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Judy and I ran our stock Goldwing seat for 45,000 miles before we finally figured this out. Maybe it was the fact that it felt like I was sitting on a split rail fence and we had a 2800 mile trip coming up that finally caused me to buy a custom seat. We sent in our measurements and weights (don't cheat on this) and waited for our seat. A little more than a week went by when we saw our "box" on the porch and rushed to open it. Yeah nothing like new toys!!
We installed our seat one week before our trip and in reading the instructions we found that they "require" a good 3000 miles for break in. Well the mileage fit perfect so off we went on our trip. We returned from our trip some 3100 miles later and all Judy could say was, "Let's go again"! There was nothing like it in the world. We've ridden an additional 35,000 plus miles since then and there are no signs of the seat wearing out any time soon.
We've put a lot of money into our bike over the years but this was the best ever spent. Our seat is a cloth design and custom fit to our body measurements. Some custom seat manufactures design your seat this way, others will offer an ergonomic seat that will fit most riders. Which ever way you go, the seats are a big step up over stock and will provide miles and miles of comfort. We also prefer a cloth design which keeps you cooler in the summer and warm in the winter.
There is also a perforated leather design that helps with ventilation, similar to cloth. Then you can go for the ultimate and have a heated seat. These are starting to come as an option on some stock bikes and there are aftermarket motorcycle seat manufacturers that provide them in a custom design. One note, if you go with a cloth seat, make sure to get a seat cover with it for those rainy rides.
Installing a heated seat is pretty straight forward. Check your bike manual for how to remove your seat. Most heated aftermarket motorcycle seats have the heat controls right in the seat, unless your bike has seat controls integrated with the bike, then the wiring should just plug in. Install the seat and wire your seat into the accessory terminals of your fuse box. Never wire straight into your battery, if you should leave the switch on or someone comes by and flips the switch thinking they're funny, you will end up with a warm seat and no battery.
Adding a custom aftermarket motorcycle seat, as I said before, is the best investment we've made yet for us and our bike. It will greatly improve the quality of your trips through adding comfort and looks to your bike.
Return to Motorcycle Care from Aftermarket Motorcycle Seats
Return to Motorcycle Touring Made Easy from Aftermarket Motorcycle Seats
Just Some Thoughts:
When you decide that it's time to do something other than the stock seat, remember these few things. When it comes to seats, they are the main contact point between you and your bike, the second being the hand grips. Don't skimp when purchasing or upgrading a seat. Yes, the little cushions and gels can be nice, but they are only temporary. Get yourself a well constructed seat and if you want a softer padding or a gel insert, have the seat manufacturer put it in for you. That way they can take into account all the construction details when doing it. You will be happier in the long run since your butt won't be complaining about the ride.
