Hello,
First post here but I've been lurking for awhile soaking up all the good info. I just have a question about replacing the stock seat on a 1983 V65. Riding position with the stock seat and no highway pegs leaves a bit to be desired in my opinion but I love my bike other than that. From my research (searching these boards and other Magna links) it seems that most people go with either the Mustang or the Corbin seat. Are there significant differences? One report that I read on the Mustang seat was that it pushed the rider further up front. Being a tall rider (6'1"), I'm concerned about this but if I have highway pegs I'm not sure if this would be an issue. Then again I haven't found any Mustang seats for sale. Do they make them for the v65 anymore (I only see them for the 3rd gen magnas)? Also, for looks, it seems that the Mustang seat seems to look better on the Magna..any thoughts? Right now I'm leaning towards the Corbin here
http://www.corbin.com/honda/8283tour.shtml
but mainly because I haven't seen any Mustang seats anywhere. Do I just wait for them to pop up used on EBay?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
John
The Mustang seat on my 3rd gen was purchased from another MOOT member when he bought a Corbin. It actually moves me up and back a bit from the stock seat -- so that I found it necessary to replace my stock risers with Cyclistic ones for comfort on longer rides.
Hi John, welcome aboard,
I took a different route for my V-65. when I got the bike it had a King and Queen arrangement that was WAY too tall for me. (I'm 5'8'' on a good day.)
I took my stock seat pan to a good MC upholstery shop here in Oklahoma city and worked with the shop owner to make the seat the way I wanted it. We had the pilot's seat shortened and had more of a "dip" built into it to lower my seating height and give a more secure ride. I had it made to really "hug" you when seated.
We had the passenger's seat redesigned with a more positive tilt towards the sissy bar to keep the passenger from sliding forward into the pilot.
Bottom line for me was that I could get what I consider a better seat for less money and it fits me perfectly. The shop owner changed the stuffing and so forth several times before we finally got it "just right". Now that I am happy with the foam and setting position I will have him remove the vinyl and cover it with leather.
Are you anywhere close to OKC? If so, give me a shout and I'll get you in touch with a great shop for MC upholstery and custom frame and accessory work.
Hello John and welcome.
The best seat advice I have received is to get a bike with a particular seat on it and ride it. This may not be possible for you, however the fact is everyone's rump is not the same, so what works for one doesn't work for another.
When it comes up, I tell everyone to invest in a comfortable seat before any other bling items. Our long MOOT rides will bear this out.
My V65 came with a Travelcade seat (no longer available). I have had no problems with it. Susan hated it. I sent it to New Jersey and had a guy reshape the passenger area and put a gel pad in it. Sue liked that better, but now after sitting in the Mustang passenger seat on my Valk, she is spoiled to that one.
Getting your original seat reworked by an upholsterer may be the way out, however unless you can engineer a curve and firmness that works for you, this could be a no win as well. JumboBret had his V65 seat reworked in this way. Beautiful job, however, on our recent 400 mile ride, he discovered that his riding position was not good and his body ended up being pain racked before we finished the trip. He is now looking for a Mustang seat.
Again, if at all possible, try to find a bike with a different seat and ride it for awhile to see how it feels. One of our rides or wrench sessions might work for this if you are close enough to our group.
As for the highway pegs, attached is a picture of my fix for that problem. I used a steel flat to fabricate some extensions for my pegs because I like to ride with my legs almost straight out. I used a Kuryakyn Magnum clamp to attach to the engine guard and cut the flat to the length I needed. I stagger drilled a few extra holes in it for decoration and then had my painter spray the flats the same color as the bike. They work great.
Good luck with your search for the perfect seat.
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I'm 6'0 and have a Corbin on my V65, have enjoyed it since I put it on. The stock seat was fine also since it had a backrest I could slide in, don't know if is Hondaline or not but I haven't seen one like it. Like Dave said the best way is to find someone that is set up like you want to try.