Will this Wes Industries Rear seat work for me?

[factionfx]

Hey guys,

I have a 2012 sportsman 500, and I am basically looking for the biggest (widest), most comfortable, and most stable rear seat made.

I have found on Thor's website this Wes Industries Deluxe seat with the lock and ride kit.

HEY! Looking for A Wes Rear Box for your Sportsman or Sportsman XP? Then Click Here!

I am also planning on buying the foot mounts (about $140) to go with it.

I am 5' 10 and 220, and my girlfriend is 5'6 200. Yeah, we are fluffy to put it nicely. Of course, we are working on losing some weight.

I cannot find these seats anywhere local to test fit.

I will be riding the quad solo about 70% of the time. The times we will ride double will be on more gentle terrain and when 4wd is required.

What I need to know is...

#1, Is this the biggest (widest) and most comfy seat on the market
#2, does anybody out there of similar size use this seat? The only pictures I have seen are with an adult driving and a kid riding. I am wanting a picture of 2 adults riding with this seat.
#3, will I , the driver be comfortable with her back there?
#4, I really enjoy the plushness of the quad as is from the factory, with the rear on it's softest setting. I am thinking I can just buy the polaris spacers (about $20), and leave it on softest setting, but maybe adjust rear shocks heavier for when we both ride. Thoughts? What is your setup?

Please post pictures of you and your wife riding a 400/500/800 with this seat!

Thank you!

[Z-Rider]

Interested as well....

[shui5612]

i have the seat for my 850 XP... one thing is.. im not sure if the lock and rides you have on your atv are in a "good place" but if you can take a picture of the rear rack, top view it would help
now. as for comfort for 2 adults...
well im about 240lb and my father is alittle above 200 ( maybe 210) (just to test the seat out, he will NEVER ride with me, but my passengers might be abit on the heavy side so better test the seat out just to be sure(no need to do this, i tested it out for you guys))

as for widest, no, there is wider, its like a bunk and has no storage what so ever (im sure its for sale on thors site aswell). The seat is very VERY decent. its comfortable enough for me and the passengers i gave rides to.

footpegs... well i dont have any yet, im going to weld something up, as i dont want the steel tubes going around the side of my atv, might look into the plastic ones on thors site ( although he says they are bothersome when riding alone)


now... suspension wise... well... TURN IT ALL THE WAY UP...( i always ride with both front and rear shocks all the way up)
and with me and my father (not to mention there will be things added in the storage) the rear sags ALOT...

(soon ill take a picture of me and father on the atv (850))

now... you will most likely want to buy a rotopax.. or two...
you will WANT some weight up front... as when both me and my father are on there, the front sometimes PLOWS through a turn (doesnt turn)

on the side note, we DID put the seat abit further back than it should be, but the weight is ON the axle (at maximum)

comfort wise, well... i am about 6ft 2, while my father is about 6ft tall, and well i sit on the more front side of the seat ( as i have a 850, the narrow seat might not be comfortable for some) anyone taller than me will have trouble turning the steering all the way to any side (it will hit the knee, but this is WITH my big windshield) and same as switching gears, when putting it on park it might hit the knee.
saying this, the rear brake (foot brake) is harder to activate as i have to lift up my foot and such, but it will be better (when i get footpegs)overall for passenger and driver.

foot pegs are a MUST (in 90% of the cases, unless the passenger is about 6ft 5 and up) they need to be pretty high up for comfort.
the seat is AMAZING overall, (if you have a problem with heavy weights, you might want/need to add something UNDER the seat to stiffen it up ( the seat) and add some comfort (varies greatly from person to person.

i would recommend you make afew mods to the seat aswell as soon as you get it, its to make the 2 side straps (3 in all, 1 in the rear and 2 on the sides) have "quick disconects" like buttons or anything, then add another strap going from the rear strap, (so its long enough to pass through the the front) that way, you can add a button to it, and another button to the top of the box, so you can flip the seat up and it will stay in place when riding 1-up.
another mod im doing is switching out the lightbulb with a led light or something for a "cooler look"

sorry for the long post, but hope i helped. ask any questions about the box, i will be happy to reply!
Happy new year!

[factionfx]

Originally Posted by shui5612

i have the seat for my 850 XP... one thing is.. im not sure if the lock and rides you have on your atv are in a "good place" but if you can take a picture of the rear rack, top view it would help
now. as for comfort for 2 adults...
well im about 240lb and my father is alittle above 200 ( maybe 210) (just to test the seat out, he will NEVER ride with me, but my passengers might be abit on the heavy side so better test the seat out just to be sure(no need to do this, i tested it out for you guys))

as for widest, no, there is wider, its like a bunk and has no storage what so ever (im sure its for sale on thors site aswell). The seat is very VERY decent. its comfortable enough for me and the passengers i gave rides to.

footpegs... well i dont have any yet, im going to weld something up, as i dont want the steel tubes going around the side of my atv, might look into the plastic ones on thors site ( although he says they are bothersome when riding alone)


now... suspension wise... well... TURN IT ALL THE WAY UP...( i always ride with both front and rear shocks all the way up)
and with me and my father (not to mention there will be things added in the storage) the rear sags ALOT...

(soon ill take a picture of me and father on the atv (850))

now... you will most likely want to buy a rotopax.. or two...
you will WANT some weight up front... as when both me and my father are on there, the front sometimes PLOWS through a turn (doesnt turn)

on the side note, we DID put the seat abit further back than it should be, but the weight is ON the axle (at maximum)

comfort wise, well... i am about 6ft 2, while my father is about 6ft tall, and well i sit on the more front side of the seat ( as i have a 850, the narrow seat might not be comfortable for some) anyone taller than me will have trouble turning the steering all the way to any side (it will hit the knee, but this is WITH my big windshield) and same as switching gears, when putting it on park it might hit the knee.
saying this, the rear brake (foot brake) is harder to activate as i have to lift up my foot and such, but it will be better (when i get footpegs)overall for passenger and driver.

foot pegs are a MUST (in 90% of the cases, unless the passenger is about 6ft 5 and up) they need to be pretty high up for comfort.
the seat is AMAZING overall, (if you have a problem with heavy weights, you might want/need to add something UNDER the seat to stiffen it up ( the seat) and add some comfort (varies greatly from person to person.

i would recommend you make afew mods to the seat aswell as soon as you get it, its to make the 2 side straps (3 in all, 1 in the rear and 2 on the sides) have "quick disconects" like buttons or anything, then add another strap going from the rear strap, (so its long enough to pass through the the front) that way, you can add a button to it, and another button to the top of the box, so you can flip the seat up and it will stay in place when riding 1-up.
another mod im doing is switching out the lightbulb with a led light or something for a "cooler look"

sorry for the long post, but hope i helped. ask any questions about the box, i will be happy to reply!
Happy new year!

Thanks for the detailed reply. Here is a picture of my rear rack. I'm pretty sure that the mount points are the same.

I look forward to a picture (from the side) of you two riding it.

What I would really like to know is "are you far enough back where you are comfortable", and is your dad comfortable (sitting on the back)?

Fyi, we measured squat off the back rack with both of us on there, it is 0 when unloaded, 2.5" with both of us on there.

Do you regularly carry anyone a passenger on yours? ...Have you modified the rear suspension?

[shui5612]

grrr my cel phone decided it was funny to error the page after i clicked on post comment...

anyways, the rear rack looks to be identical (i was worried as its a smaller machine, maybe it had narrower lock & ride holes that wouldnt fit the seat, but thats done, you are good to know that it will fit.)

im pretty sure i get more squat then that, but dont forget when you accelerate weight also transfers rearwards so there is even more squat...
my suspension is stock, but with the adjusters turned all the way up...

comfort wise, i put the seat more back than i should, over the "line" (that you also have in the rearmost of your rack)
technically i was advised so the rear of the seat goes and "hits" that line and is NOT ontop of it.
i decided to move it a further 2" backwards to give more room for the passenger and driver.
this puts the weight ON the axle (at most, but the backrest is inline with the axle) only problem so far was that if i accelerate hard it wheelied a tad bit (not to forget it was on ice).
what i would do, is add soon enough either the polaris lock & ride front box or get a rotopax to add weight in the front.

im going to take a picture either today (most likely) or tomorrow.

last thing. comfort wise... well... the passenger is more comfortable than the driver in my case, but it WILL be better for you as your seat isnt "the innovative narrow seat to give you that sport feel" as your seat is wider it will be better.
just to give you an idea i am almost all the way upfront on the seat, maybe 2-3 inches from the edge.

considering my 850xp is rated for 240pounds rear rack capacity and 120(?) for the front. the passenger IS sitting on the rack...
compared to my x2, the rear "box" capacity is 400pounds, so it doesnt sag as much...

hope i helped. will post pics soon

[factionfx]

Great, I hope to see your picture soon.

I also wanted to bump this thread, regarding the suspension setup.

For rears, it appears that the Highlifter springs are the best bet, as I don't see any current information on EPI's website.

For the front, I am not sure. I live down south (in Texas), so I will never see real snow. The stock front shocks are rated at 55-90, which means they are progressive rate springs. The "pure polaris HD 2876153" springs are 128 single rate springs (from what I gather). About $100 for the set on ebay; I have found them for $60 shipped at one place though.

I have found a third option for the front...buying the front springs for the 800 EFI value machine. They are rated at 75-111 (progressive)...about $100.

Anybody have any input? I'm afraid the 128's would be too stiff for my regular trail riding. (we cruise at 20-30mph a lot of the time).

Maybe I could have the ultimate variation and put 800 springs on it, and then also put the preload adjustment adapters on it while i have the bike apart.

Pregressor from TM2

What tools do you guys recommend to put the new springs on the bike? Wonder if this one from harbor freight will work for the fronts... MacPherson Strut Coil Spring Compressor Set

Thanks everyone.

[shui5612]

hey!
got the pics for you today!
216.jpg picture by shui5612 - Photobucket here is both of us sitting, although its not my father (he is the one taking the pic),
i got someone heavier and bigger to show the pic.
he is about 6ft 5, and 220-230 pounds.

216.jpg picture by shui5612 - Photobucket here is how i would sit with no passenger
216.jpg picture by shui5612 - Photobucket and this is with one.
although it seems like a HUGE difference, it isnt, the seat is "the same" width there as up front.

the passenger DOESNT have foot pegs so he has nothing to push himself off and go further into the seat (although there wont be much of a gain, maybe 1/2")
we DID leave some space between us to add to comfort,not only but as we could have been in snowpants it would take abit more room right?

the comfort for the passenger is very decent.

now my atv barely sagged (maybe 1-2") but it gets noticeable (the extra weight) when you start riding.


suspension:

mine are turned ALL THE WAY UP on stock springs (turned all the way up in the meaning to the hardest setting on the adjusters)
so really, unless you are going to carry around a passenger like mine, and are as heavy as me, you wont need to switch out the rear springs.
( so 240 (roughly) x 2 (2 passengers) = 480pounds + gear in the gear box (50 pounds) 530pounds.... out of which 280-285 pounds are on the rear.
and when you accelerate ( weight transfers backwards) that 285 will increase to about 300-320 (if not more) in this case you will need different rear springs as stock are rated for 240.

the front springs. you wont need to change them. although i ride with all 4 of my springs up to the hardest setting, i would recommend hardening the fronts as to not "dive" too much during braking.

- now different springs OR preload adjusers????
Pregressor from TM2 <--- i have EXACTLY the same thing execpt from polaris (at almost twice the price, they cost me about 79.99 afew years ago)
they are AMAZING. in 3 years, no complaints what so ever. i originally got them because i got the plow that made the front sag, but later realised how well they improved the handling.
i now SIT (roughly 240#) on the front of the atv and it barely sags, we even got a friend over ( another 250#) and with BOTH of us toghter (with all the goodies i have in the front storage of my x2) the front sags about 2 1/2" from going level (a arms level to the ground)
trust me with those adjusters you will and i mean WILL be amazed. they wont let you down, plus the price on those makes it a deal you cant miss.

hope i helped. sorry for the bad quality pics they were taken on a 8megapixel camera on my phone.
we didnt gear up as we were leaving (and not going for a ride) so we took the pics quickly before we left while the atv stayed in the garage.

oh and P.S. do not be discouraged from getting this seat. even though the atv looks crowded, its surprisingly comfortable even for longer trips.
just sit forward most on the atv and go for a ride (pretend you have a passenger so dont do 60mph and turn or jump or make the ride too "extreme")

only downside of that sitting position is the worse accessibility of the foot brake. which i never use.
you can still operate it freely but its not as comfortable.

EDIT: oh and for the shock compressing tool, unless you are getting new springs you wont need them, the stock front are pretty easy (well for me) to do
the rear are difficult to do (especially on a x2!) and if you are getting new springs, especially rear. get the tool. save yourself from busted knuckles/broken teeth/wasted time/etc.

ANY job (well ALMOST ANY) is easy to do when you have the right tools.

[factionfx]

Wow, thanks again for the detailed write-up!

I think we are going to try and go out this weekend without a rear seat, just to see how it handles. I will turn the rear shocks all the way up.

It does dive quite a bit when braking hard with 1 person; So I will most likely be getting those front adjusters.

Thanks again! I will look into ordering the seat and I will let you know how it goes!

[shui5612]

Originally Posted by factionfx

Wow, thanks again for the detailed write-up!

I think we are going to try and go out this weekend without a rear seat, just to see how it handles. I will turn the rear shocks all the way up.

It does dive quite a bit when braking hard with 1 person; So I will most likely be getting those front adjusters.

Thanks again! I will look into ordering the seat and I will let you know how it goes!

Welcome!
just to add to this, ive looked at many seats ( i even saw the seats at local dealers)
and nothing beats this seat for 2-up and storage..
ive seen afew boxes that are awesome in storage but offer no comfort what so ever to the passenger.
i saw one that is "passenger" only with no storage, but it was NOT better, it was wider, and made me feel like the passenger is going to slide from the left to the right with every turn as theres noting to hold the person back.

like i said. i recommend the adjusts to be ALL the way up on all four corners,
helps with stability and such. and i strongly recommend the front adjusters.

i even thought about making my own seat but the problems were too great and the comfort would have been reduced...

hope i helped (again).

[Jrich96]

I just threw on a backrest