prowlnS10
2014 ES
I have no upholstery experience & suggest that most anyone can do this with the right tools & a little patience/systematic approach. Watch a Seat Concept instructional video for other bikes to get the basics & as per their comments it is ok to remove staples & rework the fabric as you progress & find that a corner or fold or section is not to your liking. I did redo (loosen) the back half to allow me to sit in vs on the seat.
Things learnt from my rookie install: 1) I would suggest to initially wrap the cover just tight enough that all the cover seams sit at or just beyond the foam edges...if the cover loosens to the point that it does not feel at one with the foam after putting on some miles & weather, it can be re-stapled tighter; 2) do not cut the excess material tight to the staples, allow about an inch of excess material...this will permit adequate material for re-stapling if you opt to loosen the cover if initially too tight.
Recommended Tools:
SC recommends an air/power stapler & 1/4" T50 stainless staples. I think this would be very difficult with a hand stapler because of the complex shapes of the S10 seat pan. I sealed the inside seams only with HH-66 Vinyl Cement, an industry standard for gluing/sealing vinyl & also opted to use the supplied plastic wrap to protect the foam from moisture....this negated the SC recommendation of spraying the foam with silicone spray to ease manipulation of the cover on the foam when the plastic wrap is not used.
Seat Concepts exterior seams, Gripper Top, vinyl sides.
Seat Concepts inner seams, sealed with HH-66 Vinyl Cement.
Oem foam left, Seat Concepts right (std density 165 - 265 lbs)
Oem foam left, Seat Concepts right (approx 1" higher at front to eliminate sliding forward & the need for the lower seat stopper mod to the oem seat)
Oem foam 13" wide at back
Seat Concepts foam 14.5" wide at back
Seat Concepts Low Seat Position: with oem bumpers re-installed (I did have the low bumper mod on the oem seat to level it out). I opted for the Gripper Top & vinyl sides to match the oem passenger seat. Other finishes are available, as is custom coIoured stitching.
Overview/Review:
I did a 3 day ride & found the seat overall more comfortable than the oem, but was never in the saddle more than 3 hours at a time, so long term review will have to wait. Because comfort is an individual thing I will focus more on the differences vs rendering a claim that may not be valid for others. I'm 6' 1" 200 lbs, with 33" inseam (opted for SC standard foam density rated at 160-240 lb). Note that the stiffness of the seat can be tuned depending on how tight you wrap the cover (tighter = stiffer). The foam is slightly softer, the back is 14.5" vs 13" wide & every so slightly dished providing more real estate for my butt, the side shape tapers slightly more because of the extra width to the same 6" wide at the front as the oem & is significantly taller & softer at the front eliminating the need for the seat bumper mod. I found it more of a tweaking of the oem feel/comfort for me & that makes sense given only 3 components appear to have been changed as noted above. I would start to feel discomfort (not pain/tingles/numbness) after 1 to 2 hours on the oem that was manageable by moving around & standing to relieve the pressure points, so far I'm just finding it firm in the back half of the seat after 2 to 3 hours vs discomfort & would anticipate that it will take a few more miles for my butt & the new seat to break into each other. The SC is significantly more comfortable when seated in the front portion of the saddle & moderately more comfortable in the back portion. Keep in mind that this is my experience, your comfort levels may vary. Seat height is higher in the front half but similar to oem in the back half, so reach to ground is only slightly higher overall. While being similar in looks/finish to the oem it has a more upscale look & feel to it. While it will not compare to $450+ custom saddles it is worth the $175 investment to me. SC shipped within days of my order despite them being in the middle of relocating their business from California to Idaho.
RIDE REVIEW UPDATE JUNE 8, 2018: After 5k kms & mixture of on/off riding I find it more comfortable that the oem, but still consider it incremental improvement because it is very similar to oem in shape/size vs custom seat. It is wearing well despite boot scuff during mount/dismount so appears at least as durable as the oem & has doubled to tripled my saddle time vs the oem before I feel I have to move around a little to relieve pressure points...other's comfort may vary
RIDE REVIEW UPDATE SEPT 2019: 10,000 kms & 2 yrs of use...my experience seems consistent with my original observations on comfort + the quality of the seat cover is good & still looking new. While I am still happy with the upgrade, I plan a few tweaks this off season: narrow the foam in the front half of the seat on the sides (splays the legs when at a stop more than necessary) & dish/sculpt the back portion for improved comfort.
Things learnt from my rookie install: 1) I would suggest to initially wrap the cover just tight enough that all the cover seams sit at or just beyond the foam edges...if the cover loosens to the point that it does not feel at one with the foam after putting on some miles & weather, it can be re-stapled tighter; 2) do not cut the excess material tight to the staples, allow about an inch of excess material...this will permit adequate material for re-stapling if you opt to loosen the cover if initially too tight.
Recommended Tools:
SC recommends an air/power stapler & 1/4" T50 stainless staples. I think this would be very difficult with a hand stapler because of the complex shapes of the S10 seat pan. I sealed the inside seams only with HH-66 Vinyl Cement, an industry standard for gluing/sealing vinyl & also opted to use the supplied plastic wrap to protect the foam from moisture....this negated the SC recommendation of spraying the foam with silicone spray to ease manipulation of the cover on the foam when the plastic wrap is not used.
Seat Concepts exterior seams, Gripper Top, vinyl sides.
Seat Concepts inner seams, sealed with HH-66 Vinyl Cement.
Oem foam left, Seat Concepts right (std density 165 - 265 lbs)
Oem foam left, Seat Concepts right (approx 1" higher at front to eliminate sliding forward & the need for the lower seat stopper mod to the oem seat)
Oem foam 13" wide at back
Seat Concepts foam 14.5" wide at back
Seat Concepts Low Seat Position: with oem bumpers re-installed (I did have the low bumper mod on the oem seat to level it out). I opted for the Gripper Top & vinyl sides to match the oem passenger seat. Other finishes are available, as is custom coIoured stitching.
Overview/Review:
I did a 3 day ride & found the seat overall more comfortable than the oem, but was never in the saddle more than 3 hours at a time, so long term review will have to wait. Because comfort is an individual thing I will focus more on the differences vs rendering a claim that may not be valid for others. I'm 6' 1" 200 lbs, with 33" inseam (opted for SC standard foam density rated at 160-240 lb). Note that the stiffness of the seat can be tuned depending on how tight you wrap the cover (tighter = stiffer). The foam is slightly softer, the back is 14.5" vs 13" wide & every so slightly dished providing more real estate for my butt, the side shape tapers slightly more because of the extra width to the same 6" wide at the front as the oem & is significantly taller & softer at the front eliminating the need for the seat bumper mod. I found it more of a tweaking of the oem feel/comfort for me & that makes sense given only 3 components appear to have been changed as noted above. I would start to feel discomfort (not pain/tingles/numbness) after 1 to 2 hours on the oem that was manageable by moving around & standing to relieve the pressure points, so far I'm just finding it firm in the back half of the seat after 2 to 3 hours vs discomfort & would anticipate that it will take a few more miles for my butt & the new seat to break into each other. The SC is significantly more comfortable when seated in the front portion of the saddle & moderately more comfortable in the back portion. Keep in mind that this is my experience, your comfort levels may vary. Seat height is higher in the front half but similar to oem in the back half, so reach to ground is only slightly higher overall. While being similar in looks/finish to the oem it has a more upscale look & feel to it. While it will not compare to $450+ custom saddles it is worth the $175 investment to me. SC shipped within days of my order despite them being in the middle of relocating their business from California to Idaho.
RIDE REVIEW UPDATE JUNE 8, 2018: After 5k kms & mixture of on/off riding I find it more comfortable that the oem, but still consider it incremental improvement because it is very similar to oem in shape/size vs custom seat. It is wearing well despite boot scuff during mount/dismount so appears at least as durable as the oem & has doubled to tripled my saddle time vs the oem before I feel I have to move around a little to relieve pressure points...other's comfort may vary
RIDE REVIEW UPDATE SEPT 2019: 10,000 kms & 2 yrs of use...my experience seems consistent with my original observations on comfort + the quality of the seat cover is good & still looking new. While I am still happy with the upgrade, I plan a few tweaks this off season: narrow the foam in the front half of the seat on the sides (splays the legs when at a stop more than necessary) & dish/sculpt the back portion for improved comfort.
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