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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Seat Failure well, sort of /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1220370533 Message started by Onetogo on 09/02/08 at 08:48:53 |
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Title: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by Onetogo on 09/02/08 at 08:48:53 [img][/img]http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1402869/ Well ... my seat failed. I don't mean the seat I installed broke, I mean my butt got sore in a half hour. Hips and back got sore too. If I sat bolt upright and leaned forward, it provided some relief. This wasn't a problem with the OEM seat and boy am I glad I made 'em interchangeable. The problems aren't with the new seat as constructed. I think I mounted it a wee bit to far forward and a wee bit nose high. A flatter position would also have been better, I think. Oh, I also set the seat pan in a hydraulic press and altered the curve a bit so it would fit deeper into the space above the carb air inlet box. It seemed that whenever I had been working on the bike with the seat removed and would have to move it around, the sitting position on the bare frame was really comfortable. I thought that bending the seat pan to fit that space more closely would manifest that feeling of comfort. And maybe it would with a flatter nose portion of the seat pan. This one is like a squished down tractor seat. Pronounced nose bulge and deep dished butt bowl. The foam over the nose portion is pretty dense too. Maybe reshaping the foam or altering the density to make the nose softer and the butt bowl firmer. Don't know if I can put it back in the press and take out the curve I bent into it. For now, I'll put the OEM back on and contemplate the rest. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by verslagen1 on 09/02/08 at 08:58:38 0D0614101619630 wrote:
This tells me you need to raise the front or lower the back. The seat is rotating you hips forward, and if you sit straight up, your curved back will ache. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by bill67 on 09/02/08 at 09:43:41 I'm short I see no need to raise the front of the seat If you do you can't move around at all and end up in the same position all the time which to me would be bad. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by shadowman on 09/02/08 at 15:12:04 I feel your pain. This is my one serious complaint about the Savage. I raised my stock seat one inch and that helped. This weekend I removed the seat, peeled back the cover and got to thinking. I was going to take photos, but it all happened fast. I laid out the stock foam pad, took a 12" x 16" piece of 2" Memory foam and placed it over the stock pad, marked the contours of the stock pad and trimmed the memory foam. I then outlined the memory foam on the stock pad, used a hacksaw blade to cut out a section -- about an inch deep int front and back and a little less in the middle in an effort to give it a little more altitude in the middle. (hacksaw blade worked like a charm -- clean cut/shape and only took about 2 minutes). I then stuck the memory foam into the cut-out, stretched two plastic bags over the pad and placed it back on the pan and put the cover back over it and reinstalled. Re-tacked with a medium-duty stapler, which will be OK as a temp., but need something stronger for permanent fix. First long ride was today and it definitely, absolutely, positively makes a big difference. Total time: 45 minutes; total cost was zero, as I already had the foam. Few tips: Memory foam is great stuff, but I don't think it was designed for concentrated pressure as in a seat cushion -- it really compressed. Even though I put 2" of foam in a 1" space, it still compressed a lot. If I were to do it again I would only shave about 1/2" off or look for a 3" thick piece to insert. (Part of the explanation might be that the seat cover has stretched over the years.) When removing the seast cover, I only took the staples out at the front, back, and one side -- this gave me plenty of room to remove/install the pan/pad, but kept the cover anchored for easy re-attachment. erm. fix. I am thinking of taking it back down and inserting a piece of 1/2" carpet pad between stock pad and Memory foam. Am also thinking about a really radical fix and if it changes my life I will report back. Meanwhile, if you have a hunk of Memory foam, a hacksaw blade, and an hour of your time, your butt will thank you. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by Sandy Koocanusa on 09/02/08 at 19:25:40 http://w3.bikepics.com/pics/2008/08/31/bikepics-1402869-full.jpg There's your pic, onetogo. Gotta put the URL between the img brackets. Nice looking bike! |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/03/08 at 08:36:12 I like the look of that seat( The whole bike looks good to me). Are there pics that are from the sides? Who built the cargo carrier? Looks like a good job. I have a gym bag strapped on behind me & have noticed it's a more comfy ride when its loaded with stuff that works to, even slightly, support the lower back. The tilt, front to back, is something you'll need to figure out. What suits you may not suit me( which NATURALLY means You are wrong! ;) ) I prefer a lower front of the seat when I am driving the car & others want the front all jacked up, I even keep the chair at the puter set with the front low, my lower back feels better that way. The Savage seat( check Sandy K's unabridged dictionary) suits me pretty well, but a lumbar support, offering only ounces of pressure, makes it ( pick one: Nicer/ less Savage). Maybe some kind of pad coming off the uprights that would work with you a bit, so that every little vertical move of the seat didnt rub you raw, would help with the back & help keep you off the front of the luggage carrier? |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by Onetogo on 09/03/08 at 09:23:59 Oooooooohhhh ... between the brackets. http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1391995/ I put the OEM seat back on with this lift ... system(?) ... stuff(?). It's a comfy arrangment. Because I altered the smaller seat to use the OEM seat mounting brackets, I can switch 'em back and forth quickly. Which made me smile. I'll put the small one on for bike nites or whatever and the OEM seat for comfort and riding. justin_o_guy2 - there are pics at BikePics.com in my folder (Onetogo) located in the 2003 Savage section. Several side views and even a whoo-yaaa portrait of yors truley. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/03/08 at 17:57:20 I cant find the folder.I would appreciate a link. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by FreeSpirit on 09/03/08 at 21:48:39 76696F6875724373437B69652E1C0 wrote:
I just opened the link...well about 30 min ago....and my pc did everything but crash :-? I picked up some kind of virus and couldnt even get into Suzuki Savage :o I'm not sure what happened but I had to run the antivirus program and I think its still there....still having problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found the link and copied it to all the pics and then it all started!! Not sure whats going on....but I aint happy >:( Now everytime I even try to modify/add to this post and click something I see a little window flash on and off on my screen ::) If I find the problem,I'll come back and post....It could be something I picked up right before trying the pic link,but I'm not sure yet....and leary of it. |
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Title: Re: Seat Failure well, sort of Post by Onetogo on 09/05/08 at 19:37:44 Here is what I copied from the url line at the top of the page. However, I don't know if clicking this link does anything. http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1391995/ Otherwise one can go to bikepics.com, click on the manufacturer heading, select Suzuki, in the sttreet/cruiser (maybe road/cruiser) select Savage, go down to 2003, select All pictures of this model. Following all these steps is a hassle but there are a lot of Suzuki Savage photos to be had. Freespirit - when you say you clicked on the link, do you mean the box with the red x? That's what appeared on my screen when I pasted the above link between the "insert image" brackets. That x don't do nothin' when I click on it. Computers >:( |
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