2001+ owners... what have you done for the seat?

[TurkeyChicken]

I feel like my seat gets really uncomfortable after about an hour of riding.

The only real 3rd party seats I've found are for 1989 - 2000 models.  I'm wondering what everyone with a 2001+ bike has done if you've replaced your seat.

Mine is a 2001 and I don't think I want to spend $500 to have someone custom make one.

[Roadstergal]

I trimmed off the little 'wings' on the sides of the seat, next to the tank.  Not a dramatic change, but it helped a lot.

For over an hour of riding, though, shifting position is a big plus.  I would stand up on the pegs and wiggle a bit, and sometimes lean on the the tank and put my feet on the rear pegs to stretch my legs.

[TurkeyChicken]

Well, a buddy of mine wants to do a 3,000 mile round trip this spring and I would rather have a more comfortable seat than have to shift around like that all day. 

I did a 120 mile tour a few weekends ago and my ass was sore for an entire day afterwards... and i tried shifting and all that while riding and it didn't seem to help much.

I figured getting a seat with better padding would help a lot.

[joshr08]

I have seen there are gel inserts you can put in your original seat you just get then take the seat cover off put the padding where you want it and then redo your seat cover.  My seat kills me on the long rides but i still havent done anything about it i was really hoping someone would come out with a gel seat for the gs

[fred]

I've seen other people on the forum talking about going to custom car seat places and getting gel inserts put in their seats. From what I've read they sounded like fairly reasonably priced mods, just take your seat to a place and see if they have any small bits of memory foam or gel lying around that they'd sell you for cheap. At a place that does cars, they would have scrap that would be plenty for a motorcycle seat...

[gsJack]

Just keep on going until you toughen up a bit.  I did quite a few 400-500 mile Interstate days on my GS500s in my early 70's all on the oem seats.  In 2001 we left Knoxville and went over the dragon and up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Ashville area where we stayed the next night, about 12 hours that day.  Riders are like Thanksgiving turkeys, the old birds are the tough ones.   

On the naked GSs a set of case guards with forward mounted pegs can be helpful to stretch your legs occasionally.

[TurkeyChicken]

I have seen there are gel inserts you can put in your original seat you just get then take the seat cover off put the padding where you want it and then redo your seat cover.  My seat kills me on the long rides but i still havent done anything about it i was really hoping someone would come out with a gel seat for the gs

Do you happen to have a link or name of this?

[TurkeyChicken]

Just keep on going until you toughen up a bit.  I did quite a few 400-500 mile Interstate days on my GS500s in my early 70's all on the oem seats.  In 2001 we left Knoxville and went over the dragon and up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Ashville area where we stayed the next night, about 12 hours that day.  Riders are like Thanksgiving turkeys, the old birds are the tough ones.   

On the naked GSs a set of case guards with forward mounted pegs can be helpful to stretch your legs occasionally.

That's kinda what i've been trying to do... but i went on a ride with a friend this weekend.  He's got a cruiser and we traded bikes for about 10 minutes (after probably an hour of solid riding).  Sitting on his seat was extremely comfortable.  The padding was amazing... and this was just the stock seat for his bike.  Going back to mine felt like I was mounting a piece of steel.

I just want something that I can sit on for more than an hour without feeling like i need to get off of and rest for 30 minutes before getting back on.

[joshr08]

http://www.thepropad.com/c-10-polymer-inserts.aspx
they have different sizes and shapes by the looks of it

[TurkeyChicken]

http://www.thepropad.com/c-10-polymer-inserts.aspx
they have different sizes and shapes by the looks of it

Yeah, they're a definite option too.

Has anyone tried these things?
http://www.buttbuffer.com/info.asp#2

They're just the ones that you put on the top of your seat and tie down.  it doesn't require any reconstruction of the seat.

[arbakken]

i believe that corbin is looking for a test bike... if you're that desperate

[cafeboy]

No, What you need is a seat cowl 

[respite]

Gotta second with gsjack. The seat gave me some problems at first. After the first few weeks of spending two hours a day on it, i didnt think twice about seat comfort. Its just like a road bicycle. First few sessions will kill you, but as crazy as it sounds you get use to a 8x4 inch saddle.

[GeeP]

Part of the problem may be the seat, part of it is you.

I found the stock SV seat to be entirely uncomfortable, even though it is over 3" thick.  I bought the Oneida Suzuki lowering seat from a member here.  It is about 1/2 the thickness, but has a curved shape due to the foam they shaved out.  It is actually MUCH more comfortable than the regular seat because the profile is closer to being "correct"  It is firmer as well.  I would work on shaving the seat until it fits you.  Shave away the pressure points and try to "dish" the center a bit. 

Most seat complaints are, as GSjack said, rider complaints.  It takes time to build up riding stamina.  Some take more time than others.  Working up to 500 mile or 800 mile days is what you need to do.  If your seat fits you, you'll find longer and longer rides comfortable. 

Also, regardless of what seat you have, you must move around.  If you stay in one place you'll be in pain regardless of what you're sitting on.

Bike shorts with thick gel pads are helpful too.  They do a good job of absorbing the impact of a crappy road.