I have been doing a ton of research and reading about building a seat for my 03 1800R. I am looking at turning my stock into a more comfortable seat.
The stock seat is not horrible but after 5-6 hours it really starts getting uncomfortable, I am looking to do long days on the seat. My bars, backrest etc are set up well for comfort. Comfort wise what is left is really down to my rear end....

Yes I could buy / have my seat redone etc. But honestly I take a lot of pride in making things I use and I like the research and solving the puzzle so to speak. If it doesn't work out I will purchase so I'm not to concerned. About "ruining" my seat.

All of that being said.

Does anyone have any good info to pass on?? Done it before? Links for seat builds on other sites etc. I have gathered a lot of info already but I know where are some extreamly smart and experienced people here so any input would be appreciated.

A lot of information I have found on foam and layering has come from airplane kit building. A lot of those guys build their own seats and 4-6 hour streaches of sitting are common.

Seems like not many people share / try motorcycle touring seat build info. So any expertise you may have is welcome!

Thanks in advance.

Having an upholstery shop re-do a stock seat isn't expensive compared to buying an aftermarket seat like my Ultimate. BTW mine was a Christmas gift, I didn't buy it. Unless you have the skills, and the source for different degrees of foam padding and or gel pads, I wouldn't attempt it, but if you're game, have at it. Good luck.

I read his build log he has a good info. on his seat build .

https://www.vtxoa.com/forums/7-vtx-1...uild-page.html

Maybe try better shocks if your fine with the seat for 6 hours. If you've never replaced the shocks, they are worn out after 15 years. This will not only make the ride smoother/softer but give you better handling as well

I found a local shop and brought them my seat. After discussing it with them, they pointed out that I would be better buying the Ultimate seat. They said it would take them an hour minimum ($100 per hour) to disassemble the factory seat, just to make a plan for how to address the seat. Then there would be test fitting to make sure I’m happy, then a custom vinyl cover (at least an hour or two).

You will find that local shops (unless you live where labor is cheap) are pricy for 1 offs. But they are perfect if you want to simply recover your seat with high priced material. This is because they remove the cover and use the current cover as a template to cut the custom material. You would find you may pay couple hours of labor and the costs of the material you want.

if you are a DIY guy, you may find out that the amount of material you have to buy in order to make a single seat, once again would end up costing you more than buying an Ultimate/Mustang. These companies buy materials in bulk, so the production costs per seat is much cheaper than building a single seat.

If you don’t care about cost, and it is for the love of doing it yourself, I get it, we all spend more than the value of our bikes on mods. I bought my bike for $4k and spent about $3K on it over the past 9 months. Wish I could offer some help, all I can do is warn you about the costs, so you can make an educate decision on the route you wish to take.

Though, not actually a "touring seat", I modded my stock seat to fit my "profile" better with good success. And still using it. Although with the tank range being what it is, I rarely go too long at any one time in the saddle.

https://www.vtxoa.com/forums/61-main...mod-log-3.html

The lightbar alternative....

Buy anUltimate seat. My 2 cents.

I think the ultimate looks like it belongs on a John Deere tractor...but I wouldn’t take nuttin (except maybe a newer one ) for mine....good luck OP....

Thanks for the info so far!

I read the entire thread on Randy's build. Some great info on there..... similar to my feelings with mods etc. Would rather do it myself and lear something new 🙂

Really excited to begin. Thinking it will be a few more weeks before I start pulling staples on my stock seat. Going to order some materials. I will document as I work through the project so I can post it all.