Aftermarket seat for Honda Forza

[Whitestix]

I am looking for a replacement seat for a 2014 Forza that will allow me to sit further back on the scooter, without the "hump." Any ideas where to source one? Thanks.

[GeorgeSK]

Here is a start: https://bikerzbits.co.th/honda/forza/custom-seats/

That said, I ended up having a local guy do ours. It cost a fair buck, but we got exactly what we wanted.

[WhiteNoise]

A stylin' beauty!

[GeorgeSK]

Indeed. The Admiral loves her "throne", and the extra padding and gel pads have taken the curse off the meh shock absorbers. I probably should have chosen slightly "grippier" vinyl for the main black parts. I don't slide much, but none would be better.

[Whitestix]

GeorgeSK,
Thanks for the link to the Thai outfit. It is hard to tell from the photos if they would permit me to sit further back on the seat. My Honda Reflex is a a dream for seating, I can stretch my legs waaay out. Did your custom seat accomplish the same thing for you? If so, what is the distance from the top of the "U" opening in the front of the seat to the "hump" in the rear? I think I am going to connect with a custom motorcycle upholsterer here in Sacramento, California, and the measurements might be useful and your dandy photo will be helpful.

Compared to my 2003 Reflex, the Forza is quick as a cut cat and the suspension is softer than that in the Reflex. I gotta get the bars rolled backwards as they feel like "amp hangers" like the Harley guys like out here. Thanks again for the help.

[GeorgeSK]

Mel worked with one of the Thai places to get his PCX seat made to his spec. I'm not sure if it is the same place as the one I linked to. Perhaps he will chime in.

The measurement from the lower corner of my "butt wall" to the front of the seat is 17 3/4". It is as far back as I could go.

I started exploring my options by removing the hump and adding some padding. I wanted to be higher and further back. I felt that I was sitting "in" the seat rather than "on" the seat. Here is a pic of my early experiment:

my fix

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I decided that it would be possible to make something work. I bought a secondhand seat of of Ebay - I did not want to f-up my original in case the project was a bust. I stripped that and went to visit the seat shop. We spent the better part of three hours fiddling with foam and grinding, but eventually got it to where both my wife and I were happy (she was VERY happy). Here is a pic from early in the process, but you can see how you are limited with how far back you can go by the attachment points for the original hump. I suppose I could have gone in for seat pan modification, but the Admiral didn't want to loose any more of her part of the seat than she had to.

OlyPic

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We then got to design the seat cover - that was fun. I wanted some degree of bling, but not too flashy. Red thread and the red carbon inserts with a bit of flair is enough for my tastes. The final benefit has been that the extra padding and gel packs have made the ride far more forgiving. I might get better shocks at some point, but I no longer feel it is a "must do" upgrade.

Good luck with your adventure. We spent a fair buck, but once it is spent and the product works, you forget the cash outlay.

[davenowherejones]

I tilted my handlebars down one notch so that it gives more of a sport bike feel. My arms were up too high for my 5 foot 6.

[Whitestix]

George,
I will take this info to the custom shop to guide their efforts. I rode my Honda Reflex today and it is a dream in terms of stretched-out seating, I love it and want the same for the Forza. The handlebars on the Reflex are much lower than the configuration of the bars on the Forza so like like "Dave", I am going to move them back and hence lower. The Forza is really a fun machine. The battery location is purely dreadful and a design flaw in my view. I hope I never have to jump start it!

[Whitestix]

George,
I got the new seat fabricated this week for the Forza and it is very nice, with red French stitching. I can sit further back on the seat than with the stock seat, although I am still not as far back as I was with the Reflex, where I was like "Easy Rider." I got the Givi 45 top case installed and tilted the handle bars back about 45 degrees so as to not to feel like I had "ape hangers."

I clearly prefer the riding position with the Reflex in comparison. The Reflex seems much lighter and is more nimble when lane splitting. In comparison, the Forza is quick as a cut cat, but backing off the throttles seems to feel like brakes are being applied, where the Reflex seem to rather coast, but of course it is a 15 year old machine. The taller wind screen is wonderful, same with the Reflex. The seat is a travesty in terms of opening it and for sure the same with getting access to the battery. Honda took 3 steps back on that design feature.

I appear to be getting around 57 mpg around town where I got close to 70 mpg with the Reflex. Clearly, the Forza is quicker with the bigger engine. The access to the big left glove box requires the key in the ignition which is a PITA and the right box is a joke. Why the site turns the photos, I have no clue.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of my new machine with only 200 miles on it, but I think Honda outthought themselves on many of the design features and would overall prefer simply a modern version of the Reflex. The seat positioning and lift mechanism on the seat, with virtually no access to the battery, are pretty much fatal flaws. If had to do it over, I would have investigated the offerings from other Japanese max scooters manufacturers.

At any rate, thanks for the excellent photos of the seat mods, they gave my upholstery guy the correct concept. He did a fabulous job for a cost of $385. Fair enough. He knows the arrangement so if anyone needs to have it done on their machine, he is in Sacramento. For a tall guy, it is worth the money unless you want to ride with your feet flat on the floorboards like a girl. I want to stretch out...

[Whitestix]

I tried to turn the photos with no success, sorry. Clunky website.

I'll give it a go - WN
Your Saddle? Very Nicely Done!

[GeorgeSK]

The seat looks like a really nice job, and I think you ARE a bit further back than I ended up. The Admiral was having none of my sneaking into her territory.

The price you got is actually pretty amazing to me. Admittedly, I added gel packs for both myself and the pillion, and had the fancier multi-panel cover, but I paid more than twice what you did. Good job!

[Whitestix]

George,
The workmanship was top notch and I again thank you for your guidance in getting this this mod done. Great forum here. Mark

[fish]

George,
I got the new seat fabricated this week for the Forza and it is very nice, with red French stitching. I can sit further back on the seat than with the stock seat, although I am still not as far back as I was with the Reflex, where I was like "Easy Rider." I got the Givi 45 top case installed and tilted the handle bars back about 45 degrees so as to not to feel like I had "ape hangers."

I clearly prefer the riding position with the Reflex in comparison. The Reflex seems much lighter and is more nimble when lane splitting. In comparison, the Forza is quick as a cut cat, but backing off the throttles seems to feel like brakes are being applied, where the Reflex seem to rather coast, but of course it is a 15 year old machine. The taller wind screen is wonderful, same with the Reflex. The seat is a travesty in terms of opening it and for sure the same with getting access to the battery. Honda took 3 steps back on that design feature.

I appear to be getting around 57 mpg around town where I got close to 70 mpg with the Reflex. Clearly, the Forza is quicker with the bigger engine. The access to the big left glove box requires the key in the ignition which is a PITA and the right box is a joke. Why the site turns the photos, I have no clue.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of my new machine with only 200 miles on it, but I think Honda outthought themselves on many of the design features and would overall prefer simply a modern version of the Reflex. The seat positioning and lift mechanism on the seat, with virtually no access to the battery, are pretty much fatal flaws. If had to do it over, I would have investigated the offerings from other Japanese max scooters manufacturers.

At any rate, thanks for the excellent photos of the seat mods, they gave my upholstery guy the correct concept. He did a fabulous job for a cost of $385. Fair enough. He knows the arrangement so if anyone needs to have it done on their machine, he is in Sacramento. For a tall guy, it is worth the money unless you want to ride with your feet flat on the floorboards like a girl. I want to stretch out...

Strange aside about where girls put their feet.
You're still riding a scooter.
Fish

[merchjo]

Whitestix

Would you mind posting the info of the guy that did your seat? I need the samething done as my wife gave me here Forza as she no longer rides it. Out here in NJ nobody wants them so its not worth much to sell so I might as well get some user out of it.

Thanks
Joe