So, I have a stock seat which, with an Air Hawk on it, I have been able to tolerate. However, one of my remaining complaints has been that the seat seems to be too low at the front - I tend to slide a bit forward and the seat is really a bit too low for me.
I was looking around for a solution and noticed that Wunderlich sells a set of replacement rubber bushings for the seat H/L adjusting plate that they say will lift the front of the seat an additional 10 mm (0.4 inches). Essentially, they make the bushings so that the mounting hole is not in the center of the bushing, but is instead offset. You can see them at https://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/42721002.html and they want $48 for them.
I was tempted to order a set but I wasn't sure that 10mm was enough of a lift. I looked at the adjusting plate and thought maybe I could cobble something together to test how much of a difference lifting the seat would make.
I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of 1" dowel (the slot on the seat that the bushings fit into can accommodate slightly more than 1" (I think it's metric)) cut it to the length of the plate, removed the stock rubber bushings, turned the plate to the low position and zip-tied the dowel to it.
The seat fits on nicely, locks in properly, and the front is as high as it could go. I find that, for me, the height makes a real comfort difference.
I fully intended to just use the dowel as a test to justify buying the Wunderlich bushings, but I've put over 5,000 miles on the bike using this dowel and I don't see why I should change anything. It works well, seems to be sturdy enough and is easy to get rid of if I change my mind. I haven't measured the height raise, but I think it's more than 10mm.
The only downside is the way people look at you if you remove the seat and they see the dowel there.
So, it may look crazy, but it's a cheap, simple way to lift the front of the seat - reducing the tilt of the seat and giving you a little more height.
I was looking around for a solution and noticed that Wunderlich sells a set of replacement rubber bushings for the seat H/L adjusting plate that they say will lift the front of the seat an additional 10 mm (0.4 inches). Essentially, they make the bushings so that the mounting hole is not in the center of the bushing, but is instead offset. You can see them at https://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/42721002.html and they want $48 for them.
I was tempted to order a set but I wasn't sure that 10mm was enough of a lift. I looked at the adjusting plate and thought maybe I could cobble something together to test how much of a difference lifting the seat would make.
I went to Home Depot and bought a piece of 1" dowel (the slot on the seat that the bushings fit into can accommodate slightly more than 1" (I think it's metric)) cut it to the length of the plate, removed the stock rubber bushings, turned the plate to the low position and zip-tied the dowel to it.
The seat fits on nicely, locks in properly, and the front is as high as it could go. I find that, for me, the height makes a real comfort difference.
I fully intended to just use the dowel as a test to justify buying the Wunderlich bushings, but I've put over 5,000 miles on the bike using this dowel and I don't see why I should change anything. It works well, seems to be sturdy enough and is easy to get rid of if I change my mind. I haven't measured the height raise, but I think it's more than 10mm.
The only downside is the way people look at you if you remove the seat and they see the dowel there.
So, it may look crazy, but it's a cheap, simple way to lift the front of the seat - reducing the tilt of the seat and giving you a little more height.
