Comfortable rear seat for the wife

[recman25]

  Looking for honest opinions on aftermarket seats for my '99 interstate. Before this bike I had a H-D electra glide. My wife felt very cradled and secure sitting "in it". With our Valk, she complains that she feels as she is sitting on top of the bike, if that makes sense. Not nearly as secure. Im looking at "Ultimate Seats" but without being able to actually test ride it I would hate to spend that kind of money only to feel compelled to go back to the V-twin. Were both in decent shape, not over weight....especially her!!  Thanks for any help

[bill-jr]

I have heard a lot of complaints about passengers and ultimate seats my wife really liked the mustang rear seat .... problem with the I/S is that you gotta get both seats because the I/S is a one piece seat . .

[gordonv]

I can't be too much help. I've an IS also, have tried most seats I could trying to get my comfort, with no luck.

99' IS stock seat. Sheep skin, a little better. Corbin offal, but msb has had one since new. Ultimate Big Boy, no better.

Through out all this, my wife has gone from over weight to loosing 50 #. She has never been uncomfortable on the back. But she has been MORE comfortable on my GW GL1500. I've bought a Mustang rear seat for her (she tried and liked), and am wanting a front so I can customize it.

I know what you are talking about with her feeling like she's sitting on it. What are your heights? If you where to customize her seat, dish it out, then she'll be sitting lower. My wife can look over my shoulder.

Doesn't the IS hold her nicely already, even if she is sitting on the seat? There is the back rest and pods, wrapping around her.

The IS seat can be bought new for less than $100. Get one a mod it. I'm going the way of a std/tourer seat, Mustang rear, and OEM front. Pull everything off the pan, and rebuild it up to a bowl.

My best seat to date was a Corbin on my VT1100T. It was like a bowl and held me comfortably. On the Valk, it was the worst.

All seats are interchangeable to all models. The IS with the larger tank, has a one piece shorter seat, but the std/tourer can fit on the IS and the front nose will make contact with the tank.

[The emperor has no clothes]

https://day-long.com/

Expensive but worth every penny in my opinion.

[BCoy]

Check into adding a gel pad through an upholstery shop. Might be worth the effort if she likes the seat, if the shop is good they can customize your current seat to your wife’s body type.
Ride safe,
Bill

[Jess from VA]

 Looking for honest opinions on aftermarket seats for my '99 interstate. Before this bike I had a H-D electra glide. My wife felt very cradled and secure sitting "in it". With our Valk, she complains that she feels as she is sitting on top of the bike, if that makes sense. Not nearly as secure. Im looking at "Ultimate Seats" but without being able to actually test ride it I would hate to spend that kind of money only to feel compelled to go back to the V-twin. Were both in decent shape, not over weight....especially her!!  Thanks for any help

It's not only drivers that have various personal opinions on seats, so do passengers.  The Ultimate seats for Interstate replace the one-piece dual-tour stock (or Corbin) single seat, with two seats (so do Mustang flat seats).  And like the Ultimate driver's seats, the passenger seat is raised a bit in the nose to provide a more bucket seat-like experience holding her back in the pocket.  And the Ultimate interstate passenger trunk/backrest (they want your stock one in trade for reworking, or you pay more for it) also changes the angle of the back/trunk rest, supposedly with better passenger ergonomics.  

I would really try to find another interstate with these seats for her to ride on before spending any money on them.  And a five minute ride is probably not that helpful.

Some larger passengers have complained over the years, that the interstate back seat is just too confining (especially with a drivers backrest in their crotch), than a standard/tourer dual seat setup with a standard passenger sissy bar and pad.  And a few guys have super-valked (removed the Interstate truck), and replaced it with std/tourer fender struts and a sissy and back pad, just so their back seater has more room.

Something that can always be considered for a sore bottom issue, is just to buy an Airhawk inflatable passenger air cushion (only about one third full of air to start) (which can make any shitty seat a great seat), with or without a sheepskin over it.  But that can put them higher into the slipstream than they like (so they may need a visor on their helmet).

Another comfort issue with interstate back seaters is short legs.  If they really can't help support themselves with feet on pegs, the butt takes all the work/weight.  Some have shimmed the rear pegs up some, and others have gone with a more expensive adjustable height rear peg mount system.

That's all I got.
 

[semo97]

Nothing fits a woman like a Day Long, buy once and forget it, my wife rides with me on the st1300 and the valk  tourer both have Day Long made seats. You do sit higher on the valk and day long will put you a little higher then stock but it fits and you sit in it not on it like most passenger seats. You can put anything on a seat, but it is just a band-ad not a fix. We like it where we can get on and go for 7/10 hours stopping for gas and a meal or two.

[carolinarider09]

I think the answer is it depends.

I have the Mustang seat on my 2003 Valkyrie Standard.  I like it and so does my wife.

Since it is the only replacement seat I have tried on the Valkyrie, I cannot compare to others. 

I have had other seats on other bikes and I think the answer might be it depends on the bike as to which seat works best for the money.

I have riden on bikes with a Corbin seat and the Russel Day long.  If I were going to replace the stock seat today, I'd still go with the Mustang seat.

[Jess from VA]

If I were going to replace the stock seat today, I'd still go with the Mustang seat.

Until I went to Ultimates on my Valks, I only ran Mustangs on my other bikes.  

You know, Mustang is the only seat maker that does not make different size front seats for Valk std/tourers and interstates.  So if you have mustangs on your standard, they should go right on your interstate.  There is a little screwing around with the back seat mount on the interstate, and I can't remember what it is, but those seats should go right on the interstate.  And not an all day project either.  So move them over and try them out.  If it's good, you can either get a second set, or just move them back and forth.  Or move them both over, and just get a solo for the standard.

[Willow]

  ... Before this bike I had a H-D electra glide. My wife felt very cradled and secure sitting "in it". With our Valk, she complains that she feels as she is sitting on top of the bike, if that makes sense. Not nearly as secure. ...

I think our friends may be answering the wrong question for you.  If she feels she is "sitting on" rather than "in" it's probably because there is so much difference in height from the ground between the pilot and passenger on the Valk.  Ultimate is likely the most comfortable passenger seat for the Valkyrie but more importantly if you can ride the Big Boy or King Boy Ultimate it will move you, the pilot, up an inch or two and perhaps help her perception. 

[recman25]

[/quote]

I think our friends may be answering the wrong question for you.  If she feels she is "sitting on" rather than "in" it's probably because there is so much difference in height from the ground between the pilot and passenger on the Valk.  Ultimate is likely the most comfortable passenger seat for the Valkyrie but more importantly if you can ride the Big Boy or King Boy Ultimate it will move you, the pilot, up an inch or two and perhaps help her perception. 
[/quote]


  Thats exactly whats going on. The Valk is taller in the seat making her feel top heavy. I even notice it riding solo. If I could drop it down a couple inches that would fix it. The next problem is my legs. 34" inseam, so theres not much room to skooch up without feeling like a jockey in a horse race

[Willow]

Shorter shocks can drop it an inch but that retains the difference between you and her.  My belief is that it's more perception than actual height.  For what it's worth I have a 30 inch inseam and I can sit a standard seat although I prefer the Ultimate Low Boy.  A taller seat might be a significant challenge for me but then you have a four inch advantage over me in leg length.

Perhaps a combination of shorter shocks and a taller saddle would help.   

[Dr K]

I put a hartco warrior on my first valk in 2005  then moved it to my second valk now my new IS came with a Corbin I haven't switched it yet  my wife loved the hartco back seat up to 500 to 600 miles a day. Then she decided she would just get her own valk and enjoy her own big Corbin drivers seat.  

[Jims99]

I have the ultimate seat on my tourer with the extra (quick remove) armrest for her. She loves it, but did say the mustang seat was a bit more comfortable. I don’t think mustang still makes them, may have to find a used one. I asked mustang about a seat for tourers last bike week, said didn’t make them for that model anymore.

[Gryphon Rider]

On my Tourer my wife prefers the stock seat to the Ultimate.  She likes to sit far back on the seat so the back rest supports a more vertical posture, and the Ultimate has a ridge around the back edge of the passenger seat that prevents her from sliding back the way she likes.

[MarkT]

+1 on the Russell.  It was Mrs Valkorado who got a short jaunt on the back of mine and was then talking about how nice it was.  I don't think that's a good test however.  For one, her butt ain't your wife's, and second a short jaunt proves nothing. Your best bet would be if she could get some more time like a cpl hours on ea of different brands / sizes.  Likely not realistic.  But know this - everyone who has had the Russell made for them loves it.  They need your measurements & weight and require pics of you sitting on your bike.  Then it's made to fit.  Best money I've spent on my Valks in 21 years.  I've had half a dozen different seats including Ultimate, Mustang, Russell, Corbin, Oem, and Rood saddle mod (also a great seat). I made a cpl mods to the mounting hardware on mine to fine tune it for us.  And now I raise the backrest when I have a passenger to provide thigh room.  Otherwise I like the back rest to be low, supporting the lombar area. Also they will make it in your choice of colors, materials, and stitch patterns. You can even provide your own custom graphics and they will apply them.  These patterns I sourced and ran through the program Sew-art, which is compatible with Russell's embroidery machine.  Russell DayLong - not cheap but worth it.

[davit]

My wife is tiny and finds my interstate seat to be very comfortable, and the addition of a driver's backrest made her feel more secure.  

I'm considering having just the rider's portion of my stock seat modified by these guys http://www.meancitycycles.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&view=category&Itemid=226 , and it appears they could modify the passenger's portion of your seat so your wife could sit more "in" it.  http://www.meancitycycles.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&view=category&Itemid=229