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Norge Seat -what will fit?

D

DaveGibbons

Just got it firing!
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Dec 26, 2012
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Out again this evening spent about an hour on my 2008 2 valve Norge, absolutely love it not had so much fun since my LC350 ! Just that one big pain in the a..e to sort the shockingly uncomfortable standard seat. No matter how I position myself after 30min backside is numb and a big distraction, how hard could it be to make a comfy job of it? It's the same for my wife on the pillion . We have tried gel pads -they give an extra 20 mins before my backside gives in.
My question is do all the later seats from the 4 valve model fit? Are they worth trying , I would rather not go down the Air Hawk route , just want to be able to go 2 hours in relative comfort and have read comments stating the later seat is a good bit more comfy.
As an aside I fitted Helibars a couple of weeks ago and they are worth every penny ! They have completely eliminated the overstretched wrist aching position of the original risers - they must have been designed by the same bloke who did the seat! I don't mind spending a bit as I will have the Norge for many years to come.

Cheers

Dave
 
The later model seats will probably fit, but probably won't be any better. The biggest problem with the stock seat is the foam is too soft. Great in the showroom, lousy on the road. I'd recommend having a custom seat make with high density or closed cell foam. If you are in the US, Sargent seat in Florida comes to mind. They want pictures of you and your passenger on the bike and your dimensions. The result will be an all day seat. They did one for may 2006 Breva (same seat as your Norge) and it is great.
 
That's a Sargent seat on my B12S with a 1.5" lift - I couldn't be happier.

P1110339_zps441958c1.jpg
 
Harder is better, even if that seems counter-intuitive.

The best is the Russell Day-Long saddle, custom fitted. It is expensive, but worth every penny if you are going to ride any distance. My Russell on my 2008 Norge now has some 60,000 miles on it, and I expect many more form both saddle and bike.
 
I have a Rick Mayer seat on my PC800 that is very comfortable but he puts stitches in the seating area where water can get into the foam. So for my 2007 Norge I had a Bill Mayer seats made because he does not do that. After giving him all the info he custom made the seat and it was far worse than stock. I told him what was wrong and he said send it back. I did and got back a seat with almost no changes and almost $100 in shipping on it total. At first I was told that is how it is. Then I got another call from a lady there saying send it back. I eBayed it and cut my losses. Used the stock seat for 26,000 miles and really can't complain about it.
 
I recently got one of the "low" Norge seats. Actually it's not much lower in pratice as it is just as wide, but it is more comfortable. It has a gel insert which transforms it.
 
Brian UK said:
I recently got one of the "low" Norge seats. Actually it's not much lower in pratice as it is just as wide, but it is more comfortable. It has a gel insert which transforms it.
Click to expand...
I am amazed you like the lowered seat. I bought one when I bought my Norge being short of inseam. I could not tell any height difference due to the width as you stated. It seemed stone hard and uncomfortable. That was the seat I sent to Bill Mayer that I later sold. I felt the stock seast was better than either one. It is all relative I guess. I normally am not a fan of Corbin seats but a Corbin was far better than the OEM lowered seat on my BMW R1200GS.
 
I had a Russell Day Long on my V1100. Superb seat. It does exactly what the name suggests - lets you ride all day in comfort. I found the stock seat low and hard. I am 5'10". I have just sold the bike and have the Russell seat for sale if anyone is interested.
I have just bought a Stelvio but if I struggle with the seat on my first tour then I will be after a Russell seat again!
 
Did 11 hours across Europe last week on my standard 2 Valve Norge last week. No complaints, I think building up time in the saddle helps a lot.
 
I enjoyed the thread immensely as I get the same *ss migraine as the rest of you. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about the Corbin seats made for the Norge 8vGT? I would be interested in this groups experience.
 
I know its a while since this thread was started but I would just like to pass my findings on , I could not ride with the standard seat , it forced me into the tank , almost as though the seat was tipped forward, any way tried adapting the seat , tried a new model seat, no better. Heard good things about Corbin seats so I took the plunge and ordered one through their UK distributor . I sit flat on the seat , no more nuts in tank but 30-40 miles and my bum bones are numb, have been told by Corbin "have to bed in seat so persevere " . My 1993 Cali, is so comfy its such a shame that my lovely proper modern tourer is a big disappointment. I love my Norge but I have to find a way to make it comfortable. Here in the UK I don't think we have the choice of seat makers you have in the States, Ps I dont think I am an unusual shape , 5.11 tall and 86kls.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
Les - I don't think there is a real answer for all folks. I have an '07 Norge and the stock seat was good for about 2.5 500+ mile days. By the end of the third day my ass was tired. I did a ride in to Bill Mayer and Rocky and the crew did a custom seat while I waited and tested it at different points in the build process.

It took a few miles (1000 or so I would guess which goes pretty quick for me) to break it in but once it did, it's an all day seat for several days in a row. I could now probably do an Iron Butt with it if I so desired.

I don't like the feel of the Corbin seats, but many swear by them. I don't like the standard look of the Russell or Rick Mayer saddles (too wide looking for my tastes), but know several folks with each who love them.

Unfortunately, it can be a trial and error process that gets pretty expensive if you don't hit it right on the first or second go round.

You might try sheepskin or beaded seat covers. Some folks swear by those as well (I hate the beaded covers).

I had a California EV stored here for a couple of years, and I was never comfortable with its seat, which was a Corbin.

Obviously, YMMV.

Good luck.

jdg
 
For a very high quality rebuild of a standard seat use Pat Mitchell at astechseats.com.

This is top notch stuff in the world of rebuilding on your stock seat pan. I'm in the business and have great results with Pat on this type of rebuild. Price is also very reasonable.

Don't let the Harley custom seat thing throw you off-Pat knows what he's doing with all bikes.
 
Pat and I will be working on a custom seat with a very nice look over the next few weeks on my new 14 Norge.
Great motorcycle-wow. But the seat HAS to go-it's beyond awful.
 
King of Fleece said:
Pat and I will be working on a custom seat with a very nice look over the next few weeks on my new 14 Norge.
Great motorcycle-wow. But the seat HAS to go-it's beyond awful.
Click to expand...


Yes the stock foam is too soft. Great in the show room, bad on the road. Find some closed cell foam that won't break down and have at it. I had Sargent remake my 1100 Breva seat (same as Norge) with closed cell foam. The difference is it has gone from a 100 mile seat, to an all day seat.
 
Yep. I work with Pat on how to build them. he really does a great job on the comfort while retaining the stock look.
I will replace the seating area with Alcantara as it's wonderful as a seating surface. I'll also add a custom Guzzi logo and eagle at the junction of driver and pillion where the level changes.

I also made a nice seat for my V7. Stock dimensions but much more comfortable, again with a custom surface of Alcantara and carbon fiber look vinyl.
 
I agree the stock seat is less than ideal, however I found the so called lower seat, which is a gel seat, is not noticeably lower but for me was way more comfortable. In fact, all day comfortable. I am short of inseam & arm length anyway so the bump in the Guzzi seats really does not limit me. Only caveat, gel seats do hold heat, so on a hot sunny day never park the bike without putting a helmet or something over where you sit. That aside, I have had very good experience with Sargent seats on a couple of my Tonti framed Guzzis, and would use them anytime. As for Corbin, I know a lot more people who swear at them rather than by them.
 
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