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Saddle up

2370 Views 15 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  wmw
I am really loving the way my bike feels now, runs great, all-balls in the triple and new fork seals, rebuilt the pro-link linkage...no squeaks, handles fine, but there's still something about riding position that's not quite right. It seems like I'm sitting too low. I've sat on a couple other CX/GL bikes and the seats are definitely higher. My seat is an obvious re-upholster job, nice new cover.



Someone told me that the original seats had a layer of soft foam for comfort on top of a layer of "hard foam" - the stuff that gives the seat its shape and height. Mine seems to be missing the "hard foam" layer -- you can feel the plastic pan with your fingers.



Seems to me this affects handling because I'm sitting lower. Also, knees are bent at more than 90 degrees in normal riding position, so they start to ache like hell after about an hour. And I can feel the plastic pan with my butt bones, bumpy roads mucho oucho.



I would like to re-stuff the seat. The new cover is stapled on, so I think I can remove it and re-staple it after I add whatever material I need to.

I would like to know what the stock seat thickness is, and what material I should use.

Instead of measuring seat thickness, I thought it might make sense to determine what the stock measurement is from floor to seat surface with the bike on its center stand. With mine on the center stand, I put a level across the seat about even with the "W" on the side cover SilverWing badges, and measured 33-1/4" from concrete floor to the bottom of the level. If anybody would oblige me to give me your height measured the same way, that would be a great help.
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Get a memory foam seat pad and just put it on top....it's AMAZING the difference it makes. It's not only comfy but it raises me up a bit more as well giving my legs an extra inch maybe. An inch doesn't sound like a lot but man it's really a huge difference for a taller guy (I'm 6'1") I can ride forever without getting sore and my legs feel fine.



The CX is kind of odd in that it has a higher than average seat height compared to most bikes which makes you think it's for a taller person yet once you're sitting on it there's not much distance to the pegs which makes you think it's for a shorter person.....it looks like a cruiser yet it's more comfortable leaning forward a tad (I have the sissy bar hold me up) and putting your weight on the bars with your arms.
i am not to sure if its a good idea to use those tabs for highway pegs in the off chance you go down then your screwed because those are connected to the engine and sure do like a little weak to support the weight of a bike if it goes on its side keep in mind i am not saying its not a bad idea i like the look thats for sure but i am not sure on the strength of them thats all now then if some one is willing to lay there bike down on its side to find out how well they hold up thats another thing but i dont think anyone here is willing to do that


Lucky, that's exactly what I've been thinking as I've been following this thread.......1. The real strength of those little tabs and what would happen if they broke. 2. Stretching your legs around/over those valve covers and around the headers ???
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