Road Zeppelin seat

[Boom]

I've had my RZ seat (3 buttons left side rider pad) for 4+ years now. It's developed a leak on rider pad. Won't hold air for long. I know the pump is good. Don't know status of passenger pad. I'd like to get it repaired. I guess I'd have to take it to dealer and let them send it out for repair(?).
GaryD, I think you had that issue a couple years back. How'd that process work out for you?

 

[GARYD]

That's the only way the OEM will accept your seat. You can't send it to them directly. I wasn't 100% happy, but what else can you do. I don't remember the exact amount, but lets say $40. They want that even before they know what has to be repaired. Then the charge you for the repair.
They wired the switches backwards on mine. I asked if they would credit me the $40 if I just accepted it as is and save them the money for sending it back and re-repairing it. They said "NOPE we don't do credits-take it or leave it". So I sent it back - it had to have cost them more then the $40.
Oh well "Stupid is what stupid does"

It's been working fine since. ThumbUp

The dealer can give you the cost list if you want to know what it will cost.

Good luck.

 

[Boom]

Just took my seat into the dealer. The warranty person was clueless what to do with it since they never had this before. After researching service bulletins, she found the place (Milsco) in Milwaukee that gave her instructions. I paid for shipping ($16) and Milsco is supposed to call me directly with repair details. It's worth it to me even if the repair is a little over a hundred bucks. Only problem, I can't ride for a few weeks. I guess it pays to save your OEM stuff. Maybe I'll be researching Ebay for a cheap stock seat!

 

[GARYD]

Don't worry - it will be over $100 before you're done, but what else ya gonna do? I'm surprised they didn't charge you the ($40 ?) diagnosis fee before sending it in. They did to me.

I save all my OEM stuff - mufflers, seat, lights, covers. You never know.

 

[j79phan]

My Zeppelin thigh zone developed a leak at about 14 months old.
Cost of repair and shipping was $258. Not happy!
Have about 6,500 miles on repair, but still fret over the possibility of it failing again 1,500+ miles from home.
Brought an Airhawk R with me on my last trip in case of another failure.
Vinyl seats are hot. Might try the beads.

 

[GARYD]

I bought the beaded seat pad specifically for my SS1000 ride last month. I was always skeptical about them, but now I'm a firm believer in them. ThumbUp ThumbUp ThumbUp

Almost completely eliminated my sciatica pain....not all but most.....that alone is worth the price, plus it keeps the "boys" cool and doesn't smell and look ratty after it rains.

 

[Boom]

My Zeppelin thigh zone developed a leak at about 14 months old.
Cost of repair and shipping was $258. Not happy!
Have about 6,500 miles on repair, but still fret over the possibility of it failing again 1,500+ miles from home.

Just got call from Milsco on my RZ seat. It will be over $200 + shipping for bladders and switch. Hope this lasts. Just bought a cheap eBay stock seat that will keep me riding 'til it returns. Will keep cheap seat just in case. :Shrug:

 

[j79phan]

I bought the beaded seat pad specifically for my SS1000 ride last month. I was always skeptical about them, but now I'm a firm believer in them. ThumbUp ThumbUp ThumbUp

Almost completely eliminated my sciatica pain....not all but most.....that alone is worth the price, plus it keeps the "boys" cool and doesn't smell and look ratty after it rains.

Mostly looking for the extra ventilation.
Besides for sweat, had a couple mornings on recent trip where a wet seat soaked thru my pants. Took forever to dry.
1,000 mile days are long gone here. Where did you ride?

- - - Updated - - -

Just got call from Milsco on my RZ seat. It will be over $200 + shipping for bladders and switch. Hope this lasts. Just bought a cheap eBay stock seat that will keep me riding 'til it returns. Will keep cheap seat just in case. :Shrug:

Mine had bladders and switches replaced also.
$258 with shipping.

 

[GARYD]

Mostly looking for the extra ventilation.
Besides for sweat, had a couple mornings on recent trip where a wet seat soaked thru my pants. Took forever to dry.
1,000 mile days are long gone here. Where did you ride?

- - - Updated - - -



Mine had bladders and switches replaced also.
$258 with shipping.

I did a Saddlesore 1000 from Denver to Chicago. Just to see if I could do it - - at 71. ThumbUp

 

[NHBAGGER]

So I read all the post and not sure.....will part # 51072-09 fit on a 14 Tri? Looks like there is a new part # 52000201.
Also, on the 51072-09 model do you find it to put you in the same position as stock?

 

[GARYD]

So I read all the post and not sure.....will part # 51072-09 fit on a 14 Tri? Looks like there is a new part # 52000201.
Also, on the 51072-09 model do you find it to put you in the same position as stock?

51072-09 will fit '14 TG It will sit you just a little closer to the fairing. Seat is wider also.


51072-09 is in the P&A catalog, but 52000201 is not. So ?????

 

[ravenwolf]

All I have to say is WOW. The Road Zeppelin seat I ordered about a month before for my '15 TriGlide on July 29, arrived the day before I left for my 2 week Sturgis trip, and rode it a total of 4,128 miles on that trip. After playing around with the air pressures in the bladders at each gas stop, on day 3 of the trip I seemed to have hit the perfect combination for me, and I never once experienced a sore butt or any discomfort while riding the rest of the trip.

epper:epper:epper:

A lot of the group I was riding with started to take notice to the seat (after complaining of their sore rear ends after a long days ride) and asking questions about it, many were turned off by the price, but for me, it was money well spent! Hands down, one of the better additions to the bike I've done so far! I was skeptical about the seat in the beginning, and was hesitant about spending that kind of money for it, but now I'm glad I did! J.M.H.O.

 

[NHBAGGER]

Any passenger complaints about the seat being 1" higher in back and they pick up more wind?

 

[GARYD]

Haven't heard one complaint. Doesn't mean there isn't any though.
What year TG do you have? I had a '12 and had no problems and now a '14 and I immediately replaced the ridiculously low windshield with a taller one.

 

[NHBAGGER]

Haven't heard one complaint. Doesn't mean there isn't any though.
What year TG do you have? I had a '12 and had no problems and now a '14 and I immediately replaced the ridiculously low windshield with a taller one.

Also have a 14. Not worried about me as much as the passenger. Had a lead on a used one and when we looked at it the guy told her she would be sitting 1" higher and get a lot more wind. She wanted no part of that! I knew the driver seat was higher, wasn't sure about the passenger.

 

[ray6576]

Unique problem

I have a nerve trunk in my right leg that gets irritated and then I need to take pain killers to deal with it. I currently have a stock seat on my 2015 Tri-Glide. I can go about 20 miles on it and then the pain begins. In my wife's Avalon it is about 50 miles and in my Tundra about 100 miles. The difference between the Avalon seat and the Tundra is that the butt part is narrower in the Avalon. How wide is the Road Zeppelin at it's widest point?

 

[GARYD]

Ray, I have the same problem. My sciatia nerve is unbearable on my right leg. Only when I'm riding and at no other time. It's getting worse as the years pile up. The RZ seat helps a lot - not as much as the older RZ seat that had the center bladder - that one worked like a charm - the new one not so much, but still better then a static seat any day. This year I did a Saddlesore 1000 so I bought a beaded seat pad to see if that would help even more. Believe it or not it did help a bit - I didn't shift as much as I did without it.
Bottom line is I don't think ANY seat will eliminate the leg pain. All you can do is get a seat that will hold off the pain a little longer and I believe the RZ does exactly that by changing the pressure points that a static seat just can't do.

I've tried the gel pad and the Airhawk pad and neither one is as good as the RZ seat.....for me. Some others swear by them.

Good luck.

 

[ray6576]

Thank you for the comments this is what I needed to know. I will be trying one out when wife's arm heals.

Ray, I have the same problem. My sciatia nerve is unbearable on my right leg. Only when I'm riding and at no other time. It's getting worse as the years pile up. The RZ seat helps a lot - not as much as the older RZ seat that had the center bladder - that one worked like a charm - the new one not so much, but still better then a static seat any day. This year I did a Saddlesore 1000 so I bought a beaded seat pad to see if that would help even more. Believe it or not it did help a bit - I didn't shift as much as I did without it.
Bottom line is I don't think ANY seat will eliminate the leg pain. All you can do is get a seat that will hold off the pain a little longer and I believe the RZ does exactly that by changing the pressure points that a static seat just can't do.

I've tried the gel pad and the Airhawk pad and neither one is as good as the RZ seat.....for me. Some others swear by them.

Good luck.

 

[Postal Trucker]

Ray, check with your local dealer and see if they have the Demo seat to try before you buy.

 

[GARYD]

You mean they took that off too?? First Harley took of the saddlebag guards, then the front fender bling, then the CB and now the accessory plug. What's next the auxiliary lights? :AGGHH:

The thing they took of that I miss the most was the CD player. I have hundreds and hundreds of CD's. Now I have to buy and copy over to mp3 cards and thumb drives. Bummer!

 

[Zammy]

I was getting the 'numb butt' syndrome after about an hour in the saddle with the stock setup so we decided to try some different seats. After trying the Sundowner seat, it was OK for me but the Misses disliked it a lot, next up was the Hammock seat and it fit both us pretty good with no ill effects after about 2 hours.

Our dealership didn't have one of the new style Zeppelins for demo but ordered one for us to try, BINGO! We bought the harness to hook it up and went for a ride, spent about a 1/2 day in the saddle, went back to the shop and signed on the dotted line for it, it's been a couple of weeks now and we love it. The only problem is now that we're sitting several inches higher the wind is bothering both of us a lot, the wife is taking a beating when we hit the free-way.

Got the butt comfort just right and now we're going to look at some different windshields to solve the other problem, it's a never ending circle isn't it, lol.

 

[NHBAGGER]

The height difference is the one thing that held me back.. We don't want to be any higher up.

 

[hARLEY jOE]

I was getting the 'numb butt' syndrome after about an hour in the saddle with the stock setup so we decided to try some different seats. After trying the Sundowner seat, it was OK for me but the Misses disliked it a lot, next up was the Hammock seat and it fit both us pretty good with no ill effects after about 2 hours.

Our dealership didn't have one of the new style Zeppelins for demo but ordered one for us to try, BINGO! We bought the harness to hook it up and went for a ride, spent about a 1/2 day in the saddle, went back to the shop and signed on the dotted line for it, it's been a couple of weeks now and we love it. The only problem is now that we're sitting several inches higher the wind is bothering both of us a lot, the wife is taking a beating when we hit the free-way.

Got the butt comfort just right and now we're going to look at some different windshields to solve the other problem, it's a never ending circle isn't it, lol.

We put wind deflectors on our '13, and are about to put a set on our '15, along with the fork baffle. Went with the chrome deflectors this time.

We both think it cuts down on the wind buffeting. I've also put on a ClockWerks windshield, I think that helps too. It is available in different heights. You want to be able to see just over it. The combination works very well for us.

The wife also lets some of the air out of her seat at high speed on the freeway, so she sits down more behind me. The rest of the time she like the bladder almost fully inflated so she can see over me better.

Link for the wind deflectors/baffle: www.street-glide.com

 

[Fearless]

Recurve windshield

I was getting the 'numb butt' syndrome after about an hour in the saddle with the stock setup so we decided to try some different seats. After trying the Sundowner seat, it was OK for me but the Misses disliked it a lot, next up was the Hammock seat and it fit both us pretty good with no ill effects after about 2 hours.

Our dealership didn't have one of the new style Zeppelins for demo but ordered one for us to try, BINGO! We bought the harness to hook it up and went for a ride, spent about a 1/2 day in the saddle, went back to the shop and signed on the dotted line for it, it's been a couple of weeks now and we love it. The only problem is now that we're sitting several inches higher the wind is bothering both of us a lot, the wife is taking a beating when we hit the free-way.

Got the butt comfort just right and now we're going to look at some different windshields to solve the other problem, it's a never ending circle isn't it, lol.

Switch to a recurve windshield you probably won't need higher they just work so much better.

 

[jc1300]

:AGGHH:

The thing they took of that I miss the most was the CD player. I have hundreds and hundreds of CD's. Now I have to buy and copy over to mp3 cards and thumb drives. Bummer!

I just bought a 64 Gig Thumb Drive for $25.95....So much easier than fumbling with the CD's....Just my opinion

 

[GARYD]

I will always prefer a CD over a thumb drive. Thank god both my cars still have a CD players.

 

[HDB0B]

My dealer had the correct pig tail to plug in the road Zeppelin seat to my 2014 when I did my demo.
My wife (rear seat) found my portion way too wide for her comfort .... and I found it too high for mine.

Bob orag: