Ok So I've been back & forth with the doc MRI and finally know what is up with my back. I have a few "mild herniated disc's" and a mild annular tear near the L5. I can ride, but I want to get back into riding all day. I have a 2000 Ultra that I run a badlander on. I sit nice and low but after a few hours I'm in some pain. Nothing crazy but enough to take away from the ride.

Was thinking maybe I'll toss a police seat on the bike, though I have no clue what years or parts will work with my bike.

Any help would be great.

Thanks.

for those of you who don't know what a annular tear is .... I had no clue.

 

Have you ridden a bike with the police seat? They aren't bad, but aren't all that comfortable for all day riding. They sit up higher and make it easier for guys to get way up on the tank for tight slow-ride maneuvering. The biggest difference is that you feel more like you are sitting on, rather than in the seat. My new bike came with a Hammock seat which is fantastic....best of both worlds!

Ps - sorry to hear about your back problems.....I wouldn't wish that on anyone!

 

I have a friend with a bad hip who rides an Ultra Classic and he has an Air Hawk air cushion that he can not ride more than an hour without. He swears by it. I have been looking at them for myself but do not have any expierence with them myself.

 

I have a cop seat on my Ultra. I love it but as others will say, it is not for everyone. It does sit you up higher but there are several benefits. The air bladder does make a huge difference in smoothness going down the road. You would think adjusting the air suspension would be enough, but adding an air bladder seat makes quite a difference.

Though it sits you taller on the bike, your legs go down from the seat in the front rather than the sides. Less need for the "Male Adjustment" on hot, sweaty all day rides.

I am 6'3". Anyone under 6' tall needs to test fit before buying anything.

All things said, I most likely will not go back to a standard seat anytime soon.
2007 and earlier parts will fit your bike. 2009 and newer fits those bikes. 2008 needs the 2009 seat and bracket but the 2007 and older rear rack. 2008 also has a one year frame cover. Mine is a 2008 and it took me a little research to figure out what to buy on eBay.

 

Goto the www.retiredpolicebikes.com website and ask around, odds are someone there is selling a full kit from their own bike

 

I'm in a similar boat (sciatica S1,L4,L5)...backrest has made a lot of difference.I got a cop seat (trimmed on sides 2") sring mounted on my chopper.They ride great and you can't beat basketweave for all day in the saddle.But they really don't offer any support for the lower back.

 

Thanks, that is the sort of info I was looking for, I'm 6ft2 so no worries there.

 

Also, Utopia makes a backrest for this seat. They are made as they are ordered so you have to pay their price. Around $229, I will be getting one.

 

I've had three aftermarket seats on my bikes. I had an Ultimate and a Mustang which were both good seats and gave me a longer ride but I still had problems. I have a tailbone issue after about 1 hr it hurts like hell and also had an L-5 blow out a long time ago that bothers me sometimes but a backrest helped that. I finally found Russell day long seats http://www.day-long.com/gallery_Harley_davidson.html and I can now ride through a tank without getting off and have ridden as far as 450 miles stopping only because it was my destination, with no pain. I love it, and its guaranteed. check it out. I almost tried a hammock or zeppelin, both good seats from what folks are saying, but decided to go with them after reading that it comes with a satisfaction guarantee. I think I read somewhere they do a lot of setups for LEOs but I couldn't find it anywhere on their site. I might be mistaken. like the police seat, you kind of sit up on it rather than in it degreen mentioned.

 

I've owned 2 bikes with police seats. In my opinion they are the most comfortable seat Harley, or anyone has ever made. They are designed for the people that are going to spend 8 hours a day in it. Regular seats seem to compress and put pressure on the back of my legs after a few hours, especially in the heat. The cop seats don't do that. You can adjust how much air pressure you want and fine tune the ride. The only issue I've ever had with them is after a few years the air bladder gets porous, and won't hold the air pressure. You can test it by pouring soapy water on it and watching for the bubbles. There's no way to fix that, you can only replace it. I've read where some guys have used Kong brand dog toys as a non- inflatable alternate fix. Maybe the newer ones have a better bladder, mine were from a '96 and a '99 model years.,,