Has anyone else have a 2013 RK (FLHRSE5) and installed the following seat?
Harley-Davidson® FL Touring 2008-13 One-Piece LowDown™ Seat, No Studs.
The "Low Down™" Touring seat that fits 2008-2010 models sits the driver 1.5" lower than the stock seat, plus the nose of the seat is 1.5" narrower than stock. The seat that fits model years 2011-2013 sits the driver .5" lower than the stock seat. Now the driver can have a comfortable seat and still plant his or her feet safely on the ground. The 16.5" wide front bucket and the 14" wide rear seat are available plain or with studs (either chrome or chrome with black pearl centers). Seat will fit with a handrail. Will not work with H-D® or Mustang Driver Backrest kits. Note: Receiver for Mustang Driver Backrest is built into the seat; Mustang's Driver Backrest pad and post can be purchased later if desired.
I purchased one and installed it on my ride. The front of the seat moved about ½” from side to side.
I contacted Mustang about this and they advised to bend down the tab to help secure the front of the seat. So I went down to my local Mustang distributor (where I purchased the seat). Jim looked things over and told me that no the seat would not fit my bike with modifying the seat. So I informed Mustang and told them to contact Jim. I promptly got told to send the seat into Mustang so that they could look at the seat.
Following is the conversion I'm having with Mustang.
Robert,
I looked at your item yesterday, and we did a test install. The seat shows no deviance from stock as I expected from our measurements, and it installs exactly as we expect.
What we found was that the primary fit issue has to do with the stick-on ribs on the fender. If you have not removed these, I advise this be done.
The nose is built a bit longer than specs but without the fender appliqu?s it sits in a comfortable position and there is no wiggling. I surmise the issue of nose fitment results from the change in angle caused by attempting install over those ribs.
The easiest method for cleanly removing these ribs is to use dental floss and gently but firmly pulling it between the ribs and the fender. They can be reapplied later if you want them back, they are simply mounted with double-sided tape.
As it is technically a bit longer than our specifications, I can shorten the foam at the nose a bit for you if you like. While I could make other mods to the pan, it might be premature until you have tried it without those stick-on ribs. Let me know how you’d like me to proceed.
Mustang
Mustang,
So you got a 2013 CVO to test it on? Not sure I like the idea of removing the ribs on the bike as that would allow the seat to ride directly on the fender. In time that will cause damage to the paint job. I do plan on switching to a solo seat at times.
Rob
Rob,
Our seat, when properly installed, will ride on its polyurethane bumpers upon the fender. We have not seen any evidence that this can damage fender paint.
I understand that going to a solo will mean that fender would be exposed. Unfortunately, according to our design department’s testing, even if you went with a 2-pc seat, while the solo would be fine the rear seat would not install as intended with those ribs in place. I can’t imagine any other manufacturer’s 1-pc or 2-pc seat setup would be any different.
It seems to me that if you want a safe seat install, you’ll need to choose between the fender ribs or a pillion. Of course, another option is to have a seat modified to fit over these fender ribs, but that is not something we can do here.
Take some time to consider your priorities with regards to style and appearance, rider and passenger comfort, and the variety of riding setups you plan to employ. I think it may be impossible to have 100% of what you are hoping for, but I am willing to help you have as close to that as is practical.
Mustang
Mustang,
My stock 2013 FLHRSE5 CVO came equipped with the ribs. It also came with a solo and pillion seat setup. So yes Harley Davidson did manufacture a 2-piece seat that worked with the ribs.
I really think your design team needs to take a look at a stock FLHRSE5.
Rob
Rob,
I’ve passed your information to our design department. However, it remains that at this time we do not make a seat which will install with those ribs in place.
One of the differences between our seats and stock seats is the thickness of the pan and the foam. While it makes our seats more comfortable and durable, it has the effect of limiting what options we can support. It is possible that a stock design can work its way around those ribs and cause no install issues, but as our seat is designed to fit a wide range of touring bikes out of practical necessity, the increased size of the components poses a restriction on how much we can accommodate.
This leaves us with only a few options I can think of. We can adjust the nose at no cost and return the seat, as we can find no defect to it as designed. I can also confer with the design department as to whether we can modify the pan in some way to allow the ribs to remain on the fender but not interfere with the install, but there may be a labor charge for this work, if we can even devise a means to adequately accomplish it. The only other option I can see is for you to work with your dealer to arrange the return of your seat for full credit.
I really want you to be satisfied with the resolution we reach. Please let me know how you would like to proceed.
Mustang
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Topic: Mustang seat vs 2013 FLHRSE (Read 3052 times)