I agree that HD sells bikes as starters, but conspiracy? Let's get real. This is a marketing issue. Starter bikes are the way HD customers prefer them, apparently. The only thing you can ever get Harley owners to agree on is that they like Harleys, period. There are hundreds of differing opinions on exhaust alone. Judging by the way everyone likes to modify their rides in order to make them their own, Harley couldn't possibly build a bike that would make everyone happy. Look at how many models there are already and probably half of them get modified before the first 1000 miles. If you were trying to sell a product to that kind of customer, what would you do?

Therefore, the moco builds compromise bikes that kind of fit the "average?" Harley owner's tastes and body types for a broad biker category (fatboy, tourers, sport bikers, cruisers, etc.), even though that "average" owner probably doesn't exist in the real world. Case in point: the stock FLHRCI seat feels fine to me -- excellent for riding around town, OK for touring -- but I had to buy a Sundowner because my wife didn't like the stock pillion. Is that a Harley conspiracy? I don't think so.

 

Just used the word "conspiracy" in jest.

Primo

 

Caught it the first time Primo

 

Yeah, I've had to explain to my bride more than once, "The price of the bike is just the down payment!" She remains skeptical, (and resigned....)

 

Sundowner for sure, my wife HATED the passenger pillion on my RKC.

The seat in this picture is my new sundowner, much more supportive to my lumbar, wifes pillion is 4 inches wider too.

 

Is the Sundowner pan the same as the stock seat pan?

 

I compared the two side by side today. The pan appears to be the same.

 

go to corbins websight, www.corbin.com. Click on the motorcycle picture for motorcycle acc. then go to the "how it works" link, they have a little video you can watch that explains it very well. I put the corbin dual tour on my r.k. and you couldnt pay me to ride on anything else than a corbin seat. I absolutely love it.

 

I too switched to the Sundowner seat. I liked the look of the original but just got uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. After all the good praise it got on the HD forums I figured I couldn't go wrong and got to maintain the classic look.

 

Back to the question on why... not all seats are created equal. First it has to be leather or it will not breath (read vinyl or simulated leather). Leather gets out of shape (if too thin) after a while and that bothers some people that are into looks, but your cheeks need air or no matter what the shape, size and design, it will burn as air starvation sets in....IMO only.