Triumphrat

skromfols · 11-06-2009, 11:17 AM

I have an 08 America and after about 100 miles the sloped back portion of the seat begins to give me a numb butt. I'm 6'3" so I sit against the back of the seat and it becomes a pain in the A$$.

I'm looking at a number of solo seats and would like to find something that fits tall riders better. Has anyone with long legs found a seat that provides more room at the back? I'd also like to have the seat rail, as I ride solo and the rail looks good.

The write ups for all of the seats are all great, but I would prefer to hear from someone who actually has experience with one of them and can recommend it.

JimF51 · 11-07-2009, 06:53 AM

Stan, before you spend big bucks on a new seat, try getting your stock seat modded by Spencer at:

http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

Call or email him and discuss your issues. I'm not tall, so I can't address that issue, but with the stock seat, I would start to get uncomfortable after 2 21/2 hours and need a short break. After having my seat done, gas, thirst or hunger are the only things that dictate my stops. Cost me about $125. total, which included round trip shipping. Fast turn around, too.

Just FWIW.

skromfols · 11-07-2009, 09:15 AM

Jim, thanks for the suggestion I'll check it out.

Verde · 11-09-2009, 12:05 AM

I've got a 34" inseam and had the same seating issue. When I finally went to make my king and queen seat I grabbed a speedmaster seat off of ebay to use as a base and found out it sits you further forward than the america seat. Ended up making my own seat from the ground up, but that's a whole other story. *shameless plug*Any shorter riders interested in a speedmaster seat before I put it back on ebay?

You've got an inch and a bit on me, so you do not want that seat rail no matter how good it looks. The guy I bought my bike from snapped this pic when I was first getting a feel for the bike. Nice riding shoes, huh?

Anyway, check out the tail bone/seat rail clearance. One small bump and you KNOW that rail is there. I bought the bike a day or two after this pic was taken and the first thing I unbolted was the grandpa windshield followed shortly by that rail.

skromfols · 11-09-2009, 09:47 AM

Verde, you seem to have the same problem as me, and the picture shows exactly what I'm talking about. I'm starting to think about going with Jim's suggestion and sending the seat to Spencer. I have a second bike (a Valkyrie) so I can afford to have my Triumph down for a couple of weeks during the winter. I take exception to the Grandpa windshield comment. I went with a National Cycle windshield and wouldn't ride without it, because there's too much turbulence and I can't hear my Ipod.

Verde · 11-09-2009, 02:19 PM

I stand by my grandpa windshield comment since something like that has no place on a bike like this

I do, however, understand the appeal since the open face and no windshield is getting to be stupid cold. I'll be shopping for a full face for the cold and for the long hauls so I don't show up with super blood shot eyes again. The apes actually help with the seating issue since they sit me up a little bit.

skromfols · 11-09-2009, 06:16 PM

The full face shield will probably come in handy if you encounter rain or fog (what, fog in the bay area !) since you have no front fender. Been there, done that, got the T shirt. I'll stick with my grandpa windshield and avoid fighting the wind against my chest at 80 mph heading for Laughlin, Tahoe, Reno, etc. Just around town, looks can over ride function, but out on the highway I prefer to ride comfortably and arrive still fresh enough to have fun.

But to each his own! It's all good.

And if you're ever up in the foothills give me a holler and I'll show you some of the good motorcycle roads.

Paul50 · 11-10-2009, 05:14 AM

My issue is that I'm 5'5" and sat too far back so I put this back rest on and it takes a lot of weight off my arms. Now they don't go numb all the time. Now all i need is a wind sheld to stop the neck from getting sore.

skromfols · 11-10-2009, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul50

My issue is that I'm 5'5" and sat too far back so I put this back rest on and it takes a lot of weight off my arms. Now they don't go numb all the time. Now all i need is a wind sheld to stop the neck from getting sore.

You might be happy with the small Triumph wind screen. Since I'm taller, when I tried the small screen the wind would just catch the top of my helmet and buffet my head around. Unless you have a very long torso the wind from the small screen should go over your helmet. You might also consider getting some handlebar risers. Someone on this site was selling short risers that they made that looked very good and raised my bars just enough to make it more comfortable. Or you could go with pull back risers, which would allow you to keep your back straighter. With the risers I added
I didn't have to change any cables.

blinduck · 11-15-2009, 11:23 AM

Hi there, I bought an '03 Triumph America 6 months ago and had similar problems with the stock seat wearing on my lower back. I got some imput from some forums and decided to go with the Corbin Solo seat with the ovalback backrest. It cost about $700 and they tell you upfront that it takes about 2,000 miles to break in the seat to your butt. At first it felt quite hard, but eventually the dense foam breaks in and it is a very great improvement over the stock seat. The backrest really takes the pressure off of your tailbone. Later.