How can I find a comfortable passenger seat for Honda VTX1300s ?

Question

We just got a Honda Vtx1300s and put a touring package on it. We rode today for about 100 miles, but after about 30 or so miles the passenger gets a rough ride. Passenger's butt gets numb and painful, and have to reposition several times to relieve pressure.. Is there any passenger seat that would be comfortable that would fit our bike, that is not too expensive..?

Answer 1

You could try a gel seat pad before you spend the big bucks on a new seat.  There's some on the JC Whitney website, and they also sell seats.  The link is below.  I'm also putting the link for Corbin, who makes high quality seats but they'll be more expensive than the stuff from Whitney.

Answer 2

You might think about embedding a gel pad in the seat's foam, too.  You'd have the benefit of the gel pad without the added seat height.  

http://www.saddlemen.com/saddlegel.html

http://www.saddlemen.com/gelpads.html

Answer 3

It's always amazed me that the Japanese can make such a good, reliable bike and put a crappy seat on it. Even the gel pad will cause you to shift in the seat I'm afraid. The reason your butt gets numb is because you are putting so much pressure in one spot. The little pillion you are sitting on simply doesn't have enough square inches of support for our butts. If you increase the area or size of the passenger seat then your problem is on the way to being solved. If you look at any aftermarket touring seat you will notice the passenger pillion is much bigger than the stock seat. That's what you need to do...buy a larger seat. I had the same problem you're having until my BF replaced his stock seat with an aftermarket one. Yes, it will cost ya some money but in the long run it's a one time purchase and worth every penny if your butt doesn't hurt after riding all day. I've ridden the same make of bike as a passenger on both a Corbin and a Mustang. Buy the Mustang seat. Much better. Just one rider/passenger's opinion.