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Beaded Seat

S

spacesuit6

Training Wheels
Hey -- Like all Connies, my seat gets really warm in the summer. Warm? I mean hot. I am considering adding a taxicab beaded seat cover, I've heard they help a lot. My question is two part. Has anyone used the ceramic beads and is it generally worth twice the price of wooden beads? And then -- who is the preferred vendor for the seat covers? I have seen them ranging from $8 to $60. I want quality, but I don't want to overpay. Thanks in advance! Eric
 
I bought mine at wal-mart, car type just cut to fit, I would not leave home without them, I even keep them on in the winter, oh yea 8 bucks there about.
 
What Tommy sed! 01 Conc, Mijami Floriduh OTP 06: http://tinyurl.com/2vk9o2 route map: http://tinyurl.com/4p7pmd
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Same here "If it hasn't killed me yet, it's runnin out of time" COG # 8062 AMA # 1084053 ROMA or Scarlet harlot acording to my wife
 
My wally world one is still going after 3, 15k+ touring years. I then got a Russel Daylong. They must add something to the seat(like better padding) that keeps more of the engine heat at bay. I wonder if a Nomax layer under the stock seat would be of any help? Anyway, the beads are great. They need to be big and wrap around the edges of the seat and not just be in the middle of your butt. The edges is where the air gets in to cool you. Photos[/url]
 
I had been using the $8 Wal Mart ones for about a year but the UV from the sun finally took it's toll on them. It does make a huge difference so I went back to Wal Mart to get another set and was told they no longer carry them. Well not to be detered I went to Auto Zone and found a flat beaded seat cover made from Bamboo with some rope piping around the outside. It actually was easier to attach with some mini bungee cords and I didn't have to cut it down. For $13 it didn't break the bank and worked well on last weekends 300 mile ride to Cedar Key FL and back.
 
Huh -- so everyone cuts them down to fit? I always sort of thought if you started cutting into the full-size car ones, if you cur the wrong cord the whole damn thing would unravel and you'd have $15 worth of beads on the floor. Not so?
 
In general you are correct and you could end up with beads everywhere. I waited a year before I tried it with mine. I can not remember details but I was able to only remove the long thin part and save the parts I wanted. It can be done but as you say there is a chance it could unravel in a way that does not work for you. Photos[/url]
 
Or you can buy them from Aerostich (Rider warehouse) already cut to size for $30. "If it hasn't killed me yet, it's runnin out of time" COG # 8062 AMA # 1084053 ROMA or Scarlet harlot acording to my wife
 
After owning the wallyworld ones for two years I paid $45 I think for a pre-cut black bead one so it would look better. I was not happy. The fact that it did not wrap around the edge of the seat to let air in under my legs made it worthless almost. I went back to the cheap one. Photos[/url]
 
Just a contrary thought on the beads. They do help for air circulation, but... Hmm, there might be a joke here! Nah, never mind. I used beads on my first trip to a rally. Florida to North Carolina. At the end of the day, my butt felt like I'd been sitting on a waffle iron! Just a heads up. YMMV. I have alternated between the beads and a sheepskin. The change of surface seems to help. I'm now trying an AirHawk after talking to an Iron Butt Connie rider at Bike Week. It's still not the complete answer, but I should know after the ride from Florida to Wisconsin. Just wanted to say that, for me, the beads were not the magic solution. But they're cheap enough to try. Eddie COG Marketing Asst. Sanford, FL 2005 Concours 1969 Triumph Bonneville AMA# 686667 COG# 7073 CDA# 0136 http://picasaweb.google.com/Eddie753
 
Been using them a couple of years now, they're great, mine are the cheapies from wal-mart just trimmed em to fit and painted them black.
 
I work to many hours to create something, I paid $20 a long time ago they are now $35 I use the standard ones they are great! www.Beadrider.com
 
I did a couple wallyworld dealeo's last year, they're tied in a way that you can target the row you want to remove and not worry about the unravelling. that was my initial concerns turned out to be unfounded. I used weedwacker mono to reinforce the outsde row, this thing is bulletproof now! Steve
 
I used the Walmart one and cut it down. Took me about an hour to get it done. And other than the head rest peice, I left it full length. It fits perfectly from front to back with some over hang on both sides.
 
Buy the cheap beads and figure out what length you want and cut 3 rows back and then pull 2 rows of the beads off then you can retie then and lace the out edge with nylon cord. By lacing the out edge with nylon cord I get about 30,000 out of a set. You can get 2 covers out of 1 car seat. I have been riding on bead for 15 years and that works to be about 270,000 miles on beads. All of my friend
 
I work to many hours to create something, I paid $20 a long time ago they are now $35 I use the standard ones they are great! www.Beadrider.com I have both. The beadrider is better then nothing but I found that since the beadrider ones are not wide enough to go over the edge of the seat then most of the good cooling air gets blocked by your legs. I switched back to the cheap ones. One thing I have noticed since I got a Russel Daylong is that I do not seem to need the beads as much. I think that seat isolates me better from the heat of the engine coming up through the seat itself. Just adding isolation to a stock seat may help. Photos[/url]
 
I have 45k+ on a kmart set. Longest day has been around 850 miles with no discomfort. without them much discomfort. Of course my opinion might be biased.
 
I bought a wooded beaded seat from beadrider just before the NW regional in Enterprise OR. On the ride out the temps were in the 90s and we cruised for about 6-7 hours in the heat. I can't say I felt any breeze under my backside. In the more info than you wanted to know department I also wore a pair of ExOfficio boxer briefs that provide moisture-wicking. Could have been the combo of the two but my bum was comfy with no signs of monkey butt. The think I did notice about the beads is that I sit a little higher maybe like an inch or so. This allowed a little more air to flow through the top of my helmet as I was looking over my rifle windshield. That's my $0.02
 
sawfiler said:
Or you can buy them from Aerostich (Rider warehouse) already cut to size for $30....
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I believe the ones Andy sells at Aerostich are from BeadRider - made by a former IronButt Rally rider, IIRC...
 
I must be the exception to the rule. I used a pre-made unit over my Corbin seat. Within an hour I had to pull over and take them off the seat. I thought they were the most painful riding experience (not crashing) that I ever experienced. I went with a sheep skin. It works much better for me. It's warmer and cooler when it should be. Plus it cushioned the seat rather than making it painful like the beads did. I still have those beads sitting in the shed with one hours use!  ;D
 
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