sofa

[nickodemon]

I've got a standard fazer 1000 gen 1 that i want to make into a super comfy tourer, as it's my work bike. Not interested in tuning or making handle amazing, but comfy and BIG screen etc.. Basically if you have fitted something to make the ride more pleasurable let me know   Any tips much appreciated...

[Rexr]

Sargent seat would be a good start I've had 2 on my other bikes and quite simply are the best seats I've ridden on, recommended one to my m8 for his street triple and he's not looked back since and we do 300 mile day trips very impressive seats

[nickodemon]

I had a sargent seat on a fazer i bought in 2011. It was good, but i think the standard seat isn't that bad too be honest. If one comes up cheap enough second hand i would buy it.

[PieEater]

Seatwise you could contact Tony Archer, I'm sure he can re-foam and re-cover the original seat to suit your requirements for a fraction of the cost of a Sargent or Corbin. He did mine for £85 (including delivery) last year as the cover was starting to split , the brief was that I wanted it to look like the original and I can't argue with the results given the ridiculously low price, the new foam is a huge improvement on the 12 year old stuff it replaced - http://www.tonyarcher.co.uk/

[shrekster]

I had a Corbin seat on my last fazer I got on eBay but took it off and sold it again. The reason being vibration! The vibes through the seat were unbearable, I noticed the underside of the seat had 2 rubber stoppers that rested on the frame transmitting the engine vibes directly to my arse.
Jim.

[nickodemon]

Never tried a corbin. :\  It's not really the seat that i'm looking to change it's more large touring screen, comfier riding position, hand guards, heated grips etc... Most people make there fazer sportier, ivanised etc.., but i'm wanting to go in the opposite direction with this bike.

[nick crisp]

Funnily enough, the most comfortable I've been on long trips wasn't down to mods to the bike, but the luggage carried. Having an extendable tank bag meant I could lean on it to take weight off my wrists/arms. And with a good stack of luggage on the pillion seat, I could lean back and relax too. It all looked like an awful lot, but still less than the weight of your average pillion, so it was quite manageable, and I could even still get a good pace going on winding roads as long as I did take it into account.

Otherwise, what else can you do other than the usual things - finding the bars that suit you best, adjustable rearsets, setting up the suspension for a softer ride etc. Actually, I'm not even so sure on that last one. If you have softer suspension settings you may get less jarring from bumps, but then you'll lose out on the handling stakes - less responsive in the corners = more work?

The other thing I tend to do to enable me to cover large distances without aches and pains is plenty of short breaks - in my case, just enough for a coffee and a ciggy, fuel up if need be, then get going again, rather than longer meal breaks at set times like you might at home. Stretch the legs a bit, quick refreshment, and then back on the road.

[nickodemon]

I'v got the standard suspension set up as firm as possible. The rear is on max (standard shock) and works ok. The front is set up, but i find it jarrs over bumps, so i might soften it a bit. If it's really bumpy it kicks back quite a lot and becomes tiring.

[Tmation]

This is supposed to be a very good screen for touring http://www.bikehps.com/acatalog/Madstad_...-2005.html it is fully adjustable for height and angle.


Heated grips and handguards as you have mentioned, plus I would get some SW Motech bar backs (adjustable risers) and some adjustable footrests from ebay to give you a fully adjustable riding position.


If you don't take a pillion you can have the seat area enlarged and re foamed (or Gel) for more comfort and room to move about on long runs

[mhowse]

even though you may not want amazing handling,, the standard rear shock is pooh,,once you get some luggage on and decide to take a pillion you be pogging and wollowing when going over any crest on the roads,,even if you just change the  rear shock spring to something like a hyperpro it will transform the way the bike reacts to any undulations in the road,, it is also not about handling when making progress but safety when loaded up with luggage and pillion knowing that the bike will react in a manner you expect and not keep bouncing up and down like that chappy on a spring in the magic roundabout zebedeedoodaah ...the front forks are not too bad standard when set to your own liking but again even just a spring /oil change can make a world of difference for safety and comfort when putting in the miles touring..

As for screen tried many even mra adjustable but each one is different for each person best for my liking is givi touring screen ..

Another handy option to fit would be a 12v charging socket somewhere, you can get waterproof ones at a reasonable price.

Also depending on the amount of electrical gadjets you may be running when touring i.e heated jacket/grips/satnav you may want to consider some sort of battery monitor sometime ago I managed to find a led type one for bikes that I fitted to the face of the front brake master cylinder so to have an idea that you not over doing the charging system.

ooh and if your planning on touring through Romania keep 200 euro's in your back pocket to donate to the local constabulary holiday fund should you miss the speed restriction sign down the road else they whisk you off to the local prison think of it as a get out of jail free card with the added bonus that you gets to keep your licence clean.

[nickodemon]

Lot's of great ideas. Cheers guys

[tommyteeman]

that madstad screen looks like it will solve the problem of buffetting you tend to get with a large/high screen, lot of cash to find out though. I have a rifle screen, 20" iirc, and the buffeting and noise it creates is headache inducing. I like my corbin seat and dont get the vibes through it like shrekster.