Harley low-profile touring seat - 8,000 mile impressions.
#1
Harley low-profile touring seat - 8,000 mile impressions.
Thought I would take some time to provide comments and general thoughts about my experience with this seat. I do at least two long-distance cross-country trips a year. One of them is usually to Sturgis in August. The other is usually anywhere from Florida to the West Coast. I have put roughly 8,000 miles on this seat since getting it last July. In that time I have been on one long xcountry trip to Sturgis and also to NH last fall. My home base is Ohio. I feel this is adequate mileage to really offer a meaningful assessment of its potential as not only a daily driver but a long-haul seat. It is marketed as a low-profile touring seat.
Just for reference, here is the seat at the HD site. It comes in plan or stitched. The seat is stock on the new Electra Glide standard. https://www.harley-davidson.com/stor...o-touring-seat
I own a Mustang Super Wide tourer and also a HD Sundowner. Both are nice long-haul seats but I grew tired of the big and bulky touring seats. Most of the low-profile seats I have sat on didn't do much for me but for some reason this HD offering just seemed to intrigue me. I was interested in this seat when I sat on the Electra Standard at the dealer. I was at first skeptical about the 'touring' part in the name but that is just semantics. I have been cross-country on the super glide numerous times and the Corbin seat I have on it did just fine. Its about the same proportions. Funny thing about seats is that its not the plush factor that determines long-distance comfort. Its the overall support you get. Its easy to confuse soft with comfortable. When I say comfort, I am referring to how you feel after a few hours in the saddle. Are you starting to fidget? Thinking about the next stop? Or are you just into the ride? To me, an uncomfortable seat means it's only an hour or so is when the fidgeting starts. You start moving around to alleviate pressure points building up etc..Whether the seat is physically hard or soft is largely irrelevant.
Personally, I do not actually think the stock Road King seat is all that terrible on me in terms of comfort. I do not prefer the way it positions me but that is something altogether different than comfort. Compared to a stock Road King seat, the Low profile seat puts you back and down about an inch. It puts me right where I like to be relative to controls and the tank and that's one of the things that drew me to it. It is also very slim in width and this me more range of motion to positions legs and feet during stops or when cruising. One thing I found critical is the pillion seat. Without the pillion, there is minimal lumbar support. It's surprising how that little bit of extra support with having the pillion seat goes a long way. The only drawback to this seat is that a backrest cannot be used due to the way the seat is positioned. If a backrest is required, this seat is not for you. But as mentioned, I fund the pillion seat adds sufficient lumbar support for me and when I tour, I usuauly have a bag or sitting on the back seat so I can use that as an impromtu backrest .
In terms of comfort, this is a true all-day seat. YMMV and it's all subjective. Everyone has different anatomy. But for me, this seat is just as comfortable as the Sundowner or Mustang tourer in terms of long-distance comfort using the criteria I mentioned. I can ride all day without constant fidgeting or thinking about stops every hour or so. IN short, I love this seat. Every time I put the Mustang on I start wishing I had that slim and low profile of the low profile tourer and quickly swap back. This is a keeper.In terms of aesthetics, I didn't really put much emphasis on that when buying and that was no the intent. But I don't think it looks all that bad. It definitely looks more sportier than the traditional touring seats you will see on most Road Kings.
Thinking I would like to review this seat, I took some photos yesterday evening after my ride:
Side view in profile. The seat offers enough bucket support to keep me locked in place. As mentioned, the pillion seat is a must if you don't want to slide back. Its amazing how much having that little extra support goes so far in this area:
Top down view. Much slimmer in width than stock or most traditional aftermarket touring seats> i get a very sport vibe while riding and it also makes backing up the bike or just putting my feet down a lot more natural feeling.
Overall profile...It doesn't look all that bad. If aesthetics are a big thing they also make a stitched version and it comes in brown leather as well. Personally, I think it looks fine enough. But I never really buy a seat based on looks.
Definitely recommend the seat. But as mentioned, the pillion seat is critical to adding rearward support. The seat provides me with long-haul comfort and a more sporty handling and feel.
Just for reference, here is the seat at the HD site. It comes in plan or stitched. The seat is stock on the new Electra Glide standard. https://www.harley-davidson.com/stor...o-touring-seat
I own a Mustang Super Wide tourer and also a HD Sundowner. Both are nice long-haul seats but I grew tired of the big and bulky touring seats. Most of the low-profile seats I have sat on didn't do much for me but for some reason this HD offering just seemed to intrigue me. I was interested in this seat when I sat on the Electra Standard at the dealer. I was at first skeptical about the 'touring' part in the name but that is just semantics. I have been cross-country on the super glide numerous times and the Corbin seat I have on it did just fine. Its about the same proportions. Funny thing about seats is that its not the plush factor that determines long-distance comfort. Its the overall support you get. Its easy to confuse soft with comfortable. When I say comfort, I am referring to how you feel after a few hours in the saddle. Are you starting to fidget? Thinking about the next stop? Or are you just into the ride? To me, an uncomfortable seat means it's only an hour or so is when the fidgeting starts. You start moving around to alleviate pressure points building up etc..Whether the seat is physically hard or soft is largely irrelevant.
Personally, I do not actually think the stock Road King seat is all that terrible on me in terms of comfort. I do not prefer the way it positions me but that is something altogether different than comfort. Compared to a stock Road King seat, the Low profile seat puts you back and down about an inch. It puts me right where I like to be relative to controls and the tank and that's one of the things that drew me to it. It is also very slim in width and this me more range of motion to positions legs and feet during stops or when cruising. One thing I found critical is the pillion seat. Without the pillion, there is minimal lumbar support. It's surprising how that little bit of extra support with having the pillion seat goes a long way. The only drawback to this seat is that a backrest cannot be used due to the way the seat is positioned. If a backrest is required, this seat is not for you. But as mentioned, I fund the pillion seat adds sufficient lumbar support for me and when I tour, I usuauly have a bag or sitting on the back seat so I can use that as an impromtu backrest .
In terms of comfort, this is a true all-day seat. YMMV and it's all subjective. Everyone has different anatomy. But for me, this seat is just as comfortable as the Sundowner or Mustang tourer in terms of long-distance comfort using the criteria I mentioned. I can ride all day without constant fidgeting or thinking about stops every hour or so. IN short, I love this seat. Every time I put the Mustang on I start wishing I had that slim and low profile of the low profile tourer and quickly swap back. This is a keeper.In terms of aesthetics, I didn't really put much emphasis on that when buying and that was no the intent. But I don't think it looks all that bad. It definitely looks more sportier than the traditional touring seats you will see on most Road Kings.
Thinking I would like to review this seat, I took some photos yesterday evening after my ride:
Side view in profile. The seat offers enough bucket support to keep me locked in place. As mentioned, the pillion seat is a must if you don't want to slide back. Its amazing how much having that little extra support goes so far in this area:
Top down view. Much slimmer in width than stock or most traditional aftermarket touring seats> i get a very sport vibe while riding and it also makes backing up the bike or just putting my feet down a lot more natural feeling.
Overall profile...It doesn't look all that bad. If aesthetics are a big thing they also make a stitched version and it comes in brown leather as well. Personally, I think it looks fine enough. But I never really buy a seat based on looks.
Definitely recommend the seat. But as mentioned, the pillion seat is critical to adding rearward support. The seat provides me with long-haul comfort and a more sporty handling and feel.
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#3
Around-town, the low profile wins hands-down as the seat of choice for me, just given its slim profile and more sporty ergos. It's been on my bike since last July and as mentioned, when I have swapped out to the sundowner or mustang, those dont stay on long. I'm actually going to sell the mustang.
Last edited by MiniWolf; 04-09-2020 at 11:15 AM.
#4
#6
I've got the stitched version on my SG.
Absolutely love it. Extremely comfortable and looks great too.
I had been looking for a solo seat for years and tried one from C&C as well as Mustang.
Both were way too hard and I left some in the looks department.
I've put over 10,000 miles on mine and can say it's the most comfortable seat I've owned.
Absolutely love it. Extremely comfortable and looks great too.
I had been looking for a solo seat for years and tried one from C&C as well as Mustang.
Both were way too hard and I left some in the looks department.
I've put over 10,000 miles on mine and can say it's the most comfortable seat I've owned.
#7
Apologies for the necropost but I just came across this looking for feedback on low profile seats for 2014 Ultra. The stocker was uncomfortable and sat me too close to the cockpit. I replaced it with a Mustang Wide super touring seat. The seat is comfortable but sits me quite a bit higher and it's really wide at the nose. I've looked at other "low" seats and it seems like they lower the rider height but keep the passenger height the same which, IMHO, really screws up the handling due to the higher center of gravity. I sat on a stock 2014 CVO Road King the other day and that seat felt great ergonomically speaking. I've also looked at the Corbins but never had a chance to swing a leg over one. Since you mentioned you owned both Mustang and Corbin's how would you say this compares to the Corbin? Do you have any experience with, or might know how similar this is to the one used on the 2014 CVO RK?
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#8
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Sarsippius (03-07-2022)
#9
Apologies for the necropost but I just came across this looking for feedback on low profile seats for 2014 Ultra. The stocker was uncomfortable and sat me too close to the cockpit. I replaced it with a Mustang Wide super touring seat. The seat is comfortable but sits me quite a bit higher and it's really wide at the nose. I've looked at other "low" seats and it seems like they lower the rider height but keep the passenger height the same which, IMHO, really screws up the handling due to the higher center of gravity. I sat on a stock 2014 CVO Road King the other day and that seat felt great ergonomically speaking. I've also looked at the Corbins but never had a chance to swing a leg over one. Since you mentioned you owned both Mustang and Corbin's how would you say this compares to the Corbin? Do you have any experience with, or might know how similar this is to the one used on the 2014 CVO RK?
To me, a Corbin seat is kind of like a bucket seat found in a sports car. It's not plush and has minimal padding but is very supportive and you don't really notice the firmness once you get moving. HD generally puts a lot of padding in their seats in comparison. Padding compresses over time and eventually bottoms out on the seat pan. This creates pressure points. The Sundowner I had bottomed out pretty quickly. Same for the stock seat. A Corbin basically stays the same once it breaks in and conforms to your profile. Corbin material quality and craftmanship is also much higher than HD seats. Corbin feels premium. HD seat quality, while not terrible, always have the rushed factory assembly line vibe, at least the ones I have experience with.
IMO the low profile seat is a decent seat and will give you the lower profile sporty feel and it is doable on longer trips. But if I could only have one seat knowing I would never be able to swap out for another, it would probably be a Corbin. I went with the Low Profile HD because I liked the feel of it on other bikes I have sat on. I decided to give it a try.
FYI..I also have the Mustang low down touring seat I purchased when I had an Ultra for a short spell before the RK. It is also a good option to consider. But it really is not a low profile seat compared to the HD.
Last edited by MiniWolf; 03-07-2022 at 10:45 AM.