Comfy seat for rigids

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nmaineron
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Comfy seat for rigids

#1

Post by nmaineron »

I see alot of rigids with springs and shocks under their seats in many forms. What works, specially for lard asses like me that go north of 250.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#2

Post by droptopford »

"What works?"
Nothing really works besides a stock plunger seat/seat-post. A set of springs from the Spring Man (I think Colony sells them now) will handle the weight even better than stock heavy-weight springs IMO.

Other than that... A kidney belt and a chiropractor.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#3

Post by RUBONE »

A La-Z-Boy strapped on.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#4

Post by Panacea »

Ron! have you considered the stock helper spring that swings up and fastens to the back of the seat pan with wing nuts?
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#5

Post by Panacea »

nmaineron
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#6

Post by nmaineron »

Panacea, I'm not running anything close to stock here and I don't even have a seat yet. I'm trying to to decide what will be involved in my seat mount. I like the looks of the Bates styled seat. I'm just fishing for ideas and was curious to whether any of those systems are even worth wasting thoughts on, do any of them work? I have to fab a support for whatever I decide on.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#7

Post by RUBONE »

nmaineron wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:18 pm Panacea, I'm not running anything close to stock here and I don't even have a seat yet. I'm trying to to decide what will be involved in my seat mount. I like the looks of the Bates styled seat. I'm just fishing for ideas and was curious to whether any of those systems are even worth wasting thoughts on, do any of them work? I have to fab a support for whatever I decide on.
Bates made a couple seats that were wider and thicker. Not seen too often and I don't know if any of the repops are like them. You might think about a K-Model/Sportster solo, they are a fairly comfortable shape. The popular Bates seats are terrible for comfort, they were designed for race bikes and not riding/touring. Or then there were lots of custom ideas like this I ran in the early '70s...
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#8

Post by RooDog »

Let's start at the beginning.
What style bike are you putting together? Stock restoration, or chopper/bobber?
For the latter most any seat mad for a 1984 and newer Softail has the right contour to fit the shape of your fender to frame junction. The Heritage/Fatboy seats are larger and thicker than the FX series and set you a little higher. But the key to getting anything close to a "comfy" ride is to drop the air pressure in the rear tire, your only suspension cushion, to something between 13-20 pounds. Yes, you will not get extended tire life, but check a vintage service manual, and it recommends 14 PSI for a 5.00-16 tire.... I run 37# in my late style Evo Bagger, and that would be murder on a rigid frame......
....RooDog....
PS: I have an OEM two piece Heritage seat with leather skirting and pig skin inserts I would sell.....
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#9

Post by nmaineron »

Rob, did the springs help you there? I'm thinkin my 260 is gonna squash them. I've seen pics of bikes that have used the mini shocks, they seem interesting
Roo, I guess it would fit the bobber style. I started with a set of cases and my welding machine.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#10

Post by RooDog »

What one must watch with any Bates style seat on springs is that there is a lot of torque stress placed upon the front mount because the rear springs do nothing to control the side to side movement of the seat. much like a car rear axle on coil springs without a panhard bar. Also the side to side slop makes for an uneasy ride and your ass is not securely located and in contact with the motor bike. Kinda like riding on a flat tire.
Just something to think about....
....RooDog....
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#11

Post by Raytag »

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RooDog wrote: Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:53 pm What one must watch with any Bates style seat on springs is that there is a lot of torque stress placed upon the front mount because the rear springs do nothing to control the side to side movement of the seat. much like a car rear axle on coil springs without a panhard bar. Also the side to side slop makes for an uneasy ride and your ass is not securely located and in contact with the motor bike. Kinda like riding on a flat tire.
Just something to think about....
....RooDog....
This!
Everybody I know of with a Bates seat complained about that.
This is what a buddy of mine came up with. Doesn`t look spectacular but the secret isn`t obvious. He made bushings which just fit the first bottom coil of the spring .
The top coil is tightened with a nut.
One spring broke within the first few miles. He exchanged that with the same type and ever since he`s happy for years without any further broken springs.
He`s maybe 230 with clothes.
... is to drop the air pressure in the rear tire, your only suspension cushion, to something between 13-20 pounds ....
I have 20psi with a standard chopper seat bolted to the frame :mrgreen:

Ray
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#12

Post by Buddhahoodvatoloco »

options
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#13

Post by Mongrel505558 »

I tried the springs under the seat arrangement and one spring broke before long. By far the most comfortable seat I've had for my rigid has been a Le Pera. You sit in it rather than on it. It distributes the knocks better - sort of like the old molded goalie masks that distributed the impact from the puck over the goaltender's entire face instead of all the energy concentrated in one spot. Also, like with the old goalie masks, you're still going to feel something.
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Re: Comfy seat for rigids

#14

Post by RooDog »

The only suspension on a rigid is the rear tire. Bleed off the pressure down to 13-15 pounds. RTFM on that one....
....RooDog....
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