New Rick Mayer seat...done

[MichaelG]

Okay, so the forum should have known that I was riding down to Nor Cal on Wednesday, to Redding, Cal, to have my stock seat customized into a new Rick Mayer seat.

It is done, and the sprint home last night...550 miles in under 8 hours, was pretty good...seat wise. The jury is still out on this, but my initial tests tell me that this "may" work for me. I have a longer ride on the calendar for next week...to Tennessee and back...from Seattle area, so I will have a better idea after spending back to back 1000 mile days on it, there and back.

Here are the pictures...and since we can only post 5 pictures with each posts now...I will post 4 more later...because it is taking more than 5 monutes to upload each picture right now. Maybe later it will be faster.

The seat was done in black vinyl, with vinyl basketweave used in the seating areas. The seat is higher...about 1.5 inches in all, and the foam used inside is done to support me. Rick Mayer used to be a surgical nurse, and knows about anatomy, physiology, and the use of medical foams to support body parts. His father...the great Bill Mayer...was the original inventor of what today is known as the Russell Day-Long Saddle. The Russell seats are made about 20 miles north of where Rick Mayer builds his seats. Rick Mayer spent many years under the tutelage of his father, and learned a lot about motorcycle seats.

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[Alberta Beagle]

Looks great Miles!!!!
Can definitely see the added height when you see the side profile.

[gamersince1976]

Oooh - I like that! How long did it take him? Seattle's a short day trip from here...

[smokinjoe187]

Just curious miles
How tall and heavy are you
That seat looks way way nice!

[MichaelG]

Oooh - I like that! How long did it take him? Seattle's a short day trip from here...

Gamer, Rick Mayer seats is located SOUTH of you...down in Anderson, California, a few miles south of Redding, Cal. He started on the seat at 9:00 am, and I left there before 2:00 pm, but...to be fair...he also started and finsihed 2 complete other seats that were also there with me, and another guy that needed an adjustment to his seat. So, in essence, he did 4 seats in that 5 hours. He has two young helpers that work with him, and they do know what they are doing. I was impressed. He is 130 miles south of the Oregon/Calif border.

http://www.rickmayercycle.com/

I was expecting to be the ONLY scheduled ride-in appointment for the day. That is what I am used to at Russell Day-Long seats. Som I was concerned when 3 other guys came riding up, one at a time. These other guys were all from Calif., and I needed to ride back up to Washington that night. I made it though.

[MichaelG]

Just curious miles
How tall and heavy are you
That seat looks way way nice!

Oh, Joe...say it ain't so. I think you meant to say...how tall and light am I...not heavy. (ha ha)

I am 5'11" tall (always wished I was 6' tall), and I weigh in at 225 lbs. My inseam is 30.5 ". I can still stand flat-footed with both feet on the ground, with this seat. But it has raised me up, per my request, and now that Tulsa windshield that WAS too tall, is just right.

[gamersince1976]

Wow - Anderson, CA huh? That's a little further - don't know why I was thinking Seattle.

I've never made a trip that far before on a bike, but then again - it sounds like fun. May have to look at getting a couple days off work in the near future. Decisions decisions...

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

The seat is higher...about 1.5 inches in all,
In addition to being higher, it sure looks like the saddle moved you forward too.

[MichaelG]

In addition to being higher, it sure looks like the saddle moved you forward too.

I intentionally told Rick Mayer to not move me forward, and he did pretty good at that, but when all was said and done, I think I "may" be up to 35/64ths of an inch further forward.(ha ha ha)
In reality, it feels very close to the same. I can tell it is slightly forward, but being up higher, I actually have a better stretch on my legs to reach the highway pegs, and my leg curve to reach the OEM footpegs is a better angle. I am not too far forward...I know that. It is still further back than a stock Goldwing 1800.

[av8rdave]

The seat looks great (and comfortable)!

You mentioned the increase in seat height was per your request. Is it safe to assume he can build one with adequate padding/support without adding height? My windshield height is perfect for me, and I would think any additional altitude would get the top of my helmet into the "buffet zone."

Also, how is it so far for being able to shift positions occasionally, or is that unnecessary with this one?

I'll be anxious to hear your thoughts on it after a longer trip.

[MichaelG]

Dave, he can build a seat to any height that you want. I did not have him raise the height of my seat...to accomodate the higher windshield. I was more than willing to buy another windshield if it was still too high, or was now too low. A windshield is a lot less money than a customized seat. But I felt that the OEM seat height on this bike was far too low. Having had 3 GL-1800 Wings, and ridden them over 300k miles total...I was used to a higher position, and...more importantly, the angle of the knees. On the F6B, the knees are bent so much, that I felt like I was squatting on this seat. Yes, it was fun being lower...for a while...but when ridden a lot of miles, it is better to have the seat height corrected for better body ergonomics.

Example, on the way down to Nor Cal to have this seat done, I intentionally placed a very nice Black Sheepskin on the seat. It is a thick one, of real sheepskin hide. That additional height made the bike feel so much better. In fact, it was so good, I gave thought to canceling my appointment, and just using the Black sheepskin on the OEM seat.

I was fortunate that when the seat was done, and I was riding down the road, I found that the windshield now is the right height for me. But the lesson here is: Adjust the height of the windshield to fit the rider...AFTER you have the seat height corrected to fit the rider for a better ergonomic position on the bike. Do NOT fit the seat to match the windshield height.

Yes, you can still shift position...if you need to. You are not glued into one riding position. But with this seat, there is a lot less need to move around.

I will give a much more thorough write-up after the trip to Tennessee and back, next week.