[wndsnd]

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Hi All,



I just took my 5'0 wife on a test ride on a 2004 GL1800 - To my surprise she said she

was not that comfortable because she was not back against the rest. To reach the back rest she had to sit in a reclined uncomforable position and could not reach the grab handles. My simple answer of well we will just put a pillow behind you did't go over well.



My question is - has anyone run into this, or is she just giving me some negative hints I do not want to relate to? I see there is a Corbin seat replacement on the market, does any one have experiance with this? Any other suggestions?



Obviously I need to have the boss happy!



Thanks

JB

 

[Littlejohn]

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Iinvested £850 on a corbinseat as my wife is 5' 2". She loves it but the only problem was that she could only just about reach the foot boards with her feetas they were now marginally too low.As a solution wecouldeither fit raisers to the boardsor the Kuryakyn Transformer boards at over £200. We chose the transformer boards and she thinks they are just great. I have the riders front Kuryakyn cruise boards fittedwhich help keep my legs out of her way. My wife now finds that by using the transformer boards they have the effect of shortening her leg reach and actually pushing her comfortably into the back of the seat. A good riders back rest also helps making her feel more secure on the back. The transformer boards have solved the problem of foot height and were a good investment but I would try them on the stock seat before investing in a Corbin given the price involved. Only negative thing is that with her feet brought forward on the transformer boards, they can get in the way of the back of my legs when I put my feet down at traffic lights etc so I have to compensate slightly for them. It is worth finding a mate with them on and trying them first if you can as it is a lot of money if it doesn't solve your problem. I saw one at a Treffen and the guy let us sit on his bike to try it out first.

 

[07Silver]

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That's very unusual. I would have thought the saddle would be ideal for a 5' person as it would give support right up along the back, its definitely much better than the saddle on the GL1500. Has your wife been on Goldwings with you before? If not, perhaps she is a bit tense or nervous and can't relax yet. Most pillions don't use the grab handles when riding, perhaps if she lets go of them she will sit better in the saddle?

 

[wndsnd]

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Thank you LittleJohh, I am going to look into these transformer boards. I also think when she is more comfortable in general with the Goldwing she will not find it necessary to be using the grab handles as much.

 

[Littlejohn]

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To carry on from the boards problem, we have found that the fact that my wife was stretching to get her feet comfortably flat onto the boards, that this had the effect of her sitting slightly forward away from the back of the seat. Sounds very similar to what your wife may be doing and withher back not firmly against the rear of the seat the ladies will hold on to the grabrails for security. By either raising the footboards or adding the Transformer Boards my wife found she now quite naturally falls into the back of the seat because she is no longer stretching and I now have difficulty keeping her awake on long journeys. Either option is available but raising the floorboards is the cheaper option whilst the transformers are quite comfortable. On the negative side the transformers supplied by Kuryakyn come (in my opinion) very poorly finished Chrome wise for the money invested in them. I looked at several in the box pairs when purchasing and they all seem to have the odd chip in the chrome which will undoubtably rust eventually.

 

[wndsnd]

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You are right, if she could sit back in the seat more she would not find the need for using the handles. I think the rear boards are the issue in that her feet just will not reach them when fully seated. I think I am going to look at replacements or modifications.

 

[Skooter]

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The saddle on the 1800 is a lot wider than the 1500 on the pillion area so it can be a bit of a strain for the shorter pillion people to get their legs to the boards. If a riders backrest with the chrome hoop is fitted it can make it even more awkward as it effectively makes the saddle even wider.

Instead of going to the expense of adjustable footboards without knowing of they will work, why not tape or cable tie a block of wood to each board and let your good wife see if the extra height helps. If it does then the adjustable boards will be a good buy.

 

[wndsnd]

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Great Idea, Sometimes the simpleist solutions are hardest to see.



JB

 

[Eamonn1200]

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wndsnd wrote:

Great Idea, Sometimes the simpleist solutions are hardest to see.



JB

Paul is a bright young bike mechanic JB, pity his old bike shop is closing down soon. What will you do for work then Paul, any plans yet?

 

[Skooter]

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I'm off to Australia for a year Eamonn with my pay out and girlfriend. Our house is now rented out for the year so the mortgage is sorted. I've got a job as WS manager in another bike shop when I get back as well! We head off in the middle of October. You better hope theres someone else to help out the next time you get a puncture on the M50 as I won't be around (hope you got a new tyre), but I'll probably pop into the forum when I get homesick. Steve has been good enough to store my bike for the 12 months and I spent most of yesterday prepping it for storage in his garage. Skooters is almost reay to close down in a few more weeks so I timed it well.

 

[Guest]

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wndsnd wrote:

Great Idea, Sometimes the simpleist solutions are hardest to see.



JB

Welcome to the board wndsnd, The simple answer to your simple question is Adjustable Boards. The adjustment is made to suit the height of your pillion. Show Chrome Passenger Floor Boards mount into the stock passenger board mounting holes. They allow the o.e.m. boards to be relocated into one of ten (10) positions without removal of bolts. :?The boards can be raised alittle more thanThree and Half Inches, :shock:and positioned One and Half inches further forward than the O.E.M. These boards retail at $59.95. There is an old saying, "Fools and their Money are easily parted". At least if this does'nt sort your problem, it will have only cost you 60 bucks. Ride Safe.

 

[wndsnd]

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Thank you Redwing. I just checked out the boards from Show Chrome and they look to be just the trick.

Now here is my confession. I own a 2002 Harley Road King with Fuel Injection. :shock: My wife loves the bike and the limitless group of riders locally. I am ready for a better ride and have been working on her steadily. It looks like I might have to have two rides, which is not my preference. i have owned the Harley since new but last year BMW came out with the K1200GT which I had to own. I purchased without a test ride and found that the bike just did not fit me. I only have a 28" inseam myself, and the K1200 platform was too top heavy for me. I sold the bike after a few months and the Road King justfits. Last weekend I visited with my nephew that has a 2001 GL1800 and a new Rune. I got to ride both and was hooked on the GL1800. I have been waiting for the 05's to make my decision but now it seems that it might be better to by an 04 that some of the dealers locally want to move along.

I still have to work on my wife, or figure out how to fund the second bike.

I appreciate all the help, knowing that the adjustable boards are available helps make my case.

JB

I

 

[Guest]

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wndsnd wrote:

Thank you Redwing. I just checked out the boards from Show Chrome and they look to be just the trick.

Now here is my confession. I own a 2002 Harley Road King with Fuel Injection. :shock: It looks like Iam hooked on the GL1800. I have been waiting for the 05's to make my decision but now it seems that it might be better to buy an 04 that some of the dealers locally want to move along.

I still have to work on my wife, or figure out how to fund the second bike.

I appreciate all the help, knowing that the adjustable boards are available helps make my case.

wndsnd, Dont mention it. Thats what this board is for, and visit often. I think Wing Toys in Texas have the best price for these boards. Phone Sam at 7138490422 and tell him a guy in Ireland gave you the number. Go for an '04 if you are getting a better price because there are no changes to the '05. :?Just march into the bank manager and tell him to hand over the money for a Rolls Royce, and away you go. Ride Safe.

 

[BigAl]

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Skooter wrote:

Instead of going to the expense of adjustable footboards without knowing of they will work, why not tape or cable tie a block of wood to each board and let your good wife see if the extra height helps. If it does then the adjustable boards will be a good buy.

That is a brilliant solution Paul. I wooda never thought of that! :cooldj:

 

[Guest]

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Skooter wrote:

I'm off to Australia for a year with my girlfriend. We head off in the middle of October, but I'll probably pop into the forum when I get homesick. Steve has been good enough to store my bike for the 12 months and I spent most of yesterday prepping it for storage in his garage.

Skooter, This is just to wish you and your girlfriend the very best of luck in Aussie Land.:clapper: You will be arriving in their lovely summer sunshine. :coollep:A very good friend of mine took a year off work andwent to Australia forthe year, im still waiting for his return, thats 12yrs past on the coming15thOct. :leprechaun:It's a lovely country and you will like it but come back again because this board needs people like you.:clapper:. Slan Leat. :waving: :waving: :waving: :waving: :waving: :waving: :waving::waving: :waving:

:clapper: :18red: :clapper: