Recently picked-up a rather lovely 98 (previous post) and am making a few mods for more comfortable ride for my ageing body. First one done, a re-upholstered seat to raise the ride height by 3 inches and thereby allow my legs a straighter profile (the more the bend the more uncomfortable for me). Folk asked for pictures, so here she is. Got it done locally for £35. Took the bike out today and am well pleased. Can still touch both feet down comfortably and perhaps surprisingly, it doesn't create extra buffeting from above the screen or change the handling characteristics from the slightly increased forward weight. I'll be adding 50mm Vario lowering pegs and then bar risers to compensate, then should be done.
Looks like a black slug :rollin, but I don't care because it means I'll be more comfortable, for more rides, for longer .
I'm only 5'10''. The problem is age. I'm getting on for 60 and have stiff joints in the knee and hip, so normal riding position causes discomfort after only a few miles. The result would be a reluctance to ride often or for any distance. The mods will change that.
I have stiff joints (though am still in my 20s) but would struggle to get on the bike with a higher seat. I was wondering if I could drop the foot pegs down slightly so would be interested to know how you get on with those. I'm about 5'7"/5'8"
The other snag I've hit is I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get on the bike if I fit panniers (after buying and fitting a pannier rack)
Hi Andy
Yes, I think the peg lowering kit is a better bet for you. I'm looking to get the Vario adjustable ones costing £80. They make them in different drop sizes, but are all on a cam system so that they can be also rotated to move them back or forward a little. I'll report back when I get mine, with an evaluation. You need to be aware that they might lead to decking out of course, but my knee-down days are long over.
Getting on with panniers might be more difficult than without. My tip would be to use the peg to stand on and then put your leg over. This will give you more control when you mount. I've done it for years as some of my bikes are really tall (KTM950Adventure S with a 39 inch seat height eg). It feels strange at first but you soon get used to it. Just make sure your stand is properly down and that you cover the front brake to prevent any forward movement.
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to have a go at just trying to sit a bit further back and relax a bit more as I'm still fairly new to spending an hour on the fazer (I had a sr125 before doing my full test). It looks like I may be getting my knee flushed so I hope I may find getting on a bit easier after that.
Rode the fazer the 165 miles from Northumberland to Hull for the ferry, then another 250 the next day to take her back to Germany. The seat mod made a huge difference to comfort, especially on the motorway/autobahn bits. Will definately be getting the vario peg lowering kit and then some risers, as the one thing I did find was that the standard bars are now too low and force my weight forward a tad more than is comfortable for me.
Will report when parts are fitted and evaluation done.
Modified my mk1 seat also. just stapled the cover back today. I removed foam from the rear part of the squab to give me a larger seating area and this also had the effect of not sliding forward to the tank as I just scooped out at the back. taking the foam down also softened the seat as it takes off the skin.Also put some foam under the nose between the seat base and original foam to help sliding into the tank.
This article helped me. http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com/comfort.htm
Not sure you could see the difference with pics, the cover stretches over the hollow until you sit on it. You may be able to tell that the seat is wider where it is hollowed out due to taking the foam away depth wise therefore giving a larger sitting area. Will get some pics soon as and see if I can illustrate what I mean.
Barrie
Some pics but as I said not really easy to see the difference. You can see where the front is raised and tried to show how wide the seat area is with my hand.
.
