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Seat Pad/Head Light Upgrade

13K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  Gerry 
#1 ·
I'm planning a trip from NM to Mexico City this summer. I have a 1997 TW200 I picked up a few months back. I find the seat to be insanely uncomfortable for riding more than an hour. I found this photo on the forum with a username that I think is no longer registered. Can anyone tell me the name or where I can find this seat pad?







I'm also hoping that I can find a brighter headlight. If anyone has any info on this or the seat pad, your help is greatly appreciated.
 
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#2 ·
That's the Coleman (formerly sold as "Stearns") seat pad. Available at Walmart.
 
#7 ·
The seat was designed by people who pull the wings from flies during their lunch breaks.



Worth the twenty bucks to determine whether the cover will improve it for you. Didn't do much for me.



Getting the seat reworked could be 40 bucks well spent if you're planning a long trip.
 
#10 ·
The seat pitches most people forward. It needs the "hooptie" in the middle leveled out and a bit of width added in the buttbone area.



Mine is wider, flatter and thicker. But it's a seat graft of XT350 parts and TW parts. A TW pan could get by with just leveling the curve and "spooning" the seat a bit, as the thicker padding increases seat height.



A few did a "group buy" on a new d.i.y. seat cover and foam kit awhile back. Seemed reasonably priced and most appeared to be happy. Various high-rent solutions abound from big name seat builders, but I can't speak to those.



Whatever works. I prefer to take my seats to upholstery shops. Most of these folks already understand what's needed and charge reasonable prices. The going rate for a seat recover/reshape around here is 40-60 bucks or so.
 
#11 ·
I can highly recommend the Seat Concepts foam and cover. I rode over 100 miles last week in one day on / off road - 4 river crossings and a jeep road. My rear end felt fine, a huge improvement over the stock seat. I would skip the Coleman pad and put the 20.00 towards a better foam. I ordered the "gripper" top with carbon fiber sides. The gripper is great as it keeps you from sliding around.



I usually wear bicycle shorts under my pants and that helps too.
 
#12 ·
That's my bike
and I'm still around HA HA:) And yes it is a ATV seat pad from WalMart
 
#13 ·
+1 on the Seat Concepts Foam and Cover. I also have the gripper top and carbon sides and I love it. Not even in the same league as the stock seat, then again it ain't $350-$750 custom seat either. I feel it was a good bang for the buck! I had the Wal-Mart pad, like someone said it delays the discomfort for about an hour. I can ride it out of gas, fill it back up and keep on going now. If you are going to spend any period of time on it, a new seat is the way to go.
 
#15 ·
#17 ·
I seem to be fine with the stock seat and I am no one to brag about back got back... Am I the only one?
 
#19 ·
Yes, I have been on 4-6 hour trips. We stopped every so often, but I guess I haven't done a 6 hour straight road ride or anything like that.
 
#21 ·
could always wear a pair of bicycle shorts under pants...the gel butt pads in the shorts are nice...cause if you think 6 hours on a TW is bad try maybe 2 or 3 hours on a bicycle seat
 
#24 ·
Some years ago I spent three months on a bicycle seat. It was a well broken in Brooks B-17 I think. It wasn't much talked about back in '73' but my reproductive components were as numb as if injected with Novacaine. This lasted for well over a month after my adventure.



I think having your seat modified at an upholstery shop would be the best bang for your buck. I have been using an Airhawk seat pad for the last 5 years. Not cheap, but very comfortable, even after many hours of off-road, but on a stock seat, the pad does nothing to minimize moving to far forward on the down hills. Gerry



 
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