Air ride seat question : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

retrocool · 02-08-2009, 11:03 PM

I've installed my air ride seat and am now trying to figure out how much air to use. I weigh 225lbs. My concern is at 35psi the seat is pure heaven, floating along. At 45psi it feels like a stock seat again, kinda defeating the purpose.
My concern is, the air bladder seems to be off center, causing the ballooned up edge to roll past the metal top part if that makes sense. My shop wants me to run 60-90 psi in it to prevent the bladder from rubbing, but it rides like crap.
Is it normal for the rubber to roll up around the top of the bladder?
Will it hurt anything? or cause it to break?
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.
Ride safe

choochmalooch · 02-09-2009, 01:45 PM

I'm 6' tall and 240lbs. I run about 40-45 psi in mine. The ride is just perfect right now with my leathers and extra clothing on. In the summer I'll drop down to about 35 psi. Check your rear shocks and see that they are inflated to the correct pressure.

retrocool · 02-09-2009, 02:52 PM

what pressure are you running your rear shocks at?
I'm riding solo 80% of the time and have been running about 18 psi.
When the wife jumps on, I run 20 psi.

boatbum111 · 02-09-2009, 03:08 PM

Hello all. what make of seat you useing? i'm looking for one for my 08 ultra. any help would be great thanks boatbum

choochmalooch · 02-10-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatbum111

Hello all. what make of seat you useing? i'm looking for one for my 08 ultra. any help would be great thanks boatbum

I have a 2005 FLHPI and it came with the stock air ride seat. Originally I thought about changing it out when I got the funds because I didn't particularly care for the platform on the back but after spending about 4k miles in the saddle I fell in love with the ride. You do sit about 3-4" higher in the saddle but the ride is awesome!
Search the threads, there are some folks here and there converting to air ride and the parts can be bought on eBay for about $100. I'm not sure what all is involved but I can tall you it's worth it on those long rides.

akacooter · 02-19-2009, 09:55 PM

I weigh about the same and run my seat at 45-50psi and low (cant recall exact pressure) in the shocks. The best advice that I recieved was that when you are cruising reach down with your left hand and make sure that you can get your fingers in between the rubber bumper on the seat tee and the plastic cover over the battery, any lower and you can cause "excessive" rubbing of the bladder (trust me I blew one already). If you are travelling on bad roads increase the pressure by about 5psi. Unfortunately bladders do blow up and harley charges hard for them ($300.00 up here in Canada) so I bought a couple of spares off e-bay.

Retrax · 02-19-2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatbum111

Hello all. what make of seat you useing? i'm looking for one for my 08 ultra. any help would be great thanks boatbum

Boatbum,

These guys are referring to the Harley Police motorcycles. They use a special seat which is mounted on an air suspension base (kind of like a spring, only it uses a type of air bag). I believe they use an air tank to hold the pressure for the seat suspension. I have only seen these on the Police bikes, like the ones Officers use on patrol and ex-patrol motorcycles.

If you are looking for an air seat for your Ultra, Harley makes a seat called the Road Zeppelin. It is a seat which has different adjustable air bladders built into the seat itself. Otherwise there is an inflatable air seat cover called Airhawk. Do a forum search or Google search on Harley Road Zeppelin and Airhawk seat cushion. Hope this points you in the direction you are looking.

I don't think you would want to retro-fit the Police seat onto your Ultra if it is even possible.

retrocool · 02-21-2009, 10:23 PM

retrax, for your information, I put my solo seat on a 07 roadking classic, and we also retro-fit (pun intended) on my buddies 07 Ultra and he just loves it

So yes, it can be done, and its all about comfort to those of us who cover lots of miles.
I've never been a form above function person....after all chrome don't get you home

Ride safe

route66paul · 02-21-2009, 11:14 PM

I am seeing more and more guys with police seats and modified police seats.

Choppers were cut down for speed and ease of use. Bobbing the fender, was just taking off the bottom part on the rear that was hinged, it just always rattled. we did the same with bicycles whan we were kids.This was done because it was much easier to change a tire.

Guys would get rid of the pogo stick so that they could kick back and be able to put your feet forward when you rode. It was attitude and comfort. The custom seats, the king and queen seats had a sissy bar for the queen and the seat ws to the rear more than the original one.

This was customizing, but it was done for comfort. Extending the forks was done for clearence, and then got crazy. Lets get back to comfort, that is what it is about. air ride shocks, seats, handlebars that don't hurt your back, backrests, forward controls. That is what makes your bike yours. Who cares what the style is? i like my windshield, i would use one on any bike that i put on the highway.

The cop seat is great. you can usually buy the whole setup online for less than a used mustang or corbin seat and they are much more comfortable(I modified mine to be even more comfortable)

Retrax · 02-22-2009, 01:34 AM

Retrocool,

I have never seen that done before. I thought the other poster was confusing the proprietary police only seat with more of a bolt on type, my mistake. Did everything fit into place or did you have to custom fab a bunch of stuff? Can you use the stock reservoir/air tank? It sounds like a nice mod, I am curious if it is something the average guy could accomplish at home or if there is a lot of fabrication involved.

retrocool · 02-22-2009, 01:17 PM

Retrax, didn't mean to sound like I was tryin' to jam you up on your comment, I'm just getting older and comfort is more important than looks (even though I think my seat looks way cool now). If you'd like to see what it looks like, check out "the ultimate roadking handlebar set up" a few threads back, I have a few photos of my bike and seat.
Also check out the thread about air tank fabrication by me. Several folks have simply cut off one tab off the stock can and bolted it to the side of the battery box, hidden underneath the left side cover. Works great, looks great. I had cruise control on my 07 and didn't have room so I simply machined a new tank (see above mentioned thread). We are in the process of fabricating a few dozen air tanks and mounting brackets as you read this. I will be offering them for sale as soon as I find out how much they will cost after the chrome is finished.
I'll keep everyone posted of the progress.
As far as mounting the seat. ALL touring models that I know of prior to 08 should have (4) holes in the frame where the front of the seat and tank meet. All that is needed is to insert (4) rivnuts and bolt the mounting bracket to this. The frame by the battery also should have a large hole in the crossbar, with a couple smaller holes next to it, this is where the air bladder bolts on. simple as that, and can be removed if you don't like it (that won't happen)
Hope you enjoy your bike.
My attempt is simply to allow other folks to ride in comfort if they are gettin old like me

Retrax · 02-22-2009, 09:44 PM

No offense meant or taken. My comment to Boatbum that I thought he would not want to try to fit the Police Air Seat to his Ultra was due to me thinking it was not possible, or that it would take so much custom fabrication that it would not be practical. I should have known better

I also mistakenly thought you guys were riding FLHPI's.

It sounds like you have taken the time end effort to figure it out and make it work! I have talked to a few guys in motors who love the air seat and wish it was commercially available to retro-fit. You might have a hot ticket on your hands if you mass produce.

dougbk · 02-23-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrocool

I've installed my air ride seat and am now trying to figure out how much air to use. I weigh 225lbs. My concern is at 35psi the seat is pure heaven, floating along. At 45psi it feels like a stock seat again, kinda defeating the purpose.
My concern is, the air bladder seems to be off center, causing the ballooned up edge to roll past the metal top part if that makes sense. My shop wants me to run 60-90 psi in it to prevent the bladder from rubbing, but it rides like crap.
Is it normal for the rubber to roll up around the top of the bladder?
Will it hurt anything? or cause it to break?
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.
Ride safe

I am 6' 2" and go about 260 after putting on all my gear cop gear and run my seat on an 08 between 50 and 55 lbs, I started around 35 and had a bladder get pinched between the frame and the seat caused a rub hole over time. On the newer seats they changed the angle of the bladder which causes it to flex at an angle instead of straight up and down. Even with the additional air pressure it is still the most comfortable motorcycle seat I ever put my butt on. There are plenty that are comfortable for a couple of hours, but nothing beats the air seat for all day comfort.

retrocool · 02-23-2009, 02:59 PM

Roger that!
Adding this seat to my roadking will now allow me to ride for a few more years after my spine surgery. I tried every seat known to man. Some were good for an hour or two, but by then end of the day I felt like Rodney King

rockenrobert · 03-04-2009, 09:18 PM

Looking hard at a 09 FLHTP with the 103 Motor. I had quite a few EVO's that went down the road good, but how is the 103 twin cam holding up? What is the top speed with FLhtp 103".
rockenrobert
gotta see the world, it will only take a minute