Potential Cheap Seat Replacement

[Mark G]

I have a helluva time riding my FJR, due to a nagging broken tailbone, and due to the hard OEM seat...my wife hates the pillion seat, too. Someone on one of the Goldwing forums posted something several weeks ago about a gel cushion they were able to cut to fit, bought for about $20 at Wal-Mart, but not all areas of the country have them. So, I tracked the wholesaler down, and through them found their sole other retail outlet, and got them to put the cushions on their web site(s).

It's called the Ultimate Relaxation Laboratories Cushion, or something almost like that. I've ordered four of the cushions, with the intention of cutting the OEM seat down to insert the gel cushions under the seat cover, flattening the pillion seat in the process, and leaving a cutout for my tailbone on my seat. I'll report on the results after performing the surgery. In the meantime, if you have butt pain problems and want to try it yourself, check with the local Wal-Mart (the region Austin, Texas, is in does not have them, and cannot order them). Shipping cost for buying a single cushion from the retail site is pretty high...about $12 to Austin.

Here's a copy of the post I put on the Wing forum:

FINALLY, I've gotten the online source lined up for these cushions. There are two ways to order them.

You can go to this web page and scroll down and find the individual cushions for $21.00 plus shipping, which may run the cost up by as much as half...they're apparently heavy: https://tinyurl.com/yaoggt

OR, you can order four at once from the same people, but through their wholesale outlet, which is what I did, four for just under $80, including shipping. I intend to make replacement seats for my FJR with two of them, and have no idea what I'll do with the other two, as I have no objection to the stock GL seat.

The wholesale web site is www.vr3wholesale.com. You'll see "Ultimate Comfort Seat Cushion" over on the left, click on it, and you can order the four-cushion minimum.

I hope this helps those who like me can't find them in local Wal-Marts.

If you live in or near Austin, Texas, and want one, I really don't think I'll need all four, and will be happy to pass one on at my cost...I don't want to go to the trouble of shipping them. I should have them by the end of next week.

 

[shokdimn]

Mark,

Have you seen one of those cushions up close and personal? I saw what might be the same thread on the Wing forum. So, I went over to wally-world to check em out. The one I looked at sort-of looked like a large waffle and its consistency was that of a very soft flexible rubber with vertical walls that offered very little support. Maybe I looked at the wrong cushion, because there didn’t seem to be a gel reservoir in it. Hope it turns out to be the solution you’re looking for, but it wasn’t for me.

However, they did have a combo seat & backrest cushion for automobiles that was made of a “memory type of foam” that I’m going to give a try. Will probably get one of those this weekend. I’ve custom sculpted my seat to suit my shape. But even after trying several different type of cushioning materials, I’ve yet to find one that provides any thing like what I consider long-distance riding comfort. I always wind up using the cushion my wife made for me placed on top of my seat. Hopefully, that memory foam cushion will resolve the issue for me.

Hope you’ve found the solution you’re looking for.

shokdimn :bike:

 

[MCRIDER007]

I have a helluva time riding my FJR, due to a nagging broken tailbone, and due to the hard OEM seat...my wife hates the pillion seat, too. Someone on one of the Goldwing forums posted something several weeks ago about a gel cushion they were able to cut to fit, bought for about $20 at Wal-Mart, but not all areas of the country have them.

I bought one of the cushions after reading about it on a GL1800 forum and am very impressed but it is not a gel cushion. Its made of a very soft rubber that is flat on one side an a waffle pattern on the other side. It is very easy to custom fit to a seat because the rubber can be easily cut with sissors. The cushion works very well on a GL1800 or any other seat that you sit very upright and put all your weight on your rear but adds about a half inch to the seat height. I don't know if it would work as well on a FJR since the FJR's seating position puts the weight further forward but it is certainly worth a try if you are having painful tailbone problems. One of my friends uses the cushion on a V-Strom to relieve the pressure on his inner thighs.

 

[Mark G]

I called it a gel cushion because that's what they call it....

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

You usually get what you pay for. Ask all the riders what they do when they put the miles on. most go to a custom seat after farting around with all the fixes that are temporary.

 

[shokdimn]

Well put fjrvtx.

You usually get what you pay for. most go to a custom seat after farting around with all the fixes that are temporary.

I’m probably gonna get a RDL with backrest. Question is, whether I order one this winter or maybe put it off until Aug 07 then take a long tour and go for a ride in.

shokdimn :bike:

 

[Mark G]

You usually get what you pay for. Ask all the riders what they do when they put the miles on. most go to a custom seat after farting around with all the fixes that are temporary.

Agreed...however, this is a quick, cheap fix for me...to test my tailbone pressure theory. If it works, but not perfectly, I'll be able to tell the Russell folks exactly what I want. I was able to resolve the problem on the Goldwing by simply cutting out a small area where the coccyx rests...no zillion dollar seat needed.

What I specifically intend is to flatten both seats on the FJR, add the cushions, and have a coccyx cutout. The raised rear of the pillion seat throws my wife's pelvis out of whack, making the seat very uncomfortable for her.

Go on, make your pelvis whack jokes while you have the chance.

 

[chornbe]

You usually get what you pay for. Ask all the riders what they do when they put the miles on. most go to a custom seat after farting around with all the fixes that are temporary.

Agreed...however, this is a quick, cheap fix for me...to test my tailbone pressure theory. If it works, but not perfectly, I'll be able to tell the Russell folks exactly what I want. I was able to resolve the problem on the Goldwing by simply cutting out a small area where the coccyx rests...no zillion dollar seat needed.

What I specifically intend is to flatten both seats on the FJR, add the cushions, and have a coccyx cutout. The raised rear of the pillion seat throws my wife's pelvis out of whack, making the seat very uncomfortable for her.

Go on, make your pelvis whack jokes while you have the chance.

The biggest problem I had with the '06 stock seat was the change in foam densities and the rather abrupt cut off as the sides dropped off. That line there always dug into my thighs. That was really *the* complaint.

The new corbins are comfy and all-day rideable. The heat helps, too.

 

[kindofblue]

Mark,
Have you seen one of those cushions up close and personal? I saw what might be the same thread on the Wing forum. So, I went over to wally-world to check em out. The one I looked at sort-of looked like a large waffle and its consistency was that of a very soft flexible rubber with vertical walls that offered very little support. Maybe I looked at the wrong cushion, because there didn’t seem to be a gel reservoir in it. Hope it turns out to be the solution you’re looking for, but it wasn’t for me.

However, they did have a combo seat & backrest cushion for automobiles that was made of a “memory type of foam” that I’m going to give a try. Will probably get one of those this weekend. I’ve custom sculpted my seat to suit my shape. But even after trying several different type of cushioning materials, I’ve yet to find one that provides any thing like what I consider long-distance riding comfort. I always wind up using the cushion my wife made for me placed on top of my seat. Hopefully, that memory foam cushion will resolve the issue for me.

Hope you’ve found the solution you’re looking for.

shokdimn :bike:

shokdimn, What department was the seat cushion in? I asked about a gel seat in the auto/hunting department last time I was at Satan, er, Wally World. They looked at me like I was from another planet. Thanks.

 

[shokdimn]

Automotive area. They were in a kind of “specialty items” section on the lowest shelf. The section had floor jacks, novelty lighting, pressure wash wands, and other things like that.

The seat MarkG was referring to isn’t a gel seat. It’s more like spongy rubber. Imagine a flat piece of rubber appx. 1/16” thick with an open waffle pattern about 1” deep extending underneath and attached to the flat piece. Then that piece (the cushion) is encased in a sheath (perforated I think). It has a cross sectional area about the size of a large tablemat.

 

[Mark G]

They're branded "Ultimate Relaxation Laboratories" cushions. Many WalMarts will not carry them. For instance, no Texas WalMarts have them.

I should receive the ones I ordered in the next day or two, and hope to work on modifying one this weekend. Regardless of my success, I'll try to figure out how to post photos.

EDIT: damn, I took the bike up the freeway in rush hour today to the shop to get the instrument cluster thing replaced and my tailbone hurt so much I was shaky by the time I got there...about 40 minutes. If I can't get the seat fixed, I'm going to have to give up and sell the bike.

 

[painman]

You can always use...Pudgee which is a memory type foam that is now used to replace the use of gel pads. This is used in military fighter jets seating and on the space shuttle for maxium comfort. And does not heat up as much as gel. Sculp the base foam then apply the pudgee on top and cover. The .5" is best and the discount material is about half price because it might have minor imperfections and is slightly denser but works just as well. Good luck and hope you solve the backside issue. PM. <><

 

[Mark G]

You can always use...Pudgee which is a memory type foam that is now used to replace the use of gel pads. This is used in military fighter jets seating and on the space shuttle for maxium comfort. And does not heat up as much as gel. Sculp the base foam then apply the pudgee on top and cover. The .5" is best and the discount material is about half price because it might have minor imperfections and is slightly denser but works just as well. Good luck and hope you solve the backside issue. PM. <><

Thanks for the link, PM. Interesting stuff. Not sure it would solve my problem, but it would be worth a shot if the other cushions don't work.

The problem with a broken tailbone is ANY pressure on it causes pain, which is why the many "solutions" on the market all have a cutout for that area. The Pudgee cushion might work, but I'm thinking it would require a cutout, and be thick enough that when it compresses it doesn't allow the tailbone to come into contact with the underlying foam.

Russell, by the way, says "oh, yeah,, we do that all the time" regarding putting a cutout in their seats for coccyxipital problem children.

There are two issues, I think, with the FJR versus, say the Goldwing. The seat angle is one, and the foot position is the other. What is normally a reasonably comfortable foot position (FJR) forces a slight rotation of the pelvic girdle, bringing the coccyx into closer contact with the seat, which in medical terms is called an "owee."

I did cut out the OEM cushion, and it did help, a lot, but not completely, with the coccyx pain, but 400 miles on it made the rest of my butt very unhappy. The new cushion idea is aimed at solving both problems.

 

[Mark G]

I finally received the cushions described here, and performed surgery on my seat yesterday. I rode two hundred miles today, and the good news is, the waffle-y cushion is better than the OEM foam.

Two hundred miles is usually not much of a ride for me. A four hundred mile day on the FJR leaves my butt tired, but the next day, yeow it hurts to saddle up again. I'm confident this modification will allow me to do longer rides without discomfort, on successive days...except that the broken tailbone deal is no better...very discouraging.

As I said in my original post on this thread, I stole this idea from a Goldwing forum, but those guys are just cutting the cushion and tossing it atop the OEM seat.

As you can see from the photos, I took the electric knife to the seat, cut out a relatively even piece, and fitted a portion of the waffle cushion in its place. At first it felt sort of squishy, but after just a few miles I didn't notice it.

I left the OEM foam at the edges, thinking it would help the waffle hold its shape better, but I may decide to use a wider piece and let the cushion drape over the outside edge to give a softer ride to my inner thighs...again, if I ever get past the tailbone thing.

A little fine tuning to get the cushion more level will also help comfort. The OEM foam will just lift right off the seat pan from the rear, and you can slide a piece of foam up under it to see if that will help.

In summary, I give this idea a qualified "definitely worth a try" if you're ready to give up and buy a custom seat. If it doesn't work, you can still get the custom done. If it does, you've got money to spend on other farkles.

The cushions are sold at SOME Walmarts around the country. I've included a photo of the package label, as well as a closeup of the UPC code, but if they don't have it in the store, it's unlikely they can get it.

I did manage to convince the wholesaler to offer the products to the public via their retail site: https://tinyurl.com/y8sntn

Scroll down to the "Ultimate Comfort Seat Cushion." Shipping is sort of high for a single item.

If you want to order four, you can get four delivered for under eighty bucks through their wholesale outlet: https://tinyurl.com/yxj5tq

They call them "gel" cushions, but they're not.

Cut the cushion with a pair of scissors, that works easier than a knife.

I'm on the verge of giving up and putting the bike up for sale, but it's because of the tailbone fracture, not this seat mod...this seat mod would be great if I hadn't been so clumsy as to slip and fall at the gym...almost seven months ago, and it still hurts like hell.

Hope this information is of some use to someone. I live in Austin, Texas, and have a couple of the cushions I'll likely not use. I won't ship them, but if you're in the neighborhood....

One final note: the OEM foam on my seat looks like it's got cancer...that's due to an earlier surgery trying to get a tailbone cutout to work, which didn't, then gluing the cut out pieces back. Pay no attention.

The thumbnails are clickable: