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[Twolanerider]

Have a chance to get a "Renegade Deluxe Solo" with the backrest as pictured here for a parts swap.  It would be cheap to me.  It's a model for an 06-07 Street Glide so would fit the long dash on my Road King.  I've never sat a Saddlemen brand saddle before though so have no clue what it might be like. 

The mftr's description suggests wide, flat and low.  The wide and flat parts I'm especially keen on.  I prefer a wide seating area with little or no uplift on the side under the hips and thighs nor in front under the boys.

The Corbin on the the bike now looks great and it's ok for maybe a three tank full day.  But it wouldn't be an all day saddle.  Just too narrow.  Turns out the Corbin solos are a whole different animal from their dual tour saddles.

To my tastes this Saddlemen saddle isn't ugly but it's just an average looking saddle.  If it rides better I can live with a little aesthetic devaluation for longer rides though.  No reason I couldn't swap back and forth between it and the Corbin for different moods or needs either.

Anyone that has used this brand before and is willing to share their insights will be appreciated.  Even more so if you've used a Saddlemen solo.  Thanks.

[Ironhorse]

I've had two Saddlemen Road Sofas and love the seats. Very comfortable and a true all day seat. My only complait was that at 5'7" it was a bit too wide for me.

[Twolanerider]

I've had two Saddlemen Road Sofas and love the seats. Very comfortable and a true all day seat. My only complait was that at 5'7" it was a bit too wide for me.

Thanks Mark.  I've never owned one nor never even knowingly sat on one.  So have no clue what to expect.  The guy potentially swapping parts for it isn't local so no chance for a test-sit.

Were your saddles relatively flat across the seating area or do you remember noticing any uplifts at the sides or the nose of the saddle?  More than a very small amount of that on the sides makes my hips ache after three tanks or so.  Much prefer a nice mostly flat seating area.

[bandit]

I've Saddleman Explorer, feels comfy fo me 

Bought it from a forum-member, later he asked if I'm still
happy with it. He tried several and should have stayed
with the Saddleman, he said. 

[Twolanerider]

I've Saddleman Explorer, feels comfy fo me 

Bought it from a forum-member, later he asked if I'm still
happy with it. He tried several and should have stayed
with the Saddleman, he said. 

Thanks Bruno.  I think your remarks count as a double endorsement .

I'm probably going to try it.  Won't have a ton in the parts to swap for it and the pieces I'd prefer not to lose permanently can be slowly replenished via eBay when they come up cheap.  Appreciates the insights shared by everyone's rear ends.

[Ironhorse]

Twolane,

Unless modified like mine, they are somewhat flat. Some nose rise. For me they scooped out the rear of the saddle, to try and lower the seat height. this gave it a sunked in feeling that I learned to adjust to. I should have asked them to narrow it so I could bring my legs closer together when straddling.

Mark

[Twolanerider]

Twolane,

Unless modified like mine, they are somewhat flat. Some nose rise. For me they scooped out the rear of the saddle, to try and lower the seat height. this gave it a sunked in feeling that I learned to adjust to. I should have asked them to narrow it so I could bring my legs closer together when straddling.

Mark

Thanks Mark.  That description has me even more interested. 

[TinSpinner]

I tried one a couple of years ago on my '07 SEUC, think it was an explorer. It was a very comfortable seat but a little too wide in the nose right out of the box, just like Mark said. They were exhibiting at Thunder Beach in Panama City and let me try one out for a few hours. Didn't get enough saddle time in to tell how it would feel on a full day trip but it was more comfortable initially than the stock seat, just not as nice looking. I have been searching for a replacement for my hammock seat and Saddlemen is on my short list, FWIW.

[porthole]

Don, I have a Saddleman solo, looks like your picture. Mine is for the SEEG. Like a lot of the corbins on SEEG's the fi is not the best at the front.
I bought it for the solo look, use. For me, it is about as comfortable as a corbin - not at all. My skinny butt pretty much needs something with a soft cushion.

Fit is OK, except for teh nose. The hold down in the rear uses the two factory backrest nuts.  They can be a challenge to take on and off due o the stiffness of that section. I carry spare 1/4 - 20's because I usually drop one inside the frame somewhere. Also keep a 7/16" ratcheting box wrench on the bike in case I have to take it off on the road.

If ya showed up at MV you could have test it out on a familiar bike 

The back rest folds forward and is floppy, no spring to keep it in position. Makes it easier to swing your leg over, but then it is in the way. I find the back rest is almost a necessity with the seat.

The deep cut, I find, digs into the area below the belt line.

Since you like the corbin's, and you have a plethora of parts probably just taking up space, I'd say go for it. 

[porthole]

Still on the bike if you want to see how it fits- looks

[Twolanerider]

I tried one a couple of years ago on my '07 SEUC, think it was an explorer. It was a very comfortable seat but a little too wide in the nose right out of the box, just like Mark said. They were exhibiting at Thunder Beach in Panama City and let me try one out for a few hours. Didn't get enough saddle time in to tell how it would feel on a full day trip but it was more comfortable initially than the stock seat, just not as nice looking. I have been searching for a replacement for my hammock seat and Saddlemen is on my short list, FWIW.

Thanks for the insight.  Unless the nose is just exceptionally wide I don't generally have a problem.  Especially if it doesn't couple being wide with also raising up.  One of the descriptors the mftr uses is "low" so hopefully any width is ameliorated some with an overall seat height that compensates a bit.

Hmmmm.....

[porthole]

Thanks for the insight.  Unless the nose is just exceptionally wide I don't generally have a problem.  Especially if it doesn't couple being wide with also raising up.  One of the descriptors the mftr uses is "low" so hopefully any width is ameliorated some with an overall seat height that compensates a bit.

Hmmmm.....

I find it a little wide, but since it is cut low the wide part is offset.

[owl893]

Well it sounds like the price is right, so I would give it a try.  There have been many Posts asking for recs on seats (including mine) and most of the aftermarket products seem to have both fans and detractors.  At Daytona Bike Week last year I tried out every seat I could find, and as you might suspect, after a while your butt can't tell the difference.  To really evaluate a product takes a long ride with a few "problem" roads.  Then your butt and back will tell you what you need to know.  I tried Saddlemen, LaPera, Corbin, Leathermen, Mustang, Danny Gray, and some not so well known seat builders that had booths (tents).  ALL were better than the stock Chinese OEM seat. I also wanted a convertible that would let me have a solo look and a "good" pad when I have a BSR. This is usually about a $1k decision so I really took my time; when all was done, I chose the Corbin. Partially because I'm in Florida and they are too, they make a good reliable, well documented product and have great CS.  That said, most of the others are VERY good, and I believe that the Saddlemen seat is a good choice as long as it FITS YOU and that is true with any product. 

[Twolanerider]

Owl, I'm a Corbin fan also.  Though I'm not always as enamored of their customer service the seats have been great.  I've probably had 15 different Corbin seats over the years for different bikes.

The first of their solo saddles I've had is the one on the Road King though.  Even though it's the standard touring solo variant it's a different piece then the dual tours.  Seating positions are much further back.  In fact the "close solo" has me in roughly the same position as a standard dual tour.  It's also narrower.  As much as  like the look it's not the all day saddle that the dual tours I'm used to would be.

Some rainy weekend will pull the cover and shave the uplift on the sides a bit.  That will help.  But I can't make it wider...  So am considering other options since I want to stay with a solo saddle for this bike.

[owl893]

Hey TLR, Fifteen !!  YOU are the expert here.  Did 500 miles on the first day of a trip last year, had no "dead butt or dead leg" with the Corbin Classic Solo, would have limped to my room on the OE seat. 

I watched a guy trimming seat foam with an electric knife, he made it look easy, but it's probably also easy to foul up when cutting that fast, however the foam cuts clean and doesn't get any gouges, you might consider this for your mod.

Brian Klock at Klockwerks uses a fair amount of Saddlemen products, you might give him a call, he is a good guy. 

OWL