HD has really screwed the pooch again this year with the touring seats. I didn't honestly think they could make them worse but I thought wrong.

The old seats(80's to 07's) all had the same problems, poor shape and I wouldn't say a bad foam quality but I will say it isnt the best but it is decent foam. Solutions, reshape or reshape and add memory foam.

In 08 HD redesigned the seats to accomidate the new larger gas tanks and make the touring seats univeral. A seat off a Road king will work on any touring seat just as a Electra glide seat will work on a Roadie or SG. The problem again poor design but this time it was a very poorly designed seat pan. No rearward movement but going down and narrowing the seat wasn't a issue.

Out come the 09s, same poor concept of seat design but they made it worse. The seat pans are a 1/2" wider, the seat height is higher and they used less foam. What they did was raise the seat pan and if you look at the bottom of the 09 seat pans you will see how deep the bottom of the pan is into the foam. The seats look Thick with foam but this will show you other wise.

What does this mean. Modding these seats if your wanting to go lower isn't a good idea. I am cutting the foam all the way down to the seat pan and installing our memory foam which is a stand alone foam and it does not need a base so that is no problem the problem is I can't go lower than the seat pan. The only good thing is we can narrow the seats existing foam so the seat isn't as wide but as far as going lower or back, its not a option on these new seats. I really wish it was but until HD either redesigns the touring seat again which I am sure will be a total wreck as previous years the 09 touring bikes seating position is pretty much where you are going to be unless you go after market.

 

I just sent my seat in to have it moved 2 inches down and 1 1/2 inches forward. You said that you could perform this when I sent my seat in. As a matter of fact, I was just informed that my seat was completed today and shipped back to me. When I receive the seat, can I expect these chages were made or what? It soulds like I just spent $175 on nothing.

 

Your seat was completed as scheduled and what I did was remove all the foam in the sitting area and installed the memory foam in its place. I took the seating area down as low as I cold possibly go and moved you forward as much as the seats cover would allow. You will be lower and you will be more forward than you were but the seats don't have the movement the older seats had unfortunately. I did narrow the seat as much as possible to help get your feet better planted also which works much better than going lower since these seat pans are so wide, the lower you go the more the width plays effect.

Can I get you 2"s lower...yes but it won't be a all day seat and most people want ride comfort overall.

 

Allen

Don't be too hard on yourself. I put mine on today, and all I can say is wow. You moved me down 2 in, forward 2 in and narrowed the nose. It looks factory, it feels good, and it did what I wanted it to do. With a 28 in inseam it was my only option. Yes more foam would be more comfortable but at my height I made a choice, sit up higher in more comfort and fall over at every stop light or lower myself and flat foot the bike. Turn around time was 1 day for the work and 2 days each way for shipping. Everybody at the HD shop tried it and loved the way it felt. I will report back with the long term results but for now keep up the good work.

A happy customer.

 

Thanks for the kind words. We try our best to get every seat just like the person wants it and while we get a lot of praise on what we do the negatives weigh more on me than anything. i want every customer to be 100% satisfied but sometimes the way the seats are made restricts what we can do. I am glad you like your seat. Enjoy and be safe.

 

I've been doing some research on the 09 and 08 seats. I found out that the 08 HD seats will work on a 09 and vice-versa. In my opinion the 08 Streetglide seats are much better than the 08 seats so if you have a 09 you may want to consider picking up a 08 SG seat. All the 08 seats are 1/2" narrower than the 09 seats so for the vertically challenged this will help a lot. Just thought I would update on what I have found.

 

Is it just the SG seats or will ALL the 08 seats fit on an 09? Like the pillow top, sundowner, etc?

 

BUMP- it would be nice to get an answer on this - If I buy a SUNDOWNER, is it worth sending it in or not - can you do anything as far as position and comfort?

 

Any 08 touring seat will work on any 09 touring bike. sorry for the slow reply I have been busy with Christmas stuff and spending time with my family over the holidays.

 

Thanks for the answer, Merry Christmas.

I just bought an 08 Road Glide seat off ebay and it is on the way to you for modifications. I will call on Monday for an appointment.

Ed