Custom seats

[docc]

Over my time riding, I transitioned "sport-touring" from bolt upright, textbook MSF posture to slide over/ knee out Keith Code style . . .

The Corbin Gunfighter I put on my café first year GoldWing just served to reveal how heavy that bike was and how compromised its ground clearance. A circumstance that helped spawn one silver V11 Sport . . .

[edit: It occurs to me to add that the Sport's handling let me settle on a suitable compromise of the riding postures keeping the knees in while shifting the upper body toward the corner without sliding over on the seat. The factory V11 seat shape is fine me, although I wish mine were firmer.]

[KINDOY2]

On 11/11/2024 at 3:29 PM, audiomick said:

Yes, but I know. I also don't really like clothes made out of "plastic". It's all in my head.

 

As far as old duffers go, who sit bolt upright in the saddle: in the last house I lived in in Melbourne ( @Lucky Phil in Dwyer St., Macleod) the neighbour across the road was middle 60's year old. He had a certain amount of track experience behind him, sat bolt upright, and was disturbingly fast. I'm currently practising getting back into the groove of moving around on the seat (lost the knack over the years), but Wally (the neighbour) planted a doubt whether that is really absolutely necessary. I dunno. I'll keep at it,  because it's fun.

Most of the motorcops are all taught to ride in the upright style , you dont see them in full gear on a dressed out bike dragging a knee..but they go like hell when they want to, and in my experiance they are VERY good riders..hard to keep up with in heavy traffic and I wish you luck if your on a bike and you try to get away from them in any situation that requires maneuvering. Two  of the fastest and smoothest riders I have known   in my years riding, rode in the upright style..in the mountains ,its very easy to get sucked in by them if you are following them in an area they know and you don't..when following them they look like they are just having a nice ride..until you realize your doing over a hundred coming into some difficult sweepers keeping up with them and they havnt touched the brakes or changed position in their seat at all .

Edited November 13 by KINDOY2

[swooshdave]

So it appears that the seat style doesn't have a lot to do with how sporty you want to be. 

[GuzziMoto]

5 hours ago, swooshdave said:

So it appears that the seat style doesn't have a lot to do with how sporty you want to be. 

Personally, I like your custom seat. I have always been impressed with the stock V11 Sport seat, it is surprisingly comfy for a stock seat. That was a selling point over the Triumph Speed Triple it was compared to. But that seat does look like it would be even better. And it does so without looking like a oversized monstrosity. Also, while that seat would not be a great seat for a racebike, or even a sportbike, it looks like a great seat for a sport touring bike in my opinion. Stylish enough but comfy. I think it is nice.

[audiomick]

8 hours ago, swooshdave said:

So it appears that the seat style doesn't have a lot to do with how sporty you want to be. 

I believe that might be the case.

In one direction, I saw some videos from a German bloke (and his mates) from the black forest region. There are some really great roads there. Their theme seemed to be "safe" lines, i.e. staying in the middle of the lane, and getting as much lean angle as possible. Wankers, in my opinion.

I'm more interested in a clean line from one corner to the next, and positioning my body weight so that the bike "hangs" in the corner.

I developed the habit of hanging off a bit, firstly, in the eighties and early nineties, when, amongst others,  a certain K. Schwantz was riding a two-stroke Suzuki with the number 34 on the front. If one watches him for a while, it is obvious that your bum has to be anywhere but on the seat to get throught the corners "properly".

Secondly, I was doing it on a 1976 Z 900. That thing really did benefit from getting the rider's weight down beside the bike a bit. Middle '70s japanese frames and suspension where, shall we say, sub-optimal, and creating a "counterweight" was a good idea.

On top of that, my vision. I think I mentioned here recently that I don't have 3D vision. Over the last several years, I have come to the conclusion that I personally can "see the line" better if I am looking past the handlebares into the corner a bit from the side. Parallax, or something.

I lost the habit of moving in the seat through not riding for about 10 years, then a Honda CBX 650 E soft-chopper, followed by two full-dress Kawasaki GTR 1000s. I'm currently working on getting back into the habit, and have established that, for me, it is better when I hang off a bit. Doesn't have to work for everyone, though.

 

And yes, the Police are fast. They are professionals, what do you expect.

 

Edited November 13 by audiomick

[audiomick]

20 hours ago, KINDOY2 said:

...its very easy to get sucked in by them if you are following them in an area they know and you don't...

I'm reminded of an anecdote from a bloke in the Kawasai Z owner's club in my Z900 days. The man had a Z1000 in the police version with foot-boards. He lived near this bit of road

https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1314554571#map=13/-37.60777/145.61863

His story was how he went up there one day, followed by two young blokes on the then new Kawasaki ZXR 750s. At the top end, there was (and probably still is) a pub. He pulled in, and the young blokes did too. They were absolutely astonished at how fast and relaxed he rode up there on that bike. It's the man, not the machine.

[Lucky Phil]

1 hour ago, audiomick said:

I'm reminded of an anecdote from a bloke in the Kawasai Z owner's club in my Z900 days. The man had a Z1000 in the police version with foot-boards. He lived near this bit of road

https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1314554571#map=13/-37.60777/145.61863

His story was how he went up there one day, followed by two young blokes on the then new Kawasaki ZXR 750s. At the top end, there was (and probably still is) a pub. He pulled in, and the young blokes did too. They were absolutely astonished at how fast and relaxed he rode up there on that bike. It's the man, not the machine.

Thats the Black Spur Mick not far from my place. You know the stretch of road that the Police were caught in Camo gear in the bushes on the roadside with radar guns. I know that road well. Amazing how quick you can ride a motorcycle on any given stretch of public roads when there's zero chance of being charged of any traffic offences because you're a member of state law enforcement.

I regularly came across cop convoys on Macquarie pass doing their rider training riding around bolt upright like rigid backed clowns. Good for a laugh at the time. I also did my first European motorcycle tour in 84 with a Queensland motorcycle cop. Never seen one in my life do anything particularly awe inspiring on a motorcycle to be honest. Cue of course posting of one of those old lame 50's police motorcycle trick riding videos on Harleys. Come on somebody here will be itching to post one. 

Phil

Edited November 13 by Lucky Phil

[docc]

47 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

Cue of course posting of one of those old lame 50's police motorcycle trick riding videos on Harleys. Come on somebody here will be itching to post one. 

Phil

Better, yet , pretty sure these are more likely Falcones . . .

 

[docc]

On 11/8/2024 at 11:21 AM, ChrisPDX said:

Hi folks.  

Adding a custom seat upgrade example in 2024.  

I bought my 2001 Greenie, and it came with a custom seat, but the leather was very dried out, and importantly, I thought the seat was at the wrong angle.  As I rode the bike I was constantly being pushed up against the tank (insert your jokes here).  I'll just go with - it wasn't comfortable.

I live in Portland, Oregon, and looked up the maker of the seat.  Turns out, 22 years after building the first one, he's still in business making custom motorcycle seats, now located in Kingston, Washington, USA, just outside of Seattle.  Rich's Custom Motorcycle Seats https://www.richscustomseats.com

He said he'd be able to re-do the seat.  Either I could take photos and measurements and ship the seat to him and he would do his best to modify per my request, or I could come to his shop with my bike for a custom fitting.  The shop is about a 3-hour van drive from my house, so I loaded it (the cold/rainy season has begun here) and took it to him.

He had me sit on the bike and discuss, then pulled off the leather cover and modified the foam contours.  I sat on it again and took it for a short ride, then another minor contour change, and a new gel pad, another tweak and...what a GREAT transformation.  

I was then given a wide variety of choices regarding leather, vinyl, color, stitching and so on.  And while tempted by red flames or a waving Italian flag, I went with very simple and classic.  Green bike and red frame are, IMO, already speaking loudly enough .  I chose a black pebble-texture leather for the seating area (which I was told hides creases and wear over time), and black smooth leather for the pillion and lower sides of the seat, with double stitching.  

The contour they typically recommend (though they'll do anything you want) is a bit of a cupped shape with a gel pad under that.  I went the cupped direction since the V11 is more of a back roads cruiser.  I'll take my r6 to the track.  

From arrival at their shop to departure took a total of 5 hours.  Which is pretty incredible considering they sculpted a custom foam shape, made a custom leather pattern, stitched and adhered it, and I took a test ride mid-way in the process.  One person worked on seat disassembly and assembly, and another did the stitching.  I hung out in the shop, chatted, and tossed the ball for the shop dog.  

Really, the experience and result couldn't have been better.  They guarantee the work for a year, saying I could come back for adjustments or repairs if I wish.  

Their main business is, I think, cruiser seats for Harleys and the like.  And they say the busy season is April-September, so plan on waiting a little longer those months.  That said, they do offer the in-person fitting, same day service, all year round.   

Cost wasn't cheap, around $700, but the personal attention, truly custom result, high quality materials, made in USA workmanship, and so on...to me, it was a fair price in 2024 $$.  

Here are a couple photos.  You'll see I went conservative/classic.  The feel of the seat is really high quality - when felt with my hand, and with my backside.  I think it'll look and ride nice for years with just occasional leather treatment. 

 

Thanks for posting your seat, @ChrisPDX!

I love the way it preserves the tail cowl. And that @RichMaund is still producing seats for our V11. He was a very early member here and a solid, good guy.

[edit: @guzzigary helped me see that this seat maker in Portland is Rich O'Conner.]

[guzzigary]

Isn’t that two different Rich’s @docc ?

I think that’s a great looking seat btw

 

[docc]

17 hours ago, guzzigary said:

Isn’t that two different Rich’s @docc ?

I think that’s a great looking seat btw

 

Ah, thanks for that correction  @guzzigary! I see this is Rich O'Conner.

[audiomick]

21 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

... motorcycle cop. Never seen one in my life do anything particularly awe inspiring on a motorcycle to be honest....

Unfortunately, I didn't see this myself, but anyway...

When I was a kid, probably about 12, my dad bought himself a Yamaha AG 100. I, as a kid, thought it was really big. What he used before that around the paddock was a Honda CT 90. Dad was pretty chuffed with the Yamaha, and even bought a helmet and got a license, so he could ride it the 7 or so km. into town. (that didn't last long...). So he's ridden the bike into town to the Cobram Agricultural Show, where the Victoria Police trick motorcycle riding squad was present. He got into a conversation with one of them. This is the Cobram Showgrounds

https://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=Cobram%2C Victoria%2C Australia#map=18/-35.920689/145.653144

The building in the top left corner is, or at least used to be, the scout hall, and there was a tree trunk lying on the ground in front of it. Maybe 3 feet high, maybe only 2 1/2, but a serious tree trunk.

I can envision the situation; my dad (no idea about motorcycles, actually) with his new toy engaging the professional rider in conversation about motorbikes and such. The end of the story: the police rider got on the Yamaha AG 100 and rode it over the tree trunk.

To this day, I am still impressed by that.

Edited November 13 by audiomick

[activpop]

Here is another resource  for bikers in Oregon. I've heard good things about this guy and plan on getting my Stelvio seat improved or remade by him and a worn V11 seat recovered.

www.mredsmoto.com