[DavidY]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my 2010 V Star 950 Tourer for several months now. Although I love it overall, the seat is a major problem for me for long distances. After riding hardly two hours my ass hurts like hell and even falls asleep sometimes. When my cheeks wake up, they have to reintroduce themselves to one another.

Therefore, I want to get a new seat asap. And in a few months I'm going on a 2,000-mile tour, so the new seat is a definite must-have.

Does anyone have recommendations? Ideally, I would get a new rider seat with a BACKREST, a passenger seat, and a sissy bar backrest in one package.

On the stock seat, my reach to the handlebars is about perfect. I can handle having my arms more forward due to a new seat, but they must not be more back at all. I would be stretching too much if they did.

The current seat height is 26 1/2 " I believe, and would like to go no higher, but a small increase is OK.

So if anyone could provide recommendations, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm interested in brand names, sellers who treat customers well, decent price, good looks, etc. All of the usual stuff. I'm also wondering if vinyl is doable to save a few bucks over leather.

Thanks,
David

 

[lozcajun]

I trimmed mine even cut it back to the plastic then lined it with high density carpet pad. It is great and was cheap

 

[HTMNKYLVE]

I love the corbin seat, I put them on every bike. I can burn through a whole tank of gas and stop long enough to fill up and right back on the road. Corbin has a ton of colors and textures to choose from and it doesnt change the price, just order it the way you want it and they will make it to order and ship it to you in about 3 weeks. DO NOT try and save money by going with vinyl.( you wouldnt buy vinyl boots would you?) Leather is the only way to go.

www.corbin.com

 

[ebarr]

ask around locally, I was looking for another seat and found a guy locally that does upholstery work, and also does bike seats. Finding someone like that will save you big dollars.

 

[Snoviper]

Ultimate Seats

Ultimate Seats: http://www.ultimateseats.ca/yamaha.html

 

[Star950Donna]

Seat question

Well, I have the 950 with the mustang seat & backrest. The backrest works great, but the seat to me is still a bit hard.

I have found that AIR HAWK air seat works the best for me. (Pd$189) although Big#1 Heather maybe can get you a better deal. The drawback to that is that you have to store it in the saddlebag or someone might lift it off your seat.

Another idea is to modify your existing - Mean City Cylce (on internet) can custom fit your seat. They do great work.
Hope you find an answer... but unless you got $700+ for a new seat - I would go a cheap route first.

 

[cruzn50]

Mustang Seat

I have a 950T and spent the bucks this winter and put a Mustang seat with rider backrest on it. I've been on a couple of 500 mile weekend trips. I do get a couple of hot spots after about 2 hours but by then you need a fuel stop and a streach anyway. Come to a stop light I can stand up for just a minute and it helps a lot. It's a vast improvement over the stock.

 

[bevo1981]

DO NOT try and save money by going with vinyl.( you wouldnt buy vinyl boots would you?) Leather is the only way to go.

vinyl holds up against the elements better than leather. besides, seats and boots is 2 different outhouses altogether

 

[bythecee1]

I'ld be intersted in your stock seat should you decide to sell it
thanks

 

[MMAX]

Take a look at the Ride Easy motorcycle seat gel pads. They have a web site. My wife and I use Ride Easy pads and even on long rides, the pain and numbness are gone. Normally my tailbone is first to hurt, but the front seat pad has a tailbone relief. No more tailbone pain.

 

[DavidY]

Finally Got My V Star 950 Seats - and the winner is . . .

Thank you everyone for your replies. They were all helpful in making my decision. I ended up purchasing an Ultimate Seat (the entire setup: rider, rider backrest, passenger, sissy bar pad, and covers for all). In case anyone else is looking for a V Star 950 seat, here is why I chose the Ultimate in no particular order.
* Actually, I thought is was the best looking compared to Corbin and Mustang.
* It was about $150 less than Corbin (but Mustang was the least expensive).
* The Corbin dealer didn't have one to test, to sit on! Plus their delivery time was at least 3-4 weeks.
* The Ultimate simply felt more comfortable to me compared to the Mustang. It felt more solid and firm, but "soft" enough to make my "butt felt it went to heaven" (their motto). But just my preference.

To brag a little, I've received countless compliments since I put on the Ultimate seats.

By the way, Ultimate's staff were laid back and professional, and made me feel valued as a customer. They even threw in the seat covers, saving me $65.

My final cost was $850 for everything. Lots of bucks but worth it. Of course your cost would be less than half of that if you just got the rider's seat and backrest.

Again thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions (especially Snoviper for recommending Ultimate).

David Y
2010 V Star 950 Tourer

 

[stargazer]

Try GreatDayToRide.com. He doesn't sell new seats but he does an excellent job modifying stock seats to a custom fit. He answers all emails within 24hrs and works with you to solve the problem. He came highly regarded from a couple of cruiser magazines. Very quick and less than $100. I had the same issues as everyone else. Now I can ride 1000 km in a day without any problems.
Good luck

 

[Builderrrdu]

Corbin. see pics.
Had both seats...really liking the Corbin, and sitting position. They even build it to your frame. Ordered mine through basic delivery and received it in 1.5 weeks. Not no 3-4 like advertised. Back passenger seat acts like a back rest. Really a nice seat. Also it has closed cell foam, vs. Mustang open. Break in time is really only 200 miles or so, and really its nice just from the factory.

 

[DavidY]

I would like to add an additional comment: Starting in late Aug through mid September 2010, I rode my V Star 950 Tourer through several states, racking up around 3,000 miles--and the Ultimate rider seat with backrest kept me comfortable throughout the journey.

Please note the Ultimate might be considered somewhat "hard" by some people's standards. But IMHO I think that's the way it should be. A too soft seat (and it doesn't have to be that soft) may not fare well for many riders on long journeys. The rider needs support with some "give" to keep him or her comfortable during long riding days.

David

 

[Suds]

Does anyone have any experience with the Mustang Day tripper seat on their 950???

 

[bevo1981]

I would like to add an additional comment: Starting in late Aug through mid September 2010, I rode my V Star 950 Tourer through several states, racking up around 3,000 miles--and the Ultimate rider seat with backrest kept me comfortable throughout the journey.

Please note the Ultimate might be considered somewhat "hard" by some people's standards. But IMHO I think that's the way it should be. A too soft seat (and it doesn't have to be that soft) may not fare well for many riders on long journeys. The rider needs support with some "give" to keep him or her comfortable during long riding days.

David

i just went through several states on my 950 using a Mustang solo seat. i would reckon it's considerably softer than your Ultimate, and i couldn't imagine a more comfortable seat for my trip. the first day i spent 17 hours on it (truth) and the only part of my body that wasn't fatigued or soar was my butt

 

[hig4s]

i just went through several states on my 950 using a Mustang solo seat. i would reckon it's considerably softer than your Ultimate, and i couldn't imagine a more comfortable seat for my trip. the first day i spent 17 hours on it (truth) and the only part of my body that wasn't fatigued or soar was my butt

To me Corbin seats always seem hard, the Mustang on my Sportster I consider medium, the Rick Mayer I had on my old Kaw was soft, and the stock pillow top seat on my Venture is plush.

I have not done any long distance on Mustang, I have a Venture for that, but I think it would be fine.

 

[BLK RGT]

If you opt for a Mustang seat, note that the rear seat will ONLY fit with a stock Yamaha sissy bar!

 

[TattooednTexas]

From my experience, anyone who hates the Corbin line of seats, I have heard from several people who do, they didn't ride them long enough. Corbins are designed to conform to the shape of your rear end as you ride them. i have put 17000 miles on mine and I love it!

 

[Tonydtiger1971]

Take a look at the Ride Easy motorcycle seat gel pads. They have a web site. My wife and I use Ride Easy pads and even on long rides, the pain and numbness are gone. Normally my tailbone is first to hurt, but the front seat pad has a tailbone relief. No more tailbone pain.

Do you install this under the seat or just put it on top of the seat?