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Seat Question - Extended vs STD seat

25K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  Griff0026 
#1 ·
I've read here that the extended driver seat is better padded or maybe even a gel seat. Is this true? I see online that the extended passenger seat has a gel insert.

Has anyone here sat on both seats to compare them?
Is the extended seat more comfortable than the standard seat. (I do get buttnumbness after 30 minutes and I have over 500 miles on the bike)

I'm 5"11", if I put the extended seat on my bike with the regular mid reach peddles and bars set-up, would I be too far away from everything to be comfortable?
Thanks
 
#2 ·
I posted about it before. But, when I got my bike it had the mid reach setup. I requested the extended reach & the dealer told me it was an additional $250.00 cost. I found out later that Kawasaki doesn't charge for any of the Ergo fit options at time of purchase.

I was able to call Kawasaki & change out to an extended reach. Keep in mind if you order one now it's on back order. Mine has a 6 week lead time, it's been 4 & I'm still waiting. I'm 5 11" & 260 lbs. I need the extended reach so you may need it as well. JRubicon on here discovered he needed the short reach handlebars because of his size. He has had his bike for a month or so & Kawasaki is exchanging his bars @ no cost. Which means if you need an extended reach seat you can likely call & exchange for it at no cost. Just call their main number.

To answer your question I haven't tried out the extended reach yet. There are a few members on here that have them. When I was looking for one I found inconsistencies in what the extended reach was. On the European Kawasaki accessory site it specifically says it has a gel layer. On the American one it doesn't. The part numbers don't exactly match up with the two. But, when I went to my dealer to confirm they were ordering me the extended reach seat they told me it does in fact have a gel insert. Supposedly it's an inch further back, with larger bolsters. The padding is stiffer but it has a gel layer. I'm waiting to see.

Something to keep in mind...on the American site it says there is no back seat for the extended reach. The European site has a back seat listed specifically for it. I don't know why it's like that. Regulations? It means I want a passenger seat & I may have to order it from the European site. Which sucks.
 
#3 ·
I am 5'6". Riding on Corbin custom seat. 8 or 10 hours in saddle a day. 0 butt problems. Highly recommend. Padded seats will give you a little more range. But it is not how soft seat is, but how ergonomically correct it is. The more contact area, the more it hugs you and allows you to spread your weight the better. Soft seats collapse and become uncomfortable after a while. If you can't ride comfortable for 8 hours in your seat, you do not have a proper seat for your body shape.
 
#7 ·
Perfect timing to ask man. I just joined the forums today and also happened to get the extended seat today. I wasn't offered any ergo-fit options at time of purchase so ended up with everything standard including seat. Inquired afterwards and was told I was out of luck as the deal is finalized. That was about 3 weeks ago. Today I decided to call Kawasaki as others here suggested. They took my name and vin and said they'd call back. An hour later the dealership floor manager called to apologize and told me to stop by for a swap since they had one in stock. I asked if I could just remove mine myself, bring in the part and just trade. I figured it was easy enough and that way it didn't take up a mechanic's time. He said that would work out even better. Went by after work with my old seat and swapped for the extended. Came home, installed and immediately put about 60 miles on it. Just got home in fact. I had 350 miles on the standard seat so I would say I'm pretty qualified to compare the differences.

I'm 5'10 178lbs with an athletic build and slightly long legs. I personally did not think the gel made the ride any better surprisingly. In fact, it seemed a bit stiffer. I don't think the seat was actually harder to the touch in any way but because it was a lot wider and flatter, it felt that way on my butt. It's fine for me either way since it didn't necessarily make it feel bad, just different. Comfort in the form of a softer seat wasn't what I was concerned with since the standard seat felt fine in that area. I was more concerned with riding position since the old seat seemed to cause me to naturally scoot up close to the tank. I like to be able to sit back and ride on a cruiser and the extended seat completely solved that for me. With the standard seat I always felt slightly cramped with my elbows bent quite a bit more than I like. With the extended seat, I'm able to sit back to the point where my arms are almost straight with a slight bend. I prefer that position much better.

It feels completely flat with no angle to make you slide forward at all. I did have to get used to holding on a bit better with my hands when gassing it since it doesn't really have that lip in the back behind your butt to hold you in place. To give you a good idea of how the extended seat is shaped, I could easily slide right onto the rear fender without much trouble. That's how much they've flattened and eliminated that curve in the back.

Overall, I've gotta say it's better than the standard seat, but not by as much as I thought it would. Just let me know if you have any other questions about it. I know my descriptions aren't the greatest.
 
#8 ·
That's cool that you were able to get it swapped out. I think I got that ball rolling. I'm curious if Kawasaki is wondering how now they're getting a small flood of people wanting to exchange things.

You got lucky with being able to get it immediately. Mine is still on back order as far as I know. But, my shop sucks anyways. Likely I'll have to call & keep on top of them. Even though I expressly asked if they would call me when it came in. Aggravating. I got the rear luggage carrier. 2 weeks went by with no word so I went up there. After looking it up THEN I was told it was on back order and would be another week. They should have called me to let me know.

I'm excited to get my new one. I'll describe my experience with it once it gets here.
 
#9 ·
Yes, I definitely consider myself lucky that I got to swap the seat that soon. I called Kawi around 11am and had the seat in my hands by about 4pm. I would say to ask another kawi dealer to help you but based on my phone call, it seems they'll only allow you to deal with the place you originally purchased from. Good luck. Hopefully yours will be in soon.
 
#16 ·
In my honest opinion, the softness of the seat is going to depend on the type of body you have. When I touch the extended gel seat with my hand, it feels softer than the standard seat and quickly conforms to the shape of my fingertip. Although when I actually sit on it, it feels a little stiffer because of how much wider it is (provides a lot more surface area). It feels so wide in my case that I had to get used to opening my stance a bit more to put my feet flat on the ground at a stop. If you're taller and have a wide body or huskier build, I would imagine it would probably feel much softer and provide a lot of extra support that the standard seat didn't, but If you are tall and thin, the only advantage will mainly be a better seating position. I don't think a taller thin person will gain much comfort from the upgrade, but if you're cramped, it's still going to be a better option than the standard seat.
 
#17 ·
Well I got my extended seat in. The real reason for getting it was because it was the only way I could get a passenger seat. Mine has been back ordered for 2 months. So I put them on and here is what I see and feel. The driver seat looks very similar. If they had put that on the bike from day one I might have never noticed that it was for taller riders. The seating area is bigger. Now I'm 5'10"+ and 170lbs but the mid reach seat still gave me numbbum after a 30 minutes ride. I haven't gone on a long ride with this seat yet. I'll keep you posted on that one.
The passenger seat though, isn't pretty. It sits too high, seems round on top (gel pad insert I'm told) and just looks like a big pillow stuck on the fender. Kawasaki did soo much right with this bike but dropped the ball on this. The regular passenger seat looks fine. I think they must have wanted to get the passenger as high as possible to see over the taller extended reach driver?
 

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#18 ·
Yeah Tracks thats so weird, That passenger seat looks so much worse then the one that goes with the Mid Seat.... What were they thinking? Looks like they Inflated it and overinflated the darn thing......... It does look like it could wear in over time and be comfortable for a passenger. But does look small also. Hopefully some GREAT aftermarket options will come out that dont cost 500,1k dollars :/ and are 1 piece and look great!
 
#21 ·
I think mine comes standard, mid-reach.
5 min on it & I start to feel buttnumb, probably bcoz my size, I'm 6'.
I think the extended reach seat should suit my size.
Unfortunately, there's no ergofit option by Kawasaki here in Malaysia.
 
#23 ·
Never thought of that... Will definitely try your recommendations.
Anyway, I've already found a shop that do re-cushioning.
Took off the original sponge & cover, made a thicker sponge.
Now 30min later will start to feel.
It's an improvement, but I believe still plenty of room for further improvement.
 

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#31 ·
How tall are you, Blackpearlgirl?

I today took my brand new Vulcan S for a little longer ride but I got a numb butt within 30min. I have the extended reach foot pegs installed. I am 6'2" but the standard seat is definitely not good for my height.

How would you compare the Corbin seat with to the Kawi extended reach seat? Does it reach further back than the Kawi extended one? What is the exact model that you have customized?
 
#26 ·
Every bike I've owned I've taken the stock seat off and sent it to Spencers Moto Care over the winter for a LD (long distance) supracore upgrade. About $90 and he does a great job... you can ride all day on a seat reupholstered with LD supracore by Spencer. Bought my S first week of July, she'll have about 4K on it when the Colorado snow flies, and that seat will be promptly sent to Spencer. :) Sure beats $300-500 for an aftermarket seat.
 
#32 ·
Vesito- I am 5'6". The extended reach seat is MUCH better than the standard, but I went with the Corbin because I was getting it for free. I got the solo Corbin Seat and had it taylored specifically to my shape. If you have the option, make an appointment with them and have them fit it to you. If you cant ride in, order the solo and give them your height. They should be able to use an employee wih the same height to make it work for you.
 
#33 ·
We have quite a difference in our heights. It is no wonder I feel cramped. Today I also felt slight back pain due to the riding position with the standard seat.

Is the Corbin seat as low as the standard seat?

I will have to contact Corbin via email as there's no Corbin dealer in Finland where I currently live.
 
#35 ·
Yeah- you're definitely too tall for the standard seat. The extended should be significantly better.
Knowing that youre in Finland, maybe try the extended reach seat first. Corbin has HORRIBLE customer service. It was hard dealing with them 2 hours away, let alone an entire ocean!
Yes the Corbin seat is taller, but again, they can taylor it to exactly what you need; it can be as low, lower, or taller, it all depends in how they shave the foam for you.
 
#37 ·
Pearl and I had some conversations about the Corbin seat as well last year (hello, again!). I'm 5' 6", and while the mid-reach seat was the right position for me, after 500 miles on it I *had* to switch it out. It was just too painful for any ride over an hour. My dealer let me swap it for the extended reach seat, which has the gel padding and a softer and shallower scoop for your butt, but I wound up sitting too far back in it –*during acceleration in particular, I'd be forced back in it, and really had my arms extended (even with the reduced reach handlebars). But it was a much more comfortable seat, and I didn't want to put more money into the bike just yet, so I changed out the bolt that attaches the seat to the rear fender with a longer one, and added a half-inch nut underneath the seat's fastener, which raised the back of the seat and helped keep me forward. It's still a *bit* of a stretch in my arms, but I can go on much longer rides with the gel seat, even though it really isn't made for a short guy like me. So I'd recommend that as a first option as well.
 
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