G'day all.
Yep this is yet another solo seat question. But hey thats what the forum is for right..askin questions :p

Anyway, here's the story.

I don't mind the standard seat on my 04 883 but if I spend more than a couple of hours ridin it tends to make my arse a bit numb at the base of my spine so just recently I had the foam recontoured and covered in leather which helped a bit but not as much as I woulda liked (the upholsterer did a crappy job too so I'm not happy with the look either)

The seat I have been thinkin of getting is very similar to the one I had on my old 96 Sporty and it was VERY comfy.

here's a pic of the one I want...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/gronk62/lowprofilesolo.jpg
part # 51538-04 $139US (about $230AUS including freight down under)

BUT..it says it will fit the 04/05 custom models. Mine is just the standard model and I have the peanut style tank which is a little shorter than the tank on the custom models (about 2" I think ?)

So I expect there to be a short gap between the tank and the seat.
My question is, has anyone tried one of these seats and will I have to modify the front mount tab or are they the same on each model bike and the ONLY difference is the length of the tank itself? :help1

Hey Gronk ,
Good to see ya on the forum again . I have the same bike 04 883 std.
Heres a link to the mustang seats http://www.mustangseats.com/hdcontst.htm
I belive the part #s are 76506 for the 15 in. width and 76507 for the 10.5 width
for the vintage solo seats fits 2004 with the 3.3 gal tank .

G'day Gronk

Good to see you stopping in!!! :clap :clap :clap

I'm not sure about the '04 seats, as I have a '03..
But I had the same problem with the HD seat and tried the Mustang also but it hurt me to!!!! I eventually went with the Corbin Solo and Love it!!!!

I wish the old Bates solo saddle was still available. Now there was a great seat!

anyone else remember them?

Here is my seat. If you can't find what you want get something that will fit the frame mounts and cut it to fit. I don't know what this seat is suppose to go on but it sure does work well on the sporty now that it is trimmed to fit.

I wish the old Bates solo saddle was still available. Now there was a great seat! anyone else remember them?I can't say that I remember them (I'm too much of a newbie) but this one at Licks claims to be styled after the Bate's seat. http://www.lickscycles.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=829

Gary

I tried a Mustand and a Corbin and did not like either.

I ended up with a Lepera Sanora.

http://www.lepera.com/images/sport_imgs/L015.jpg

I got in in November so I have not got to do a serious rides with it but it seems pretty comfortable, it looks good and has not changed my setaing position like the Mustang. It seems to be getting more comfotable as I use it.

My only regret is not getting it in leather.

I ordered a digital camera and as soon as I get it I will take some pictures of it on my 1200r.

Thanx for all the replies :)
I been lookin at seats for a while and really like the corbin hollywood solo as it has the low flat look I'm after. (fussy bugger ain't I :D )

But a seat that costs $300 in the USA will cost me around $480 by the time I pay freight and exchange rates and I ain't a rich bloke (hey yooz blokes could pass the hat round and buy me one as a belated xmas prezzie :p )

Anyway the standard seat on my bike is 12" wide and...ahem..my butt ain't as narrow as it used to be so I kinda gotta look at a wider seat and the one in the pic above is 14.5" wide which is about perfect for me.
I considered the mustang wide vintage solo but it doesn't have the low flat look I want.

I think I'll pay a visit to the "local" dealership (70miles away) and have a close look at the differences (if any) between the front seat mounts of the custom and standard models.

Cheers all :cheers

Thanx for all the replies :)

I think I'll pay a visit to the "local" dealership (70miles away) and have a close look at the differences (if any) between the front seat mounts of the custom and standard models.

Cheers all :cheers

howdy yabastardphilthemandownunder, you got the nice weather for riding in so make the trip, if ya don't buy anything at least ya got go for a nice ride , huh,huh,huh?

good luck finding the seat ya want , I had mine made for me by a local lady who repaired furniture

gronk

Hello you ole bugger!!!! ;)

If you look at the Mustang. One thing to remember is, it Will sit you about 1" higher!! :D

Anyway the standard seat on my bike is 12" wide and...ahem..my butt ain't as narrow as it used to be so I kinda gotta look at a wider seat and the one in the pic above is 14.5" wide which is about perfect for me.


You colud give Lepera a call. They will send you out a seatpan with foam on it. You can put it on your bike and ride around on it for a while. If you decide you like it you can mark up the foam, if you want any trimming done, and then send it back and they will cover it for you. If you don't like it there is a 15% restocking fee but the price of a seat pan and foam is about $120.

The Monterey smooth is listed as 12" wide but they might be able to add an an and a half to it?

http://www.lepera.com/images/sport_thumbs/L616T.jpg

gronk, my butts probably wider than yours is ,my mustang vintage solo is 12in works for me. just my.02$

Just put the LePera Bare Bones Lt on my 04 883xl. Feels good and looks even better. :tour

do you have any pics w/the lepera on the 04?

Also picked up Le Pera Bare Bones for my 1200R... but tank and fenders are gone for painting so I can't test fit it. I see NO forward attachment point on the seat at all, only the rear fender screw... Anyone mount this seat and how does it attach forward???

I'm trying to figure out which seat to buy for my 04 custom. A lot of people say to go with the Mustang but I'm not real crazy about the 2 piece set-up for 04s, although it does allow you to change the looks of the bike. I don't ride passsengers and I do like the looks of the stock seat but find it very uncomfortable for anything over 30 minutes. I found a Lepera Daytona Sport seat for $215 shipped to my door. I like the looks of it but I'm wondering if they are comfortable for up to 500 mile days. I'll be going to Laguna Seca next July for the bike races and we may be making the 650 mile return trip in 1 day. What do guys think? Forgot, I'm 5'8", 30.5" inseam and weigh 155 lbs.

Thanks

There's a tongue, for lack of a better word, thats at the front of the seat. That slides in under the tank, where its mounted, and then you just bolt down the back. I'll take some pics tomorrow and try to post them so you can see what the bike looks like with the seat on. Oh, got the seat off e-bay for $173 from this place near Philly. They have lots of seats on there all the time. Ill have to go and look for the company.

sharkdoctor I just purchased the bare bones seat for my 04 1200r but its the LE 006 which butts up to the tank.with the same tank hook like the stock seat...I don't know anything about the smaller seat .

Some of the old dogs here, mostly Gold Wingers, swear by the sheep skin cover. They just slip it on for the long trips. Have anybody here ever tried it for long trips?

The company is American Classic Motors.

biggdan, toadster, rider1951-

THANKS! I also have the 0006 seat. The flat "tongue" is all I see, not the hole that the classic seat has, so biggdan's pix would be great (just attaches at the back, huh?).

And Amer Classic Motors is where I got it (and would do business with them ANYTIME!). :clap

:cheers

Some of the old dogs here, mostly Gold Wingers, swear by the sheep skin cover. They just slip it on for the long trips. Have anybody here ever tried it for long trips?
G'day Bigdog.
Yep I used a sheep skin on my seat everytime I went touring and it worked great for stoppin the numb bum thing. Only problem was when it rained the sheep skin would stay wet for hours but it was still comfy. :)

Yep, slides into the slot, line the hole up and screw it down. American classic motors is a good bunch to deal withh. Got my seat in like 5 days after ordering. not bad considering it was peak x-mas season for deliveries.

Some of the old dogs here, mostly Gold Wingers, swear by the sheep skin cover. They just slip it on for the long trips. Have anybody here ever tried it for long trips?

I have a "Buttbuffer" I put on my Corbin Solo and it helps a Lot!!


OH...and yep...I'm been called "an old dog" too... :tour

Here's a pic of the seat on the bike.

I had the "numb butt" at about 35-40 miles on the stock 04 solo. I put on a Mustang Vintage wide solo and it is the best mod I have ever done!!!! I have been on rides over 250 miles and never have a problem. The wide vintage solo looks better on the 04 "IMHO" because of the wider fender/tire.

Biggdann-

Thanks for the pix! Still waitin' for my tin, but install looks pretty easy and obvious!

how about getting one covered in shark skin , that will be cool

Shark leather is one of the finest grades of leather made... only one company ("Ocean Leather" of Camden, NJ) ever learned how to "tan" shark hide. If not tanned, those little shark scales (that are really microscopic teeth) will tan YOUR hide!!! So... in keeping with the usual theme here is thread hijacking is appropriate, here is an electron micrograph of a piece of "bignose" shark skin to illustrate what a real bite in the ass would result from a shark skin seat!!!

:clap

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/500/523Denticles_SEM_Bignose.jpg

Shark Doctor

Looks Like that Could be a pain in the Butt, Quick!!!! :yikes