H-D Sundowner Seat Gap Fix For Harley Softails

[@RevelatorAlf]

Thanks for watching. Let me know what you think in the comments below. More videos like this here: kzbin.info/aero/PLmgCmljtdCzWrLg62oZxo0laIsmq4j67P

[@jimmcfall7769]

Hi Alf from the USA. I love your videos and content, very good information! I just subscribed to your channel. Can you please tell me the model and part number for the Sundowner seat that you have installed on your Sport Glide? My girlfriend will not ride with the uncomfortable stock seat. I already have a nice sissy bar and back rest, but the stock seat SUCKS. I want her to be as comfortable as possible especially on long distance rides. Thank you!

[@RevelatorAlf]

Ah I can’t remember the exact number but you’ll find them online from H-D thanks

[@anthonyhenry4016]

Great fix its the most annoying issue with the seat now fixed great result great video simple well communicated

[@RevelatorAlf]

Thanks so much

[@tracymccann2483]

Does it sit you back more than the stock seat I am 6'2 I need a little more room.

[@paulcunningham8605]

Cheers for the tip. Done today but went for 9mm this covers up the bolt and keeps the seat off the tank when riding, as we all know how easily Harley paint scores and scratches.

[@JD-ve8mf]

Hi, Alf, I figure it out and put the strap on, screwed into the frame. Thanks for your reminder. I have the Sundowner seat on my 2020 Low Rider S, seems no gap, after a little massage.

[@KoHokCheung]

Hi, very informative. Did u try the comfort of the seat for the passenger. We have a Heritage 114 and my wife has complains about the original seat. Cheers

[@ronecc2]

I did that, but rather than drill the bracket, I made a new one out of some thick aluminium I had lying around. I seem to remember I made it 15mm longer. Since then I have had the Sundowner reshaped and recovered, so now the front covers the screw and the seat fits me better without those horrible bolster sides.

[@reddog907]

Suffolk Sport Glide Rider (Tom) was one of the first to point this out. I just looked at mine and the gap seems to have closed up after riding for awhile. I will se if this fix is worth it.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Ok 👍

[@Yelwas]

Great tip, thanks Phil and Alf

[@anthonyhenry4016]

Just completed this fix worked like a charm and after just completing a major customisation this was the most annoying thing not fixed. Can I add a suggestion that you look for cabinet/table leg floor spacers the round felt versions as they come with sticky backs and generally in the right size both circumference and thickness. They then tend to find their right height even if a bit thicker when you apply.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yes great idea. Cheers

[@kevinturner7674]

but is the seat comfortable I just ordered one

[@six-pack1332]

Good fix for the Sundowner gap problem. 👍

[@RevelatorAlf]

Cheers

[@LukeTPZ]

Why do you have two clocks on the handlebars, please?

[@RevelatorAlf]

One is a clock and the other a thermometer

[@thepieman2742]

I ride a Sportglide. I ordered a sundowner seat. You’d think that H-D would have a proper fit. It’s kinda disappointing to say the least. I’m hopeful they adjusted it since you made the video.

[@RevelatorAlf]

apparently the newer ones fit a bit better depending on the bike I believe too

[@ParrotHead1809]

Ya gotta love the community! Nice Job!

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yes indeed. Cheers

[@JD-ve8mf]

Hi Alf, nice video, like it. I have a question how to install the grab strap, in a ease way? It seems very hard to do it. I have noticed you do not have the grab strap on. Thanks a lot.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yes I have removed mine as it was a pain to remove the seat with it on. Cheers

[@JD-ve8mf]

@@RevelatorAlf Thanks Alf. I am thinking to screw the strap into the back of the Sundowner seat. Not sure it will be safe or not.

[@RevelatorAlf]

@@JD-ve8mf The strap will always screw onto the frame in the normal way because it is a retention strap. You shouldn't screw it into the seat as that defeats the purpose. The strap may not even work with the sundowner seat either as it may be too short. Cheers

[@JD-ve8mf]

@@RevelatorAlf Got it, thanks a lot!

[@ObsessiveCarDetailer]

good job Alf, well done Phil👍

[@RevelatorAlf]

Cheers

[@simonhickey8952]

I wonder whether it's just the Sportglide and just the all in one rider and passenger seat though? I've got a '18 Heritage Classic 114 softail, I have just fitted a Solo Sundowner seat and it fits to the tank better than the standard seat off the production line! (Just sayin')

[@RevelatorAlf]

Simon Hickey ah yes maybe it is. Cheers

[@anthonyhenry4016]

The seat is made for the Low Rider and the Sport Glide it fits the Low Rider right up close to the take but every SG has an issue

[@rosswonderley4794]

I think a small remaining gap is no bad thing. It stops the seat from rubbing the paint off the tank.

[@peterconnell3162]

Its a €450 seat, and people are having to modify it at home in their garages to make it fit!. Its awful customer service by H-D and their dealers because the problem is so clearly obvious. I complained direct to Harley Europe about the fit, and after pictures and emails were exchanged they agreed give me a refund for the Sundowner seat. The dealer was useless, but I have since realized that its actually a problem with the Sport Glide model because I have exactly the same problem with my Saddlemen aftermarket seats, and the company has no answer so we are measuring everything currently. There is something different in the dimensions of the Sport Glide compared to other softails, and it would be interesting to find out.

[@shirinshaw7998]

Isn't it the rear fender that is the difference, because the frame must be the same as the other softails?

[@peterconnell3162]

Shirin Shaw ...could it be as simple as that?!. Parts are made generically, so the Sundowner seat model fits a number of softail models. To do that the base dimensions must be similar/same including the rear fender fixing holes. In theory my Saddlemen seat should fit a Lowrider S, so next time I am in the dealer showroom I will try and see the result.

[@simonhickey8952]

@@peterconnell3162 If they are anything like my local dealer, don't expect a lot of cooperation or knowledge and experience. Anybody who has a youTube channel or uses it a lot if they are interested in Harleys (or anything mechanical come to that) probably knows more than they do.(excepting the workshop guys) There are a lot of really good techs out there, a lot of the really good ones went out to work for themselves and are used to working around problems and pleasing customers that haven't got main dealer pockets. Many's the time in the past that my bikes (not just HD's) have come back from a 'service' with oil filter/drain plug seals weeping etc. because they couldn't be bothered.

[@peterconnell3162]

Simon Hickey I am with you on this topic. I had oil coming out of the oil filter after the last dealer service as it was not seated properly. New handlebars fitted yesterday, and polyurethane bushings ordered by the dealer did not fit my model so they left the old rubber bushings in place. I now have a vibration problem that I have to resolve. The list goes on!.

[@simonhickey8952]

@@peterconnell3162 Feel for you. Try a good motor factors or suspension shop for polyurethane bushes?

[@reddog907]

I have rubber pads that are stick on , when you want to put them under a wood display board and don’t want it to scratch the surface . They sell them at hardware and big box stores.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yep that’ll work. Cheers

[@ronecc2]

Just what I did a month ago. Well actually, I had some aluminium plate spare, so I made a new bracket, so as not to damage the original. Then I decided to have the sea altered anyway, because it is one uncomfortable seat for me. Great size and comfort for my good lady, but worse than the original for pain in my backside. Seats not back yet, so I do not know if it has been butt cured.Good mod though and can't imagine why other owners have not thought of it.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yep cheers

[@ElectraWillem]

Nice job, but I would make a new metal bracket for that seat. This one is verry weak now. Just wondering about hearing 'mill' over and over again in the vid. Are you Brits allready converted from Imperial to the metric system or do you use both? What's going on there?

[@RevelatorAlf]

Ha ha many years now. Still use both. Yep making a new bracket would work too

[@robertyoung5678]

Hey a great video you could do would be producing CFM ratings on different air intakes kits !! Love yr videos an learning new things all the time 👍👍👍👍🤠

[@RevelatorAlf]

Great suggestion! Glad you're finding them useful. Cheers

[@richardcranston1833]

Quality control been going down hill from p&a to bikes for last 10-15 years. I would have suggested Saddlemen seats.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Richard Cranston great seat too

[@rosswonderley4794]

I have a Saddlemen seat with a similar issue. It has to be slid back slightly out of the slot at the front to allow the bracket to line up with the nut at the back. It isn't 10mm though, and the gap isn't as noticeable as the Sundowner.

[@saddle8bag]

Nice fix. I don't think I'd have noticed it, but if I did and it bothered me, I'd have just hit that bolt with a little black touch up paint. The spectrum of guys and their Harleys is always interesting. From those that treat them like Fabergé Eggs to guys like the Million Dollar Bogan who see how many mudholes they can drop them in. From them I now know that HD parts don't fit very well, but at least they'll take one hell of a beating.

[@RevelatorAlf]

saddlebag yes indeed they’re not made of sugar ha ha

[@WhiskyJackR]

Certainly looks a much nicer fit than stock. Keep an eye on those discs as you might find that these will slip over time. If you can find one piece packers that would be the icing on the cake :)

[@RevelatorAlf]

WhiskyJackR yes good shout. Always room for evolution. Cheers

[@davefearon1620]

Unfortunately this moves you a little closer to al the controls

[@RevelatorAlf]

ever so slightly

[@shirinshaw7998]

By drilling that bracket (figure of 8 holes) it has been seriously weakened, especially as he seems not to use the seat strap. When that bracket snaps, the seat will come completely off the bike (and so will he).

[@simonhickey8952]

Yes, I thought the same thing, especially over time, getting on and off the bike and possibly a pillion too. I think I would make a new metal 'strap', shape it (and in my case paint it gloss black). But that's just me. A good bit of lateral thinking all the same though.

[@rosswonderley4794]

Not really. If he had enlarged the hole, yes, but the minimum area to carry bending is the same because the new hole is the same size as the old one and close to it. These brackets don't actually have much load on them.

[@renhoek]

And not a piece of wood in sight! 😉

[@RevelatorAlf]

Walter Swanson ha ha you’re getting withdrawal?

[@renhoek]

RevelatorAlf. 🤣 there is no end to your handiness. I think diy is inherent in Brits. Well done!

[@RevelatorAlf]

Walter Swanson ha ha I try

[@swampdonkey4919]

Thanks for the info. Honestly I think the video could benefit if you lose the first 6 minutes. It was distracting, and by the time you get to the actual fix, I forgot what I was even trying to do. Could just be my attention span, I dunno.

[@RevelatorAlf]

Yep 👍