Stock seat improvements

[YoungPUP]

Was talking with a few friends tonight about doing an Iron butt or two next year. I know the Valk can do it, but the stock seat sucks. Until the funding allows a seat repalcement, which add ons work and which don't?  I've seen the dead sheep, and the cabby beads, and the Airhawk.  Any thoughts, experiences, good places to buy, etc???

[eric in md]

sheep skin does very well .. other then that throw that seat away.. been there tried everything man . really . russell day long forever.. sorry .

[NITRO]

I did an Iron Butt from Eau Claire, WI to Maggie Valley, NC last summer. The first few hundred miles were period down pours, near/at 100 degrees the rest of the way. I have the stock IS seat with gel inserts and put a sheepskin over the top of it. This setup worked well for me despite the heat and rain.

[Bone]

The stock seat on my 98 Tourer is OK but a 500 mile day is enough. Several people have posted the Honda 2000 / 2001 seats are much better. Paid $86 this last April for one. I placed them side by side and they are similar but definitely more narrow in the front of the newer seat. I'll look for the picture I took tomorrow. First summer I didn't travel my longest ride was 300 miles. The newer seat is more firm I like the ride.

Here's the seats

[5_19]

Was talking with a few friends tonight about doing an Iron butt or two next year. I know the Valk can do it, but the stock seat sucks. Until the funding allows a seat repalcement, which add ons work and which don't?  I've seen the dead sheep, and the cabby beads, and the Airhawk.  Any thoughts, experiences, good places to buy, etc???

Russell-Day-Long with sheepskin period. Did my first IB this year in January and no butt problems. It was my neck and a headache that needed some pain pills.

[PhredValk]

In a very miss-guided attempt two years ago, I did 900+ miles on day one of my vacation. Details are unimportant, but 19 1/2 hours in the seat of a mostly stock 99 I/S and I know I could have completed it. I've since bought a sheepskin (Ikea, $39.00) and it's even better now. I do a lot of 8+ hour rides in season, and the I/S seat is pretty good. I may have it modified; narrower nose, gel-packs etc, or buy a Russell some day, but I don't really think I need it.

Coffee cup holder, cigarette lighter and especially well placed Hi-way pegs are more important, to give some movement range for your knees.
Fred.

[Pluggy]

Was talking with a few friends tonight about doing an Iron butt or two next year. I know the Valk can do it, but the stock seat sucks. Until the funding allows a seat repalcement, which add ons work and which don't?  I've seen the dead sheep, and the cabby beads, and the Airhawk.  Any thoughts, experiences, good places to buy, etc???

Russell-Day-Long with sheepskin period. Did my first IB this year in January and no butt problems. It was my neck and a headache that needed some pain pills.

If you don't mind me asking, what is in the metal box mounted behind the seat of your motorcycle?  A radar jammer?

[KSDragonRider]

Looks like a fuel cell.  If i did not run 2 up all the time, that would be pretty slick.

[98valk]

www.buttbuffer.com insert works great for me in a '98 seat with a sheep skin.

they sell top covers also.

[salty1]

I've tried a lot gel type pads even with sheep skin covers, but none of them worked as well as an Airhawk. If you buy one, buy the Airhawk not the Airhawk II. Big difference in the quality of materials making up the bladder. Cush for the tush! 

[garyheskett All 49 x 3 st.louis]

The cheap way to go is to take off the cover and get out the electric carving knife (don't tell the wife you are using it). You can easily cut some of the foam out where you think it bothers you. Just take out small amounts and try it. You can always cut more out. I have done this several times. If you cut out quite a bit (like I did on the tird attempt), you have to get the seat recovered. But that is a lot cheaper than buying a new seat.  For when the temps get around 100 degrees, I use the Wal-Mart wodden beads ($8.00) and cut them down to the appropriate size and paint them. The wooden beads don't look that great, but in the really hot weather they keep my rear dry. The problem with buying a seat is you don't know how it is until you get it on, unless you are lucky to know somebody with a custom seat that will let you borrow it for a week or so.

[hubcapsc]

That bike was at Hotglue's.... it's an electromagnetic pulse generator!



-Mike 

[Hef]

I like my Ultimate Big Boy!

[Yellow99]

For the cost difference, the beads worked for me. The added benifit your butt gets air circulation which is a good thing riding in hot weather. No dreaded Monkey Butt.

99 Valk with 2000 seat + beads. 

Larry

[old2soon]

Stock I/S seat Ultimate back rest and a dead sheep. While i'm fairly certain i'm not I B material anymore i did 622 miles in right at 14 hours in june/july. And this before the sheep skin. It got a lot better after the sheep skin. Ikea under $40.00. I got into Missouri and the temps were over 100 F but the sheep skin kept my butt dry. Having good road pegs on the crash bars helps a heap also. When i get some loot lined up it's gonna be Ultimate or Russel Day Long and maybe not in that order. RIDE SAFE.

[John U.]

www.buttbuffer.com insert works great for me in a '98 seat with a sheep skin.

they sell top covers also.

I have a "sit-on-top" of the seat Buttbuffer with a sheep skin cover. I like it, it keeps the stock I/S seat from giving out on long rides. Keeps your butt from getting sweaty in the heat; even has a cutout for the tailbone. It does raise you about an inch though.
One good thing about a sit-on-top model is you can put it out of the sun. If that gel material gets heated up in the sun you will arrive home with your ass done about medium-well.

[MarkT]

This works very well, and it's affordable.  You can find a stock seat affordably from the want ads if you want an extra one to work on.  http://www.horseapple.com/Valkyrie/Tech_Tips/Rood_Saddle_Mod/rood_saddle_mod.html  Here's what mine looked like, when done.  Best seat I've had for comfort, better than a Mustang and a Ultimate Big Boy - for MY butt.  Remember, what works for you, won't necessarily for others.  Seats are very personal problems.

This seat is sculpted to fit my butt, then a hospital grade polymer gel pad placed before it was professionally covered.  Still much cheaper than Mustang / Ultimate / Corbin / Russell - and it's made for MY butt.

[john m]

Hi, I have both seats and the earlier one is way more comfy for me, I understand the problem wit the later seat is that teeh glue they used goes hard after some years and the seat then becomes like a rock. so it needs a seat maker to take off the original cover and fit a new one and not to glue it to the foam, it will then stay softer for a long time. Hope this helps.   

[Pluggy]

This device may be of interest to you guys.  This is a Craig Vetter idea.

http://craigvetter.com/pages/Other_Designs/Magic-seatboard.html

[YoungPUP]

I like the seat board idea, but if the "material" hits the fan, you won't have time to pull it out....

[rocketray]

a really good pair of bicycle pants is a great starting place.....they are lineless and have a really thick shammy in the crotch...with a sheepskin on the seat you are pretty good   I do have a roughly 1 foot square rubber air cushion from a medical supply place that is about an inch high fully inflated but it seems to work best about half inflated I use on occasion but it puts my eyes over my windshield too high for my safety preference..I guess I should cut some foam out to drop the height..shift racings' havoc pant is very comfortable and smooth with decent  protection

[5_19]

That bike was at Hotglue's.... it's an electromagnetic pulse generator!



-Mike 

Mike,
You forgot to mention the Hydrogen Regerating fuel cell option that's included. Best (s)miles every time that thing kicks in and we don't stop for gas anymore!   
... Oh and everybody wants one whether they need on or not!

[dubsider]

Airhawk II works well for me (from Amazon).  with a Utopia Backrest and well placed highway pegs.