I am a not-very-tall guy, 5'7 inches or a bit taller. 136 pounds dripping wet. Average build and strength and good fitness. So not a big guy. My 2018 Road King stock seat got messed up (not in an accident) and I started looking for a new seat. Given that I am somewhat vertically challenged, it was important to me that the new seat allow me to flat-foot the bike. Here are the seats I looked at:

1. The Ultimate Seat. I did not actually try this seat. I called Ultimate Seats and talked to a rep. He warned me off these seats by saying that any of their seats would add height. It was obvious from talking to him that they got their share of returns because of people not liking the added height of the seat relative to the stock seat. I was bummed about this because I had an Ultimate Seat on my old 2015 Fat Boy and it was a great seat.

2. Saddleman Solo Seat. This is a gorgeously made seat. Tons of padding for a comfortable long ride. It also has the best backrest (if you buy one) of any seat I've ever used. Unfortunately, this seat added at least an inch of height as compared to the stock seat such that I could not solidly flat-foot the bike. (I can do this, although barely, with the stock 2018 Road King seat.) I really really really tried to like this seat because it is so well-made and has such a great backrest. I rode around on it all weekend. But I just could not adapt to not having a solid flat-foot seating position. Irrational or not, I found myself getting paranoid during stops. It makes stopping somewhat more problematic and makes backing up very difficult. This seat gave me a lot of respect for those short guys and gals who ride touring bikes without being able to flat foot. Not for me. So I am returning this seat.

3. I then tried the Harley Badlander Seat. Bingo, this seat does the trick. I splurged and bought the all-leather version. This seat is very narrow (as well as low), which means that your legs are straighter to the ground at a stop for a better flat-foot posture. This seat seems to give me the better part of an inch in height reduction as compared to the stock seat. It hugely improves my ability to back the bike out of (or into) a parking spot. I love this. Unfortunately, it does not accommodate a backrest. It is somewhat light on padding and some riders might find it unsuitable for long rides. So far my boney *** is OK with it. This seat has hugely improved how I feel on the Road King. For the foreseeable future, this will be my seat. By the way, this is a great looking seat and being real leather it "breathes" well.

Runner-up seat: XFMT Low Profile Seat (available on Amazon.com) This is a very decent seat. It has maybe a bit more padding than the Badlander although I'm not sure about that. It is high quality vinyl (not leather) and is very nicely made with attractive stitching available in various colors. This seat will seat you slightly higher than the Badlander due to its being wider. It is lower (I think) than the stock seat. If you don't like the Badlander this would be an excellent seat for a smaller guy like me, or for the ladies who are my height or shorter.

Anyway, I hope this thread helps someone somewhere. I did not find any good threads on this subject, so here we are. Ride safe, everyone.

 

Glad the seat worked out for you.

Another option if you want another seat to accommodate an H-D backrest is look in the touring classifieds for King/SG/RG seat and get it modified from a reputable seat modifier, like Mean City Cycles. They have a seat mod called a super narrow which narrows the seat neck and lowers the seat about 1" - 1 1/2". They also use memory foam. I'm also vertically challenged with about the same inseam as you but I've had my OEM RK seat and an RG seat modified by Mean City Cycles and I can flat foot on my King. I've also a 1" shorter shocks and I not only flat foot, but also with a slight knee bend when sitting on the bike.

 

I was going to suggest Mean City too.

 

Thanks for the info and suggestions! Right now really liking the Badlander. But may talk to Mean City sometime in the future. Problem is that I hated the HD OEM backrest, so if I am going with a backrest it would have to be a different seat. The Saddlemen backrest is superb but the seat is scary high.

 

If the seat pan on your RK seat is still good, MCC can replace the foam with memory foam, they also have a firmer foam if you like that, and they can recover with either leather or a marine grade vinyl. Just another option to give that seat new life!

 

I am short like you too....but a bit heavier (oops!)

I can confirm than the stock "Ultimate" seat on my Road King made it so I couldn't even get close to flat footing the bike. The seat is(was) nice and cushy though. Probably not too far away from a Motorcycle officer seat. I bought the bike with this seat, so no stock seat to compare it to. I cut it down (myself) and it's much better than before, but I am pretty sure still taller/wider than a stock seat.

Someday I'll get up the courage (and $$$) to buy a seat like a XFMT Low Profile Seat or Mustang or whatever the latest/greatest short-guy seat is.

I did a couple things to make my shaved down Ultimate a bit better than most folks would ever do. I took almost all foam out (I had to) then added 2 things:
-Gel layer
-Blood pressure cuff (just the bladder part)
*you can see in my signature bike photo where your legs would be and it's "caved in"...not pretty but does subtract a little from the distance your legs need to reach the ground,.

So, now I can flat foot and when I am riding a long distance, I pump up the seat once I am under way. Weird, but it works.



Thanks for posting redlegsvzv

 

Great info, I dont have much on you, maybe a half inch. The great thing I see with Harleys is the huge selection of seats available.
I will be going down the same path but would want seats to be heated.

 

I think that I will talk to MCC about that at some point. I liked the stock seat pretty well, and it might be nice to have an alternate/spare seat. I'd cover it with leather to make it like the Badlander. Yes, Patzx12, it is fun to experiment with the different seats. I can tell you that the Badlander really gives me confidence on the bike. I'm liking it pretty well. It helps that it is a pretty cool looking bit of kit, too. I was riding around today, and it was great being able to back the bike into parking spaces and so forth. Gives me more confidence at stops on uneven ground too.

 

Harleys are super heavy, A rider has to have feet firmly planted.
We are now in the age of the drop down suspension, incidentally started by Harley with the PA.
My Ducati with the low seat option has a button that drops the suspension, great for town riding fully loaded and 2 up.
The suspension lifts up to the set position at 70mph.
I dont have my Electra Glide Police yet but the right seat will be the first item for attention.
The dealer is removing the cop pogo seat and fitting a dual seat so that will get me going.

 

I’m short and prefer taller seats. I have a hammock seat which works, but I never head of Ultimate seats