Buying New Valk Seats

[BigD602]

I know this has been probably beat to death, but I am looking to upgrade the seats on my 98 Valkyrie.  My father in law has offered to buy me some Mustang seats, but I am looking at the King Big Boy Ultimate seats instead.  Anybody have an opinion about which seat is better.  

I'm 6' and about 320lbs.  My wife is 5'8" with an athletic build.  

We currently have Corbin seats that bother us after about 30mi even with butt pads.  

Thanks for the help and sorry about starting a seat thread again!

[Jess from VA]

Both Mustang and Ultimate are upgrades from stock.  Most guys choose based on the driver's seat, and the passenger gets what she gets.  There are some differences between Mustang and Ultimate. More have chosen Ultimate than Mustang, but it's purely a personal choice.  The only real way for you to decide is to sit (hopefully ride) on them before purchasing.  You have two weeks to return an Ultimate (so long as you order their basic seat with no change in style or stitching), the Mustang is nonreturnable barring defect(s).  You will not likely be unhappy with either. 

If it was me, I'd make it a project to sit on both driver's seats over the Winter..... and I'd look hi and lo for good quality used, before spending large on new. 

[BigD602]

Hmmm.  Good advice.......  Anyone in MI that can let me sit on your Mustang or Ultimate seats?
 

[Quicksilver]

I highly recommend the Ultimate seat. I was concerned that they say you sit higher and further back. I have the bigboy with a utopia backrest, and an ultimate passenger seat on my 1997 Standard. I find I start a bit high but gradually sink into it as I ride. I found that I do not sit further back on it though. I guess I was naturally sitting back on the standard seat. It is a comfortable seat and I'm in no hurry to get off it, even when we stop for a break, I'll stay seated on my bike. Looking at the King, it seems heftier though. I weigh in at 250 5' 11''. The seat seems to distribute more weight to your thighs and gets it off your but.  

[Chrome]

Hey Big Since Inzane will be held just up the road from you next summer,why not wait till then. Des from Ultimate is usually there with his display. Have him put a "loaner" on your bike and then try it out yourself on the road. I have 3 full  sets of Ultimates on my Valks and like them.
Happy Trails Adrian (Chrome) V

[paps350]

I am about your size and I ride on a Mustang on my 97 standard which is alot better than OEM but even with a gel pad on it I can only ride an hour and a half and need to dismount for a while. As others may agree with me that I have found that changing positions in the seat and moving my feet to different locations helps alot

[BigD602]

Thanks guys!

Sounds like a good idea Chrome.  That would be the way to go.  I would love to try them both before spending the $$$ on either.  Plus nothing beats actually riding to get the "real" feel of the seats.  Kinda hard to do in MI this time of year.   

[Hef]

I have the Ultimate Big Boy rider and passenger seat and love them both.

[CASABROKER]

Go with the Ultimate, I've had both and the ultimate is more comfy. 

[ptgb]

Let's add another wrinkle here...

Russell Day Long seat (http://www.day-long.com/).... you should at least consider one. I have had stock, Mustang, and Ultimate... all had pros and cons when compared to the others. So far I have not found one "con" when it comes to the Russell.

Sure it's a pain in the butt (no pun) having to custom order it, with pictures and measurements sent to them. Then, you have to wait 2 months or more to get it after you order it. Sigh....

Mine actually ended up a bit cheaper than the Ultimate, but not by much.

Trust me, all of it is worth it once you sit on 'em. I went from 300 miles on other seats until discomfort; in September did 1500 miles in 23 1/2 hours straight with no discomfort whatsoever.

No, I am not a paid spokesman (even though I sound like one)... IMO they are just THAT good.  

[Hoser]

I know this has been probably beat to death, but I am looking to upgrade the seats on my 98 Valkyrie.  My father in law has offered to buy me some Mustang seats, but I am looking at the King Big Boy Ultimate seats instead.  Anybody have an opinion about which seat is better.  

I'm 6' and about 320lbs.  My wife is 5'8" with an athletic build.  

We currently have Corbin seats that bother us after about 30mi even with butt pads.  

Thanks for the help and sorry about starting a seat thread again!

If your father in law will buy mustangs and nothing else, let him!  You might like them. Never look a gift horse in the mouth!  hoser

[Farther]

I had Mustang seats on my Shadow and liked them.  However they did change the seating position, raising somewhat and moving forward.  I believe that they do the same on the Valkyrie.  Two things I would not want for my Standard.

[ptgb]

I had Mustang seats on my Shadow and liked them.  However they did change the seating position, raising somewhat and moving forward.  I believe that they do the same on the Valkyrie.  Two things I would not want for my Standard.

The Mustang on the Valkyrie actually moved me a bit back, opening up a little more leg room when compared to the stock seat. As far as height, it was about the same as stock.

[Bill anderson]

Mustang has changed ownership and in my opinion the seats are not of the same quality as before change.
I have an older mustang and love it.A friend of mine has a newer one and when it rains the seat is like a sponge.Mustang wouldn't fix it but told him to get a waterproofing seam sealer.

[Jess from VA]

Since a Valk driver's seat change is only a key-turn away, wait till you can hook up to ride with a group of Valks.  Surely some guys will swap out seats with you for an hour or so to try them out.

(I know your name's not Surely, but you get the idea) 

 

[BF]

I have Mustangs on mine.  They sit you higher and further back from stock.  I've had a Corbin on my Valk and the Mustangs are better than the Corbin....but not by much.   

They look great.  Riding back and forth to work and running errands around town they're great......however, they seem to have a time limit of about an hour and a half.  By then, I'm ready to get heck off of it and walk around for a few minutes.  Burns my right check and thigh like crazy.  Don't know why it doesn't bother my left side....just the right.

Funds are tight, but if and when they free up a little, I'll be looking at the Ultimates or the Russell day longs. 

[RonW]

I have always wondered why they don't make seats with "full" backrests, about 16-inches high and contoured, that you can fold back to get on and off the bike. Heck, you could even fold the backrest down and use it as the passenger seat. Is there a safety issue? I'm thinking of making one someday in the future. Picture if you will, an I/S passenger backrest used for a driver backrest. I'm not planning on using the armrests.

[Sodbuster]

I went with a Mustang just because I got a super good deal on Craigslist - like new cond. Like others have said it sits up just a tad higher and back a bit (more leg room) - Took a 3500 mile trip this year and was real happy with it - One thing about the Mustang that gets kudos from the passenger is the backrest, it is tilted forward a little making it more comfortable for her - But like others have said try them all if you can and make your decision.

[Chiefy]

My goodness.  Take the free Mustangs!  I don't consider the Mustang on my VTX to be the best.  But it IS a d@mn good seat, and for free???

[eric in md]

Let's add another wrinkle here...

Russell Day Long seat (http://www.day-long.com/).... you should at least consider one. I have had stock, Mustang, and Ultimate... all had pros and cons when compared to the others. So far I have not found one "con" when it comes to the Russell.

Sure it's a pain in the butt (no pun) having to custom order it, with pictures and measurements sent to them. Then, you have to wait 2 months or more to get it after you order it. Sigh....

Mine actually ended up a bit cheaper than the Ultimate, but not by much.

Trust me, all of it is worth it once you sit on 'em. I went from 300 miles on other seats until discomfort; in September did 1500 miles in 23 1/2 hours straight with no discomfort whatsoever.

No, I am not a paid spokesman (even though I sound like one)... IMO they are just THAT good.  

     just what he said... worth the dollar..

[Willow]

My $.02 worth.

I have Ultimates on all three of our Valkyries.

You won't deal with better folks than Des and the company is small enough that if you need to speak with someone for advice or resolution it's likely you'll be talking directly with Des.

Des supports the VRCC.  That's a big plus for me.  He also started his business with the Valkyrie seats.

I can ride a thousand mile day on my Ultimate.  That's not much of a testimony as I could probably ride a thousand miles on a brick.  What is a testimony is that my wife will ride an 800 mile day on her Ultimate without complaining.

Get the Ultimate.  They look best, too.    

[BigD602]

Thanks for all the replies!  Great advice from everyone.  It definitely helps to have the comments about your experiences with the different seats. 

My wife and I rode from Alma, MI to Indian Shores, FL in 2009 on our Valk.....the Corbin's were torture.  I don't know how we made it all the way there, and it's a good thing we stayed there for a week to rest our aching bottoms!  Once I stepped off the bike, there was no way you could have paid me to get back on......and that's not like me at all!

I think my best bet will be to wait until Inzane and talk to Des.  Hopefully I can try both the Ultimate and the Mustang to see which one I like more.  I'm thinking the Ultimate or the Day Long's are going to be my choices though.

Thanks again everyone, your advice is priceless! 

[rmrc51]

I'm another very satisfied Ultimate customer. I find them extremely supportive and comfortable!

[BF]

About the only complaint that I've ever read on here is that the Ultimate seats might crowd the boys.....so to speak.   

You might note how the Ultimates have a distinct rise in at the front of the seat.

[ILcruiser]

Not to muddy the waters, a less expensive alternative to an aftermarket seat is to have the stocker modded by Mean City Cycles.  They have a wide variety of mods tailored to the rider's requirements.  My knowledge of them comes from VTX riders, among whom they have an outstanding reputation for quality and customer service.

http://www.meancitycycles.com/



 

[MarkT]

I've had 3 aftermarket seats.  First I should add, I'm about 280, 72" with 31" inseam.  Yeah, too fat I know.  My doc says I'm too short for my weight.  I told him to put in a rack so we can stretch my height up to 6'6".

 First (after the POS OEM seat): OEM modified as Rood saddle mod.  Written up on my tech tips pages: http://www.horseapple.com/Valkyrie/Tech_Tips/Rood_Saddle_Mod/rood_saddle_mod.html



I also added a Utopia backrest to this seat, which is in the picture.

This was a great seat, had the shortest break-in period of all I tried, and I'd still be on it except the wife wanted a comfy seat too.  This meant I had to replace the back seat with something.  I thought of modifying the back - but at the time I was Director of Marketing at the VOA which meant my position got me an offer of a 4-piece Mustang set for a substantial discount.  So I sold the custom seat which paid for most of the Mustang set.

The Mustang took several months to break in.  Once it did, it was comfortable for both of us - but still not as good for me as my custom seat was.  I should add, as someone else already did - the angle of the passenger backrest is important for the back-seater's comfort.  The Mustang makes her sit on her ass instead of her tailbone per the OEM backrest.




After this time, I bought a 1800 Gold Wing, and the wife got her own bike - a Magna.  She said if she's gonna ride bitch, she prefers the Wing - I said cool,, then I'm soloing the bike - like that look, and I can sell the Mustang setup to pay for an Ultimate Big Boy - which I really liked the look esp. with the Dragon embroidery - and everybody was raving about the seat.  So the Mustang set paid for most of the Ultimate seat.



I've had this seat for years now. Looks great as you can see.  I don't put the really big miles on the Valk anymore - I have the Wing for road trips.  But this seat is still not broken in.  I don't think it will ever be as good as the other two.

Now maybe I'm just getting old.  Even the Wing hurts my butt on really long trips.  This summer did a Canada trip - over a week, and 3,990 miles: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609487&highlight=denver+banff My butt didn't stop hurting for a couple weeks after that one.  But I last much longer than on the Ultimate seat.

So my point is, a seat is very personal.  What's great for one might suck for you.  The only way you will know for sure is to jump in the water, buy the seat you think will work, and give it a go for several months.  If it doesn't work, you can get your money back by selling it, and buy something else.

If I was to do that now, I'd give Russel a try.  I've heard good stuff on Diamond too.  But since I only ride the Valk for a couple hundred miles at a time, I can put up with my unhappy butt, given the seat looks so good.

[john]

try and get yer hands on the seat off of a 2000 model valkyrie ...    
b i g improvement over the 98 saddle ...  way    
and  not hard to come by ... lots of them out there    
save yer self a pocket full of do ri me ...        
try one before you spend the big money ...      
unless you have more dough than you know what to do with ...      
then ... what ever blows yer dress up ...    
6' 3" .... 300pounds .... tried the mustang (thanks ron) hated it ...
tried the lowrider (thanks pat)... hated it too
rode the 2000 saddle (thank bigbf) for years before my wife bought me a king big boy for my birthday ...
(thank you sugar)....

[Redline +]

try and get yer hands on the seat off of a 2000 model valkyrie ...    
b i g improvement over the 98 saddle ...  way    
and  not hard to come by ... lots of them out there    
save yer self a pocket full of do ri me ...      

You can buy them new for about $90.

Redline 

[Linedog]

Redline, I'm over here in Spokane where are these seats available from?  I've got a 98 standard.  Thank you! Linedog ???

[X Ring]

Try the forum classifieds or evilbay.

Marty

[scoot]

I bought a Ultimate just shortly after buying the bike. I knew in a short time the stocker wasn't working. I can go hours on it now, and best yet I don't get any nagging pain from my back......seat passenger. She is also a lot happier with the seat. And, we all know "when mama's happy, we're all happy".

[Redline +]

Redline, I'm over here in Spokane where are these seats available from?  I've got a 98 standard.  Thank you! Linedog ???

Honda. Part number 77200-MZ0-A80. Brand new in a box $86.25 on HDL. I recently bought one from my local dealer for about the same price.

Redline 

[big papa bear]

I purchased a mustang seat. It is better than the stock seat.  The back support is good.  It is as comfortable as riding on a brick.

[blotar]

I was riding through Arkansas in 1994 and on the way back my Honda Magna 750 was bringing very large tears when ever I stopped! It was a Monday so everything was closed. I looked in the yellow pages and I saw "T.S.Simmons Seats" I thought, ok maybe if I got some Highway Pegs?? I called Tom and told him what I wanted. He said, " Sorry I make seats". I said, "OK, I'll take one". When do you want it? I said, Today and he dropped the phone laughing. Apparently there was a waiting list. Anyway I ran around the National Forest all day and after all Fayetteville is a college town. It was about Midnight before I actually arrived at Tom's House (workshop in back) I told him that I wanted a vinyl seat, OK he said, but look at this.... and he smooth talked me into the most wonderful seat. He finished about 4:00 am and I left a happy camper. Arrived in Houston and felt like dancing! He is a master builder and it doesn't really soak up the rain.(it's the way he uses different kinds of foam) The day I got my brand new out of the box V-max, I went straight home and shipped that factory crap to him as well and he gave it a complete and wonderful makeover. I am not affiliated with Tom, but he custom makes each seat to order. Check him out:
http://tscustomseats.com/about.html
 When I can swing it,I plan on giving him a call
Blotar

[Zep]

Russell seats hands down.  No contest.

[Fatboyman05]

Just curious, is anybody riding on a saddlemen (explorer). I had one on my Road King and really liked it...

[Cliff]

Let's add another wrinkle here...

Russell Day Long seat (http://www.day-long.com/).... you should at least consider one. I have had stock, Mustang, and Ultimate... all had pros and cons when compared to the others. So far I have not found one "con" when it comes to the Russell.

Sure it's a pain in the butt (no pun) having to custom order it, with pictures and measurements sent to them. Then, you have to wait 2 months or more to get it after you order it. Sigh....

Mine actually ended up a bit cheaper than the Ultimate, but not by much.

Trust me, all of it is worth it once you sit on 'em. I went from 300 miles on other seats until discomfort; in September did 1500 miles in 23 1/2 hours straight with no discomfort whatsoever.

No, I am not a paid spokesman (even though I sound like one)... IMO they are just THAT good.  

     just what he said... worth the dollar..

love the Russell daylong