| Author | Message | ||
     Bprigge |
Hello Everybody from Minnesota, I have a new to me 97 Buell S3T that I acquired in March of this year. The bike is in real nice condition and I have to say that I am infatuated with it. I ride most every day that it doesn't snow or rain. The bike is all stock except for a Corbin seat and a Vance and Hines muffler. I am having a problem with the seat. The bike came to me with a Corbin Gunfighter and Lady seat and also the stock seat. Last weekend I did my longest run so far with the bike, about 80 miles, and found the Corbin seat to be very uncomfortable after 60 miles or so. This week I put the stock seat on the bike, went for a 10 mile run and saw right away why the previous owner replaced the stocker with a Corbin. The stock seat causes me to slide forward and has very little usefull padding. The problem with BOTH seats is that I slide forward, the stocker being the worst by far. I might be asking for the impossible but is there a touring seat available for the early S3T's that is more suitable for touring? I see that the 98 and newer S3Ts have a seat that is wider where it meets the tank and looks like it might be flatter too. Will the 98 and up seats bolt to a 97 S3T? By the way I am 6 foot 1 inch and weigh about 215 pounds. I have owned two BMWs and 2 Goldwings and a bunch of other bikes and have come close to breaking the 1000 mile day mark a couple of times. I don't think the S3T will ever provide that kind of touring comfort but I'm hoping someone has discovered a better touring seat. Any advice appreciated, thanks, Bruce | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Bruce, I just bought a used Corbin for my S3T and couldn't be happier with it. It is far more comfortable than the stock seat. 45 minutes with the stock seat would start to feel uncomfortable but I can do hours with the Corbin. The Buell select seats have a little firmer padding and are somewhat more comfortable than stock. I.M.H.O. | ||
| Bprigge |
Thanks for the response Newbuellertoo, What year S3T do you have and do you know what model Corbin seat you have? I think Corbin makes more then one seat for the S3T My Corbin is the one that comes to a point in the front. It's very similar to the stock seat except the rider part extends back about 2 inches more then the stock seat. That helps. Bruce | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Bruce, I think the Corbin had the pointed nose from 1998 and earlier and the "Flat nose" from 1999 and up, but as far as I know it's basically the same seat. My bike is a 2000 and as comfortable as it is, it's still a relatively small bike and I find myself wishing for a little more room to move around. (Especially two up with my wife.)   | ||
| Bprigge |
Newbuellertoo, I've got the pointy early version. Do you think the 99 and up seat would go on my 97? I agree with the space issue. The seat is maybe long enough for a small kid to ride with you. Plus mine is sprung so softly in the back a 150 pound passenger really makes the rear end drop a lot. Bruce | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Bruce, I'm not sure about the interchangeability of the two seat styles. There are people on here who know a whole lot more about that than I do. Hopefully someone will chime in. I know what you are saying about the rear suspension. I don't know how much my wife weighs right now, (we both quit smoking in Jan. and packing on a few extra pounds....but I'm not dumb enough to ask her how much she has gained !!!!!), but I only have about 1 to 1.5 full turns left on the can and that's it. I have been steadily increasing the preload and the dampening every time she rides to try and get it right but there may not be enough adjustment to do it. (I'm 180 pounds). | ||
| Bprigge |
I just ride solo. In fact I would be OK with totally giving up the passenger part of my seat to get a seat that works well. There's a fellow named Alligator Bob mentioned in the archives that has done good things to Buell seats. I sent him an email this weekend, hope he responds. Bruce | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Bruce, Before I had the Corbin, I took some material that you can get to line the drawers of your tool chest (a rubbery mesh sold at Sears), and attached it to the seat to keep my wife from sliding around. You could try it on your Corbin to see if it helps keep you from sliding forward. Just make sure that it is firmly attached to your seat. | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Bruce, Before I had the Corbin, I took some material that you can get to line the drawers of your tool chest (a rubbery mesh sold at Sears), and attached it to the seat to keep my wife from sliding around. You could try it on your Corbin to see if it helps keep you from sliding forward. Just make sure that it is firmly attached to your seat. | ||
| Fireman_cfd |
I have a '98 S3T and have both the gunfighter and the touring seat. The touring seat is great...has a bit of a wing on both sides that go down along the end of the tank(where your inner thighs r). I have been very happy w/ the seat. U might want to look for one of those. If I can get a pic up here for u I will, I'm not very computer savy.. | ||
| Josh_ |
All S3 seats interchange. I put 44,000miles on my stock 99 seat incl 960 mi days. | ||
| Hambcastle |
I own a '98 S3T with 70K miles, and I have tried all the seats. The '97 and '98 seats are the same. The '99 and up seat is a vast improvement over the earlier seat, and also the Corbin I tried. Now, the Corbin seat I tried was back in '99, so they may have improved it since then. Since then, Buell came out with another seat for the S3, sold as an accessory that is much thicker, and has fancy embroidery and piping. The back of the seat actually rises up around an inch off the tail (It still looks good). That seat has to be the most comfortable for both the rider and passenger. Check out the S3T picture on this page: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/43/ 455463.html?1240694076 Anyway, thats my 2 cents. | ||
| Bprigge |
Well i'm feeling encouraged! I talked to Aligator Bob; he convinced me that a good seat can be had. The price is a little high for a working stiff so I think I am going to find a 99 and up seat or the Buell 'accessory' seat for the S3T. The more I ride my 97 the more I like it. (except for the seat) This is my first big twin and the feel of the motor is just right for me. Thanks for the all the replies. Bruce | ||
| Bprigge |
Hambcastle and Josh, I hope you guys are about the same height and weight as me. I just bought a used 99 stock seat on ebay for a try out on my 97. Can't wait for the UPS truck to show up.  Bruce | ||
| Bprigge |
Good news!! The 99 seat is here. It fits well and like Hambcastle said, it' a vast improvement over the 97 seat. I rode about 30 miles on the 99 seat last night. The only complaint I have about it is that the rider part doesn't go as far back as the Corbin and I'm pretty much stuck in one for/aft position. The 97 Corbin rider part is maybe 2 inches longer then the stock 99 seat. I'm happy with what I got but I'm keeping an eye out for a used Buell accessory seat or a 99+ Corbin. The Corbin web site says their 99+ seat has been 'neautralized' to keep the rider from sliding forward and makes the S3T into the long range touring bike that Buell intended it to be. Bruce | ||
| Bprigge |
Does anyone have the part number for the S3T 'select' seat? I just talked to the parts man at the Saulk Rapids Harley/Buell dealer. He says as far as he can tell the 'select' seats are for the 03 and up X bikes but the Buell accesory catalogs leave a lot to be desired. Any info on the S3 or S3T select seat greatly appreciated. By the way I just got back from a 130 mile run using the 99 seat on my 97 and will give it an 'OK' rating. I was willing to keep going. A 130 mile run with the 97 seat would have been torturous. Bruce |
