How can I make my Harley Soft Tail deluxe more comfortable to sit on? It’ KILLS my tailbone?
lutherpainting asked:
I just bought a Harley Softail Deluxe. After 5 minutes on the bike, my tailbone is excruciatingly painful. I can’t ride at all now. I’m over 6 feet with a 32-34 inch inseam and am really uncomfortable on the bike. The Harley Dealership doesn’t have many options to fix this. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do? I love to ride, but can’t be on it for very long. Thanks.
I just bought a Harley Softail Deluxe. After 5 minutes on the bike, my tailbone is excruciatingly painful. I can’t ride at all now. I’m over 6 feet with a 32-34 inch inseam and am really uncomfortable on the bike. The Harley Dealership doesn’t have many options to fix this. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do? I love to ride, but can’t be on it for very long. Thanks.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Try a sheep skin cover over your seat or just stand up on the pegs. If you have under 100 miles on it, there is a guy looking to buy one of these, just a few questions back. But if he sees this he might not want one either.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
try a corbin seat, a mustang seat and also changing your feet position by changing control position (HArley offers) as well as risers for handle bars, all shift or comfort your seat.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:13 am
That bike was designed specifically for female riders and those with short inseams. I’m surprised the dealer let you buy it without mentioning that. It’s probably just too small for you. I had a really hard time with the seating on my Roadking too though. It was supposed to be comfortable, but something about the bike was tough on my lower back and shoulders. It was never an issue with my Sportster Roadster which sucks because I sold a perfectly good bike for one that didn’t fit me. I now have a Buell Cyclone and the slightly forward position is a lot more comfortable for me. A gel seat insert or a Corbin might help, but if the bike is just too cramped, it may be time to trade up.
Good luck.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
You could try another set of handle bars,some where the reach is way less.Also if there is anyway you can mount the foot pegs further back. But with that type of bike you tent to have your arms n legs streting forward.Looks cool but not to comfy.Good luck.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
try a riders backrest,or go with floorboards instead of pegs,you could also try a kidney belt to help support your back
December 21st, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Find a good upholstery shop and take the seat in to them. They can re-pad the seat or adjust the padding that is there. It may take a couple tries to get it where you need it, but it’s a lot cheaper than a new seat.
December 25th, 2008 at 1:45 am
I’m about the same size and I ride a 2008 Softail Custom (FXSTC) and the seat is surpassed only by a Lincoln.
December 26th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Your seating position is off.
If your tailbone hurts it’s because your sitting on it, which you’re not supposed to do.
Motorcycles in general are very adjustable. You need to adjust yours.
Before you even start looking for new bars, pegs, etc. try adjusting the ones you’ve got. You need to get your weight off that small bone and on your buttocks.
December 29th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Just spent 2 years in the seat of a 2007 FLSTN, yes the stock seat sucks. Check out the Harley Sundowner or a Mustang and you will be good to go. Also you may want to consider installing bars from a Heritage. Do yourself a favor and go to hdforums.com instead of this site for Harley related questions.
January 1st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
First off- Freak Show is incredibly wrong in his assessment of the Softail Deluxe. As a woman that rides a Deuce, I can tell you that the Softail Deluxe was not made for any woman I know. Most of the women riders I know seem to gravitate towards the Fatboy. It sits much lower than the Deluxe and another inch lower than the Deluxe.
I have had similar problems with tailbone problems with many of my bikes. Here’s what I have had to do:
Change the seat. I find a seat with more back support often makes my tailbone happier. I like the Harley Sundowner.
Change the position of the handlebars or replace them completely. I gave myself more reach which allowed me to sit back farther on the bike.
Change the pegs: For reasons that make no sense, when I replaced my pegs with anti-vibration pegs, my tailbone stopped hurting so much. My feet are also much happier. I also replace the highway pegs with the anti-vibration pegs. Still getting monkey butt, but the tailbone isn’t hurting.
Try going with sheepskin instead of gels. If you spend a lot of time in the saddle, the gels will wear out on you. The sheepskin is cheaper and will last longer. A buddy of mine runs an vehicle upholstery shop and suggests this to all of his clients that want to go with gels. Considering he makes not money talking them out of the gels, I can’t see why he’d lie.
Go to to get great information from fellow Harley riders. There is even a Softail Deluxe forum.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:42 am
i’m 6′1″ same inseam, 200 ish pounds… that’s probably the most comfortable offering they make
take your wallet out of your back pocket or starighten up, or change something, never heard anyone else with that to say before you…
maybe your hands are awkward, try some risers and apes or something
you can add fwd controls to them if you want your legs stretched out a bit more