[Roger]

The seat on my 2017 B5 is so uncomfortable it hurts when I just think about riding.  What's the best option for aftermarket seats on the B5? 

[upintheair]

I just had an upholstery shop lower the front section of my 2015 B5 seat, widen the passenger area by 2 inches, and install gel pads in both areas before recovering.  It made a difference for my bride and my executive figures as we putt around the area. 

[Richard230]

I continue to be surprised when I hear comments about the B5 seat being uncomfortable.  My seat is very cushy and feels like sitting on a sofa. I have 5 other motorcycles and by 2011 Bullet has the most comfortable seat.  Nothing like the seats on my BMW F650GS and my Zero. Both feel like they have wooden planks under the covers. I wonder what happened after my bike was built in early 2011?  (I think that was before production was moved to the new factory.  Could that have had anything to with the change in the seat padding?)   

[Roger]

The 2017 seat is as hard as Chinese arithmetic, but the bad part is the way the pillion end digs into the back/buttock intersection.  I think I have a pair of bruises right below my belt line.

The internet says the Lycett type seats are comfortable.  Can anyone confirm that?

[longstrokeclassic]

I’ve done a couple of 500 mile day trips on my 2015 B5 without any comfort issues as well as day after day after day touring trips so perhaps there have been changes to the under the cover materials used on the latest version that have made it uncomfortable.   
Why not try an earlier seat to see if that’s an improvement or have yours refoamed for better ride comfort.

[mattsz]

The 2017 seat is as hard as Chinese arithmetic, but the bad part is the way the pillion end digs into the back/buttock intersection.  I think I have a pair of bruises right below my belt line.

The internet says the Lycett type seats are comfortable.  Can anyone confirm that?

Roger - I found my 2011 B5 seat just horrible... very hard and unforgiving, and that steep incline really bothered my lower back, just as you say.  When riding on it, I had trouble reading road signs - but my bike was a proper vibrator and made every attempt to shake my fillings loose.  My very first mod was to switch to the lycette copy solo sprung seat; it was the second best thing I did to that bike.

Short thread and a couple pics here: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,15264.msg164021.html#msg164021

I can't vouch for them, but Hitchcocks has a few dual seats purported to fit the B5 that look much better than the OEM block; whether they're more comfortable, I can't say...

For example: http://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Dual-Seat-with-White-Piping/37994

I'd be most curious to check out Richard230's seat in person, as his seems to suit him very well...

[suitcasejefferson]

I have not found my 2013 B5 seat to be really uncomfortable. I have done 300 mile days on it without any serious pain. Of about 50 bikes I've owned in the past 45 years, the most comfortable seat was on a 1996 Goldwing. Unfortunately the footpeg location was not so good. The next most comfortable, and way ahead of everything but the Goldwing, was my 1993 and 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 750s. I still have the 2002, with the stock seat, and 128,000 miles on it. The pegs are in the perfect spot. My XT225 seat is like sitting on the narrow edge of a 2x4. I would rate the B5 seat as considerably better than average for motorcycle seats. Yes, it is on the hard side, but it is also wide and doesn't have sharp edges. And I believe the low frequency vibrations from the Enfield's engine help a bit with comfort. Why do you think they build vibrating chairs and beds?

[Richard230]

Roger - I found my 2011 B5 seat just horrible... very hard and unforgiving, and that steep incline really bothered my lower back, just as you say.  When riding on it, I had trouble reading road signs - but my bike was a proper vibrator and made every attempt to shake my fillings loose.  My very first mod was to switch to the lycette copy solo sprung seat; it was the second best thing I did to that bike.

Short thread and a couple pics here: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,15264.msg164021.html#msg164021

I can't vouch for them, but Hitchcocks has a few dual seats purported to fit the B5 that look much better than the OEM block; whether they're more comfortable, I can't say...

For example: http://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Dual-Seat-with-White-Piping/37994

I'd be most curious to check out Richard230's seat in person, as his seems to suit him very well...

I might add that I only weigh 150 pounds.  Attached are three photos of my seat.  I am probably applying about 10 pounds of pressure to the seat with my hand.

[Roger]

  My very first mod was to switch to the lycette copy solo sprung seat; it was the second best thing I did to that bike.

What was the best thing?   
I think this is the answer I was looking for.

[wildbill]

probably sold the bike
now if I had that problem which I did last year when I bought the new Kawasaki versys x300 I would just do this.
open the seat up and cut out the hard foam and replace it with more bum friendly foam. I hacked it out of the Kawasaki really good and the ride quality improved tremendously 
may have slightly butchered it too but that's life!....LOL .
but you get the idea.

https://youtu.be/hcYkv7dbYbg

[mattsz]

probably sold the bike

[heloego]

I can vouch for the Lycette copy, too.I've been from Albuquerque to Aurora, CO 3 times so far, and each trip with only one overnight each way. I've been very satisfied with it. 

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

tbh, I'm not that keen on the shape.

But I'm in the same ball park as Richard230 and I find it really comfortable. More than my GPz and I thought that was comfortable at first but after an hour or so I ache all over. Over the same distance on my 2012 B5 the only thing that slightly ached was my shoulders.

[Roger]

There's an Indian Lycett reproduction on its way from Hitchcock's.  I guess if I don't like it I'll be cutting on the stock foam.

[suitcasejefferson]

150 pounds? That makes me 90 pounds heavier than you. Maybe being overweigh does have some advantages. Do they actually make a bolt on replacement seat for the B5 besides stock? My B5 is dark green, and I'm considering going the brown route with the seat, grips, and saddlebags if I can find some that fit properly. My local upholstery shop can recover the seat, even in real leather if I can afford it.