Subject: RE: Review - Police Solo Seat
Author: Robert Hawkes
Date: Jun 2, 2005, 3:59 PM
Post ID: 1718964508
Greg et al, and if I may suggest using closed cell foam, regardless of
density as this would be less likely to remain wet in the rain. Bob Hawkes
-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Bender [mailto:gr-@thisoldtractor.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 6:57 AM
To: Loopfram-@topica.com
Subject: Review - Police Solo Seat
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I promised to write a few words about the Police Solo Seat that I
purchased from Mark Etheridge and used on the trip up to the National
Rally...
http://www.motoguzziclassics.com/MGCParts2.asp
1. The look - What can I say? I think solo seats accentuate the lines of
the loops and look cool. Personally, I like the police solo better than
the springer solo seat. It is all personal preferance, of course.
2. The price - $250 may seem like a lot until you start pricing out the
cost of having your existing seat redone by some of the big - or even
little - names out there (or the price of any little thing that has the
BMW name stamped on it :>). I think it is fair and reasonable, this day
in age.
3. The quality - The pan is made of fiberglass and is very sturdy. It
didn't seem to flex at all when I sat on it. Also, the rearmost studs
that secure the seat just above the toolboxes are embedded well and did
not seem like they would strip out. I certainly didn't torque them down
super tight - but my seat isn't going anywhere, either. Paul Linn
recommended that I put a couple of rubber washers between the fiberglass
and the frame at the rear mounting points...just to keep the glass from
wearing on the frame - I'll be doing this. The front-most securing tabs
lined up perfectly with the holes in the tube and the securing bolt went
right through. The cover comes from the hyde of the endangered Nauga
animal (or some other vinyl) and looks very nice to me. It is secured
with actual stitches - rather than being embossed onto a preformed piece
of naugahyde. This does mean that water can get into the needle holes
during the rain. While riding, this was not a problem. After the rains
at the rally, some water did get into the foam. It didn't seem like very
much, though, and wasn't an issue. Perhaps there is a product I can wipe
on that will have a tendency to fill the needle holes and help further?
Paste wax even???
4. The comfort - I find this seat much more comfortable than my worn-out
dual seat. I think two things contribute to this (a) The shape of the
pan is wider and more ergonomically correct for the gluteous maximus (b)
The foam used is a lot better than the worn-out foam on my old dual
seat. When I first got the seat, I road it around for about 50 miles or
so and was quite satisfied. On the trip up to the Nats, I straped my
gear in such a way that it would provide me with a little back rest
behind the seat. I thought that this would be more comfortable. In the
end, I found that - for me - it didn't work. The back rest kept me in
one position and had a tendency to push me forward on the seat. On the
iron butt trip home, I packed everything so that I had plenty of room to
move around and no back rest whatsoever. This was the key for me. I
never felt myself sliding forward AND I never remember consciously
moving around on the saddle much. Paul Linn and I had been thinking
about ways to raise the front of the seat...but I don't think I'll need
to do that anymore.
5. Room for improvement - There is only one area that I would modify
with the seat: foam density. Even though I road all the way home on the
seat (and my butt wasn't sore), I think the foam needs to be more dense
(stiffer, harder). This is coming from my 230 pound body. Mark is aware
of this issue and is struggling to obtain the higher density foams he
wants to use. Mark, if you ever get that foam - let me know and I'll
send my seat back in to be re-worked.
Finally, as with all things having to do with YOUR backside, your
mileage may vary. As for me, I'm quite happy with the police solo seat.
P.S. Mark Etheridge correctly guessed that my rear luggage rack came
from a Honda CT 90. I'll post pictures once I adjust the final mounting
angle.
Regards,
Greg Bender
1971 Ambassador
2000 Quota
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender
Florida MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/fl_mgnoc
Minnesota MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/mn_mgnoc
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