Ok, so like many others, when I got my Softail Slim I hated the seat.

Looked great, but wasn't very comfortable - I felt like I was slipping off the back and my legs kinda felt like they were gonna slide out off the floor boards if I didn't kind of squeeze my legs together.

I should add that I'm 5'11" tall, 33" inseam, so not tall, not short.

So, I 'supposed' that I wanted to be slightly further forward and slightly higher. I loved the look of the sprung seats, so that's where I headed.

First off, for my taste, currently NO ONE makes a perfect mount for a 'barrel/coil spring' spring seat for the Slim - HD do their scissor spring kit and you can butcher the Crossbones set-up, but personally I don't like the bulbous plastic frame covers.

I tried the La Rosa Kit and West Eagle kit - full details here, but basically I went with the West Eagle.

I originally had a Le Pera Buddy Boy Large seat on there. The set-up looked great, but it wasn't comfy for more than about 30 miles.

So I bought a reproduction '1925 tractor seat' off eBay and fabricated my own t-bracket (using the West Eagle mounts). I did it in such a way that I had quite a lot of adjustment - forwards and back, an height of both the front mount and rear spring mounts.

But I just couldn't get the position and angle right - I was either too far forward and virtually 'on top' of the bike, or the angle just made the seat dig into the back of my thighs - I should add that I could try again with a redesigned t-bracket and tinker more with the front mount height, but that's for another day.

So then I decided to try a 'touring' seat and bought a second-hand Deluxe seat of eBay. I angled the handlebars towards me a bit too, just to try it out.

It was 'almost' perfect. It's very comfy, but after a ride of 50+ miles, I could feel the Deluxe seat pressing into the backs of my legs again and it kind of 'tilted' me into an unnatural seating position. It also doesn't sit flush with the rear fender and without my saddlebags fitted, looked a bit too 'fat' for the bike.

I also tried out a Mustang tripper (thanks again Paul!), but I found it pressed into my tailbone.

So, in frustration I stuck the stock seat on and decided to give it a couple of hundred miles.

Well, I don't know how, but it now seems to fit me perfectly! Maybe a combination of turning the bars towards me a bit, plus 'breaking in' the saddle a bit more, dunno, but I now find it perfect... maybe I just needed to get used to it.

So, after spending a LOT of money and time, what I've learned is to just stick with the stock set-up - give it a chance to break in and try making small adjustments to see how it works out BEFORE getting out your wallet and embarking on a wild goose chase!

Won't work for everyone, but really has worked for me.

 

WOW quite a journey to end back at the beginning ... but hey gota be comfortable good for you .....

 

I had no issue with the stock seat but those short narrow bars had to go. They made me feel like I was on a crotch rocket. That was the only real issue I had with my Slim when new. A Softail is a cruiser and I expect to sit back and cruise, the stock bars would not allow that and I couldn't ride more than 30 min. My hands went numb, pain in the tops of my legs, in my back and shoulders. Taller pullback risers made it better, 16" apes with the appropriate pull back made it just right. I could ride all day after the bar change.

 

I am going through a similar journey at the moment. I just got back from a 1000 mile trip through USA and my new Mustang vintage solo seat, that I loved before I left, is now destined to be sat on the shelf. It is just too soft for a long hot trip. It starts to bite into the back of my legs right near the old buttocks. I absolutely love the backrest. It is a must.

I have looked at sprung seats, but just can't fall in love with the look. I have always been a Corbin guy. I own three of them. The first one was done custom for me, right in the factory in Hollister. That seat is perfect. The next two were off the shelf, shipped. They are not so perfect. They actually limited how much I rode those other bikes.

I have to take a trip out west to see my Mom, and brother, so I have decided to trailer my bike out to Corbin, for a custom seat, for my new Slim S. A firm, properly fitted seat, is the only way to go. I asked them if they would just rework my Mustang seat, but they won't touch it. Guess I will have to sell it.

I have been racking my brain as to what I should finish the new Corbin with. They will do almost anything for you at the shop. I am trying to think of something to go with the army theme of my bike. Any ideas would be helpful.

 

So I've been riding with the stock seat for a while now and it is a bit hard on the old '****'

So I bought a medical-grade gel pad and fit it on top of the stock padding. Was easy enough and so far so good!

I'll report back after a couple hundred more miles

Here's a few picks...





Start from the front and unpick the staples - you'll find that the seat cover is actually stitched to the seat pan around the back, so without unpicking that you can't get the cover all the way off



Fold back the seat cover as much as you can



Slide/stuff the gel under the cover - you can be pretty forceful with the pad - it's not going to rip/burst. Then flatten it out working from the middle towards the sides - it takes a bit of 'elbow grease' but it's simple enough to do.



Then fold the cover back and re-staple. Done

 

Will be following this. That's the problem with my Dyna until I grab another Heritage next March I'm stuck with her. After 30 miles on the stock I get "numb butt"...makes the ride unenjoyable.

 

+1 on the Corbin. Did a 1K trip to Key West on my Lo. *** and hands were numb an hour after leaving town. Stock seat felt like I was riding directly on the battery. Pulled into the Corbin store in Daytona and got a new seat there. Not custom, just had to do something. It feels stiff but I've never got numb *** again.

Pulled into the Harley shop in West Palm, had them put some risers on and change out the fork packing. No more numb hands.

I do despise beach bars.

 

I put about 5k miles on the stock seat, and it never really "broke in" for me. I recently swapped out that seat for a pogo style seat. While it is way better, it is still not perfect. So I will be saving my $$ and plan a ride to Hollister CA to have a custom Corbin seat made for my back side.

 

Where you at with this Stinker? Have you found that comfort zone? with the Gel?

I'm in London from 9/17 to 9/25 and be willing to let you try my Air hawk seat cushion for a week. They are ugly but worth a try. I believe.... Danny Grey embeds them in their seats as a option. Seeing your an upholsterer now, can probably embed one in the stock seat.......Hate to see you spend chasing comfort..

I always stay Holborn (Central Line) Area.. (Club Quarters Lincoln in fields)....I work near Bank (tube terminal) and usually go to warrs for a shirt. Option is on the table for you. and Those are the three places I can be found.

Link to cushion:
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/a...FQNZhgodcmoEoQ

 

Hey Gsoul - that's a very kind offer mate, thanks (wish there were more like you out there!)

However I think the gel's working a treat, so I'll take a rain check

Enjoy London and thanks again