Topic: Zeppelin Harley seat 2009 (Read 8032 times)

DAW · « **on:** August 08, 2009, 05:49:14 PM »

I just noticed that Harley is now making the Zeppelin air seat with the build in air pump for the 2009 and 2010 touring bikes. Has anyone ever tried on on these seats. I have heard good things about them on older touring bikes. I was looking for a seat just to use on those 400 mile a day 5 day vacations. Friend of mine had one on his Ultra and said it helps with the monkey butt problem.
DAW

DW6019 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 08, 2009, 07:13:40 PM »

My cousin had one of these seats on a 01 Ultra, they are very ugly, but I rode that thing and it does feel wonderful. If you can get by the looks they have to be the cats ass as far as comfort. I just can't get past the looks.

Highjagger · « **Reply #2 on:** August 08, 2009, 07:44:04 PM »

pics ?

Fired00d · « **Reply #3 on:** August 08, 2009, 07:53:18 PM »

Quote from: Highjagger on August 08, 2009, 07:44:04 PM

pics ?

Road Zeppelin® Seat

Ride Safe,
Fired00d

ordlord11 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:35:26 PM »

$700.00

DAW · « **Reply #5 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:55:47 PM »

I agree that they might not look the best but for them twice a year long trips I think I can handle the looks, it also will except the Harley back rest I am currently using with my stock seat. The original seat on my 09 SERG just hurts bad after a 400 mile day.

yellowhog · « **Reply #6 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:33:13 PM »

I've put about 30,000 miles on mine on my '03 Ultra...Over 900 in one day. The seat is awesome. Most comfortable seat I've found. Not for the short riders though. I'm 6'4". My son is 5'10" and he finds that is puts pressure on the inside of his thighs...

nebraska bruzr · « **Reply #7 on:** August 09, 2009, 09:28:24 AM »

I have one on my 2004 seeg since the first year and love it, I have done back to back 900 plus days with little problems. They are worth every penny. The wife loves it also.

Diamondback · « **Reply #8 on:** August 09, 2009, 03:58:03 PM »

Yes, it's the most comfortable seat I have owned. Got rid of it when I went to the 09. 33,000 miles very comfortable for both the rider and the passenger.

Does however raise the rider up about an inch or more. Thus it's best for taller riders.

The "hammock seat" however is the second best seat I've owned and I'll keep it.

indcoltz · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2009, 01:06:20 AM »

I had the Zeppelin seat for years on my 99 ultra put over 40.000 miles on it. BUT it is not the same as the new one. The older one has 3 air bladders and the new one only has 2 for the rider and just 1 for the passenger. Most female passengers do not like the seat if they are short. Wife stated it made her spread her legs to wide and hurt her at the hips. Yeah I know that shouldn't be a problem but if she is not happy you won't be either. They have had allot of problems with this seat in the past. If you look in your Harley wish book at the part number you will notice a letter at the end of the number, that designates how many times they have changed that part since it was developed. That should give you an idea. The new zeppelin is one inch narrower than the original and suppose to have a narrower tongue. But this is not the same as the original the bladder design is completely different, check it out and compare it to the new one. I now own the Hammock and would rather have it over the zeppelin even though they are almost the same price.

baddog652 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 11, 2009, 02:57:12 PM »

I had a Road Zeppelin on my 05 Ultra for about 2 years and it was a love hate affair. I loved the air pillows and I didn't dislike the looks of it but there is a problem I had. Every time I sat on the seat I was unaware that because of the flexibility of the the pan it rubbed the paint on the tank and the side covers. The only way I found to stop this was to add the tank bra which is ugly or take the seat off after every ride and clean under it and get the sand / dirt out (I live in FL). The flexibility also allowed the seat to dip and therefore put you in a pinching situation of you follow my drift. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give it a 6 for looks, a 5 for comfort and a -1 for what it did to my paint.

If you want to find a deal on one call Chicago HD in Glenview. They sell everyting HD (No SE) at 20% off

rrjacoy · « **Reply #11 on:** August 15, 2009, 09:45:49 PM »

I just put the Road Zeppelin on my 09 CVO Ultra. I found the new stock hammock seat uncomfortable. I am 6'2", 205lbs and I don't have much butt padding. The hammock seat would leave me with hotspots and a sore tailbone. My biggest complaint about the stock CVO hammock seat is that you sit on it; not in it. I prefer a deep bucket and that's exactly what the Zeppelin has. I went on a 190 mile poker run today and I had no soreness or lower back fatigue. What a difference! Granted it was a poker run so the longest stretch was 60 miles between stops but with the stock seat I would have been hurtin for certain by the end of the ride.

I had purchased a Sundowner seat because it is more of a bucket seat but it was too hard and my wife didn't like it. I was considering having the Sundowner customized with a gel pad or memory foam but I decided I would try the Zeppelin instead. If I didn't like it I could at least take it back and pay the restocking fee. You can't do that with a custom seat; and the custom seat cost more than the Zepplin ($560 on sale) I had the seat on my 02 Heritage customized with a gel pad and it helped a little but still started to get sore after a short time in the saddle. I'm glad I tried the Zepplin. My wife likes it too.

As mentioned previously this version is a little smaller than the original. Consequently I don't think it looks too bad on the bike at all. It doesn't come up on the console as much as the stock seat so some existing scuff marks on the console chrome are visible but it's not too bad. It also works with an adjustable backrest. I'm including a picture of the seat with the adjustable backrest that matches the Sundowner seat.

rrjacoy · « **Reply #12 on:** August 15, 2009, 09:47:51 PM »

And here's a picture without the backrest.

Highjagger · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2009, 09:39:22 AM »

What the hell is a " poker run "

??

Quote from: rrjacoy on August 15, 2009, 09:45:49 PM

I just put the Road Zeppelin on my 09 CVO Ultra. I found the new stock hammock seat uncomfortable. I am 6'2", 205lbs and I don't have much butt padding. The hammock seat would leave me with hotspots and a sore tailbone. My biggest complaint about the stock CVO hammock seat is that you sit on it; not in it. I prefer a deep bucket and that's exactly what the Zeppelin has. I went on a 190 mile poker run today and I had no soreness or lower back fatigue. What a difference! Granted it was a poker run so the longest stretch was 60 miles between stops but with the stock seat I would have been hurtin for certain by the end of the ride.

I had purchased a Sundowner seat because it is more of a bucket seat but it was too hard and my wife didn't like it. I was considering having the Sundowner customized with a gel pad or memory foam but I decided I would try the Zeppelin instead. If I didn't like it I could at least take it back and pay the restocking fee. You can't do that with a custom seat; and the custom seat cost more than the Zepplin ($560 on sale) I had the seat on my 02 Heritage customized with a gel pad and it helped a little but still started to get sore after a short time in the saddle. I'm glad I tried the Zepplin. My wife likes it too.

As mentioned previously this version is a little smaller than the original. Consequently I don't think it looks too bad on the bike at all. It doesn't come up on the console as much as the stock seat so some existing scuff marks on the console chrome are visible but it's not too bad. It also works with an adjustable backrest. I'm including a picture of the seat with the adjustable backrest that matches the Sundowner seat.

Gettinold · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2009, 08:01:45 PM »

Quote from: Highjagger on August 17, 2009, 09:39:22 AM

What the hell is a " poker run " ??

its where you ride to different destinations and draw cards. The person with the best hand.......Winner Hope this helped.

Highjagger · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2009, 10:20:42 PM »

riding bike and at the stops you play poker and then drive again and then you play again poker .....?

VaEagle · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2009, 10:48:04 PM »

Quote from: Highjagger on August 17, 2009, 10:20:42 PM

riding bike and at the stops you play poker and then drive again and then you play again poker .....?

On a typical "Poker run" you get a sheet at your starting location that records the type of card you draw at each stop. Usually you get your first card drawn out of a bag and it's recorded on your sheet, then you make 4 more stops during the ride and draw out of a different bag another card. Once you get all five cards drawn that is your poker hand for the ride. The one with the best hand wins a prize and sometimes a small prize is given for worst hand on the ride.
Some rides allow you to draw again at the stops for an additional fee if you don't like the card you drew in order to try and improve your chances for a better hand and also raise more money for the charity.

Hog Head · « **Reply #17 on:** August 18, 2009, 01:16:01 PM »

I had a Zeppelin seat on my 07 FLHTCUSE. It is about an inch and a half higher (more if bladders are full). My wife hated it. It made her sit so high that her back didn't fit thepassenger backrest like she wanted. For me it was OK. Relative to stock seat it was 1.2 times better IMO. However, it wouldn't hold air. So, when I went to exchange it, I returned it instead. My stock seat is just fine for now. I haven't tried a "hammock" seat...

Highjagger · « **Reply #18 on:** August 18, 2009, 04:20:31 PM »

Ooooh , now i got it , thank you ,
Unbelievable , the ideas they get , seems to be a funny " waste of time " and for a good reason on a charity background . Good idea , HiHi .

Quote from: VaEagle on August 17, 2009, 10:48:04 PM

On a typical "Poker run" you get a sheet at your starting location that records the type of card you draw at each stop. Usually you get your first card drawn out of a bag and it's recorded on your sheet, then you make 4 more stops during the ride and draw out of a different bag another card. Once you get all five cards drawn that is your poker hand for the ride. The one with the best hand wins a prize and sometimes a small prize is given for worst hand on the ride.
Some rides allow you to draw again at the stops for an additional fee if you don't like the card you drew in order to try and improve your chances for a better hand and also raise more money for the charity.

CVORick · « **Reply #19 on:** August 18, 2009, 11:36:10 PM »

Quote from: rrjacoy on August 15, 2009, 09:47:51 PM

And here's a picture without the backrest.

What is the modification on your Heat Deflector?

Highjagger · « **Reply #20 on:** August 19, 2009, 07:03:48 AM »

Quote from: CVORick on August 18, 2009, 11:36:10 PM

What is the modification on your Heat Deflector?

seems to be a vent

rrjacoy · « **Reply #21 on:** August 19, 2009, 10:14:23 PM »

It's the handle for the adjustable backrest. The instructions have you install it under the heat shield but that makes it hard to get to; especially when riding. Got the suggestion from another member of this forum. I just traced the opening from the metal bracket that you would normally mount and cut it out with a moto tool. Worked like a charm.

CVORick · « **Reply #22 on:** August 19, 2009, 11:25:23 PM »

Quote from: rrjacoy on August 19, 2009, 10:14:23 PM

It's the handle for the adjustable backrest. The instructions have you install it under the heat shield but that makes it hard to get to; especially when riding. Got the suggestion from another member of this forum. I just traced the opening from the metal bracket that you would normally mount and cut it out with a moto tool. Worked like a charm.

Thanks for the explanation. Very nice work, also.

DavidB · « **Reply #23 on:** July 28, 2010, 07:46:49 AM »

Could someone with a ZEP seat post a pic of the underside of the seat at the front docking point?
Got a bike im working on here and the seat looks like it was chopped on by dealer to make it fit for some reason letting the seat nose slide side to side.

rrjacoy · « **Reply #24 on:** July 28, 2010, 01:20:26 PM »

DavidB, do you want a picture with the seat still on the bike to see how far it comes up on the tank or do you want a pic of the set off the bike?

DavidB · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2010, 08:17:30 AM »

I would like a pic of the bottom of the seat where the hole is cut under the nose .
The place where the hold down tap slides into the seat.
It looks like the harley tech cut this one out really big to make the seat install easy.
But this allows the seat to slide from side to side.
Wondering if there all this way ?

Thanks for the help.

rrjacoy · « **Reply #26 on:** July 29, 2010, 10:48:37 PM »

Here you go David. The hole is 1 1/2" by 1 7/8". The hole looks a little rough around the edges but that's the way it looked new. I don't have the problem of the seat sliding from side to side.

rrjacoy · « **Reply #27 on:** July 29, 2010, 10:50:02 PM »

Here's another pic from a different angle.

Racerdj · « **Reply #28 on:** July 30, 2010, 06:46:01 AM »

The seat looks great.

DavidB · « **Reply #29 on:** July 30, 2010, 05:45:22 PM »

Quote from: rrjacoy on July 29, 2010, 10:50:02 PM

Here's another pic from a different angle.

Thanks for the comparison photo.
Bottom of the seat looks like the one Im working on.
Guess this one was hacked by the same manufacturer.
Little rough around the edges but it still works.

Author Topic: Zeppelin Harley seat 2009 (Read 8032 times)