Seat cushions

[OldNick]

Trike noob. Maybe 500Km ridden.

On the advice of bikers with Valkyries, I invested in a couple of AirHawk air seat cushions. I have not tried out the pillion yet, but I am not comfortable with the my rider cushion.

On corners, I felt a bit "loose" and slippy. Take the cushion off and I was back in contact, feeling a lot more secure. I rode the same troad with and without and I reckon it was worth 10kph on a corner to be on the seat
.

Even when I really deflated the cushion (sat on it and opened the valve) and it still did not feel right and slippy.

My feeling is that on a bike, they work fine, because you lean the bike and the side force is a HEAP less, so the cushion works. On the trike, the two surfaces are forced to move, making it feel a bit insecure.

I would be interested to hear others' experiences. Same thing? Got better as you got used to it?

Nick

 

[mhgoldwing]

I have the Airhawk R and yes, on tight turns it can feel a little loose. But, the tradeoff is I can ride two more hours without my butt killing me so the trade off is worth it to me. I haven't fallen off yet. :qpnmt:

If I ever decide to have a custom seat built I will go to Tom Simmons and have him build one of his "trike" seats for me. http://tscustomseats.com/gpage.html

Tom is one of the few true custom seat builders left.

 

[Sunman]

I have an Airhawk R cushion. I have tried it several times. Tried a lot of air and a little air but overall I just didn't like it. Just took it off the trike yesterday and went back to the seat only. Even when I had it on my 2 wheeler I still didn't like it. Had a sheepskin cover on several bike and overall it was good but I recently put a Mustang Seat on my Freewheeler and now I just ride sitting on the seat.

Perth is one of my favorite places in the world. Spent a lot of time there in the 90's and early 2000's working in the oilfield.

Sunman

 

[tfdeputydawg]

Are you guys pushing down on your outside foot in corners to counteract the forces that want to pull you off the trike???
Takes a little time to train yourself how much force to exert for any given corner or speed. But it soon becomes automatic. Good idea for passengers to practice this also!

 

[mhgoldwing]

Are you guys pushing down on your outside foot in corners to counteract the forces that want to pull you off the trike???

Takes a little time to train yourself how much force to exert for any given corner or speed. But it soon becomes automatic. Good idea for passengers to practice this also!

Yep. I live and ride in the Arkansas twisties so I'm used to cornering. guess that's why the little bit of "loose" doesn't bother me at all. I still feel firmly planted.

 

[DPK]

I have the Airhawk R and yes, on tight turns it can feel a little loose. But, the tradeoff is I can ride two more hours without my butt killing me so the trade off is worth it to me. I haven't fallen off yet. :qpnmt:

If I ever decide to have a custom seat built I will go to Tom Simmons and have him build one of his "trike" seats for me. http://tscustomseats.com/gpage.html

Tom is one of the few true custom seat builders left.

I've had a Tom Simmons seat for 18 months & 12,000 miles. I couldn't be happier. Tom spent hours with me at his shop getting the seat just right.

My my seat is 4 1/2" high which lets me keep my knees in a relatively straight stance and it has a fabric cover with the Valkyrie embossed on the back support. It is as comfortable as a favorite barstool. The fabric is top quality, repels water, is cool, and keeps you from sliding around.

The seat is expensive, but well worth it's price. I've gone more than 800 miles in a day on it with very little discomfort seat-wise. Shoulders, though, were another matter not related to the seat.

If if you want to significantly lower your foot pegs, Call Tom. He's a really nice guy who will do whatever you need to make the seat just the way it best works for you.

Dan

 

[OldNick]

I have the Airhawk R and yes, on tight turns it can feel a little loose. But, the tradeoff is I can ride two more hours without my butt killing me so the trade off is worth it to me. I haven't fallen off yet. :qpnmt:

If I ever decide to have a custom seat built I will go to Tom Simmons and have him build one of his "trike" seats for me. http://tscustomseats.com/gpage.html

Tom is one of the few true custom seat builders left.

OK. Vote #1. Worth the tradeoff. Not being snide. As you say I did not fall off and maybe I need to gtet used to it the way I am getting used to riding a trike.

I am half a world away from all these seat makers...this one...and Russell . Those seats look truly .....hate to say...luscious.

All I have had locally is a mob that remodel your seat, and they just said my requiremnts were more than they did to seats. Meh!

 

[OldNick]

OK. Thanks guys

DPK. Interesting that you talk of "lowering" the pegs...I assume you mean by raising the seat? I do know that Ifeel that my legs are too long and I would like to either take them down or forward. Obviously raising the seat would help. If it is rtaising tyher seat, does the height alter your feeling of security?

Just wish I could find an Ausie seat maker with a bike/trike rep. I am almost at the point where I would spend the thousands to get this right, as much for my pillion as for me.

Sunman, why did you not like the Airhawk even on a bike?

tfdeputydawg Yeah I am working on pushing with my feet as well. I feel the need to alter the Valk pegs, they do not encourage pushing on them! They are very short and the right one has your foot only half on it.

 

[DK Custom Products]

I've been using an airhawk for years...I do remember the slippy feeling when I first got it....but because it was so much more comfortable I stuck with it.

Now I don't notice it at all, and I do not believe it inhibits my riding at all.

Here's a run thru the Dragon and, as always, I am sitting on the airhawk.



Kevin

 

[OldNick]

OK they have a 60 day payback satisfaction warranty, so I will keep trying. I have to admit they are comfortable.

Nick

 

[Sunman]

OK. Thanks guys

Sunman, why did you not like the Airhawk even on a bike? Quote]

It just didn't feel right. Can't really put my finger on any one thing. It was best with minimal air in it but after several tries I always went back to the Sheepskin cover or just sitting on the seat.

Sunman

 

[OldNick]

OK. Thanks guys

Sunman, why did you not like the Airhawk even on a bike? Quote]

It just didn't feel right. Can't really put my finger on any one thing. It was best with minimal air in it but after several tries I always went back to the Sheepskin cover or just sitting on the seat.

Sunman

OK. Thanks man. I am still trying cushion, sheepskin and seat.Today, surprisingly, I actually put _more_ air oin the Airhawk and it felt better.This was like, more air than ...none...basically. But I can see that it just may not suit.

So far the trike has tried my body more than a bike ever did...but then I was younger as well....

 

[Sunman]

[QUOTESo far the trike has tried my body more than a bike ever did...but then I was younger as well....

Know what you mean. This is my second trike, bought it a year ago. Had a GL1800 with a MotorTrike conversion 5 years ago but I wasn't ready for a trike so I went back to 2 wheels. Finally about 1-1/2 years ago my wife pretty much quit riding on 2 wheels so I traded my Victory Cross Country Tour for a Freewheeler. She says she really enjoys riding on it so I guess I am happy. Actually, after a year on it I am pretty well adjusted to the fact that a trike is pretty much it for me from now on unless she quits riding totally. Then I may go back to 2 wheels. I have a 1979 Harley in the garage that I may get up and running again just so I will have 2 wheels to get out on.

Sunman

 

[OldNick]

OK. Different story from mine. I gave up bikes years ago when I had too many meetings with hard steel and the road and such, and simply got scared and untrusting. To me the trike ride is not secondary to a bike ride, but a new experience that I love. To me it's just that pushing the bars is more work than leaning the bike and a whole new feeling.

I have to say that I probably would have kept riding bikes (kept riding after 2 total writeoffs in 3 months) in spite of the prangs, but the wife was not happy on a bike, so yeah we share that.

 

[jredman]

Same, here, have had mine for year and I cannot ride without it. It takes some time to get used to it and get your air set just right. I could not sit on the stock seat for more than 30 minutes and my butt would be completely numb and I had to get off. With the Airhawk R, I can ride 10 hours a day with no problem. But I do have to shift around a bit, cannot sit in just one spot.

 

[OldNick]

Yeah I had a ride yesterday and put more air in the cushion and it felt better and more stable...shrug. Horses for courses I guess. Keep trying. It is comfortable.

 

[driver10]

+1 on Tom Simmons seats :clapping:

 

[Fireeater]

I have tried the air cushions, air cushions with sheepskin, and a wal-mart cushion with and without sheepskin. All with the same results. Can't ride longer then 1 hour either way. I do not feel it slipping though.

I am waiting on Tom's magic touch seat to arrive in the mail as we speak. Tom Simmons and Russell's Day Long were my 2 choices after all else failed, and Tom won. Am waiting to see if I made the right decision. :xzqxz:

 

[DPK]

I have tried the air cushions, air cushions with sheepskin, and a wal-mart cushion with and without sheepskin. All with the same results. Can't ride longer then 1 hour either way. I do not feel it slipping though.

I am waiting on Tom's magic touch seat to arrive in the mail as we speak. Tom Simmons and Russell's Day Long were my 2 choices after all else failed, and Tom won. Am waiting to see if I made the right decision. :xzqxz:

It it will be worth the wait. The seat becomes more and more comfortable as you use it. It takes about 2000 miles for it to conform to your butt. Do not let anyone else to use it during this time

Tom raised my seat about 3" and I installed floorboards & lowered them another 3" below the original peg location.

These mods don't cause me any insecurity cornering. In fact it helps. Squeezing the tank with my legs and / or shifting weight is more effective with your legs in a more straight position. The reason bike seats are so low and require legs bent at the knee is to enable the rider to enable the rider to put down feet to hold up the bike. This is not a consideration with a trike.

A fair air description of what I have done is to make riding my trike very similar to riding a horse.

I will post some pics of what I've done after Christmas.

Dan

 

[DPK]

I'm trying to post pics to this thread. I can upload to the pic file manager but cannot drag to bottom area.

Ive done it in the past with the iPad I'm using.

Any my help would be appreciated.

Dan

 

[Gorilla]

I'm trying to post pics to this thread. I can upload to the pic file manager but cannot drag to bottom area.

Ive done it in the past with the iPad I'm using.

Any my help would be appreciated.

Dan

The pictures are probably to large to load. You will have to cut down the size then load them.

 

[Phu Cat]

I don't notice a 'sliding off 'sensation as I tend to hold myself in place with my knees as I tend to hotrod a bit (bad habit from my teens).

PC