dozer520 Posted February 13, 2012 Share #1 Posted February 13, 2012 well as i move forward will getting my bike roadworthy i'm researching seat improvements for my wife and i. i've been searching all over the site and see some info, but i thought i just start a thread to streamline the ideas. i have the 83 bike and it seems the rear seat is narrower than say some of the newer ventures. will the seats from the 86 1300 fit onto my 83 1200?? will they be more comfortable?? the rear seat looks like its wider and i think that will help my wife. i'm hoping to run 500 mile days with her and want to make it as nice as possible for her. i'm also interested in a back rest for myself and some kind of arm rests for the rear. let me know what works. i'm hoping to find some more economical comfort versions before i'd go all out russel day if you follow, but let me know what you guys think will help. i've seen some of the higher back rests on the mkII with little arm supports... will they fit onto my trunk or do i need the whole trunk and would that fit onto my first gen? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaggletooth Posted February 13, 2012 Share #2 Posted February 13, 2012 From what I have looked into the MKII seats (as in '86) will fit. I think all you need to do is reverse the mounting brackets on the seat pan. Someone here should be able to jump in on that. If you find a seat that is almost perfect but not right there talk with Rick Butler (Butt Butler). He is The Man on make seats fit your seat. As for the rider backrest, keep and eye on eBay if someone here don't have one to offer. Keep in mind the MKI & MKII rests mount differently so be sure of the proper fit and it comes with ALL the mounting parts. The arm rests...........good luck. Few and far between. There was a complete set on eBay about a week ago and that was the first complete decen set I had seen in while. There are some Gold Wing models that can be modded to fit but I can't say exactly which ones. The MKII trunks do have the short armrests but you would need to swap the trunks. That take a bit of reengineering. Some have done that mod already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus1300 Posted February 13, 2012 Share #3 Posted February 13, 2012 86 and on seats have a different nose mount then the 83-85 so they will not work without some futzing. Rick can make your 83 good for the type of distance you are thinking of for very reasonable. Backrests: both Marklin and VentureLine made driver backrests.I've had both and liked them both.I think again you will have to find an 83-83 unit to fit as the bag change for 86 on caused a mounting change.Check Ebay Arm rests.There was someone here who made some,maybe a search will come up with that information.Again back in the day Ventureline,Markland and Showchrome and Drag all made them but because of 86 on trunk differences you will have to stick to 83-84.I think 85 is different also.Again Ebay Now if you can do some fabricating there are lots of 1100-1200 goldwing armrests that can be made to fit. Good luck and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsonaventure Posted February 13, 2012 Share #4 Posted February 13, 2012 Member vender Rick Butler comes very highly recomended. I dont know if he does 1st Generation, I would asume so. I did both seats on my 99 and could not believe the difference. Can go all day no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayceesfolly Posted February 13, 2012 Share #5 Posted February 13, 2012 Send your seat to Rick Butler....best money I ever spent. I can ride my bike for days without a problem. He does great work. Go to "classifieds" at the top of the forum and then click on "Member Vendors" and then click on "Rick Butler". Rick has modified many, many of these seats and adds memory foam to them. Send him a PM and tell him what your seat problem is and he will tell you what should be done to modify your seat. He also has a short turnaround time also. It was the best money I have spent on my bike. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted February 13, 2012 Share #6 Posted February 13, 2012 If you can find an 85 trunk and mounting rack it is a plug and play application which will give you extra trunk space and a nicer passenger backrest. Also, the MK2 adjustable backrests bolt right on as the trunk uppers are the same. You just need the upper beauty cap to hide the mechanism. Never checked but the trunk bottoms may be the same as well meaning that with the '85 trunk mounting rack you may be able to mount any MK2 trunk to it. Another mod you may want to consider is a pair of brackets to move the trunk back a few inches to give the navigator a little more breathing room. They are very easy to make out of bar stock. If you are interested I can show you pictures of the ones I made for mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dozer520 Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted February 14, 2012 thanks guys! i will look into these suggestions. problem is i don't know how easy it would be to match the paint that i have now if i switch any trunk components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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