Yeah another seat question
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Road Master
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 1,045
Likes: 390
From: Florida
Yeah another seat question
Have a 19 SGS, am on the short side and was looking for a long ride seat that would keep me low to the ground to back up when needed, at times I go 500-630 miles at a time, stop for gas, coffee, and go, on a tight time table, so it's 10-12 hours at a time, went with a Le Pera Maverick seat, got 300 miles on it so far with 200 today on it, hate it already, my low profile seat from Harley was better on my last long trip, at least I was able to put up with it for the first 500 miles before it started bothering me. Looking for suggestions, I would like to keep sorta flat footed when stopped and back bike up without feet slipping out from under me. Thanks. P.S. Le Pera might go up for sale, also have not been happy with MCS in the past, tired of spending money on finding a decent seat for long runs. Thanks again.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,800
Likes: 307
From: Houston, Texas
Flat footed is over rated in my opinion. You are already lowered on an SGS so go 100% for comfort. Think about it, based on you doing the miles you say you do in a day, your feet are on the floorboards 99.9% of the time. Don't give up the comfort for that .1% of the time you need to walk the bike. Scan the area and plan your parking as you pull in and you can eliminate a lot of it.
Every *** is different and there are a ton of options out there. Custom seat builders and the main name brands. Anything but an HD seat. Personally I'm a Mustang fan.
Good luck. Finding the right seat can get expensive.
Every *** is different and there are a ton of options out there. Custom seat builders and the main name brands. Anything but an HD seat. Personally I'm a Mustang fan.
Good luck. Finding the right seat can get expensive.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 809
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
Have a 19 SGS, am on the short side and was looking for a long ride seat ..... I would like to keep sorta flat footed when stopped and back bike up without feet slipping out from under me. ....tired of spending money on finding a decent seat for long runs. Thanks again.
.From the resarch I've done, it seems you really can't have it both ways; A seat that gets you closer to the ground (like the H-D Ultra Reach Seat I use on my '19 SGS) and a comfortable long ride seat.
The paradox seems to be the fact that in order to get lower, you loose the ability to have a plushly cusioned seat. I've heard that there are a few custom seat manufacturers that make seats to fit the rider but they are VERY expensive and there are really no guarentees they will be any more comfortable.
I've done two things that helps a lot but don't really help the long range riding too much:
- First, I had a back-up reversing pully installed by Suspension Techtologies which makes me never worry where to park as I can back-up a significant incline with no difficulty. Costly, but for me worth every penny. Never having to push the bike back with my legs/feet is great.
- Second I have modded the reach seat to replace the standard very stiff foam with gel pads and memory foam as well as narrowing the seat some (I did it myself, but is similar to what MCC would do). These seat mods do not make the seat MORE comfortable, but reduces the road harshness being transmitted to the butt. When these mods break in, I'm hoping the comfort factor will improve some.
When and if you ever find a seat that is both good for us shorties and is very comfortable for long rides, please post and let us all know.
Last edited by FrankEV; Aug 17, 2019 at 08:44 PM.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Michigan
Yup!
Me too.
Done many 700+ days back to back on it.
Me too.
Done many 700+ days back to back on it.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 809
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
I'm sure you don't have any Idea what it is like to to be 5'5, with a 27" inseam and 31" sleeve, and want to ride a big bike. Sure, if I never have to stop and/or back up I would have no problems, but even if it is only 1% of the time we all have to stop and/or back up and reaching the ground is difficult and can be even dangerous if the reach is too great.
There is also another overlooked fact. All standard model bikes are designed around the average rider...something like 5'8,32" inseam and 34" sleeve. When a shortie like me wants to ride a big standard model bike, a lot of mods need to be made to make it fit us. Sometimes trading comfort for rideability is something that has to be done as there is no other choice.
From my research most seat manufacturer make all kinds of seats offering different levels of comfort, but most are designed for that average size rider. The H-D Reach Seat is the only one I can find that is designed for a short rider, but does give up some what on comfort.
