Stock vs. Custom Seats

[Charles S Otwell]

If you decide to lower the seat  yourself ,let me know and I be glad to walk you thru it. It's not a hard job at all. I've done a first gen, a Super and a third gen all turned out good. and more comfortable. If the seatcover is good it shouldn't cost you anything.

[trapper]

Charles,

Thank you so much for the offer..!  I've discussed altering the seat with my wife and I'll need some help when we decide to do it.

[merrow]

One of the first things I did to my magna when I got it was cut down the seat.  I am 5'3" and wanted a little more leverage when pushing it around.  I cut the seat down about an 1" then recovered it.  I kept the original contours of the seat except that I narrowed it quite a bit at the front.  I also put risers on the handle bars to pull them back a little.  I can slide back when riding but when I am pushing it out of the shed or a parking spot, I can slide forward and get a firmer footing on the ground and better leverage on the bars.  The width of the seat can make as much of a difference as the height if you are short.  As far as comfort, I have not been out of state on it yet, but on my rides around Texas, it seems a little hard.  Toward the end of the day, I am ready for a break every 80 to 100 miles.  Of course I have to stop for gas then anyway.  I am considering reshaping it a little and adding a gel pad.  Several years ago I ran across this site which gave instructions on reshaping a seat and putting in a gel pad.  I did this to my husband's valkyrie standard, which lowered his seat some.  Since then we has taken a couple of multi state 2 week trips.  We don't travel far in a day, usually between 300 and 500 miles a day, but he has been comfortable on the bike.  He did mention the foam is starting to compress a little, so I may do a little more work on his seat.  You can either have an upholster recover the seat or do it yourself, as I did.  I am still in the experimental stages of customizing seats, but so far, what I have managed to do makes a big diference.  Here is the site for the modifications.
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/roodseat.htmJill

[Greg Cothern]

Jill, if the Magna is still a bit tall for ya, Progressive Springs makes fork lowering kits and you can order a set of rear shocks that are a bit lower to keep it even.
A thought..
I always like to hear folks looking into ways to make their steeds fit them better!

[arent_we_sarcastic]

Has anyone put a Vintage Wide on a first gen Magna?
Having lived with the Saddleskin covers for awhile I am not impressed. The seat is less comfortable than before and now has the annoying habit of allowing you to slide forward even under moderate braking.
I checked the Mustang website and don't have a listing for a 1986 700 Magna. If anyone has previously installed one of these seats on a first gen Magna can they please share the part number?
Thanks

[Sledge Hammer]

My experience has been similar to DC112675's. I got a fabulous deal on a Corbin Gunfighter on eBay (~$260 on closeout), but I would not have been so happy with it had I paid more for it. Aside from much better looks, the principal advantage of the Corbin to me has been that it allowed me to sit about an inch farther back, alleviating some strain on my lower back I had encountered with the stock seat when riding at highway speeds. On the downside, the Corbin hammers my tailbone every time I go over an expansion joint. However, at the rate I am accumulating integral cushioning on my backside, that might not be a problem much longer.

Of course, every group has to have an oddball, and in this case, I'm the one in this discussion because I would have preferred to sit about an inch farther back and about two inches higher than the stock seat allows while moving the pegs rearward to get a little better sense of control of the bike. I tried to figure out how to do that, but then I realized that rather than make those mods to my Magna, what it's really telling me is that I need an additional motorcycle. I should submit a budgetary approval request to the Household Finance Chair...