Hi all, I'm LOVING my 2006 S40.  It's my first bike and have put 400 miles on it in just a month.  Great acceleration, nice and light, looks great, relatively simple to work on, the whole bit...

That said, I'm 5' 9" and am starting to feel cramped in my lower back with a numb butt after a 45-60 minutes of riding.  Eventually I'd also like to have a passenger with me once in a while and am told the factory rear seat and sissy bar may not be good for more than 30 minutes. Highway speeds are a little spooky too, but that may just be my inexperience.

I've seen here that people really like the Corbin seat and forward controls by Ed or Routy.  So, if you had to decide, would you personally be inclined to plunk down $300 on the seat, $150-ish on forward controls or channel the cash into a bigger bike in the 650-850cc range?  You know what i'm thinkin already, I still really like the non-intimidating, flickable simplicity of the S40, but longer-range comfort isn't the best.

Opinions desired!  
Scott

I have the Corbin and Routy's forward controls. Both made a big difference, if you want to keep the bike. I recently came into some money and started looking at bigger bikes, notably the Triumph America. After thinking long and hard I decided to keep the S 40 for the very reasons you like yours.

I appreciate the input guys, keep it coming if you think it hasn't been voiced.

Do you think the seat alone would be the best help, or the FCs by themselves?  Or would both be needed?  Maybe that's where my personal watermarks would be before upscaling to a larger bike...

Try the seat lift mod... (Tech section)...
After that,.. I really like the stock seat...
Corbin's are hard as rock (okay, let's just say firm)... Some riders like that.
Maybe good for heavier folks... not comfy for me at all..

My butt gets tired of sitting after an hour in any seat.. even a lazyboy...
Thank god for small gas tanks... ...

Fantastic advice teabowl13 and serowbot - ill try the lift mod and gain more experience, perhaps trying another seat and learning what the major factors to my ride are in the process.

I got my S40 last year and it's my first bike. I'm 6' and 220 lbs and every salesmen tried to talk me into a bigger bike, except for the one salesman I talked to who had owned a Savage.  I went with the S40 because I thought it was a better first bike for the reasons you mentioned.  After about 5,000 miles, I still like it. At first, I couldn't stand the stock seat for more than an hour, but after putting on Ed L's forward controls, it's been great -- much more comfortable. I've done 12 hours in one day on the stock seat w/o a problem.  For me it was great bang for the buck. You might like it too.  Whether you try the lift, forward controls, or corbin, I recommend putting some miles on the bike and seeing what it can do.  Hopefully a combination of a few mods and some saddle time will help you get more comfortable!

Y'all are fantastic, thank you for the advice!  It's actually a 2006 S40 with 3800 miles on it (400 are mine), so the seat is probably broken in   but just not terribly friendly to my arse's geometry.  

On the side I'm a private pilot experienced with risk management, so indeed, no passengers for a while - I'm taking that nice and slow.  I actually bought the S40 against friend's recommendation for something bigger because I wanted to get my basic skills without struggling with a top-heavy monster.  I was also compelled by the low-RPM performance of the S40 for urban, suburban and ex-burban driving, which is about 90% of what I'll use it for, though I would like to try a few 4-6 hour trips.  I shelled out for a new multi-layer ballistic nylon body armored jacket and pants,  a SNELL/DOT full-face white helmet, armored leather riding gloves and lightweight durable over-ankle boots.  A little overkill perhaps, but I wanted to give myself extra protection while I get through the first 6-12 months of experience (I can shed the liners when it gets hot and still have the armor on).  In July I'm taking the MSA basic rider's course and will have the full M endorsement at the end.  I'll try to take the advanced course later in the year if there's an opening.

In the end, I figured that if I "lose" a few hundred bucks working my way up to a bigger bike, that's fine because it's cheaper than a single crash.  I'm just surprised with how quickly I'm bonding with the bike and am wanting to spend more and more time on it, hence the riding comfort train of thought.  Maybe someday I'd like to tow a passenger too.

Anyway, indeed I'll try the seat lift, then either forward controls or other seats to see if that helps before moving up with more experience and knowledge about what I really want to step up to.  Sounds like a good plan to me, thanks for the influence!  

Scott,

Total newb here....back to riding after 20 years, and thought the S40 would be just what I needed for size and power.  I am like you, after 300 miles on her, I am asking a couple of the identical questions.  

Thanks to everyone for the answers and advice.  I went ahead with the seat lift this evening, raising it almost an inch and it does make a difference.  It is a very simple mod once you find the parts needed.

I am very seriously considering the forward controls. I am 6'1" and 250, just a big country boy, but think the FC's can't hurt.  If I put them on I will let you know how it works out. Safe riding to you.

LOVING the S40....2007 with 1200 miles and got her for 2300 bucks. No better deal within 150 miles.  

Learning a lot already from all you fine folks ....thanks for the help.

Scott Frye