vulcan 900 - gel or mustang seat

[socalmarcus]

I wouldn't call the Kawi gel a waste of $ - even though mine sits in the box since I bought a Mustang. The shape makes it a definite improvement over the flow-shaped but uncomfortable stocker.

[jmcclucky01]

just went on a hell of a trip four days of ozark madness the best riding ive done yet. 1000 miles worth and i tell you had it not been for trading off the damn stocker seat i wouldnt have gone 250 and would been spending the rest of my vacation on the boat whimpering. If anyone doubts the money it costs is worth it believe me you will have a much more pleasent experiance sitting back on the bike after a long a long trip and a short stop no pain.

[Seadog1967]

Well I got the kawi Gel last year and so far am pretty happy with it. I'm 6' 225lbs, bad lower back (disc surgery) and have no problem riding all day on my 900 LT. Mustang looked good but I was too cheap. The Kawi Gel is worth it I think.

[CarGuy]

Originally Posted by Seadog1967

Well I got the kawi Gel last year and so far am pretty happy with it. I'm 6' 225lbs, bad lower back (disc surgery) and have no problem riding all day on my 900 LT. Mustang looked good but I was too cheap. The Kawi Gel is worth it I think.

I have to agree with Seadog. While I have no doubts the Mustang is a more comfortable seat, I just couldn't see spending that kind of money for one. The Kaw Gel seat, for me at least, is a great compromise. I have no regrets with it.

[badfinger]

save your money and go with the mustang...its a much better seat....i have the kawi gel seat..although its better then the stock...but not by much in the long haul....pdqscooter on here has a mustang on his and when ya look at the 2 seats side by side..you can see the difference in quality.......

[Turtle47]

Originally Posted by angliam

The Kawi gel seat is a waste of coin...hardly any gel in the seat. Take a look at Saddlemen or go with the Mustang or a Corbin.

http://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/fo...-gel-seat.html

Saddleman makes the Kawi gel seat for Kawi. Took mine apart and was surprised at how little gel is in the seat. I posted a thread about it with pics a couple months ago. Mine was fine at first, then it started hurting after an hour. Still hurts with about 10,000 miles on the seat. Gotta do something different, maybe add memory foam now.

[STR8RZR]

Have to tell ya I just put a new Mustang seat w/backrest on my wifes 800 and I feel like it was money well spent.

[Musgofasa]

Can't speak for the kawi seat, but I have heard good reviews on all of the aftermarket seats really. The saddleman, the OEM gel, and a couple of others have all gotten good reviews.

I can tell you that I have spent almost 13 hours in the mustang seat and was ready to ride the next morning with no problems. It was a LOT of money for a seat, but I am reminded how much it was worth everytime I take a long trip. We are going on a 6 day excursion on the BRP in august and even the wife is looking forward to the time in the saddle.

If we ever get together with some other 900 owners, it would be nice to trade off seats and see how the others feel. I would be interested to see how they all stack up side by side.

Take care,
Robert

[Sun357]

Don't even have my bike yet and I want a Mustang! Going to force myself to ride it a bit before I buy one though.

Question...can you add the backrest to the wide touring later or does the backrest model actually have it built in?

~Fred

[Kodiakmac]

Makes you kind of wonder, eh. They've been building bikes for over 100 years, yet here we are in 2009 - shelling out $7 to $17 grand for the privilige of riding the most technologically advanced machines ever - and the best they can give us is some bloody excuse for a saddle that Teddy Roosevelt's boys would have left in the stables. Yup, we've come a long way. I've never tried a gel seat, and I refuse to pay the kind of coin they're asking for mustang/corbin replacements, so I took the original seat from my 1500 Classic to a local upholsterer, told him what I wanted, and he solved my saddle-sores and posture problems for 80 Canadian bucks. Hey! All you manufacturers out there, listen up!

[Remington]

I have the 900 custom and most of the Mustang and Corbin seats look too big on the 900 Custom. The Mustang Day tripper or the factory Kawasaki Gel looks better on the Custom. I went with the Kawasaki Gel and it works great. I suspect it may be made by Saddleman, as they have one that is basically the exact same seat. It is slightly firmer, but it stops the tailbone pain, it is a huge improvement over the regular seat. It sets you about 3/4 inch higher and about 3/4 inch forward on the 900 Custom.

[MrClean]

Bought used mustang with backrest. Did 700 miles today and stopped cuzz we got here. Plan 8-10 hours in the saddle tommorrow. Up and over the Big Mac Bridge and down the coast to the tunnel of trees. Did 500 painful with stock. 1000-1500 with cushioned assist Spencors modded stock but would still get numb butt. Not with the stang. Get one used, get one and recover or get one new BUT GET ONE.

[Alf]

My Mustang still rules after four years...would not be able to ride today without it due to chronic back problems...

[Musgofasa]

Originally Posted by Sun357

Don't even have my bike yet and I want a Mustang! Going to force myself to ride it a bit before I buy one though.

Question...can you add the backrest to the wide touring later or does the backrest model actually have it built in?

~Fred

The backrest is built in. I don't know if I would like the back rest honestly. That's another seat I would like to have in the comparo lol.

[vulcan_mojo_man]

MUSTANG

[CarGuy]

What's really sad is that the seat on my $1000 Troy-bilt lawn tractor is more comfortable than the stock 900 seat. Even after mowing for an hour, no tailbone pain. Now, if there was just some way I could adapt it to fit the bike. Hmmmmmm!

[drivenrhythm]

Originally Posted by t conroy

My mustang pushed me taller but I have to lean back further.i had to get the phat II's jut to use the backrest!

I sent the gel seat that I bought back to the folks who sold it to me, and took the loss in shipping costs. It was worth it to get at least some of my money back.

I put on the Mustang with a backrest and it is a huge improvement. I am sitting closer to the tank, but not on top of it.

[Musgofasa]

Hey Drivenrythm,

Looking at that picture, it looks like the backrest might could be added to my seat. If I were considering that, I think I would call Mustang now rather than just paying the money for a new seat. I have a friend who said something happened to his and when he called Mustang they paid the shipping and did the adjustments to his seat for free. His take was that they couldn't be beat for customer service.

I might call just to ask about the backrest lol.

Take care,
Robert

[drivenrhythm]

Originally Posted by Musgofasa

Hey Drivenrythm,

Looking at that picture, it looks like the backrest might could be added to my seat. If I were considering that, I think I would call Mustang now rather than just paying the money for a new seat. I have a friend who said something happened to his and when he called Mustang they paid the shipping and did the adjustments to his seat for free. His take was that they couldn't be beat for customer service.

I might call just to ask about the backrest lol.

Take care,
Robert

Hey Robert,

You'll need to have the seat modified and add a bracket insert for the backrest. On the plus side, this is a lot more adjustable and convenient than I thought...and I spent three hours on it yesterday in a lot of different road conditions and it felt great. I just kept riding, and the only time I stopped was for traffic. This morning I had a slight cramp in my leg, but no backache at all...none. The seat paid for itself yesterday as far as I'm concerned.

Here's some pics showing the backrest in a number of views. Hope they help.

[NoRegrets78]

I'm 6' tall and did find the mustang wide touring moved me slightly up and closer to the tank. It wasn't a dealbreaker though and I don't know if its because of the new riding position or my skills are improving (first year riding) but I feel as though i have greater control at low speeds. Also feels like the bike is more "flickable" if that's even a term used to describe what I'm feeling.

It's comfy as heck though.