[Invincsum]

1. Anyone own soft--textile, leather or leather-looking--saddlebags for their Burgie? What brands work best thrown over the passenger seat?

2. Does anyone have a ButtBuffer or Saddleman/Travelcade gel pad? If so, what do you think of them?

Thanks in advance,
Bryna

 

[seatec]

I have the travelcade gel pad, makes the seat harder for me, i gess you have to put foam over it, there is a saddle bag called Leatherlike, looks like leather made of plactic Wayne

 

[Jim]

I have both,

The gel pads are not softer but greatly reduce "shock" from bumps and vibration. For sensitive backs I think they work well. I eventaually "built them in" to the seat. keeping the stock seat height so the GIVI windshield worked better. I also added soft foam on the front 1/2 of the seat, to create a "pocket" for my butt, with my upper thigh carrying some of the weight. Also adding some foam and midifying the "butt stop" to relieve tail bone pressure. It was trial and error, but the results worked well for me.

link to the gel pads, photos
http://burgmanusa.com/gallery/Seat-Mods
for links on gel pads, go to search and type in gel pads.
Link to seat mod
http://burgmanusa.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 0&start=15

Link to soft saddlebags photos
http://burgmanusa.com/gallery/Hump-Bag
Link to review on bags
http://burgmanusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1679

Hope this helps

 

[Invincsum]

Thanks Jim!

 

[JKerstinJ]

Consider the AirHawk pillow. You can do a search on the web and find many dealers for AirHawk. Your butt will thank you :wink:

 

[Jim]

If all you need is a softer Seat and Height of the seat is not an issue, the Air Hawk my be a very good solution. I considered it myself.

 

[pauljo]

There were a couple of folks at Scootercade that use the Air Hawk cushion with their Burgmans - including Doug, who I rode with quite a bit. He swears by it. It apparently has a non-slip surface on its underside, so you just flop it on the seat and ride off. He keeps his in the trunk when parking for extended periods (like at work or overnight) - if he comes out and finds the scooter seat wet from rain or condensation, he just plops the Air Hawk cushion over the wet seat and rides away.

 

[30MuleTeam]

I use a Wolfman Beta which is kind of a curved duffel that hugs the passenger seat. It is very flexible and can be tied down in a variety of ways. Goes on and off in a minute or two.

-DC

 

[flintbobbi]

WOW. I looked up the airhawk - $150-170 depending on size! If I spend that much, I'll get the corbin seat...

Stumbled on an interesting article from 2002 comparing some seats and cushions: http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/access ... comparo02/

They recommended the ROHO airhawk as well.

 

[billmeek]

Stumbled on an interesting article from 2002 comparing some seats and cushions: http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/access ... comparo02/

Like you said, interesting article. Not being an expert (by far) on morotcycle seats, I wonder if the article took into consideration what I've read about corbin seats requiring a break in period for the foam to adjust to your shape. If they had used the same seats over a longer period, would the results have been the same? Input anyone?

 

[pauljo]

Here is the link for their seat pad comparison.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/access ... /buttpads/

The bead cover sounds interesting. They were selling both the bead covers and gel pad covers at Scootercade. The same very accomodating vendor that was willing to bill people later, was letting folks take the pads for a ride to see if they liked them. I should have done that... I talked to one guy who uses the bead cover and likes it. He said that on very cold days he removes it from the seat. Something about very cold air flowing past certain parts of the male anatomy... For about $15, it is no great loss if you try one and don't like it.

Corbin says that it takes about 1000 miles of riding to break a seat in to an individual's backside. That would be pretty near impossible under test conditions, and with multiple people using the seat. Personally, I haven't noticed any major difference with the Corbin seats I've had after using them for several thousand miles - and I put about 60,000 miles on one of them. It is a very firm seat - and it stays that way - it does not soften with use. What it will do over time is contour slightly to the shape of your butt.

 

[billmeek]

Here is the link for their seat pad comparison.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/access ... /buttpads/

Hmmm...got me interested in seat pads again. Wish I had a local dealer that I would let me try them out.

They were selling both the bead covers and gel pad covers at Scootercade. The same very accomodating vendor that was willing to bill people later, was letting folks take the pads for a ride to see if they liked them.

Any chance that vendor has a website? Like I said before, those are the kind of people I'd like to give my business to.

Personally, I haven't noticed any major difference with the Corbin seats I've had after using them for several thousand miles - and I put about 60,000 miles on one of them. It is a very firm seat - and it stays that way - it does not soften with use. What it will do over time is contour slightly to the shape of your butt.

Firm can be a good thing. I guess my question should be without the seat contouring to the shape of the rider, would the corbin feel as comfortable as it should for tbe review? The reason I ask is I'm still considering getting the Corbin seat for the 400. It's a lot of cash for me to layout and then decide I'm not happy with it. I know I can always resellit, but always do my research beforehand to lessen the risk.

 

[pauljo]

They were selling both the bead covers and gel pad covers at Scootercade. The same very accomodating vendor that was willing to bill people later, was letting folks take the pads for a ride to see if they liked them.

Any chance that vendor has a website? Like I said before, those are the kind of people I'd like to give my business to.

They might - I'll check when I receive the bill and pass the info along if they do. Maybe someone else who attended Scootercade knows...

Personally, I haven't noticed any major difference with the Corbin seats I've had after using them for several thousand miles - and I put about 60,000 miles on one of them. It is a very firm seat - and it stays that way - it does not soften with use. What it will do over time is contour slightly to the shape of your butt.

Firm can be a good thing. I guess my question should be without the seat contouring to the shape of the rider, would the corbin feel as comfortable as it should for tbe review? The reason I ask is I'm still considering getting the Corbin seat for the 400. It's a lot of cash for me to layout and then decide I'm not happy with it. I know I can always resellit, but always do my research beforehand to lessen the risk.

Having owned other Corbin seats (and currently having one on my V-Strom), I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I hadn't already invested in customizing my stock seat. I would, however, talk to them about custom building it so that it was not higher than the stock seat. If they couldn't, I'd have to buy the new vented Clearview XXL windscreen as well as the seat, because that extra 1.5" in hight would wreck the effectiveness of my current windscreen solution. It's just too much money for me to consider it right now.

 

[Thumper]

Butt Pads

A friend of mine lent me his gel pad and I bought a ButtBuffer. Neither of which do my poor aching bum a lot of good on long drives. The gel pad was totally worthless and the ButtBuffer only last me a couple of hours before I started "feeling it."

I also bought an AirHawk (www.rohoinc.com). This is the bomb! Used it a couple of weeks ago on a ride from Atlanta to Orlando and back - roughly 10 hours each way. NO PAIN! I highly recommend it. The new cruiser size is just right for the Bergman 400.

Don't know about saddle bags, but I'm also starting to look into options there.

...Thumper

 

[ted clement]

Go to your local Wal Mart sport dept and pick up a $10 self inflating pad made for hunters. Easy to let air out as you ride to get it to suit you. It has a nice strap that goes under the seat. Two of us were having severe tail bone ache until we got these things. Haven't tried any 10 hour rides but local stuff, and up to 200 milers, it helps tremendous. Once you get it to suit, you can turn over the camo side and put the black bottom side up.

 

[pauljo]

Re: Butt Pads

I also bought an AirHawk (www.rohoinc.com). This is the bomb! Used it a couple of weeks ago on a ride from Atlanta to Orlando and back - roughly 10 hours each way. NO PAIN! I highly recommend it. The new cruiser size is just right for the Bergman 400.

I looked at the website. There are 3 cruiser sizes (small, medium, large). Any idea which size you have? The Airhawks are expensive, but Doug Collins had one at Scootercade and he likes it a lot. Texas Scooter Girl went the Walmart route like Ted & we get good feedback from both. It would be interesting to see the two products side by side to see if the extra cost seems worth it. From what I understand, the AirHawk is better looking, doesn't have a retaining strap, and comes in several sizes. I'm not sure if the Walmart cushion comes in more than 1 size.

Anyway, I think the price different is huge. So a good plan might be to buy the Walmart cushion and see if air flotation does the trick for you. Heck, at $10 to $15, it isn't much of a risk. They both work on the same principle, so if you found it comfortable you could move up to the AirHawk later on if you like the design, sizing, and looks better.

 

[MaryVande]

I have an AirHawk and I like it. The size for the Burgman would be small. I think it is a bit to long for the seat, but it is OK if it lops over the front. If you want to be closer then move it back so it is up against the back rest. I am 5'7" and I really don't like being that far forward. I wish I had known about the Walmart thing earlier. I like $10 a lot better than $150. But, the AirHawk works because you can easily put air in or let it out in seconds.

 

[khelton]

I set on an air hawk at Wing Ding and it felt pretty good on a folding chair. I don't know how it would feel after all day, but the price tag was too high for me to find out. I heard about the seats from Wal-Mart on a PC800 forum. Thought for $9.99 it was worth a try. I definitely feel it helps. I'm sure the air hawk would be better, but for the money I like my Wal-Mart special. This is how it looks originally....

Here it is after being covered in black sequins.(Left over from prom dress I made for my daughter),(the only black fabric I could find around the house.)

 

[pauljo]

Ha! I often wondered what happens to those prom dresses that the gals only wear once... This one got put to good use! Great Idea!

 

[Invincsum]

Thanks, Texas Scooter Girl--now I know exactly what I'm looking for!

Alas, we have no prom dresses hangin' around the house...But maybe we can glue on some fake sheepskin!

Thanks for the pic,

Bryna