shorter links for raising rear ride height.

[Alan L Henderson]

Alan L Henderson wrote: road I meant rode. Alan

[Bogdan Swider]

> > > -I went to an upholestry store and all the foam they had was too > soft. My brother used to work at laying carpet, so I am going to get > several pieces of carpet padding (diffrent densities) and glue them > to the stock pan and try that. I am thinking the diffrent density > layers will make a suitable place to park my rear. > Joe SE KY

My solution ( I've posted about it several times in the past ) is simpler. I wanted a lower seat that still allowed all day comfort. I took a gel bladder to an upholsterer. He cut the seat down an inch or two and inserted the bladder. He left some foam on top of it as insulation so I wouldn't burn my derriere after the bike sat in the sun. Works great. Bogdan

[Alan L Henderson]

Bogdan Swider wrote:

> > My solution ( I've posted about it several times in the past ) is simpler. > I wanted a lower seat that still allowed all day comfort. I took a gel > bladder to an upholsterer. He cut the seat down an inch or two and inserted > the bladder. He left some foam on top of it as insulation so I wouldn't burn > my derriere after the bike sat in the sun. Works great. > > Bogdan

That works fine if your small of butt and don't need to widen the seat. Some of ------ aaah us "big boned" people need a wider seat for our seat. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa One of the "big boned"

[Keith Saltzer]

Did any of you guys talking about the seats read what I wrote yesterday? (below) MrMoose

> I JUST got done doing this to my seat, but have been waiting to

ride

> it up to Oregon for a full report on how comfortable it is. As a > matter of fact, I pick it up in a couple of hours. But here is

what

> I have learned thus far. > > My first idea was to go the cheaper and better way (if you ask me) > and just MAKE my own damn seat. I wanted the same stock shape,

with

> a few mods. I wanted it a bit taller in front, where you sit most

of

> the time, I wanted it a bit wider, just a touch as to not mess up

the

> off road narrowness of the stocker, and I wanted it firmer for

sure.

> The seat, on long trips, is the ONLY thing holding me back from

doing

> longer days. The best that I have done was 800 miles, and that was > after riding for 600-700 miles the last 3 days prior. My arse just > could not go on anymore. > > So what I did was study foams online, and decided to settle on some > expensive "memory" foam that is used in pilots seats, hospitable > beds, wheelchairs and the like. Using the info from Eldon's sight > and others, where they talked about using triple density foam,

(three

> seperate layers, three different foam density's) I spent $45 on a > bunch of great foam...........I thought, and $25 on a square yard

of

> really nice new marine grade vinyl. I took my old vinyl off,

bought

> a $12 electric knife, cut down my stock foam to within a 1/4 inch

of

> the seat pan, and then got frustrated with all the many little > details of how to cut, mold, glue, and build up my new seat. So I > took the seat and new foam and new vinyl to a local upholsterer > that's been doing this stuff for decades, dropped it off, and > explained what I wanted. > > A few days later when I called him to see how it was going, he said > that a customer happened to come buy to drop off a bunch of KTM

seats

> to be covered. This guy just by chance is in the business of

having

> guys send him dozens and dozens of seats every month to his house > where he completely tears them down and rebuilds them for about > $400. He just does the hard part and then brings the seats to the > upholsterer to have him cover and staple them. He is a

perfectionist

> like me and does very nice custom work. Anyway, he saw my seat > sitting there, and the foam that I had selected, and told the owner > of the shop to have me call him. He knew what I wanted, and knew > that the foam that I bought would not work, and wanted to save me a > headache dealing with it. (he said that the foam although really

nice

> at first, would compress down till very hard and would feel like

the

> pan again after many miles) > > I called this guy and talked to him for an hour on the phone, then > went to his house for another hour and talked about nothing but

bike

> seats. I let him take over the job of my seat, explained what I > wanted and basically let him just make the decisions of what to

do.

> He put in some new foam, not much firmer than stock, (I don't know > why) then a really nice and expensive gel pad, then covered it all

up

> with a layer of neoprene, then my new purple marine grade vinyl.

The

> cost was another $300. (he cut me some slack) > > I got the seat back and tested it on the ESR II trip which was

about

> 500 miles of highway riding and about 100 off-road miles. It was > better, but only by about 5%. I wasn't impressed. > > He said at the very beginning of this project that we may have to

do

> this a few times to get it perfect and that he didn't mind spending > the extra time to do so. We figured that others could benifit from > the formula later. I gave him the seat back and months later,

after

> my hand surgery's, his knee surgery, my vasectomy, and blah blah > blah, I finally needed to get my seat back for my 6 week Oregon

trip

> that I am leaving for on Saturday. > > Now during all of this off time, I got to thinking about what I > really needed and wanted in a seat. I realized that as long as I

was

> around my neck-o-the-woods, which is the majority of my riding, and > off-road riding too, around here or not, that the stock seat for

the

> most part was just fine for me. It was just too soft. I also > realized that for long hauls or big mileage days, which I seem to

be

> addicted too at times, that the stock seat was a big let down. > During high mile days, I wouldn't mind the stock seat being taller, > wider, and more comfortable, both firm and plush. I realized the > pluses of having 2 seats to switch back and forth from like Pat

does,

> but I didn't want to do that. For the ultimate, I wanted 2

different

> seats, and I wanted them both with me at all times. So how do I do > that? > > What I decided to do was to have my seat built up to what I > originally wanted, but with the right foam, and no gel. I stopped

by

> the guys house last week just to see how it was going, and he ended > up building my seat while I was there, and I got to ride his KTM

640

> too. He built up my seat with a thick layer of very firm foam

ontop

> of the thin layer of stock foam that I had left on it to keep the > holes, valleys, and voids of the seat pan filled. Ontop of that he > put two layers of softer foam to build height mainly in the area

that

> comes up to the tank, and then trimmed and shaped it to the same > basic stock seat demensions that I had with me on the bike. Then

he

> wrapped one big piece of foam that was even softer over the whole > thing. He then just placed a big piece of neoprene over the seat, > then a piece of vinyl, and we put the seat on my bike so that I

could

> sit on it and see how it felt. I had him do this and that, making > little adjustments here and there till we had what I originally > wanted. It felt sweet. It was just a tad taller only in the area > where you sit mostly, just a tad wider there too, and much firmer. > The rest of the seat looks basically stock, like the rear meeting

up

> with the rack, and the horn in the front that meets the tank. The > edges are even pretty close to stock too which I like, getting

wider

> as your go back on the seat. > > For the highway, I also purchased a super sweet deluxe piece of > sheepskin from Alaska Leathers that covers the whole horn on the > front of the seat, and goes back to within 1 or 2 inches of the

rear

> of the seat. This cover once mounted on in a few seconds, will

make

> the seat even taller, and wider, super plush, while being warmer in > the winter and cooler in the summer. When I get to where I am

going

> on the highway, I will just pop off the sheepskin and use my

revamped

> seat that is under the sheepskin. Presto chango, I now have 2

seats

> that I can carry with me, and I also now have the softest pillow

for

> when I'm camping too. > > I'll keep you all updated on how it goes during my trip. > > MrMoose > A8 (Barbie and Ken special)

[Joseph Jones]

Where did you get the gel insert? And how much was it? The guy I got my A12 from had an air pad on his. Just a pad that tied on to the top of the seat and it had rows of air chambers going across the seat. Looked really comfortable, but it raised the seat an inch or so, and I seen one on line and it was over $100. My brother can get me three or four diffrent density pieces of carpet pad and the cost will be $00.00. I can afford that!!! And at that price I can play with it to get that "just right" feel. Thanks Allen I think I will not use the glue, maybe after I get it fine tuned, just to hold the extra width? Joe A18 A12 Se Ky --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Alan L Henderson wrote:

> Bogdan Swider wrote: > > > > My solution ( I've posted about it several times in the past ) is

simpler.

> > I wanted a lower seat that still allowed all day comfort. I took

a gel

> > bladder to an upholsterer. He cut the seat down an inch or two

and inserted

> > the bladder. He left some foam on top of it as insulation so I

wouldn't burn

> > my derriere after the bike sat in the sun. Works great. > > > > Bogdan > > That works fine if your small of butt and don't need to widen the

seat.

> Some of ------ aaah us "big boned" people need a wider seat for

our

> seat. > > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa One of the "big boned"

[Joseph Jones]

Mrmoose: After all that you have went through with your seat it should massage your rearend while riding, causing you to not want to get off the bike. If I was going to spend that much money on one I would send it to Russel's and have one made. The one that looks like the old harley bicycle seat. On my trip to the Keys we met a guy in Everglade City with one, Russel made it,and my rear end was telling me that I should have one of those. I'll put a pic of it in the photos. But I figure if someone else can do it then I can do it too. So that is why I am attempting to build a seat myself. Plus I will save $294. ( the marine grade vinyl I bought was $6.86 for a yard, the other vinyl I bought at wally world for $3 and the knee pad I used on the first seat attempt was in my way and I had thrown it in the trash a couple times. I must have got it out in my sleep, because it kept showing up. It is cold here so building a seat also gives me something to do. Joe A18 A12 Se ky --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Saltzer" wrote:

> > Did any of you guys talking about the seats read what I wrote > yesterday? (below) > > MrMoose > > > > I JUST got done doing this to my seat, but have been waiting to > ride > > it up to Oregon for a full report on how comfortable it is. As a > > matter of fact, I pick it up in a couple of hours. But here is > what > > I have learned thus far. > > > > My first idea was to go the cheaper and better way (if you ask

me)

> > and just MAKE my own damn seat. I wanted the same stock shape, > with > > a few mods. I wanted it a bit taller in front, where you sit

most

> of > > the time, I wanted it a bit wider, just a touch as to not mess up > the > > off road narrowness of the stocker, and I wanted it firmer for > sure. > > The seat, on long trips, is the ONLY thing holding me back from > doing > > longer days. The best that I have done was 800 miles, and that

was

> > after riding for 600-700 miles the last 3 days prior. My arse

just

> > could not go on anymore. > > > > So what I did was study foams online, and decided to settle on

some

> > expensive "memory" foam that is used in pilots seats, hospitable > > beds, wheelchairs and the like. Using the info from Eldon's

sight

> > and others, where they talked about using triple density foam, > (three > > seperate layers, three different foam density's) I spent $45 on a > > bunch of great foam...........I thought, and $25 on a square yard > of > > really nice new marine grade vinyl. I took my old vinyl off, > bought > > a $12 electric knife, cut down my stock foam to within a 1/4 inch > of > > the seat pan, and then got frustrated with all the many little > > details of how to cut, mold, glue, and build up my new seat. So

I

> > took the seat and new foam and new vinyl to a local upholsterer > > that's been doing this stuff for decades, dropped it off, and > > explained what I wanted. > > > > A few days later when I called him to see how it was going, he

said

> > that a customer happened to come buy to drop off a bunch of KTM > seats > > to be covered. This guy just by chance is in the business of > having > > guys send him dozens and dozens of seats every month to his house > > where he completely tears them down and rebuilds them for about > > $400. He just does the hard part and then brings the seats to

the

> > upholsterer to have him cover and staple them. He is a > perfectionist > > like me and does very nice custom work. Anyway, he saw my seat > > sitting there, and the foam that I had selected, and told the

owner

> > of the shop to have me call him. He knew what I wanted, and knew > > that the foam that I bought would not work, and wanted to save me

a

> > headache dealing with it. (he said that the foam although really > nice > > at first, would compress down till very hard and would feel like > the > > pan again after many miles) > > > > I called this guy and talked to him for an hour on the phone,

then

> > went to his house for another hour and talked about nothing but > bike > > seats. I let him take over the job of my seat, explained what I > > wanted and basically let him just make the decisions of what to > do. > > He put in some new foam, not much firmer than stock, (I don't

know

> > why) then a really nice and expensive gel pad, then covered it

all

> up > > with a layer of neoprene, then my new purple marine grade vinyl. > The > > cost was another $300. (he cut me some slack) > > > > I got the seat back and tested it on the ESR II trip which was > about > > 500 miles of highway riding and about 100 off-road miles. It was > > better, but only by about 5%. I wasn't impressed. > > > > He said at the very beginning of this project that we may have to > do > > this a few times to get it perfect and that he didn't mind

spending

> > the extra time to do so. We figured that others could benifit

from

> > the formula later. I gave him the seat back and months later, > after > > my hand surgery's, his knee surgery, my vasectomy, and blah blah > > blah, I finally needed to get my seat back for my 6 week Oregon > trip > > that I am leaving for on Saturday. > > > > Now during all of this off time, I got to thinking about what I > > really needed and wanted in a seat. I realized that as long as I > was > > around my neck-o-the-woods, which is the majority of my riding,

and

> > off-road riding too, around here or not, that the stock seat for > the > > most part was just fine for me. It was just too soft. I also > > realized that for long hauls or big mileage days, which I seem to > be > > addicted too at times, that the stock seat was a big let down. > > During high mile days, I wouldn't mind the stock seat being

taller,

> > wider, and more comfortable, both firm and plush. I realized the > > pluses of having 2 seats to switch back and forth from like Pat > does, > > but I didn't want to do that. For the ultimate, I wanted 2 > different > > seats, and I wanted them both with me at all times. So how do I

do

> > that? > > > > What I decided to do was to have my seat built up to what I > > originally wanted, but with the right foam, and no gel. I

stopped

> by > > the guys house last week just to see how it was going, and he

ended

> > up building my seat while I was there, and I got to ride his KTM > 640 > > too. He built up my seat with a thick layer of very firm foam > ontop > > of the thin layer of stock foam that I had left on it to keep the > > holes, valleys, and voids of the seat pan filled. Ontop of that

he

> > put two layers of softer foam to build height mainly in the area > that > > comes up to the tank, and then trimmed and shaped it to the same > > basic stock seat demensions that I had with me on the bike. Then > he > > wrapped one big piece of foam that was even softer over the whole > > thing. He then just placed a big piece of neoprene over the

seat,

> > then a piece of vinyl, and we put the seat on my bike so that I > could > > sit on it and see how it felt. I had him do this and that,

making

> > little adjustments here and there till we had what I originally > > wanted. It felt sweet. It was just a tad taller only in the

area

> > where you sit mostly, just a tad wider there too, and much

firmer.

> > The rest of the seat looks basically stock, like the rear meeting > up > > with the rack, and the horn in the front that meets the tank.

The

> > edges are even pretty close to stock too which I like, getting > wider > > as your go back on the seat. > > > > For the highway, I also purchased a super sweet deluxe piece of > > sheepskin from Alaska Leathers that covers the whole horn on the > > front of the seat, and goes back to within 1 or 2 inches of the > rear > > of the seat. This cover once mounted on in a few seconds, will > make > > the seat even taller, and wider, super plush, while being warmer

in

> > the winter and cooler in the summer. When I get to where I am > going > > on the highway, I will just pop off the sheepskin and use my > revamped > > seat that is under the sheepskin. Presto chango, I now have 2 > seats > > that I can carry with me, and I also now have the softest pillow > for > > when I'm camping too. > > > > I'll keep you all updated on how it goes during my trip. > > > > MrMoose > > A8 (Barbie and Ken special)

[Bogdan Swider]

> > > Where did you get the gel insert? And how much was it?

I got mine for free; it originally came from a moto store. I have heard of people getting them at medical supply places. J.C. Whitney also sells them, $40 to $50 for the kinds you bury; here's the link. http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-6729/c-10111 Bogdan

[Joseph Jones]

If I had a gel insert laying around I would try it, but spending $ on something I v'e heard pors and cons on isn't worth the chance. If the pads don't work out then I will convence myself to get the Russel.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Bogdan Swider wrote: > > > > > > Where did you get the gel insert? And how much was it? > > I got mine for free; it originally came from a moto store. I have heard of > people getting them at medical supply places. J.C. Whitney also sells them, > $40 to $50 for the kinds you bury; here's the link. > > http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-6729/c- 10111 > > Bogdan

[Thane Silliker]

Get yourself a beaded seat cover - the most comfortable thing you could do for your bike! They are available at places like Whitehorse Press, but you can make your own like I did. Go buy a $10 beaded seat cover, cut the nylon strings, shape it to your seat, then re-tie the strings. This adds air circulation - no sweating. It also changes contact points every time you shift slightly on the seat, which aids blood circulation. I have a pic here if interested: http://www.silliker.ca/ThanePostLabrador.jpg T

[Fred Hink]

Which looks suspiciously like the Saddlemen/Travelcade gel pads. http://www.saddlemen.com/gelpadsfirst.html Fred http://www.arrowheadmotorsports.com http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/cmc.html

----- Original Message ----- From: "Bogdan Swider" To: "Joseph Jones" ; DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 11:08 AM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Re: KLR seats > > > > > > > Where did you get the gel insert? And how much was it? > > I got mine for free; it originally came from a moto store. I have heard of > people getting them at medical supply places. J.C. Whitney also sells them, > $40 to $50 for the kinds you bury; here's the link. > > http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-6729/c-10111 > > Bogdan