Comfort is surely subjective, but Harley-Davidson forums are usually teeming with grievances about the stock seats on Sportster models. Whether it’s the spongy foam or the flat shape, riders routinely complain about seats.
Naturally, the aftermarket is chock-full of alternative choices, so the first mod I typically make to my Harleys is to replace the stock seat. I’ve spent the last three months putting Mustang’s Standard Touring Solo Saddle through its paces with laudable results on my 2004 883 Custom. It should be noted here that Mustang currently offers 116 different seats for 2004+ Sportsters in a wide variety of styles, profiles, and colors.
Related Story: Reinvention of an Icon!: 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S First Ride
The seating area of the Standard Touring Solo Saddle consists of a grippy, lightly textured marine-grade vinyl riveted to the rigid base pan. The Mustang logo is embossed into the front tip of the seat, while a braid-tipped skirt wraps around the saddle’s body, adding some flair to the design. The overall aesthetic is contemporary but subdued and clearly more attractive than the stock perch.
The seat measures 12.5 inches at its widest point, and the rear is dished a full 3 inches for added support. Seam stitching is tight, even, and intelligently located in areas that don’t support any serious weight, reducing the chances for long-distance hotspots. The underside of the seat features six rubber bumpers that distribute the rider’s weight onto the motorcycle’s frame and serve to further isolate the rider from the infamous Sportster vibrations. Seat height is comparable to stock, and overall fit and finish is superlative.
Installation is straightforward and can be accomplished in a few minutes. All that’s required is to remove the fender screw on the rear of the stock seat with a Phillips screwdriver and then pull the seat up and back so the integrated front bracket disengages from the frame.
Installation of the Mustang seat is the same procedure in reverse, using the same stock rear fender screw. If your Sportster currently has a two-person seat on it, you might discover the center mounting hole near the front of the rear fender is plugged. Mustang supplies a fender nut to replace the stock plug, allowing easy installation of this solo saddle.
Out on the road, the Mustang’s supportive foam and ergonomically dished shape hug your bum from the sides inward like a sports-car bucket seat. The rider’s weight is distributed over a larger surface area than the stock unit, providing extra room to move and stretch. You can sit on this thing for an Iron Butt and still feel comfortable at the end of the ride.
Overall, the American-made Mustang Standard Touring Solo Saddle excels in every critical requirement of a quality aftermarket seat: long-distance functionality, superb build quality, and a pleasing appearance. This seat’s MSRP is $369.99, and an optional 8-inch-wide matching passenger seat is available for an additional $244.99.
Find more information at Mustang’s website.
