| Author | Message | ||
     Hdxbones |
I finally convinced the wife to ride with me on the Uly last weekend. She had an enjoyable day, as we were able to ride a bunch of gravel roads and trails that I wouldn't normally take if I were on the Roadglide . That said, she found the seating to be a little spartan compared to the Harley. Does the backrest pad make an improvement for the pillion? Where to find one? Are they still available anywhere? It looks like Corbin still makes seat, is it any better for rider/pillion than the stock seat? I dont mind the stock seat for myself, and an Airhawk pad does add comfort for longer rides, but I would like to make it better for her if possible. I'm not looking to make the Uly 'ultra' comfortable, just a little better for her so that she'll enjoy it as much as my Harley . | ||
| Nillaice |
you could get some 2" drop pegs from Knights Design the corbin seat is nice, but I wouldn't pay $500 for it unless you guys are gonna do looong rides. i'd think any proper MC jacket would not let you feel any padding on the beavertail. maybe a bigger windshield will help reduce windnoise and any buffeting for the both of you. a communication system could help, too. but before you go drop a wad of cash on anything, take her out to the garage and have her sit on the bike and then ask her what she would want to change to make it more comfortable for her. as a matter of fact; showing her that you REALLY care might get her on the bike with you the most. or saying that 'its not comfortable' is a nice way to put it that 'i'll never climb back on that death trap with you again' sometimes I feel that trying to understand wemon is like trying to smell the color 9 | ||
| Tootal |
sometimes I feel that trying to understand women is like trying to smell the color 9  Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!  | ||
| Uly_man |
Very few makers of none cruiser type bikes make good provision for pillions. The one on the Uly is outstanding and the best I have ever seen. Wide seat, big grips, low pegs and a high back rest. My wife keeps falling asleep so it can not be that bad. Off roading for pillions is never all that great due to its nature but people get used to it. You can sometimes see the back pads for sale used. Or you could just strap a bit of something on the back pad. If the seat is the problem I would buy a used seat and have it reworked to how you want using memory foam. Women, of course, are a bit fuller on the bottom than men and need more support. Maybe it is just me but I found that it takes a while for the Uly seat to "break in". About 6k on both my bikes. Not a problem for the rider but the pillion seat is never, hardly, used as much. You should be able to set it up for her no problem and for little money as well. Good luck. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
My wife like the way her camelback water thing felt. As she drank from it her comfort decreased though  | ||
| Hdxbones |
Thanks for the suggestions so far, I have strapped some padding on the backrest and it did help her some. That's whyI'd like to know if the fitted pad is an improvement for other passengers. Same with the Corbin seat, do those that have them find them to be a worthwhile upgrade? Medical conditions have seen her go from riding her own to being pillion with me, and she's gotten used to being spoiled on the Roadglide Ultra. I know the Uly wont give her that level of comfort, but I'd like to keep her happy for all day rides, or even multi day trips | ||
| Steveford |
I bought a pad for the backrest for my wife when I bought the bike many years ago. She's never ridden without it but it would have to help. I can't comment on the Corbin seat but if the pan doesn't deform that would be a big plus right there. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
The wife would like a little more comfort the new Buicks ride pretty nice!  | ||
| Luftkoph |
I think its the arm rest things on the bigger bikes,it gives them a little more secure feeling hence comfortable,at least I think thats how they think,god only knows what thoughts lurk within. | ||
| Etennuly |
If you went on an all day ride with a wife who hasn't been out much, and then treated her to a bunch of dirt road, rougher, type riding.....the only thing wrong is the ride choice. Don't forget she cannot un-weight on the bars over bumps and ripples. No matter where she grips the bike her butt carries nearly all of her weight.You can adjust to roughness, even if you don't stand all of the way up, by shifting your weight to the bars and pegs. Look at what your riding and where. When you go out on the glide do you ride all day? Do you go on rough roads? Do you ride a long number of miles or hours? I bet the Uly would be as comfortable for her on a similar street ride. I found that on the Uly I can get carried away with the 'long time in the saddle' days that will make the wife uncomfortable. May not be covering as many miles, like you, because of where we did rougher back roads, but time in the seat counts too. My wife and daughter both have fallen asleep on the back of the Uly on road trips so it must be fairly comfortable. With either of them 200 miles is about their limit because of their lack of riding time. It takes time and miles to build up muscles or a tolerance to position, or what ever it is that we bikers endure to make long distance riding tolerable. | ||
| Uly_dude |
I personally think the driver needs a more upright position for the passenger to feel more comfortable. I plan to install 2" Rox risers on mine over the winter to do this. I can tell when my wife is back there, she's too far away from me to make her feel comfortable. The arm chair effect mentioned above is spot on, but without those they need a place to put their hands to hang on. With me leaning forward on the current Uly ergonomics, it's not easy for her to put them around me. And the grab handles with the triple tail are nice, but the passenger doesn't want to hang onto those the whole time either. The next time I have my seat worked on I'm also going to have them either scoop out the passenger foam, or install softer foam for the passenger so she sinks down in there, more at the drivers level. I use the low seat so there's currently a lot of height difference between the passenger and the driver. | ||
| Hdxbones |
My wife has 2 complaints about the seating position. First is the relative hardness of the triple tail backrest(and of course it is when compared to the Roadglide). Second is that she feels the seat slopes forward and that she felt like she was pushing herself back all day . She agrees that the suspension is much smoother than the HD, she likes the bike, it's just the seating position that she dislikes. We've both had many bikes through the years, I've found that sometimes it takes a little effort (and $)to make them fit me(or her) just right. I don't think its the choice of roads, or length of the ride as much as it is getting it setup for both of our comfort. Hoping someone with an aftermarket seat can chime in with their passenger opinions. | ||
| Uly_man |
"We've both had many bikes through the years, I've found that sometimes it takes a little effort (and $)to make them fit me(or her) just right." Very true Hex. I have always had it myself and the nature of bikes. I would still go for the custom built seat myself. The Corbin pillion still slopes the same as the OEM seat. If it was me I would make the rider seat wider at the rear and the pillion 1 inch higher and "flat" with the bike loaded and maybe a sort of "King and Queen" style. If you spec this right, and I know thats not easy, with the right layers of memory foam and comfort layers it is hard to see why you would not get what you want. |
