Hey all- here's my sad story:

I recently got the itch to ride; never ridden before. I committed to the idea, and began shopping for bikes. I was looking at the dealer at the Fat Boy Lo and Softail Slim, and liked them both. One day I was at Barnes and Noble, and flipped through a Harley coffee table book. I saw a Rocker C and instantly fell in love with the custom look of the bike.

I started shopping for Rockers and found the "perfect" bike: a minty clean 2008 Pacific Blue Rocker C with 1400 miles, V&H 2-2 Big Radius pipes and a stage 1 air cleaner. The bike was in central Jersey, so I drove the 300 miles with a trailer to pick it up. I bought the bike without riding it, took the Basic Rider course, got all the government BS paperwork out of the way, and hit the road on July 5th.

I've put 350 miles on the bike- I've loved every minute of riding, but hated every mile on this bike. This is the most god damned uncomfortable thing I've ever sat on- after 10 minutes my left leg is in excruciating pain along the nerve from my butt through my hamstring, as the nerve is pinched by the seat edge. I'm a hair under 5'9", 175lbs, if it matters. Also, my right leg is perfectly fine.

I've been reading about the common complaints of the stock trick seat, so I figured it's gotta go. I've lurked here for a bit and decided a Danny Gray solo seat may solve my problems. I dropped $375 on a seat with blue flame stitching and gel from Sterling's Cycle Accessories, and it arrived yesterday. I was impressed with the quality when I unpacked it, but shocked with how stiff (unpadded) it is. I mounted the seat today and went for two 40 minute rides (stopped between); lo and behold, the damn seat is STILL pinching my nerve!!

I'm at a loss... What the hell am I gonna do?!? I know this isn't a touring machine; all i ever wanted was to ride for an hour, in this case without regretting my purchase. My thought now is towards getting some sort of pegs/floor boards so I can get my leg higher, relieving the pinching. Does anyone have any ideas in this department??

I can't keep this up. Worst case I'm gonna have to trade it in, this time doing a little more sitting before investing in a different bike. I'm sick to think what the dealer will offer me- any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for the advice, guys- I know I f-ed up buying this thing without riding it, but I'm glad just the same that I got into the addiction- I wish I did it years ago.

Best,
Jared

 

Look for a good seat guy. Rich's custom seats in Washington will fit a seat to you if you tell him what your problems are. I would think there is somebody on the east coast that does that work also.

 

i got a Standard Rocker (FXCW) seat and put on mine. it is much more comfortable than the Rocker C seat. i can ride about 1-1/2 hours without my rear getting really tired. i just can't let go of 400 for the Danny Grey seat.
Pt in Tennessee
2008 FXCWC

 

At least you realized that you made a mistake by not ridding the bike first. Don't trade it in, let that be your very last option (the dealer is gonna rape you on the price). There are a few other seat options, I have the Danny Gray seat on my 08 rocker and I love it. There is also a company called bitchin seats, try them they make a nice custom seat for the rocker. There is also heartland, their kit comes with a seat.

I know you don't wanna keep spending money on the bike without being sure its gonna fix your issue but I think that's better than trading in the bike and taking a Huge loss on the trade in. Sell te Danny gray set, use that money and try the bitchin seat. If that doesn't work sell that and use the dough to try the heartland kit. See if anyone in your area has a softail or a nightrain bike with the heartland kit ( they are pretty much the same fame as the rocker).

Good luck.

 

Sux to hear man. Did you remove your wallet and keys from the back pocket. Alain ain't lying, the stealership is gonna put a hurting on you....

 

The seat isn't the onlt option either. Look for smething to move your feet a little closer to your body center.
I was running 2" extended forwards on my bike and it was doing about the same as you described. I changed to floor boards and all was great! Gave me a lot more foot movement while on long rides too.

 

Try all other options before you trade it in. Dealer is def gonna whoop you

 

Might be seating position rather than the seat. I have had problems with many different bikes causing my hips to cramp up even during very short rides, Street Glide, Electra Glides, a Victory. With the Rocker I had zero issues right out the gate even with the stock seat. Changing over to a Danny Grey seat only improved the comfort of my bum.

Danny Grey has a seat now for the Rocker for shorter riders, maybe that is a route for you to try.

 

You might also contact the folks at Mean City Cycles and have them repad/rework your seat. It would be cheaper than selling your seat at a loss, and buying yet another seat. They have a pretty good rep. Can't hurt to call.

 

Wow, I'm thrilled with all the great advice in under an hour!!

I plan to research the options you guys suggest, such as the true custom seat. I forgot to mention earlier, but I wear a 30" inseam (probably a little less in reality).

I'm most inclined to try the floorboards first, even though they'll mess with the look a bit. Can anyone suggest some bolt-on solutions for this model?

Thanks again, all- I'm humbled by the response.
Jared