Airhawk or Aftermarket Custom Seat

[RonR65]

Not finding my R65 lowered seat that comfortable and my cousin swears by his "Airhawk".  I asked at RevZilla about sizing and they don't really make one "right sized".  Looked into a few custom seat places and was hoping not to spend $450-500 to "rebuild" my seat into more of a "cruiser" shape.  Does anyone have any experience with Airhawk and if so what size?  Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Ron

[D Mann]

A friend of mine got rid of his Airhawk because around town it was too unsettling. When you accelerate and brake you are sliding around on the seat like you are on a greased pig. He dumped it and got a Coleman ATV seat cover from Walmart for $20. He says on a 400 mile ride the Coleman is not as comfortable as the Airhawk but the rest of the time it is much nicer to ride on the Coleman. He said it was not worth the hassle of changing back and forth. Just a thought.

[D Mann]

Here a few shots of the Coleman I picked up. It fits the R65 better than it does my buddies R100. I just put it on so have not used it on a trip. The pad is firm and the channeling seems to help air and blood flow better down south.

Could not find the pad in the store but ordered on line to ship to the store and it was ready in an hour so it had to be in stock if not on display.

[D Mann]

Don't know what happened to the pics. Here is another try.

[quixotic]

It took a bit of cajoling, but I put a Corbin on mine.  However, with my short stature (5' 6") and sport bars, I found it uncomfortable.  So I'm going to have to reinstate the U.S. bars.  Hopefully, that solves the problem.  However, I may even have to chop an inch off of the front of the seat, and re-jig the attachment points to the frame.

[davidpdx]

That Corbin seat may not be all that comfortable for you but it sure is good looking. I bought a sheepskin pad for my seat and after a 580 mile day a few weeks ago I would give it a B+. Not the  solution that I had hoped for but definably beats sitting on the original seat all day.

[Enertech]

I tried an Airhawk 2, but found it to be too wiggly even after trying many different inflation levels so I don't use it any more.  It was the 18" X 12" size and it fit the front part of the seat not too badly, but not the passenger area. Have you tried wearing motorcycle or bicycling underwear/shorts? They really do make a difference in terms of seat comfort and are quite inexpensive compared to custom seats.

[montmil]

The current Rider magazine has a test and review of the Airhawk.

[wilcom]

That Corbin seat may not be all that comfortable for you but it sure is good looking

quixotic

+1 on that gorgeous seat

[Tony Smith]

Thank you for this thread. Coleman seat cover and elastic cargo net ordered from Amazon for a mere $US21.95. Shame about the $US22 post to Australia but that seat cover is what I've been looking for, for a very long time. With a sheep skin over it, absolutely ace I'd reckon.

[Tony Smith]

Don't know what happened to the pics. Here is another try.

In the second pic you can see a very red pair of rocker cover gaskets. I'm curious, where did they come from?

[marcmax]

Not sure where Quixotic got his rocker cover gaskets but this is where I got mine.  http://www.realgaskets.com/files/motorcycle.htm#bmw

At the time all they had was red silicone gaskets but now they come in either red or black. I have had mine on for 3 years now and they have been on and off at least a dozen times. Not a drop leaked past them.

[D Mann]

Tony the gaskets came from http://www.realgaskets.com They have all kids of silicone gaskets for the airheads. I used their oil pan gasket and think they are great. I do not recommend the carb bowl gaskets, the soft material is too floppy to stay in place and I always had a leaker.

Happy with the seat cover so far, can't beat it for $20.

[montmil]

Rode to breakfast today and met R65 forum member Ron Baker. He was riding his R90/6 this morning.

In the bike parking line up at The Blue Hangar Cafe,I  spotted a bike wearing the full length Airhawk seat pad. It's an unusual looking addition to the stock seat but it does remove easily. Whatever you might think about the pad's visual appeal may be of small consequence after your butt has endured a 500-600 mile day.

[marcmax]

It's all in what you get used to. I have done back to back to back 100+ mile days on a bicycle and can tell you nothing beats a good pair of cycling shorts with a padded crotch and a good cream lotion. Try spending 6-7 hours with a sliver of carbon fiber between your cheeks and you will know how true that is.

I have done 500 miles days on my cafe seat wearing a pair on spandex cycling shorts under my riding gear and was fine riding and at the end of the day.