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Help with my new 06' Goldwing after 150 miles...

2K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  ddking 
#1 ·
Guys & Gals,

Well I had a nice long ride today with my regular riding gear which includes pants with CE padding in the knees (adds about 1/4" thickness). My airbag model has the audio controls and the buttons for the fog lights and hazard lights on the lower left side of the fairing and guess what happened?

My left knee kept jamming into the buttons turning my fog lights and hazard lights on and off... :cry: I am 6'4" tall with a 34" inseam - didn't think this would happen! :shock:

I hate the idea of even considering an aftermarket seat - heck I absolutely love the heated seat/heated grips and would not want to do anything to disable that. I know there have been multiple suggestions for taller riders but I am really discouraged this evening - you know, you spend a little more than $21,000 you expect it to be perfect !!!

I am open to suggestions - hoping to figure out the best solution. Obviously if I don't wear the pants w/ knee pads it will not be as likely to happen - but I am very safety conscious. Plan to wear overpants when commuting as well!

Arrrrggghhh!
Brian
 
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#6 ·
Call John at Bike Solutions as stated above. We all know how you feel about spending a small fortune on a bike and then having to spent more:)

200.00 is a small price to pay to get the enjoyment of having your bike fit you. Again, like most of us, after you spent the first 1000.00 on extras, you quit counting :)

Good Luck ad Ride Safe
 
#7 ·
So I just finished reading the info on the Wing Soft Large at:

http://www.bikesolutionsllc.com/

Under the customer comments page, I read this one:

As a former Electra Glide rider, I was having a hard time getting comfortable on my '06 Wing because of my 6'4" frame and 36" inseam. I checked out all the threads on getting comfortable and found Wingsoft. They got the seat on Friday and I had it back and on my bike the next Friday. In short, I would have probably ditched the Wing without it. Thanks John, for saving my ride! Cliff - Southlake, TX

Wow - this sounds like a viable solution. The new seat will still retain the comfort package (heated seats)... Promises to give me leg room...

Can anyone offer their opinion of this product? The Wing Soft Large Complete Package w/ a Utopia Backrest still comes out much cheaper than having the custom seat made...

Any thoughts comments - or other help -- starting to feel a little better now! :?

Brian
 
#8 ·
Brian

Bikesolutions is the easiest way to go.

The cheapest way would be to do it yourself if you can sew vinyl and have an air compressor/stapler to reattach the cover.

Take off the vinyl cover
Cut off the extra foam collar
Sew up the extra vinyl
Replace with air compressed(not electric) staplier



 
#9 ·
Brian,

Wingsoft Large would be the cheapest way to go. Almost everyone who gets one, likes it. I'm not one of them. That is not so much because of the Wingsoft seat as it is because I had tried other seats before and after.

The Wingsoft Large is limited in how far it can move you. Before I got the Wingsoft Large, I had a Diamond Big Boy. They sent me one that they said was the correct measurement for me. It moved me up and back slightly farther than the Wingsoft. Even that was not far enough for me, so I took it apart and cut it back another inch. [Diamond/Hartco would have done this for me, but I didn't want to send it back to them and wait.] I also tried to make it higher, but couldn't find a satisfactory foam. So I decided to try a Russell Day Long.

Because I wanted to keep riding while waiting for RDL to get the seat back to me, I had John make my stock seat into a Wingsoft Large. If I liked it, I would keep it. If not, I would use it while I waited for my RDL and sell it later. When I got it, it wasn't bad, but it did not move me far enough back and up. I still felt cramped. Hence, I sent my Diamond in to RDL.

It took RDL 2 tries, but they were able to move it up and back far enough for me. I'm much happier with it than the WL.

My inseam is 33" from crotch to ankle and I wear 34" jeans. So I am about your size. There is no way for you to know which seat will be most satisfactory unless you try them for a significant period of time. I would suggest using towels to sit on in order to find the correct height. If you find you want to move higher than one inch, don't get the WL. Either work with Diamond/Hartco or RDL.

RDL says they will return your money if you don't like it, Diamond/Hartco will not. I think Wingsoft says they will send a stock seat back to you if you return the Wingsoft Large in perfect condition.

RDL can keep your seat heated since they use the stock pan.

You can find longer reviews on these seats by taking the link in my signature as well as other ideas and information.

Good luck.

Dan
 
#10 ·
I'm a little bigger than you and Dan; Jon's seat didn't work for me either.
I also didn't like Dan's Russel at all.
Diamond for me; you'd have to figure out a way to talk them into hooking up the heated portion. Maybe Lewis at E/C has a gizmo for that by now.
BTW, it took Mike at Diamond 3 tries to get my seat to fit me. They wanted to give up on it but I kept after them and they did a great job.


 
#12 ·
Dan...
Just so you have some stats to quote in the future, to date our customer satisfaction rate is over 98 percent based on seats modifed after the sale, and seats returned. We never will get to 100 percent, but we try :)

Brian
Almost all of the comments in my feedback page came from this forum. If you search the forum for WingSoft, you can get a lot of information. If you would like to take a drive to Austin, let me know and I will give you a Large seat with a Utopia backrest to try out. We offer free demo seats if you come to Austin, and you are more than welcome to put as many miles on it as you wish. It really doesnt matter what I say, or what others say since seating is a very individual preference. We like to let our seats sell themselves, and they do a very good job of that. Its unrealistic to say that brand X is the best if you need X. If this were the case, I wouldnt see the numerous stock seats arrive with Corbin and Diamond seat boxes.


Give me a call if you would like to schedule a visit, or if you have any questions.


John
 
#13 ·
John/Bike Solutions LLC said:
Dan...
Just so you have some stats to quote in the future, to date our customer satisfaction rate is over 98 percent based on seats modifed after the sale, and seats returned. We never will get to 100 percent, but we try :)
And I might have been one of them had I not already had something that moved me farther up and back. You have a fine product and I always recommend that people check it out when they contact me for advice, whether they have short or long inseams.

While I know that you have a 36" inseam like Arn Butt, there still is a big difference for people like us in riding on a seat like Bill's Diamond or my RDL. For people who have the money to spend, these seats are not as cramped as the Wingsoft Large. Some of us just need that extra space.

I am sure that someone will read this and post about how much they love the extra space that the Wingsoft Large gives. For the more than reasonable price you charge and the high customer satisfaction you have, I don't think your business will ever be threatened. :lol:
 
#14 ·
John/Bike Solutions LLC said:
It really doesnt matter what I say, or what others say since seating is a very individual preference.
John
Truer words were never spoken.
I always tell people to get to a rally and start looking around for tall people. Don't be shy; go over and start talking to them. Then find out if they've bought or modified their seat. Now go sit on their bike.
It's remarkable how different all the seats feel.

You're a class act, John. There are too many companies that don't work like you.
 
#15 ·
John/Bike Solutions LLC-

I've been looking for an excuse to take my Goldwing to Austin, besides eating at my cousins restaurant in Georgetown(haven't done that either :( ). I'm only 6' with a 34" inseam, but on very long rides, my knees get stiff and I'm looking for something to help out. I don't have any highway pegs on the bike either. Maybe your seat would help.

Hope to visit you soon.

David
 
#16 ·
Bike Solutions seems to be the most affordable route to go here.

Talked to John - seems like an honest guy - love the fact he can turn it around in one week.

If I can just get 2 inches farther back in the seat I will have it made. Anyone else had Wingsoft do a seat modification specifically to accommodate long legs?

Thanks - what a great forum! 8)

Brian
 
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