I have a wide Mustang Vintage seat with a back rest on my fatbob. It helps. I have a herinated disc at L5. Some folks may not like the look but if you like to ride and have a bad back it helps.

 

no matter what anyone suggests, their ideas may not help at all. Take seats, loads of people think their c&C seat is great, I found the c&c I had to be the worse seat I ever sat on for comfort(wife felt the same way). The reality is you need to set the bike up for your individual body. Your arms, legs and torso height all will play into how you bike will be comfortable to you. Your seating preference as well. Personally, I think the handlebars will make the most difference in back comfort. You want your arms relaxed on the bars, the elbows need to be bent enough so you can bend forward if you want to weight the bars for cornering. You also need the bars to allow you to lean back a little so they cannot be too far forward, too high, too low, or too close. Picking the right bars is hard and really requires your personal degree of comfort and your body shape and size. Right now, I bet you need more pullback than what the stock bars give you. They also may be too low. Sit on the bike, if you need to move forward any, the bars are too far away, if you need to also bend down, too low. It is recommended you grab a broom handle, sit on the bike, close your eyes, and put yourself in a relaxed position. Then measure the height and pullback where the broom resides in space. Find the bars/risers that emulate the position as close as possible. This should be your correct riding position. You may be surprised where your hands end up.

 

It's definitely a posture issue. Strengthen your stomach and work on keeping your back straight and shoulders/ arms relaxed. My 10 wide glide has mini floorboards that moved my feet back 2 inches and helped a bunch. Small windshield will take the push off your chest and make it much easier to relax. The stock seat killed my tailbone. After an hour or two it would be sore to the touch. The vintage mustang seat is damn near perfect for putting on some miles. The backrest helps to remind you to sit up straight if you like riding in the wind. FatBobRider has a good setup. Keep in mind minor changes make a big difference, so does posture and also think any changes thru before you spend your hard earned money. Good luck your issues need only be temporary.

 

i am 6'1" and had the same feeling. i added 2" spacers to my risers and it fixed everything. i personally think the oem seat is comfortable. i can ride all day now.

 

Rounder is 100% right everybody is differant, to bad there isnt a place you could rent differant seats to find the one you really like befor you spend major bucks for something you hate.

 

I just re-read some of the suggestions and am going to try sitting comfortably with a broomstick in my hands. Awesome idea. Lots of good
ideas in this thread.

 

You could go with the mids, but I had the same exact back troubles. I did a lot of farmwork when I was young and scooped a lot of grain from the back of trucks was how it started, but I knew within a few months Id want apes instead of drag bars. I went with 16's, 2 inch riser, and set my angle of the bars to match the front forks. Im about 5' 8, and I can lay back better easily now when I ride, no back pain, more relaxed without loss of control. U-turns are a little different but you will notice the difference immediately if you want to take on the bar change.

 

That is a good idea... be sure to have the bike sitting up straight with your feet on the pegs.

 

I think I will try a new seat first, and then sit with a broom to get the exact measurement with the bars. I think I will put the mid footrest on, but most of my riding is with lots of traffic and I don't think I would feel comfortable not having my foot near the brake or shifter. The drivers in DC are crazy especially in rush hour. I think it is my risers, and will try to get some risers that give me more pull back. 2 inches would probably work, I will try this first because it is cheaper and I just got married, so not alot of extra funds around to throw into the bike.



thnx

 

here is a link i found of some interest , It has lots of tips on seats and how to modify them to your needs and some links to places to buy the right foam

http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com/index.php

Ride Safe
Pirate