Ultimate Seat versus Saddlemen Tour Special

[Panama]

Hey folks..I'm gonna be a little long winded for a minute, but from some of the other posts I've read over the months, this might be considered short  .
I'm looking for some feedback here, on anyone's opinions (experience, pains, comforts, etc) with the Saddlemen, versus the Ultimate.
Here's my dilemma. I have the Ultimate King Big Boy - soon to sell - that doesn't fit me perfectly. I went searching for the perfect seat, and the Ultimate was recommended by father-in-law, as he's got the Low Boy on his 98 Standard, and LOVES it. So, I researched the seats, read Ultimate's recommendation for height and size, (5'11 + 250lbs)... I'm big enough I thought I could justify the King.
Regardless, I bought the King BB on Ebay, and have ridden it nearly 2500 miles, and found - as much as I love the seat and the look - I've got that one pressure point just at the top of the thighs(bottom bone-ish area of the bottom), that always starts aching after about 200 miles.
Maybe it doesn't matter what seat I get, or maybe I should have found just a "big boy", as the f-i-l loves his Low Boy, and says he hasn't had pain one since putting his on.
I've ridden solo for a while now, and the wife has just decided she wants to ride, so I'm putting the back seat (oem) back on, and thought, "This is the perfect time to decide what to do with my Ultimate driver"......
So, BEFORE I spend the money on "yet another seat", I wanted to get some advice from all of you that have a bit more experience/history with their Valks than I do.

Is there anyone out there that knows the comforts of both seats, or can give me legitimate reasons to choose one over the other?

 Saddlemen http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GUWZ8E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A326NK1SJSXOX7 VERSUS the Ultimate http://ultimateseats.ca/stand_tourer.html .

Should I look into the Saddlemen, sell my King Big Boy and get 'just' a Big Boy (or trade with someone that wants the KBB and has a BB), or should I just say screw it, sell the KBB, and have my old OEM re-stuffed and reupholstered?

Thanks in advance for your answers, and for reading my long winded explanation

[Clark]

I am partial to Rick Mayer who is the son of the inventor of the russell daylong.. having said that,, the 90 day money back guarantee by russell daylong is hard to beat.. the best seat ya ever rode or yer $$ back after you have given them i believe 2 chances to fix whatever it is ya dont like.. check out their websites

[sugerbear]

been here a while. don't remember anyone talking about a saddlemans.

don't know why

[Davet261]

I've never sit on a Saddleman seat but I do have a gel pad that was given to me by a friend and I can l you the gel pad absorbs heat, not a little bit, it holds a lot of heat.  If you leave a gel pad sitting on your seat in the sun it will set your @ss on fire when you sit on it.  I realize there is a vinyl cover over the gel on a Saddleman seat but I am guessing it will still hold a lot of heat. Just my opinion after owning a gel pad.

I have never sit on a Day-Long seat but they do look very comfortable, I have looked at them on their website many times. 

Clark do you actually own one?  I have done web searches on the cost of the seat and can find nothing, by looking at them they do look expensive......

[Panama]

Thanks for the responses so far guys.
Sugarbear, whether you meant to or not, you make a valid point. Hopefully SOMEONE out there can tell me they've ridden the Saddlemen...
Clark, the Day-Long are beautiful seats and custom work, but $500 (cheapest I saw) to recover my seat, and if -for some strange reason- I don't like it, I now have to find a new OEM to replace.
Unless I have someone tell me they've actually owned and sat in one, that's a hard seat to consider.

Dave, I hadn't even considered the gel pad heating up. I'll have to do a little more research on that.

Maybe I just need to buy some "bike shorts" with gel inserts......

I can deal with a lot of pain most days, but when it cuts into enjoying my ride, I don't mind being a baby about it!

[RudyF6]

+1 on what Davet261 says - I have a seat with an integral gel pad on my dualsport (Suzuki DR650), and when it's hot it will literally burn your a$$, also when cold it's like sitting on a cement block. My Valk has an Ultimate and I wouldn't part with it. 

[Clark]

ok. here's the deal.. first let me say I tried a gel seat.. and God as my witness I pulled off the road one day because I actually DID think my ASS WAS ON FIRE.. needless to say that seat went down the road.. I now own both a Rick Mayer and a Russell daylong.. I like the looks of the Mayer the best and I really love the seat for up tp 300 miles a day.. I choose the russell for longer days and or trips..I had 2 ultimates and didnt care for them, not did i like the mustang or the corbin..  bottom line is you can spend lot$ of money experimenting orrrr bite the bullet and go with a goodun.. I learned the HARD WAY.. now I wont own anything besides the aforementioned saddles..

[Alien]

It's my understanding that Saddlemen and Mustang are the same company.  I recently replaced my Corbin seat, which I loved until it wore out with a Mustang wide touring seat that I HATE with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. Your mileage may vary.

[Black Dog]

Panama,

I can give you an opinion on the King Big Boy vs the Big Boy (both with driver back rest), but don't have any experience with the Saddleman.

As many others have done, I've spent more on seats than any other accessory on the Valk.  Started with the stock seat ('97 Std), went to a Mustang, then traded up to a Mustang with back rest, then added a gel-pad to that...  Each step added maybe 50 miles to the distance before butt burn.  I had sat on a Big Boy at one of the earlier InZanes, and just couldn't justify the price, so I stuck with the gel-backrest-Mustang.

When Des came out with the King Big Boy, like you, I thought it was custom made for my butt, based on the height/weight guidelines (I'm 6'2" & 270 lbs)...  I finally pulled the trigger, ordered a King Big Boy, and once on the bike, I hated it!  Tried it on a couple of different rides, from 75 miles to 300 miles, and was squirming like a dog $h!tt!n razor blades.  I could not get comfortable.  For me, the seat was too flat.  I sat on it, not in it.  I sent it back, for a full refund (a nice policy that Ultimate has), and was only out the shipping.

I came across a member that was selling a 4 year old Big Boy in the Classifieds, for a steal of a price, so I made the deal, and once on the bike, my butt was in heaven.  Like two big hands, cupping my a$$ cheeks...  500 miles are no problem, and my longest has been 870 miles (not the best ride I've had, but I made it.  100 degree heat and fatigue were the main factor).  Now, at the last InZane, I was talking to Des about a new seat (the old one was getting old), and in an incredible stroke of luck, a previous customer of his had traded in a 1 year old Big Boy for a new King Big Boy.  Des put me in contact with Chicago Mark, we did a deal, and I got his 1 year old seat, the selling price helped him defray the cost of his new one, and I found a buyer for my older Big Boy, in less than an hour.  Everybody wins  

IMO, maybe give the regular Big Boy a try...  Maybe find a fellow VRCC member that would swap seats with ya for a while, and try one that way.

Black Dog

[Hef]

I have the Ultimate Big Boy and consider it to be a great seat. I have logged a couple 700+ mile days with it at age 63 and could have ridden further if necessary. Don't know about the other seats but I do like the Big Boy. Good luck on your choice. Ride Safe, Hef

[Jabba]

I am 6'-2 and 300+ lbs.  I have a hard, no-fat on it ass.

I had a Big Boy, and found it to be only SLIGHTLY different than the stock 2002 seat on my Standard.  Close enough that I sold it, and went back to the stock seat.

I'd LOVE to try a KBB, but have not yet, as of this time.

I keep threatening to buy a 2 piece Russell and swap the rider seat back and forth from my IS to my Std.  But I have not pulled the trigger yet.

Jabba

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Just an idea but I've found that if my highway pegs are set too low and a lot of weight is put on the back of my thighs I'll get pain in my legs or my hip joints after a hundred miles or so. I've since raise the pegs enough to get the weight off my thighs and this has helped greatly. I'm 6'2" and about 265 and ride an Ultimate bigboy  with a backrest.

[Panama]

Thanks to all for your feedback so far! Sounds like I just need to try out a Big Boy, and I'll likely be good to go.
I'll likely sell my King BB, and put the $ into a pot labeled "New Seat", til I can pull the trigger on a new BB.

[Clark]

I am 6'-2 and 300+ lbs.  I have a hard, no-fat on it ass.

I had a Big Boy, and found it to be only SLIGHTLY different than the stock 2002 seat on my Standard.  Close enough that I sold it, and went back to the stock seat.

I'd LOVE to try a KBB, but have not yet, as of this time.

I keep threatening to buy a 2 piece Russell and swap the rider seat back and forth from my IS to my Std.  But I have not pulled the trigger yet.

Jabba

"hard-no fat on it" :2funny:DREAM ON BIG BOY

[eric in md]

russell .. quit playing games .. pull the trigger wont be sorry .. 100 k love it .. have tried them all first wasting my time .. do it right the first time 

[Jabba]

"hard-no fat on it" :2funny:DREAM ON BIG BOY

No bullshit.  I look like a bullfrog.  Big belly, big legs, No-assitol.  I carry all my fat in my belly and saddlebags, which are ample.  But my ass... has very little padding.

 

Jabba

[R J]

Remember one thing Grasshopper.

NO 2 asses are the same.    A seat that fits me might not fit you worth a crap.

My personal opinion, I wouldn't have a Saddleman up my butt.     I fought them for 2 years on the seat on my Wing.     Finally I went over to Coucil Bluffs, where Diamond Seat was at the time.    They pulled the cover, got the slicing knife out and went to work,   ?Took them about 2 hours from start to finish to fit my butt.

I currently have a Ultimate on MGM.  It fits my butt and my butt is happier than a pig in a mud hole riding it.     I've done several 1,000 mile days in this saddle, but, that doesn't mean you could stand it for 150 miles.

So, find each seat on someones bike and test ride it on yours.    I'd be glad to take my seat off and put it on your bike for a day and see what ya think.     Then do the same with a Saddleman.

As Forrest Gump would say:

“That's all I have to say about that.”


So till we meet again.......

[Black Dog]

Hey Panama...  You gonna be at InZane?  If so, I'll switch seats with ya for a day, and you can give the Big Boy, with backrest, a good long test ride 

Black Dog

[Michael K (Az.)]

Like RJ says, all we can do is tell you how OUR asses like the seat we use. Going to Inzane would be, by far, the best way to research seats! I've gone from stock, 2k and
 local mod. Then I met Des and hung with him for a few years, learned a lot! Had every seat he makes for the Valk, sometimes 2 of the same model. For me, at 5'8" and 240, The King Big Boy is the answer. I have ridden many 400 - 800 mile days and don't even get off the scoot when I fill up. Never even think about it. Having to eat, drink and pee is a different story
I only know what works for me and Bumping into Des at Bikeweek was one of the best turns of my life. Hope ya find a good one!

[Panama]

RJ, Black Dog, Michael... thanks for the detail. I wish I could make it out to Inzane this year, but already had vacation planned out throughout the year, and work won't permit it.
However, I will have to see if Des will be anywhere in my neck of the woods in the next 6months, and stop in to see him....... Fall Thunder Beach in PCB maybe?
If there's anyone that lives in the ATL area, willing to trade their BB for my KBB - even if only for a short while - I'd be more than appreciative.
I think I'll post on classifieds section as well.

Thanks again to EVERYONE for your valuable feedback! This is why I joined the forum!

[john]

a lot of us have that hip pain (cramp?) ...         
not so sure its the seat ...
i have had three seats and can not get away from it ...
98 stock is good for about fifty miles ...             
2000 seat made all the difference ....         
king big boy now ... real nice         
they all feel like a picket fence at the end of the day             
changing leg position seems the help the most ...
mick-0-pegs to stock foot rest and back when needed gives some relief from the cramp , hip pain

[Michael K (Az.)]

Yeah! What john said! It really changes things when you adjust your hiway pegs,(if you have them)! Try that first before you get rid of your seat, you might be very surprised.

[Clark]

"hard-no fat on it" :2funny:DREAM ON BIG BOY

No bullshit.  I look like a bullfrog.  Big belly, big legs, No-assitol.  I carry all my fat in my belly and saddlebags, which are ample.  But my ass... has very little padding.

 

Jabba

PITCHERS???

[olddog1946]

I have an 01 std , am 6'2", 220 lbs , 34" inseam and use the king big boy and to be honest I wasn't sure it was all that better than the 2000 and up stock seat. I haven't done anything over 600 miles in a day so don't know about how well it works for any kind of iron butt deal, but was fine with the miles I have put on. So while I have been very satisfied with the king, I never did anything over 200 miles on the OEM seat so don't know if I did actually improve things or not. I do know that the 2000 and up seat can be bought from HDLparts for a sweet $86.25 + shipping. It may be an option that works for you.

[R J]

One other thing that went unnoticed in my pea brain.

Get all the crap out of your back pockets.  That be like billfold, handkerchief and etc.

The only thing I carry in my pocket is a couple of paper dollars, and my ignition key when the bike is parked.

I learned that so long ago I done did fur getted about it.   SURE DO HELP.