I don't think it's the seat.
I could be wrong... I've got nothing to base the above statement on save my limited experience in trying to get my '08 one piece seat comfortable, my reading of every post in this forum about seats on the Savage; and previous experience with a similar problem on a Honda VLX.
I think it's the height of the seat, as it effects the relationship of the hips to the knees.
I don't think that it is the only thing.
I do think it's the main thing.
I think that there are exceptions to everything.
I'm no ergonomic expert, but in my opinion, if the knees are elevated above the hips, no amount of padding, gel, etc. is going to make a significant difference in comfort,
until the height of the seat is such that the rider's hips are level with or higher than his knees.
I formed my opinion after some minor modification of my own seat (still a work in progress), and observing others trials and tribulations with this seat. It seemed there were two camps; A: those who had no problem with the stock seat ( a definate minority); and B: those who felt modification was in order. My observations of "A" were that, when the information was available, they seemed to be uniformly shorter on the inseam. This would by default suggest hips level with or above knees. When it came to "B", this camp split into those who used gel, pads, or combinations; those who used sprung solo seats, and those who used forward controls. There was some limited mixing of the three sub-categories, as well as some pitches for diffrent shocks (valid, but IMO a different part of the bike's problems). For the sake of simplicity and brevity (too late!
) humor me. Of these three subgroups, the greatest subjective feelings of increased comfort seemed to come from those who used forward controls, or sprung solo seats. When there were pics, I noticed that the hips were even with or above the knees.
Having tried gel and various pads on my own bike, in some cases with slight improvement, but nothing significant; I knew that there was no way to put enough padding on to significantly raise the seat height.
That is until Chicago_rider posted his seat mod featuring carpet padding with a slip over cover. This allowed his over 6 foot frame to slide back on the seat. In the pics, it's obvious his knees are below the level of his hips. Whether or not this is an acceptable mod asthetically is up to the individual rider. I say ride what you like and stuff the rest, but that's not the point.
I tried building up the seat using Sandy Koocanusa's suggestion of sleeping bag foam pads; but wasn't thrilled with the workmanship of my final outcome. (Thanks anyway Sandy!) My next idea is to see if I can work with the seatpan and elevate it with thicker supports where it contacts the frame. To see if I can get my hips level with my knees.
Maybe I'm on to something.
Maybe I'm nuts.
If I am, would somebody in an official capacity write that down? I need the time off work!
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