Seats uncomfy as hell and its doing my head in [Archive] - SV650.org

Wadda

07-07-06, 11:57 AM

Since I got my SV I have really enjoyed it, I have done over 1000 miles on it already even though it fels like i have hardly used it. Th worst thing I am finding with the bike is the seat its making my butt go numb after about 30 minutes riding and I end up swapping butt cheeks on the seat every couple of minutes. I was just wondering if other people find it uncomfy and what the options are to make my ride more comfy?

fubber

07-07-06, 12:26 PM

You could get a custom seat? Couple o hundred quid!

You could buy a Gel cover? Maybe about the 50 - 70 quid mark?

Or you could wear a pair of padded cycling shorts under your leathers? for around 20 quid? got to be worth a try?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=CategoryProducts.aspx&Cat=cycle&w=0&CategoryName=Shorts%20-%20Lycra

Stormspiel

07-07-06, 12:45 PM

I've got a suzuki Gel seat and it's the best mod i made to mine.

BTW the NSR's running well, but he still hasn't done his CBT :lol:

socommk23

07-07-06, 01:57 PM

i jacked up the rear end..took the pressure off the inside of my upper thigh which is what causes it.

kciN

07-07-06, 02:50 PM

I've ridden my SV for a while now and never had a problem with seat, and I'm a lanky streak of pi**!!

Are you tall too mate? Usually if your butt has no meat on it, it doesn't help!! :wink:

Do what the others suggest though, regarding gel seat, may help!!

DanAbnormal

07-07-06, 03:45 PM

It gets better after a while although is never 'really comfy'.

You could get a custom butt? :)

embee

07-07-06, 05:11 PM

I reshaped the seat foam on my SVS.

As std it was dead straight along the top (side view). I scooped about 1" (25mm) out of the mid point, leaving the front and rear the same, so it has a gentle curve and consequently is slightly wider due to the taper down the sides.

I find this much more comfortable. All you need is a decent staple gun and something to cut the foam, a 12" hacksaw is perfect, blade set at 90deg (sideways). A bread knife works too, just take it slowly.

Peter Henry

08-07-06, 09:37 AM

21QUEST

08-07-06, 09:45 AM

Oh you boys! The seat on my K3 was in sofa like proportions compared with the beer mat thick one on my 749. I am no lard ass and never have any probs in the buttocks department? Wazza matta wiv you all? :P :P

I dunno Maybe they expect a girly bike to have a more comfortable seat :? :wink:

Looking at the locations , seems most if not all are from down sarf. Maybe it's a soft Sarfern thing :lol:

Cheers
Ben

Peter Henry

08-07-06, 10:07 AM

Ben wrote:

Maybe it's a soft Sarfern thing
:P :P :P :P

seedy100

08-07-06, 04:39 PM

Did a 500mile round trip about two weeks ago.
My previous longest was about 100miles and resulted in numb bum.

I bought a £35 pair of cycling shorts with gel pads in all the right places.
They dis a fine job for me. cheaper than gel seat.

mattSV

08-07-06, 04:57 PM

I did over 900 miles on the norf/sarf weekend - no major problems with ****-ache.

We stopped about every 100 miles for fuel, and I also discovered that you can rest your legs on R&G crash bungs on the motorway which helps :wink:

Peter Henry

08-07-06, 05:43 PM

Matt...And no doubt added perk when spotting yourself in the mirror when wearing said item. :wink: :P

600+

09-07-06, 07:06 PM

Just came back from a 600mile round trip to the south and I can say that my ass was numb after about an hour riding:(

I think though the cycling shorts with padding will be the best option!

Warthog

10-07-06, 10:33 AM

On the motorway I sit way far back on the seat where it is wider. I think it helps but I am still looking for better solutions as its not the best place to sit for control and probably looks dumb too (along with my hunched-over unfaired riding style too!)

northwind

10-07-06, 08:50 PM

My **** has been in close contact with my OEM gel seat this weekend, and I'm still able to walk, depsite my meccano-leg. It's not perfect but it does the job. The OEM standard one was too soft IMO, it just squashed without supporting. I still use it for trackdays and it's like sitting on a balloon.

Quiff Wichard

10-07-06, 10:23 PM

hutchy

12-07-06, 12:46 PM

Had a similar problem on a 250 mile trip round lakes - it isn't so much the discomfort at the start but I found as the ride went on it would happen after shorter time and affect my concentration, not what you want on a bike.

Took me weeks to make the decision to buy a decent seat, you can have a gel insert done (while you wait) for about £90, you can import from corbin usa, banditmania do gel seats for sv's - I got a corbin saddle off e-bay eventually (most expensive thing I've ever bought on e-bay) aand did a 500 mile trip to stonehenge the other day, the difference was huge, stopped when I wanted to instead of when I needed to (approx every 140 miles) and after the ride I could have easily gone back out on the bike as I still felt completely switched on and ache free.

May not work for everyone but it did for me and at £165 the saddle was only £20 more than the suzuki rear hugger I had fitted to the bike when I bought it. Next stop south of france and about 3000 miles (stonehenge and back 6 times in a week!)

jonboy

12-07-06, 12:57 PM

Try these people:

http://www.motorbike-seats.co.uk/

Send them your seat and they'll reshape the foam and insert a gel pad to make it comfortable. Turn around is about 48 hours and costs approx £50.

The K3 seats onwards are nowhere near as comfy as those of the the K1/2s.

.

600+

12-07-06, 01:47 PM

jonboy - just spoke to that company.....they quoted me £45 labour + £50 for the gel pad + £12 pnp.

£107 for the drivers seat or £130 for both seats....thats for my K6 SV650

still a very good price!!!

jonboy

12-07-06, 02:17 PM

Then they've more or less doubled their prices in the last 18 months — scandalous! I certainly wouldn't pay that, but naturally it's up to you.

.

600+

12-07-06, 02:43 PM

Well I can't say its cheap either:)

But a Corni Seat for the K6 SV650 costs £210!!!! So if this guys does both of your seats for £130 is defo a v. good price.

I think I'm just gonna take my seats with me to Greece (back home) and get the old chap from around the corner to add some foam in them;)

Ward8124

12-07-06, 03:18 PM

I've done over 10k on mine in less than 3 months and i cant say the seat is getting any softer either! Defoo get a gel seat! as doing 4 hours on that seat is a real ball buster!

Wadda

12-07-06, 03:59 PM

Has anyone got the official Suzuki Pointy Gel seat? I know Suzuki Uk dont sell them for some reason. But i can get one from the States for about £120

jonboy

12-07-06, 04:03 PM

I think there was a fitting problem, particularly with the K3, so I'd be very careful and find out exactly what's what before I ordered.

.

TC3

12-07-06, 04:37 PM

I did over 900 miles on the norf/sarf weekend - no major problems with @rse-ache.

We stopped about every 100 miles for fuel, and I also discovered that you can rest your legs on R&G crash bungs on the motorway which helps :wink:

I bought a pair of cycle shorts with a bit of padding and i was fine after covering 650 miles in one day out to France. Did not use it for the return trip which was cut down to just over 300 miles each day and still had no probs. Dunno what all the fuss is about really

philipMac

12-07-06, 07:21 PM

Oh you boys! The seat on my K3 was in sofa like proportions compared with the beer mat thick one on my 749. I am no lard ass and never have any probs in the buttocks department? Wazza matta wiv you all? :P :P

Ha. I laugh in the face of your roomy Duc seat, and raise you...
http://www.mallarte.com/Images/smp_rouge.jpg

Five hours a day. Five days a week. Plus races on the weekend. :wink:
(Very very comfy BTW)

paulthewitt

12-07-06, 09:32 PM

I've got a suzuki Gel seat and it's the best mod i made to mine.

BTW the NSR's running well, but he still hasn't done his CBT :lol:

how much did you pay?

wacko197

19-07-06, 10:55 AM

Try www.smartrrrs.com. Marty is really helpful and even let me keep senfing it back to perfect the shape. He only charged me £75 for the front with a gel insert and £25 for the pillion seat also with gel. Top bloke and very quick if needed.

MattTheLoony

19-07-06, 12:54 PM

I'm ok for a good couple of hours on the standard seat before my bum gets numb. But a quick walk about sorts me out for at least another hour at a time.

gomez

19-07-06, 02:15 PM

This is what you really need! If you've got plenty of cash.
Think of it like the helmet thing "If you got a £10 head then buy a £10 helmet".
So how much would you pay for comfort?

See the link I know it's for a V-strom. The SV shouldn't be difficult. for them to do.

http://www.day-long.com/seat_pages_11_03/suzuki_Vstrom.htmlhttp://upload4.postimage.org/644948/suzuki_Vstrom_seat.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/644948/photo_hosting.html)

Abyss

19-07-06, 05:19 PM

This is one thing ive definatly noticed the last 5 days of riding (since thats how long ive had the seat) my ass just really hurts after an hour or so. Im going to look into a gel seat.

Razor

19-07-06, 05:38 PM

I've got a CORBIN seat, it's not got any gel or anything but it's very wide. So my whole bum gets on it. It's also a little bit lower which I thought would cramp my legs but so far (2 months) so good. I can ride a whole tank of fuel out without any numb bum issues.

andyauger

25-07-06, 01:53 PM

Pliers, a staple gun, and some automotive seat foam. 1" thick is plenty, especially if you're short (lowers the seat about 30mm). Lose the stock foam completely. Custom seats are too expensive and many find them no better.

Stormspiel

25-07-06, 02:11 PM

I've got a suzuki Gel seat and it's the best mod i made to mine.

BTW the NSR's running well, but he still hasn't done his CBT :lol:

how much did you pay?

£11.28 including postage 8) I love fleabay i do :lol:

Red ones

25-07-06, 05:33 PM

If an uncomfortable seat is doing your head in can I suggest you revise how you sit?

your head should be in your lid!

:lol:

philipMac

25-07-06, 05:43 PM

If an uncomfortable seat is doing your head in can I suggest you revise how you sit?

your head should be in your lid!

:lol:

Dad?

Graham

25-07-06, 11:43 PM

An electric knife, some vinyl, a stapler and a few beers, Otherwise free :D Makes a huge difference

http://www.zenith.net.au/Seat2.jpg

dropit987

26-07-06, 12:46 AM

If you've got some money to burn, get a corbin seat. It is an American company that makes seats mostly for harleys and cruisers, but the seats that they make for other bikes are great. It is the most comfortable seat that I have ever sat on. I've ridden for hours through windy roads and highways and never had any problem with aches or pains. They are a bit pricey though. For a front sv650 seat, its $300 US about £160, I think. Heres the link if you are interested.
http://corbin.com/suzuki/sv650.shtml

600+

26-07-06, 08:13 AM

If people here are interested in getting Gel seats, it might be an idea to arrange a Groupbuy to get a better price.

So far I have found a place that will do the Gel Insert for £40 per seat.

If you are interested in a GB then put your name down. I reckon if we get 5 we can get a better price.

The Mass

26-07-06, 11:27 AM

Wadda et all,

I think I may have mentioned this before somehwere?

Anyway, the other week, I tried doing a few trips back n forth to work with just my Jeans on, instead of my usual leathers.
Boy did my ass hurt :shock:
So, the leathers went back on after 2 days of pain.

The bit that I may have mentioned before, is trying this.

If you're on a bit of a long journey, try and rest your feet/legs on the back footrests. It is possible to do, I know it's not recommended, but you will instantly take the pressure off your feet, your **** and your legs, plus you'll also get your head down behind the screen out of the wind.

As I said it's possible to do it, I've even gotten into the knack of catching the footrests with my boots if they are in the up position, to knock em down to put my feet on.
If you've got the original can on, yep, your foot/leg will get rather on the hot side, as your right leg and foot will be resting on the can. If you've got an after stock like me, you'll be sweet, it'll be comfy enough to rest your leg on.

Give that a try?

Mass

jonboy

26-07-06, 01:05 PM

Give that a try?

Er, maybe not :lol: .

.

The Mass

26-07-06, 01:43 PM

Give that a try?

Er, maybe not :lol: .

.

Works for me mate :lol: But I know exactly where you're coming from.
It was Nagai who suggested it to me originally and I did the same as you when even thinking about it :shock: :?
But the amount of miles I do in a week, I had to give it a try. I must also admit, my back is getting worse from riding the bike. :cry:

The Basket

26-07-06, 02:08 PM

I found the SV to be painful over 50 miles at first and now it isn't.

Can ride it until the fuel light flashes and then give myself 10 minutes to recover.

I am a bit surprised how uncomfy the SV is.

zaris

30-07-06, 08:41 PM

Got a Gel Seat for mine. My ass was in pain if I needed to ride for 130 miles non stop. Now feel very comfortable. I bought my Geal Seat from Ebay, american shop. Got it delivered to Uk, cost me £100 in total. Best mode I have done to my bike yet.