See many good feedbacks from this forum and google about seat and suspension upgrade. This motivate me to replace them for my 2008 xl1200C stock parts. I am marketed on Progress 412S and Mustang 2up. Both upgrades probably end up at least $800 in total. I cannot support both in my one payroll. If I need to do both, which one I should go first, seat or suspension? Which upgrade will I get more benefit from? Thanks for any inputs.

 

My recommendation - suspension first, then seat. You may want to look at 12" Street Glide air shocks. A good, relatively inexpensive upgrade for $100 or less, in which case you can also then do the Mustang seat.

 

I would have to go the opposite of m3apx. If it is your butt that hurts while you ride then go with a seat. I was not able to ride long distances comfortably until I got my new more comfortable seat. I have tried 2 different suspension set ups on my sportster (including the touring air shock mod everyone worships) and have yet to find anything that makes a big difference. The ride over really small things like cracks in the road improved but larger bumps in the road all still sent me in the air. Plus a softer seat with more padding will help take some of the harshness of bumps away.

 

I had the same problem when I got my Sporty,,,
Lac-o-cash,,Its a crippling disease,,lol

I Got the Mustang Vintage solo for $200 bucks,,got this first Because
after 50 miles It felt like I was sitting on a brick.

I wanted the 440 shocks,,they are about $500 bucks,,,
That was last year,,,
I'm still on the stock shocks,,,
and happy,,,
Hangin twisites,,,Hard over,,
Full Tank runs on the Superslab,,,75-80 mph,,
My Back and my *** Is happy XD

 

My factory suspension tuning on the cheap,,
For the hot Florida summer I went with 20wt fork oil,,thats no good come cooler
weather,,too stiff,,Just went to 10wt,,,perfectomundo !
Also added 3/4" of preload to the front,,that gave me a level chassis with
the rear stock shocks on the most preload.

I'm 235Lbs In gear ride ready Including the rear sissybar and luggage rack.

I got real skinny chicken strips,,,,Save and enlarge the Picture,, look closely at the tires edges,,,::

 

I would do the seat first. I did both on my 04 XL883 and the seat made the biggest difference for me. Keep an eye out on the classifieds and you will find a good deal on the seat you want. I got my Mustang Vintage Wide Solo for around $100 in new condition. But remember...everyones butt likes a different seat so I'd suggest finding someone local with the same seat and try it out before you buy. Just my .

 

Thanks for all your valuable inputs. Due to budget, personal skill level, and my butt, I will replace my seat first.

 

Before you spend anything you need to ask yourself where your problem is. Does riding any distance make your butt feel like you're sitting on a board? Does the ride feel jarring or is it throwing you off the seat because it's bottoming out? If your problem is your backside then the seat will be money well spent. If the ride is too jarring or it bottoms out frequently and it feels like someone is kicking you in the butt with a steel toed boot then look to suspension; longer shocks if you have the inseam for it.

Personally, I HATED the suspension on my Sporty. After changing fork oil, adding some spacers to the front and getting a set of 13.5" shocks it improved quite a bit. It still sucked for riding hard but it was MUCH more comfortable. I had a Badlander seat on there and had no problems with my hour long ride to and from work so clearly my butt wasn't an issue. That seat was hard as a rock!

 

I say seat. I still have stock suspension on both my bikes and they do just fine 2up and over all.

 

That is exactly what credit cards are made for!

I did both, or, all three, forks, shocks and seat.

I can't say what was more important, as they ALL sucked big time.

With the stock suspension, the bike could not go around turns any faster then a school bus without dragging hard parts, and the ride was bone crunching.
1.5 inch longer rear (progressive) shocks, progressive fork springs, spacers, thicker oil and moving the forks as low in the clamps as I could helped a lot, its almost like a normal motorcycle now.
Cost under $300.00.

I have tried 2 different seats, nothing is good, but they all have more padding and help. Part of the problem there is the position of the mid pegs, and the low seat height.

I am sure that if I want a comfortable all day bike, I need a different bike.

Its better, but its never going to be good.