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Does your seat suck?

Does your stock seat suck? Multiple answers allowed if you have mulitple bikes

  • NO, the stock seat is comfortable

    Votes: 4 20.0%
  • Yes but I'm still riding on it

    Votes: 7 35.0%
  • Yes. I'm using a seat pad

    Votes: 4 20.0%
  • I chucked that POS and got an aftermarket seat

    Votes: 9 45.0%

  • Total voters
    20

klaviator

Scooter Trash
Joined
Feb 8, 2022
Member Number
431
Posts
3,223
Location
Alabama
One of my pet peeves is the crappy seats most manufacturers put on their bikes. An uncomfortable seat can take the fun out of a ride.

I have 4 bikes. One has a pretty good seat. One has an OK seat but I still use a seat pad. 2 came with seats that are classified as weapons of Ass destruction. On one I use a seat cushion the other I replaced with a Seat Concepts.
 
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The seat on my Beta is made of Mahogany I think or maybe Granite.. I kind of like it tho
 
KTM 640 Adventure. It doesn't get any better than this! Most North American Dakar riders run Renazco.
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What many people perceive as too much pressure on sit bones is actually abrasion. Good riding shorts/underwear will solve a lot of problems. Proper ventilation is also helpful, a beaded seat cover or mesh cover help a lot.

There are a lot of seats that are not great for sitting but they are usually found on dirtbikes, where sitting is not the right way to control the bike.
 
I suppose every ass is different because so many of the aftermarket seats, especially the higher dollar ones, are dished out to cradle your butt cheeks. I've always hated dished seats because they force you into one spot. Not only do I want to move around to hang off when cornering but I also want to shift back and forth to change the location of the pressure on long days. I've always preferred a wide, flat, level seat. Only two aftermarket seats have given me this without modification - a Corbin on a '95 VFR and a supermoto seat for my FZ-09. Every other time I've bought a seat from Sargent and others I've had to send it back to flatten the dish and make it level so I wasn't sliding into or away from the tank. I also like very firm foam. It seems like a lot of high dollar seats use softer foam as the top layer but I've never liked it.

I've tried beads and I don't like how they make me feel disconnected from the bike. I haven't tried something like the Airhawk yet because I'm sure I'll have the same reaction. A lot of people swear by sheepskin pads. I have a couple and have never thought they help much.

Now I'm trying to decide on what to do with my new KLX300. I rode about 350 miles over 2-1/2 days last week and it was brutal. I think Yinzer might be right that a big part of it was abrasion but I'd like the seat to be a little wider. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take padded bicycle pants along to try. I'm considering the Seat Concepts seat but their website doesn't show theirs next to the OEM so I can see the difference.

I'm all ears if someone can recommend a strap on pad that might help the KLX seat.
 
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Now I'm trying to decide on what to do with my new KLX300. I rode about 350 miles over 2-1/2 days last week and it was brutal. I think Yinzer might be right that a big part of it was abrasion but I'd like the seat to be a little wider. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take padded bicycle pants along to try. I'm considering the Seat Concepts seat but their website doesn't show theirs next to the OEM so I can see the difference.

I'm all ears if someone can recommend a strap on pad that might help the KLX seat.
The stock seat on my KLX250 was a weapon of Ass destruction. It was hard as a brick and too narrow. The seat concepts is much better. It's 9 inches wide compared to 6 inches for the stock seat. 200-300 miles days are not a problem with the seat concepts seat.
 
In fairness most of the stock seats on my bikes with nothing more than a sheepskin are good for big days no issues. But As for aftermarket seat swap i do have regretts. The stock Kawasaki EN500A£ vis one of the most comfortable seats out there, So what did i do, i swapped it out for the most uncomfortable seats its even possible to fit.
:lol2 Pictures tell it all no words necessary:lol2.
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If they put sufficiently firm padding in bike seats I think most tire kickers in the dealership would be put off by it. So they make marshmallow seats that collapse under you, but give a nice, cushy first impression.

I was looking at a couple Triumphs yesterday and was impressed how firm some of their sport bike seats were. Maybe things are getting better.

Riding in jeans is a killer, too. Those seams for the back pockets end up being killer pressure points. Proper riding pants cures that.
 
If they put sufficiently firm padding in bike seats I think most tire kickers in the dealership would be put off by it. So they make marshmallow seats that collapse under you, but give a nice, cushy first impression.

I was looking at a couple Triumphs yesterday and was impressed how firm some of their sport bike seats were. Maybe things are getting better.

Riding in jeans is a killer, too. Those seams for the back pockets end up being killer pressure points. Proper riding pants cures that.
Kawasaki tends to make seats that are just upholstered bricks. My KLX250 and Versys are both like that. Same with the Versys 300x. Most KTM seats are bricks.

I rode a friends Triumph Tiger 660 recently and thought the seat was comfortable.

I don't remember last time I sat on a bike with a really soft seat except for the Monkey Bike and everyone seems to love that seat.
 
Those Tiger Sport 660's are good looking machines! Fingers crossed they do a Sport 900.
 
When I was in my 20s any stock seat was just fine...By the time I was 50..I was seeking out more comfort...My 3 ST1100s all had Russell Day Long saddles...The stock seat was too low. The aaches and pains and discomforts would set in after 100 miles...Once I discovered the RDL then as if by magic all my discomforts went away:clap There isnt a stock seat out there that I find acceptable anymore...
 
I suppose every ass is different because so many of the aftermarket seats, especially the higher dollar ones, are dished out to cradle your butt cheeks. I've always hated dished seats because they force you into one spot. Not only do I want to move around to hang off when cornering but I also want to shift back and forth to change the location of the pressure on long days. I've always preferred a wide, flat, level seat. Only two aftermarket seats have given me this without modification - a Corbin on a '95 VFR and a supermoto seat for my FZ-09. Every other time I've bought a seat from Sargent and others I've had to send it back to flatten the dish and make it level so I wasn't sliding into or away from the tank. I also like very firm foam. It seems like a lot of high dollar seats use softer foam as the top layer but I've never liked it.

I've tried beads and I don't like how they make me feel disconnected from the bike. I haven't tried something like the Airhawk yet because I'm sure I'll have the same reaction. A lot of people swear by sheepskin pads. I have a couple and have never thought they help much.

Now I'm trying to decide on what to do with my new KLX300. I rode about 350 miles over 2-1/2 days last week and it was brutal. I think Yinzer might be right that a big part of it was abrasion but I'd like the seat to be a little wider. I'm kicking myself that I didn't take padded bicycle pants along to try. I'm considering the Seat Concepts seat but their website doesn't show theirs next to the OEM so I can see the difference.

I'm all ears if someone can recommend a strap on pad that might help the KLX seat.


I used to do 10-12 hour days in the Super Tenere a decade ago when I bougth the bike new. Tried a Air Hawk. While adding 1/2 - 3/4 inches of seat height it sucked as I felt lost on the bike with no seat dyno or feedback. I Listed the Air Hawk and sold it within the hour to a Harley rider.

Bought a Corbin (hard, flat) and proceeded to rack up tens of thousands of miles on the ST before we parted last year so the new owner could enjoy it.
(I spend most of my time on the CRF now)
 
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I have only owned two aftermarket seats. I put a Corbin seat on my 95 R1100GS. It was one of the most comfortable seat I have ever had. I could ride all day and my butt never got sore. The only drawback to that seat was it positioned me farther back on the bike.

I have a seat concepts on my KLX250 and it's 1000% better than the stock brick that came on the bike.
 
One drawback of Corbin is that they make their own seat pans and it's fairly common that they don't fit well. I've had them where they didn't want to latch in place then they'd get wedged on and be very difficult to remove. They also weigh a ton. I think they're molded out of lead. As far as fitting the bike, I've always had good luck with Sargent. They make their own pans but they fit much better than Corbins. The downside is I've always had to send them back once or twice to reshape the foam to make it comfortable.
 
My butt doesnt get sore, but I have yet to find a seat that doesnt result in me going numb from my taint to my twig in about 20 minutes. Not as fun as it sounds.
 
Stock seat on the FXDF is fantastic. Bike came with a Corbin seat and the stock seat. That Corbin was irritating. Stock seat was far better.
 
I guess seat discussions are like oil topics.... :rofl To me it not only depends on the shape of the seat but, IMHO, also the position of the seat as in leaning too far forward or not high enough..
My first new bike was a 2004 R1150 RT (bought in 2003) that had the perfect seat in the perfect position and I didn't even use a pad or anything. That was a great set-up.

The next bike I had, was a 2005 K1200LT and I still want to shoot the a'hole that "designed" the seat on that bike. Totally useless after about an hour, so off it came and I had Rocky Mayer make me one that was perfect. Several 1000 mile days proved that to me...

Next came a 2006 R1150 GSA that required a pad but was fine for the 88K I put on that bike.
Flash forward to 2017 with a R1200 RT who's seat was fine, after a redesign of the front mounting point so my nuts wouldn't be riding on the tank.
Form and shape were fine, no further adjustments needed. Sadly the riding position on that bike sucked as the bike felt cramped even after lowering the foot-pegs and raising the seat. My knees protested all the time..

Traded the RT for my current bike, a 2018 R1200GSA which has a Sargent seat and either a Bead-rider or WildAss pad depending on how many hours I ride. Last summer I did several 800 mile days to Great Falls and I was relatively ok, at least physically.... :lol3 :lol3
 
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