

YMMV, but another advantage is that you can move the sheep skin between bikes (if you have more than one).

What I really like about it is that it warms you up in the winter and helps to ventilate in the summer.
:-P

50-70 miles with no stop wow! Seems you need to ride more . The first time I put my butt on my IS I rode it from Chicago to Huntsville al only stopping for gas and it had the stock seat.
When I ride I don't stop til the tank is empty,ride that bike man.

Bleghhh... when I first got my bike I went on Britman's Memorial Day ride... I've
never been more miserable than I was coming home on that OEM 97 seat. Just
because you don't have any nerves in your butt doesn't mean...

-Mike "oh never mind...  "

[Hook#3287]

Before buying a new seat, I would try a sheep skin:
https://alaskaleather.com/products/large-sheepskin-buttpad

*Before* having one, I could do only about 50 miles in my Vstrom without feeling discomfort. *After* I can do over 100 just fine.

The same case for my I/S: I was able to do up to 50-70 miles with no stop. *After*, I can do 100-120 miles just fine.

YMMV, but another advantage is that you can move the sheep skin between bikes (if you have more than one).

What I really like about it is that it warms you up in the winter and helps to ventilate in the summer.
:-P

50-70 miles with no stop wow! Seems you need to ride more . The first time I put my butt on my IS I rode it from Chicago to Huntsville al only stopping for gas and it had the stock seat.
When I ride I don't stop til the tank is empty,ride that bike man.

I've found the I/S stock seat more comfortable than the Standard/Tourers, but lacking compared to aftermarket.  My first ride on my I/S was from Ga to MA on the Honda seat. 

I used the Alaskaleather sheepskin on that ride and it made 350 mile days doable.

Without it would have been a PITA, literally. 

[Jess from VA]

I've had a Corbin w/rider backrest for 14 years on my Interstate. Have tried others  especially in recent years  but nothing fits me better or puts me in a better riding position for long distance rides than the Corbin, so have resisted changing it. 2 years ago I purchased the new version of the Airhawk-R seat pad, and I absolutely swear by it. First ride with it was 7600 mi in total with  500 - 800 mi  daily , and I regularly ride 500  + mi on our multi-day rides. The Airhawk makes a huge difference. No sweating on hot days so no burn,  no real noticeable change to seat height (only requires a minute amount of air), and you can change the amount of air or take it off all together to change things up on longer rides if you wish. For the money, definitely worth a shot before putting out the big bucks for one of the aftermarket seats in my mind.

Just for confirmation. On the Airhawk website, the filter for Valkyrie shows up "Medium" size for the Airhawk-R seat pad. Is that the size you got - or did you "go large"?

I went Large...fits perfectly in the bucket of my Corbin seat and stays put...has a non-skid surface on back. Bonus - red accent matched the piping on the seat

It's been a a few years since I ordered mine.  They appeared to have changed styles for motorcycles.

For the new R models it looks like you want a large. 

But for the previous non-R models, you did not want a large but a medium.  In those models, the large just had a longer nose that would lay on the tank, and otherwise the Large and Medium were the same size cushions.

This is my old style medium. https://www.amazon.com/AIRHAWK-Motorcycle-Cushion-Cruiser-Medium/dp/B0045WBVUM/ref=pd_sim_236_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0A9E2Q53ADCD9ZV467KB

This was the old style Large, which you do not want as the long nose interferes with your male anatomy and overlapped the back of the tank.
 

It looks like Airhawk only sells the R models now, but aftermarket sellers may still have the older models for sale.




   

[msb]

The new "R" version is completely different than the old version. Zero comfort/fitment issues, and requires so little air that you don't even feel any difference in seat height when sitting on it. May not work for everyone or the same on every type of seat, but it sure does for me.

Jess, if you recall the first time you and I met was when I just arrived in Morgantown for InZane and I gave that seat pad a big kiss as I dismounted, even though I'd been sitting on it for the better part of 6 days  

[Jess from VA]

The new "R" version is completely different than the old version. Zero comfort/fitment issues, and requires so little air that you don't even feel any difference in seat height when sitting on it. May not work for everyone or the same on every type of seat, but it sure does for me.

Jess, if you recall the first time you and I met was when I just arrived in Morgantown for InZane and I gave that seat pad a big kiss as I dismounted, even though I'd been sitting on it for the better part of 6 days  

Sure I remember Mike.  And we had a nice conversation.  

The original seat cushions had relatively small air bubbles in them (I still have one of these too).  The 2d generation had larger air bubbles, just like the newest R models.  I think that was the most important improvement they made, since the larger bubbles let more air under your hiney when riding.

Other than the nose shape (flat vs curved), I don't see much difference between the 2d-generation Medium and R-generation large.

Also, they used to sell a poly cushion with a one year warranty, and a rubber (neoprene) cushion with a two year warranty (which cost about 40% more), and the rubber was the better product.  Now, it looks like they are all poly.

I stood up on the boards one day to blow all the hot air out of my clothing, then slammed down to the seat for a left turner (or something) and blew the vulcanization seam out of a 2d generation medium, and I could not repair it myself, despite several attempts.  It was like 2 weeks out of warranty, but ROHO (Airhawk parent company) said send it in and they'd see what they could do.  Then they called right away and said it was unrepairable and they would not return it without me paying a rather high inspection fee.  This pissed me off, and I decided right then they are not a consumer friendly outfit, even if they have a good product.  

I rode around on them for a long time, until I got a new Ultimate Bigboy, which is so good for me I don't use the cushion much anymore.  And admittedly, I have not been taking any really long rides the last couple years; and it is the long rides that bring on the sore butts.

Over time, I learned that adding a little or removing a little air from time to time during long rides seemed to help (even taking it off once in a while).  Of course, this in combination with moving your foot position from boards/pegs, to highway pegs changes the pressure points on your hiney (and relieves low back stresses too).  

Most of all, I discovered that the Airhawk was tailor made for all day HOT weather riding when the butt gets hot and damp and sore after hours in the saddle.  In cold and cool weather, when you are more geared up, the issue is not as important (at least to me).  In hot weather, I also tried compression microfiber underbritches and other high tech man panties, but they just made me sweat more than usual.

And Willow's comments are worth noting.  That is, if you ride long distance all the time, your butt and body get more acclimated to the process, than if most of your riding is just tooling around for a few hours.

[Savago]

50-70 miles with no stop wow! Seems you need to ride more . The first time I put my butt on my IS I rode it from Chicago to Huntsville al only stopping for gas and it had the stock seat.
When I ride I don't stop til the tank is empty,ride that bike man.

I wished I could ride more (this year was a bit weak, no long trips).
:-)

And sure, once I did 400 miles in a single day in the vstrom (stock seat, no sheep skin) in 2014 through the Big Sur (highly technical road), but was in pain at the end of the day.

In the I/S, my longest ride was a bit more than 400 miles (stock seat) using a sheep skin, started the day in Oregon, finished the day in Montana (the Interstate did justice to its name that day!). My current record is 450 miles in my ST1300 (stock seat, using a sheep skin), through the Carson Pass heading to the Lake Tahoe.

But there is a difference between keep riding and being comfortable, no?

Generally I stop each 90-110 miles to refuel and stretch the legs a bit. I learned that after reading the book 'Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well'. Link in amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620081199/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Basically after 2-3 hours riding straight is recommended a quick break (10-20 minutes), to help keeping the riding comfortable and the mind focused.