Seat Mods - Topic Split

[Mick_J]

I had a spare seat so had that raised 2" at the front and 1/2" wider and 1" at the back, also had the slope lessened so I don't keep sliding forward (should have had it raised a bit more really) and it's much better now.  New cover with basket weave inserts made.

[SA14]

I had a spare seat so had that raised 2" at the front and 1/2" wider and 1" at the back, also had the slope lessened so I don't keep sliding forward (should have had it raised a bit more really) and it's much better now.  New cover with basket weave inserts made.

Weird question time: May I ask how tall you are and if you're a member of the fat bastards club?

[Tally]

Mine is a standard seat and I have the same problem @mjgt , I keep sliding forward until my nuts get cosy with the tank and also being a fat bastard at 17,1/2 stone (245lb),(111kg) it's not long before it becomes uncomfortable to sit on so that's another thing on my list, get the seat seen to.

[Mick_J]

I had a spare seat so had that raised 2" at the front and 1/2" wider and 1" at the back, also had the slope lessened so I don't keep sliding forward (should have had it raised a bit more really) and it's much better now.  New cover with basket weave inserts made.

Weird question time: May I ask how tall you are and if you're a member of the fat bastards club?

I am just over 6'3" and as thin as a rake at 12st, so not a fat fucker like most of the population. 

[mlivkovich]

Looks like I am tallest and heaviest fucker on the forum, 202cm and 140kg

[seth]

I'm not sure if your tallest as
@Blubber is very tall .
Personally I'm just to short for my weight lol

[Blubber]

Haha... mlivkovich... you win in volume 
I am just 107 kg @ 203 cm

[mlivkovich]

Haha... mlivkovich... you win in volume 
I am just 107 kg @ 203 cm

Skinny!

[KiwiCol]

Looks like I am tallest and heaviest fucker on the forum, 202cm and 140kg

A veritable mountain of a man!!   

[SA14]

I am just over 6'3" and as thin as a rake at 12st, so not a fat fucker like most of the population. 

Wow, that's thin but your way taller than me. Just trying to gauge height and weight against comfortable seat mods. All you other guys who pitched in with your height and weight (thanks) have you done any seat mods? If so, what mods? Are you happy and for how long can you ride before you start feeling discomfort and then how long before you must take a break?

Hopefully this thread will be split into the "mother of all seat mods thread" when the mods get some free time and we can really get to the bottom of this (pun intended). Some big guys are fine with their standard seat but it looks like quite a few of us are sadly uncomfortable on these big machines despite all the press going on about how big and comfortable the seat is. It could be that even though my seat looks fine the foam may have lost some of it's factory firmness. Or it's that I need to build some toughness back there. I'm not sure. I know it sounds weird but I absolutely remember a biker friend of mine telling me when I got my brand new GSX250 back in 1983 that it'll take some time for my bum to get used to sitting. "It'll be sore for a while but you'll get used to it" (I know that can sound funny as hell) Anyway, all I know is that I can't sit on it for more than about 20 minutes before feeling uncomfortable and it's detracting from my enjoyment.

So a casual database of seat mods would be handy for me and probably others who are uncomfortable as well. So if all who have done mods and are happy and can ride for a full tank without discomfort in the seat can remember and post what mods they did it's bound to help those of us who are about to dump hundreds at the upholsterer.

Did you add or remove height at the front or the back? Do you remember anything about the type of foam used? Are there any density specs we can quote? "Firmer or softer" foam will probably do. Have you used gel pads? From where? eBay or did the upholsterer supply them? Sheepskin? Home made mods? This is all pretty interesting stuff for me because I want to just ride out of my driveway and get lost for hours until I have to refill the tank then ride some more.

I have only one disappointment with this bike and that is I can't ride it for long. For the record, I'm 6 foot tall (183cm) and probably around 125kg (20 stone). I'm not an aggressive rider (yet) so the sliding forward thing isn't an issue but I'd like to address it anyway so I can be ready for when I gain the confidence to ride in a more spirited fashion. And thank you to all who have posted specs. I've already got a rough idea of what I'll be asking but the more info the better.

[steve porter]

To get really technical we must take arse size into account a a big arse will spread the load over a greater area ie an elephants foot won't sink into a marshy bog as deep as a deers foot even though the deer is considerably lighter, so I'm shit at maths but arse size divided by weight = pounds per square inch on seat foam, therefore a 90 kg skinny guy with no arse  may in fact be exerting more downward force on the seat than a 130 kg guy with a fat arse, I personally fall into the worst catagory of 120 kg with no arse, it's just science 😁

[KiwiCol]

Obviously pics of the said arse would help no doubt.   

@Hooli  spends so much time on his bike, his arse is now the shape as his seat! 

[SA14]

To get really technical we must take arse size into account a a big arse will spread the load over a greater area ie an elephants foot won't sink into a marshy bog as deep as a deers foot even though the deer is considerably lighter, so I'm shit at maths but arse size divided by weight = pounds per square inch on seat foam, therefore a 90 kg skinny guy with no arse  may in fact be exerting more downward force on the seat than a 130 kg guy with a fat arse, I personally fall into the worst catagory of 120 kg with no arse, it's just science 😁

Fair point, but I think in this case, roughly will be helpful enough. We don't have to get down to the exact millimeter and density dynamics. Just a feeling for (say) ad an inch of height at the front, use denser foam and a gell pack and it'll be far more comfortable. I'm quite heavy and have what I'd call a big arse. Fitness left my body decades ago but I'm not the fattest thing on the planet. Just "big". My legs and arms seem comfortable enough. I don't feel cramped or anything. Riding position seems fine but I think I can see the benefits of lifting the front of the seat a bit. Not sure if I want to sit too much higher though. If I could stay as comfortable as I am in the first 10 minutes for as long as I want to ride I'll be fine. Could it be that the foam stands up to my initial weight but collapses a bit after 20 minutes?

Thanks for splitting this thread Mods! 

[Irish in Oz]

Drama Queen's.

[BlueDragon]

Its not difficult to shape the seat yourself.

https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=5429.15

I did my own and kept shaping it and trying it out.  (bought a stanley shaver tool from Bunnings)

I dished the riders part of the seat similar to a sargent seat. Bought some seat foam from the local upholsterer (who also owns and rides bikes, so got some great advice from him). Just a matter of using contact glue (Tarzans grip they used to call it) to glue layers of the foam ontop of the current seat foam.

Then use the shaver to shave it all back to the shape you want that suits you.

Did the same thing to the passenger seat.  The link above doesn't show all the layers I added and then shaved back.  I added more to the front.  So that I stopped sliding forwards into the tank.

Then when I was happy with my part of the seat and the wife was happy as well, I went back to the upholsterer to have him cover it for me.

The sides are leather and so is the top, but the top is reversed leather, if that makes sense.  The underside of the leather with the pattern I wanted also helps to stop sliding around.  Especially good with braking with a passenger on the back.  The wife no longer slides forwards any more and is super comfortable.  We can easily go from Tamworth through to Port Macquarie (through the Oxley) and back to Tamworth in one day and no discomfort at all.

I have a spare seat, that I am going to re-shape as well, but something a little different - like the seats from Japan that are quite low at the front and more flatter in the passenger area - level with the rear of the bike.  But shape it to be as comfortable as what I've got now.