Hello, Does anybody have an opinion about replacing the stock seat on the t bird? I'm looking at the Mustang touring one but finding mixed reviews. Thanks for any info.
I've heard good things about the OEM replacement Longhaul seats. I've got a Tripper Fastback on order as it sounds like it'll make reaching the ground a little easier. Also, there's always the option of getting an upholsterer to do a custom job for you.
I'll weigh in on this one as I've tried many seats. The bike came with the dual longhaul seat. It wasn't bad but after a while my tailbone would start to really get sore and it was an uncomfortable ride after that kicked in. I then switched to the split longhaul seat and sent it down to Spencer in Florida and had him do the works on it. It helped a ton and was much more comfortable but I still would get the tailbone pain after an hour and a half or so on the bike. I took a chance on a used Mustang seat and for me it is awesome. It gives me a different kind of support and I can ride for hours without any discomfort. The one I got doesn't have the backrest which has been ok for me but I am contemplating maybe selling this one and getting the Mustang with the backrest. We'll see as I don't do that much long touring with the bike and I like the look of the bike without the backrest a lot more. My thought is that on a long trip I'd likely have some things stored behind me that could work as a backrest for the few times I would really need it. Going to the Chicago Motorcycle Show this Friday and Mustang is usually there so I'd like to try sitting on one of their backrest demos and see how I like it. Obviously not the same as riding with one but better than nothing. So in my experience I like the Mustang the best. But a seat is a very personal thing. Everyone likes something a little different. The hard part is it's an expensive ride to try them out. I've been able to balance that by selling the old seats to defer the cost but it still is hit and miss.
I have the OEM Long haul seat. It's def an improvement over the stock seat. I actually find it quite comfy. But I have been wanting a backrest lately and I'm thinking about trying the mustang with rider backrest.
The dual long haul seat is pricey but vastly better than the stock. Raises you up slightly and moves you forward just a bit. I did not want to sit higher but the bump forward actually made my Storm more comfortable. And I can reach the kickstand easier. For reference, I'm 6'. I'm very happy with it.
No one will argue the stock seat is a disaster. I thought about having a local guy customize the seat but the difficulty I have is a) I know nothing about what I need in a seat and b) and the time involved would have been significant in potentially trying something out that wasn't necessarily proven to be good, and hating it and having to start again.
As much as I hated spending over $600 on a Mustang seat, most of the reviews were pretty good, so I opted for the single Vintage, with back-rest. I don't ride two-up, and to me the look of the single is much nicer than the dual, especially if I didn't need it. I don't use the backrest that often, but damn, it IS great on a long ride. I never really liked the look of the Corbin, but that's just personal taste.
I'm extremely happy with the seat. It looks great, and it's soo much more comfortable than the stock brick. I also find it gets a little more comfortable as I use it more.
I thought I'd be better off with something proven to be designed for comfort.
I even tried to get the seat from the LTs last year, because that is without a doubt, the most comfortable seat I've ever sat on. Unfortunately they don't offer that seat as an aftermarket option for the 2012 TBirds.
That said, if they ever do, I'll probably sell the Mustang, but not because I don't like it, just because that LT seat is insane!
My experience as well. I initially bought the OEM longhaul one-piece to replace the stock, and it was nice.
Bought the backrest and it was even better.
Still wasn't great, though, so went with the Mustang, as I'd had a Mustang on my previous bike and loved it (was hoping the longhaul would do the trick and save me some $$). It was great, as hoped, though does move you a bit forward.
But I missed the backrest of the longhaul. So sold the Mustang w/out one, and bought the Mustang with backrest. I'm finally satisfied. :smile2:
I replaced the stock seat with the long haul dual seat. I have no complaints about the driver seat now but my girlfriend wishes they had a better option for the passenger seat. I have to admit, I wouldn't want to sit on that passenger seat for too long.
Interesting. I always thought the pillion seat was just as good -- in fact, perhaps a bit more cushioned -- as the driver's seat when it came to the longhaul dual:
For comparison, here is the Mustang pillion...considerably more cushioned (sits a bit higher due to extra foam), yes, but not sure it's better to any great degree. Then again, I haven't sat on either one.
To the OP, you'll note above that the Mustang driver's seat has a L-shape pocket rather the progressive, one-size-fits-all rise of the stock and longhaul, and that's really what makes the difference in comfort..well, that, and all the other Mustang design nuances that make it such a great seat. All aftermarket seats offer that pocket, of course, but do be advised that Corbin -- another popular seat -- has foam that is considerably more firm than the Mustang (which itself is also quite firm, relative to the longhaul).
I put a Corbin saddle on my Thunderbird Storm and absolutely LOVE it! Yes, it is pricey, but then again the Mustang saddle isn't cheap either! How comfortable is it? Well, I do a 6,500 mile ride across America in 15 days each year. My butt is always in good shape at the end of each day!
Not to hijack this thread but which one? I had a Corbin Young Guns seat on a prior bike and loved it. I thought hard about another Corbin but took the path of least resistance and bought the LH Touring Seat instead.
Well, while I've done a couple 8-9 day trips covering 2500-3000 miles over the past couple seasons, I have a 23-day cross-country loop I'm going to be doing, along with a 9 day Blue Ridge trip, so I think I'm going to pick up a Mustang w/ backrest. The thing is, while I want to maximize comfort for 10k+ worth of riding on those trips, the $650 for the Mustang seat is weighing on me. That's a lot of gas & lodging right there. So I'm not sold yet. If anyone wants to pick up my whole combo (LH 2pc w/ protac backrest) for about half what a Mustang setup would be, that'd push me over, and you'd get a square deal too.
I don't see the Longhaul Solo seat anymore online anywhere either, FYI, only the LH one-piece, and the LH Pillion only. Must have killed it off & selling off the softer pillion now.
I also have the Triumph single long haul and like it.
The back rest makes a huge difference.
The positioning of the footpegs without the back rest transmit a lot of bumps to the spine.
With the back rest, you can (with a bit of advanced notice) push down on the pegs with your back supported and have your legs absorb the impact.
So whichever seat you choose, I recommend you get a back rest.
Well, I committed, got in the Mustang 2-piece (so I can run solo rider seat) with backrest.
Notes:
This is a very slick looking seat (Vintage, no studs). Mustang win.
Installation was SO HARD!! They made me, like, take 2 bolts out, then lift the old seat off (whew, gimme a beeyah!), then put the new seat in, and like, tighten up those two bolts! (Gimme anothah beeyah!). Seriously though, cake install.
Pan - solid pan. There's your support. Mustang win.
Cushion softness - I have to be honest here, I like the softness of the Longhaul solo much better. As far as instant comfort, LH wins hands down. I gotta go for a nice long ride to see the effect of the Mustang seat cushion firmness, but I hope it breaks in. Soon.
Backrest - the Pro-Tac is what it is - easy add-on backrest, for whatever seat, mounts to the top shock bolts. The Mustang backrest sits lower than the Pro-Tac does for me, right in the small of the back, vs the PT's being more mid-back. I THINK this will be better for me personally because I have lower back issues, but I did last year's 9-day Nova Scotia trip without problems with the LH / PT setup.
Verdict is still out pending a ride - the true test. Will report back.
My experience is that the break-in takes at least 500 miles. As far as that Mustang backrest, keep in mind it is adjustable for height, so you can place it anywhere on your back you wish.
Backrest - huh. I gotta open up the pillion seat bag (didn't bother because I'm using solo & backrest only) and look for more pieces then. The backrest slid into the slot & dropped right down to the bottom. Must be more hardware to make adjustability happen. Thanks.
There's an adjustable screw...look at the rear section of the seat pan. Tighten lightly so you can feel/hear the slots of the bar clicking against the screw tip...then when it's at the desired height tighten it a bit more to secure into place (and prevent theft).
thats not right? the backrest for the mustang just drops down in sections, when you put in in it will hit a ridge, it can stay there, or if you like push harder and it will drop down to another ridge and so forth. There is no way to lock that back rest onto the bike which for some is its shortfall, but i have never had an issue, and if you are really worried for overnight etc just pull it off and take it in with you.
At first, when I got the backrest, I had a hard time finding exactly where to slide the mount, as it kept flopping around. I put my finger into the hole and felt around and found 2 x approx 1+" wide by about an 1/8th of an inch. You could feel the space in the center and I knew that's where this damn thing had to go. After getting my bearings for where it was, I had no problem engaging it. You can easily feel the 3 or 4 level clicks as it gets pushed down, and once in a particular spot, holds pretty well.
The easy of someone else doesn't worry me too much because folded up, it easily fits in my lockable bag.
As far as I can tell, that adjustable knurled 1/2" bolt at the back of the seat is for adjusting how far forward or back you want the backrest. almost like a lumbar adjustment.
Of course I could be wrong, but when I tightened the bolt, the pad moved forward more.
No, not that knob...that is to adjust the backrest forward or back. There is an adjustable screw accessed in the rear area of the seat pan to loosen or tighten the screw that butts up against the backrest arm to hold it in place...look for the hole drilled in the pan. My understanding is that earlier seats may have access by looking down through the slot in the vinyl and the screw was positioned differently, but my late 2015 seat has the access in the back of the seat pan.
There have been a number of posts here that claim the Mustang backrest is prone to theft because it can be easily removed by pulling it up and out. Mine was able to do that, and I was able to adjust the backrest up and down by having the arm click in the slots (which is the screw tip hitting the slots), as is also mentioned above. This is how it is designed to work and traditionally done.
However, mine became loose over a short time and would not stay in place...the vibration of the bike was nearly enough to make it slide down to the bottom as I stood aside it and watched, let alone my back against it while riding and hitting bumps, etc. I contacted Mustang, and they referred me to that screw. I set the backrest at the point slot that I wanted it stay at, and tightened the screw down firmly. Hasn't moved a millimeter since, and would take one helluva yank, I suspect, to yank it out of the seat to steal. So I fixed both my problems. No, it's no longer adjustable, unless I want to take the seat off and loosen that screw, but that's not a concern I have...I only wanted it to stay in place at that sweet spot I'd established. Now, I could have tightened it a bit less so that it remained adjustable and (probably) would have kept its place, but I didn't want to hassle with it anymore and figured that preventing theft was a nice bonus.
I have a Corbin tour on the way..... Let you know how it works out. I have owned many mustangs and I know they are good on other bikes, Honda's and Yamaha Cruisers. I will give you a review soon.
Got some more "seat time" (*rimshot* - tip your waitress) today. Yes, I'm feeling the click. Played with a couple positions but bottomed out felt most comfortable for me anyway, and, up any height let my butt start to ride up onto the rear "L" part of the seat, which felt odd. Installed her Stang on the America, used both for that one so I had to assemble the two halves first.
Listed my Long Haul / Pro-Tac combo tonight on Fleabay, and will put in the classifieds here if I haven't already.
http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums...3_zpstmh4f9va.jpg?1456119509428&1456119509806 The link leads to a picture of my Rich's Custom Seat. Totally custom built on a long haul pan. The wife and I spent a day at Rich's shop in Kingston Washington with test fittings through the process. It's all leather covered and even the backrest are customized. The pillion is much wider than the factory seat, so she is much more comfortable. I have taken a long trip with it and was comfortable for the first eight or nine hours, after that I wanted my lazyboy lounger. The seat was expensive, you need a pan to build on, and you need to be there. If you can get to Kingston it's good option. I have a Corbin seat in my garage that I will never use again, just to darn hard. It felt pretty good for awhile, but a two hour ride was all it was good for.
I have the Corbin Dual Tour on my 2010. It's a comfortable well made seat but the passenger section is shorter than the Triumph seat so there is a gap between the seat and the sissy bar. I had to make a more upright sissy bar to close that space up.The seat has been on my bike for about 4 years now and is showing absolutely no signs of wear. It took a bit longer than expected to wear in but is now good for day long trips. I am thinking about modifying the passenger section so I can use the original sissy bar; maybe a job for next winter.
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