I can't tell you anything about the reverse gear, but if your seat is uncomfortable, you might try a gel seat pad before spending the big bucks on a new seat. The seat on my Honda VTX looks comfortable, but after about 40 miles, well, let's just say that looks can be deceiving. I'd like to have a snappy new gel saddle, but until I can afford that, I've been using a gel seat pad that the Chief got last year for his ride from FL to Milwaukee. This pad SURE makes a difference!
OTOH, some of those upgraded saddles include a backrest--now THAT would be nice to have.