To get around the torture of riding my 883R for more that 50 miles I thought I'd rebuild my seat with heavy-duty memory foam, so I cut back the original foam and found...(see pic).
No wonder it hurt!! I'm sitting on the middle seat latch with 11/16" of soft foam between it and my tail-bone. You can see the thin cut out part in the cut-off foam resting on the seat. I'll re-build it over the weekend and let you know how it goes if anyones interested. It'll be cheaper than a new seat for sure. The foam came from an orthopedic seat wedge.

[IMG]local://upfiles/32430/A2B3C223BB8444F4A28DAD65A7CD5B6C.jpg[/IMG]

 

I like the look of the stock seat but I agree, the thing is a major pain in about 30 min of riding[:@]. I changed to the Sundowner which I love. I will be interested in your results, please update when you are finished, thanks.

 

Maybe somebody ought to think about starting a class-action lawsuit against Harley for all of the uncomfortable seats they've sold over the years with their stock Sportsters. They obviously know that most people can't handle them for more than just a short time, yet Harley continues to put them on their products anyway, and then offer better seats on the side for extra cash.[/align][/align]I wouldn't mind seeinga group of lawyers representing ticked-off and ***-sore Harley owners file a class-action lawsuit against Harley for this, suing Harley for knowingly selling 'inferior' seats on their products that cause their customers much discomfort, while Harley holds back the better seats for a higher add-on price.[/align][/align]Could you imagine auto makers doing the same thing, selling you car with a seat that was so uncomfortable that you couldn't stand to drive it for more than a half hour or so, while they hold back better seats. Auto makers would get sued left and right by consumer protection lawyers. Well, why does Harley get to get away with it then?[/align][/align]HEY HARLEY, HOW ABOUT STOCKING OR AT LEAST OFFERING FOR FREEYOURSPORTSTERS WITH THE BETTER SEATS THE FIRST TIME AROUND![/align][/align]It's not like people aren't paying a MORE THAN FAIR PRICE FOR YOUR OVER-PRICED PRODUCTS![/align][/align]
Anyway, that's my 2¢ on the matter.[/align][/align]
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im getting my 2up seat modified (by a guy who builds seats on the side) with a medium-soft padding with a gel liner on top at the drivers seat as we speak... all reusing the existing leather..

wont be able to ride this whole weekend.. but the V&H short shots come on monday!

 

The legal things you'd look for would be in the Uniform Commercial Code - "Implied Warranty of Fitness for a Particular Purpose." The purpose is riding/transportation; the implied warranty comes from the item being a motorcycle and bearing a seat.
Any real lawyers out there care to discuss it? This is my jailhouse-lawyer interpretation. Not sure if it's good for a free seat from my local dealer or not.

 

For every person that complains about the stock seat, there are probably ten other owners that don't have a problem with them.

I for one thought the stock seat on my '05 1200C was very comfortable.

It's not like Harley is forcing anyone to purchase their products.

If you don't like a specific bike, or how it 'feels', or if it might be uncomfortable to your body shape, the answer is very simple;

Don't buy the bike.

 

Harley advertises numerous, more comfortable Sportster seats in the Sportster accessories. This then seems to indicate to me that they know their stock seats are uncomfortable, and that they are selling them anyway and offering better Sportster seats on the side at even more cost to the consumer than they initially paid for the new bike.

And this stinks, to me. Why don't they just put these better seats on their Sporters in the first place, or at least offer this option free of charge, the right for the buyer to pick the seat he or she prefers all at the same cost.

Every Sportster owner I know personallycomplains or complained about the stock seat. Every one. And Harley's practice of selling what they surely know are uncomfortable seats seems a little dishonest to me. Surely they know that one of the first 'accessories' a Sportster rider buys after buying his or her Sportster is a better seat, and many purchased are from Harley, I'm sure. And I wouldn't doubt that this is one of the reasons Harley continues to use such an uncomfortable stock seat on their Sportsters.

 

How many miles are on your Sportster, and how many miles have you ridden it at a time, seeing how you appear to own so many Harleys.

And your statement that someone shouldn't buy it if they don't like how it feels is somewhat misleading, seeing how most people don't know how it truly feels after going more than a few miles on it before buying it. It's only afterwards when they've had the chance to really put some riding on it do they then realize it is uncomfortable.

 

Sportsters come with a basic, cheap, and uncomfortable seat for the same reason that most cars come with inefficient intake, exhaust, whatever. To cut costs. Personally, I'd rather save a hundred or two on the purchase price of the bike, and then pick an aftermarket saddle that fits ME, rather than have the bike come with a nice comfy one that I'll still end up replacing for one I like better, after having paid extra for the bike itself.

 

How do you know the next "aftermarket saddle" you buy will "fit" you, seeing how you have to buy it first and put it on and then ride around on it.

Usually, seats are bought based on word-of-mouth reputation, yet Harley continues to sell stock Sportster seats that often have a negativereputation.