Looking for opinions of the MeanCityCydles seat mods.......

[old new biker]

I have a Suzuki Boulevard M50, and, like most other owners, have found the seat to be, shall we say, less than stellar.

I like the bike a lot, but something has to be done about this seat. New after market seats are simply too expensive, and I am not sure that I could mod it on my own, without ruining it.

I have heard some good things about the mods that MeanCityCycles does, and their prices are very affordable as well. I am a big guy, and am looking to get the double decker mod.

Would any of you that have had your seat modded by them, please weight in here and share your experience? I do not want to go to the trouble of sending in my seat, and waiting for 3 or 4 weeks to get it back, only to find that there is very little change.

The fact that he is backed up this long, seems to be a positive sign, as he must have a lot of seats to do.

Standing by for opinions..............
ONB

[tallannie]

... yeah, ok... I guess I should come clean for the sake of my fellows on this board.

I have the highest regard for Allen and his business ethics... as he made two tries at modifying my C50 seat and they both, honestly, made little difference to my seat comfort. He did the second (his heavy person mod) for free and paid for shipping even! In order to spare his feelings ( a female predisposition ) I let it be known that I was happy with the final result... but now with this prompting, I must say I wasn't. My tailbone issues were about the same ...after 50 to 75 miles I would experience real pain ...even to the point of sciatic nerve issues starting up.

I have since tried a gel seat (helps a little), made my own bubblewrap aircushion (terrible), and finally bought an Airhawk. The Airhawk is the ONLY thing that has really helped me. I now routinely make long rides and dont feel ANYthing painful in my tush. I just did two rides... 145 miles and 177 miles last week... and I walked away pain free each time.

I will say I am a tall and heavy person. I know that the C50 is a bit cramped for me... and I see that the airhawk moved me up and allowed me to sit back further some...and this may be what really made the difference?

Like you, I know that Allen's meancitycycles product helps a lot of folks...maybe smaller stature folks?....no question.

There...got it off my chest...thanks...

Annie

[old new biker]

Wrong Thread

[old new biker]

Come on, someone has to have some experience with these seat mods..........

[hndrx1223]

Well I shipped my c50 06’ seat a couple weeks ago. I just got a call from Allen @ meancitycycles and my seat is complete. The seat was going to be shipped today and I should receive my newly seat mod sometime in a week since I live on the west coast (So. Cal)
I purchased the Double pad b/c I’m roughly 6-2’ and 250+, the total price w/ shipping back to me was around $150.00 but that was for the double foam I ordered.
This will be my last ditch effort b/c I can barely ride 50+ miles after my butt bone starts cramping. If this seat mod does not help then I must shell out the big bucks for a Mustang seat…
“Old New Biker” I will keep you posted but give me a week or so. I will give you complete details of my experience w/ my seat mod.
FYI, buy a replacement seat from eBay b/c I bought one for $25 bucks and was able to ride while other seat being modified…

HNDRX1223

[old new biker]

Originally Posted by hndrx1223

Well I shipped my c50 06’ seat a couple weeks ago. I just got a call from Allen @ meancitycycles and my seat is complete. The seat was going to be shipped today and I should receive my newly seat mod sometime in a week since I live on the west coast (So. Cal)
I purchased the Double pad b/c I’m roughly 6-2’ and 250+, the total price w/ shipping back to me was around $150.00 but that was for the double foam I ordered.
This will be my last ditch effort b/c I can barely ride 50+ miles after my butt bone starts cramping. If this seat mod does not help then I must shell out the big bucks for a Mustang seat…
“Old New Biker” I will keep you posted but give me a week or so. I will give you complete details of my experience w/ my seat mod.
FYI, buy a replacement seat from eBay b/c I bought one for $25 bucks and was able to ride while other seat being modified…

HNDRX1223

Thanks for the heads up HNDRX,

I am about the exact same size and weight, so if this works for you, it should stand a good chance of working for me. Also, thanks for the suggestion of getting a stock seat off E-Bay.

I will be standing by for your comments on the modded seat.

Thanks again,
ONB

[old new biker]

With as many seats as these guys are doing, there have to be more of you out there that can weigh in on the subject.

Standing by..................
ONB

[TFee3]

I don't have one, but I was reading another thread the other day, and those seats were brought up. Everyone in that thread said they really liked them, and they really made a difference. But, I'm old, and I can't remember the name of the thread. You might do a search on it.

[tallannie]

Old New Biker...
I tried to send you a private message... but your mailbox is full it says??

so I will say it here....yes, I once posted here a more positive opinion of the seat mod....as I say below, I let it be known that I was happier with it than I really was... that is the thread you found.

My bad... I shoulda been straight from the outset.
Annie

[SKTR]

Well from another tall chub (6' 1" @ 250#) My experience was with a different bike (03 marauder) and different mod vendor (buttbuffer) but sounds like same basic problem.
Sent seat in after extensive emails re desired end results. I did want more than their standard fix. Seat came back to me 6" longer than the original. I could not even put it in place on the bike. Sent it in for the second effort. They did not charge me any more than the originally agreed on price, BUT 2nd effort was still long by 2" and required serious compression to put it in place. The ride was still painful and riding position was bad ( pushed me forward)
In desperation I went to a local furniture upholsterer, gave him specific drawings on where and how to trim. Went over the where and how with the man who would do the work with the saddle and drawings in front of us, hoping to make it crystal clear. Got the best results so far, but still not the answer. Biggest improvement I believe was having them remove a pie slice wedge from the rear center of the seat from top to bottom of the foam, then simply replacing the cover on the saddle. The missing wedge is not visible thru the cover but effectively provides space for the tender tail bone. The next improvement will involve adding width to the seat and installing firmer foam directly under the legs and part of the gluts. Good luck to all of us, having bad buckets can sure diminish the joy of riding somewhat, OK a lot.

[hotcargo]

before you go spendin' bucks on a seat , spend bucks on a good back rest , you wont look back..............I could literally ride for days now , with my bad back an all...............Steve in Oz

[Cajundude]

Allen does a fantastic job on 'fixing' your problem...I know of hundreds of VTX Riders (Allen's VTXOA handle is BadX) who've had him do his majic on their stock seats and love it. I would suggest spending the extra bucks to add the memory foam to really complete the comfort transformation.

Unfortunately, he's been backed up since before his family vacation due to a move to a larger facility and huge responses to the quality of his work....

Mean City Cycles Custom Seat Werks

[old new biker]

Originally Posted by hotcargo

before you go spendin' bucks on a seat , spend bucks on a good back rest , you wont look back..............I could literally ride for days now , with my bad back an all...............Steve in Oz

Can you recommend a back rest?

[JohnnyFriend]

I got mine a few weeks ago and absolutely love it!!!!!!

Huge difference over stock and 50 times better than the gel seat.

I told them my height and weight and also got the memory foam added to the seat--total was 90 bucks.

Defenitly get the memory foam added---huge difference

[tallannie]

Old New Biker...

If you trust me anymore... lol... try lonnie at Grasshopper Limited - Custom Backrests.
His email is admin@grasshopperlimited.com . I have his removable drivers backrest and it helps a lot....really.

Annie


annie

[hotcargo]

Hi Old Biker , no mate I made my own , but over your side of the pond , you should have quite a few choices , not like out here , but I have found just a little bit of support for the lower back area , made a huge difference , actually my friend that has a 1500 Intruder had problems with his seat not suiting him , he tried the Airhawk pad with no success , and just last week he and I made a back rest for his bike , .....well ......he is just so happy , ........cheers........Steve in Oz

[SNAFU]

Try to do it yourself. If you hack it up then don't like it, it's good excuse to get a custom seat.

[tallannie]

Hendrx1223 ... I wonder if a mustang seat is the real fix for tall folks on medium to smallish frame bikes.

With this discussion, I am coming to understand that what fixed my ride was finally getting a couple inches higher up and a couple inches farther back from the floorboards. I am 6'3" with 34" inseams....and the Airhawk cushion is what finally allowed me to do sit better on the C50. It got my knees down and my tail up a bit ....which put more of my butt actually on the seat rather than perching on my pelvic bones.

Went out to the Mustang Q&A page... they say it raises you .5 to 1 inch... and it appears to give you a bit of a backrest...so maybe it is a good deal for smaller framed bikes like mine with tall folks.

Annie

[tallannie]

... dealership had a used C50 on the floor yesterday....darned if it didnt have a Mustang seat on it ! I didnt ride it, but the salesman held it steady while I sat on it normally and compared the feel.
I could tell right away (with my calibrated butt ) that it would not be any help for tall old me. It has a lower feel too it ...and put my knees higher in the air. It also seemed to have a too firm edge along the front sides...under my thighs...and it pressed in there uncomfortably. It does have a bit of a scoop out to hold you in place better and you feel snug in it.
A test ride might show me I was wrong about this conclusion... I freely admit. I strongly suggest that any tall big-framed person take a test ride on a Mustang seat before shelling out the big bucks in the hopes that it is gonna be a magic cure. Be a shame to spend all that dough and find out it doesnt fix it.
Annie