Seat for a shorter more aggressive rider for a ST.

[eram310]

I just came back from a ~1400 mile ride in 5 days of sport touring/ADV riding and my bottom is sore.
This is surprising since I have done much longer days on what are considered to be much less comfortable bikes and never had this issue before.
I have a Sargent on my ST and at 5’8” 160lbs I sit on the front part of the seat that is very mushy. The seat is designed for someone taller that can sit on the back side. I am also a relatively aggressive rider and “need “to sit close to the tank for better handling and control. If I sit on the back part of the seat with torso up, my arms are in the locked position, which is not good.
I had/have a Sargent on a Speed Triple R /SV650S and a Triumph Tiger 800 and was way more comfortable than on the Super T. I have even put close to 600 mile days on my SV600 and Tiger and my butt wasn’t as sore.

At the rally I attended I met a gentleman with similar dimensions on a ST with a low seat concept that he was happy with . Saw a lot of other big guys on ST with a Sargent , but they sit in the center back of the seat.
Can someone recommend a seat for a short rider?

Thank you,

 

[patrickg450]

seat concepts.

 

[brddog122]

I just installed a seat concepts last winter and maybe it's a little bit more comfortable but it's a little taller than the stock seat. Overall I kind of wish I had kept the stock seat. I looked at Seat Concepts site and they no longer list a low option. Just for reference I'm 5'9" and 240. I tend to sit at the front of the seat and I run the seat in the low position and did the anti forward slope seat mod.

 

[escapefjrtist]

If you choose to go the custom route, LAAM is a good option. Seth can build the seat to your preferred seating position and also narrow the front for easier reach to the ground.

~G

 

[richarddacat]

+1 on the Laam seat, I had one on a FJR, personally I rate it 2nd to a Russell.

Might ask Terry's Custom Seats, I heard his are good and responsibly priced, I'm considering one of his out of curiosity and he's also in TN. (back logged till August)

 

[tomatocity]

Agree with Laam Custom Motorcycle Seats http://laamseats.com/ Seth is a very good seat builder and a good person. The other plus is if you do a Ride In you get to test the seat in some of the best riding on NorCal https://goo.gl/maps/GYG5dd1q9hP2

 

[patrickg450]

I just installed a seat concepts last winter and maybe it's a little bit more comfortable but it's a little taller than the stock seat. Overall I kind of wish I had kept the stock seat. I looked at Seat Concepts site and they no longer list a low option. Just for reference I'm 5'9" and 240. I tend to sit at the front of the seat and I run the seat in the low position and did the anti forward slope seat mod.

sounds like you bought the standard one and NOT the low option. the low one runs without the stock plastic seat adjuster.......

 

[Cycledude]

I have a Corbin seat that definitely sits lower than the stock seat, I bought it used , it’s in great condition but I don’t like it, it’s to low for me so I put the stock seat back on. if your interested in buying it send me an email and I will send pictures

Here is a very nice deal on used lower seat from Yamaha, before seeing his ad I was not aware Yamaha offered a lower seat for the Tenere.
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=24431.msg339855;topicseen#new

 

[eram310]

I called Sargent and they told me they aren’t sure they can help me.
I called Seat Concepts, and they don’t make the low version anymore. Their new design looks very similar to the Sargent.
At the rally I attended, one of the speakers was an Ex Iron Butt and still a long distance rider for cure of MS. He has similar dimensions to mine and he uses Bill Mayer seat. He recommended going that route.
I will check out Laam Custom seats. Never heard of him before.

Thank you,

 

[Nikolajsen]

The original LOW seat, in low position, works for me.
(inseam about 27,5 inch)

 

[eram310]

This is definitely the least expensive option. Maybe I should try it first?

The original LOW seat, in low position, works for me.
(inseam about 27,5 inch)

 

[Nikolajsen]

This is definitely the least expensive option. Maybe I should try it first?

Don't know what the original low seat cost in your country, but in Denmark it is about 300$.
So, not cheap..

 

[eram310]

$260 New, $190 used.

Don't know what the original low seat cost in your country, but in Denmark it is about 300$.
So, not cheap..

 

[Nikolajsen]

Well, then i would try the used original low seat.
But, easy for me to write I know it works for me.

 

[twinrider]

I just came back from a ~1400 mile ride in 5 days of sport touring/ADV riding and my bottom is sore.
This is surprising since I have done much longer days on what are considered to be much less comfortable bikes and never had this issue before.
I have a Sargent on my ST and at 5’8” 160lbs I sit on the front part of the seat that is very mushy. The seat is designed for someone taller that can sit on the back side. I am also a relatively aggressive rider and “need “to sit close to the tank for better handling and control. If I sit on the back part of the seat with torso up, my arms are in the locked position, which is not good.
I had/have a Sargent on a Speed Triple R /SV650S and a Triumph Tiger 800 and was way more comfortable than on the Super T. I have even put close to 600 mile days on my SV600 and Tiger and my butt wasn’t as sore.

At the rally I attended I met a gentleman with similar dimensions on a ST with a low seat concept that he was happy with . Saw a lot of other big guys on ST with a Sargent , but they sit in the center back of the seat.
Can someone recommend a seat for a short rider?

Thank you,

I'm in the same boat as you at 5'7" with a 30" inseam. I tried a Sargent and Laam and neither worked because they forced me to sit too far back in the pocket. I tried the Laam after I sold the Sargent and asked Seth Laam to make my seat specifically so I could sit more forward but it still ended up with a well defined pocket that forced me to sit back. Even sending it back to him once for a rework didn't solve the issue.

The Laam seat is also not waterproof as I found out after a 40 minute ride in the rain, despite his claim that the stitching is waterproof. The next day I still ended up with a wet butt even though it was in a dry garage overnight.

A Seat Concepts has a flat surface, sitting forward and back both work, and that's what I ended up with. If you can, get the regular height as it will have more padding. If you're ok with one foot down flat at stops.

 

[eram310]

I left vm to Seth Laam and Bill Mayer and both returned my call.
Bill even suggested I try something like handlebar risers. I told him the handlebar is tall enough for me as it is and he suggested something like Rox Risers that pivot backwards without much rise. This will put me in the center back of the Sargent seat and not in the front.
I believe that if I set in the center back of the seat, I wouldn’t have the butt comfort problem.
He still claims his seat is much better than Sargent’s, but it’s not cheap. My normal riding days are 200-600 miles/day and I always had good luck with Sargent, I am not an Iron Butt.
What do you guys think of the Rox Riser solution to make me sit on the center/back of the seat? Would it effect the handling of the bike? I am a spirited kinda rider.

Thanks,

 

[cyclemike4]

hello there I definitely feel your pain. I too prefer to ride right at the back of the tank. I did not like the bars being so flat across so I rolled them back quite a bit. I like the droop at the end of the bars for relaxed riding but that definitely made the bars too low. I added some risers and rolled the bars back. I also took about an inch off each end to bars to narrow them. I am 5'9" with 32" inseam. I have the seat with no rubber bumpers at all in the back. I do have them in the front. The seat if very flat. The end result is I can get my head over the triple clamps when I am up on the pegs and pushing the bike hard off road. I can sit low on the bike at the back of the tank when am carving corners and I can also stretch out a bit and sit on the back of the seat when I am on the interstates. It is a nice set up for me. The only problem is the front of the stock seat is too narrow and the foam has broken down badly now. I was thinking about finding another stock seat and building my own seat with stiffer foam and just a touch wider at the front. Anyway the moving the bars really works for me on the seat issue!

 

[twinrider]

I left vm to Seth Laam and Bill Mayer and both returned my call.
Bill even suggested I try something like handlebar risers. I told him the handlebar is tall enough for me as it is and he suggested something like Rox Risers that pivot backwards without much rise. This will put me in the center back of the Sargent seat and not in the front.
I believe that if I set in the center back of the seat, I wouldn’t have the butt comfort problem.
He still claims his seat is much better than Sargent’s, but it’s not cheap. My normal riding days are 200-600 miles/day and I always had good luck with Sargent, I am not an Iron Butt.
What do you guys think of the Rox Riser solution to make me sit on the center/back of the seat? Would it effect the handling of the bike? I am a spirited kinda rider.

I did that with my Gen. 1 Super Tenere. It helps you sit back, that's for sure. It changes the feeling of the handling a bit but you get used to it.

Sargent is good quality, I really liked the one on my GS and my Africa Twin. But the S10 Sargent doesn't work well for shorter riders. Don't think the Laam I had was any better in this respect and it is not waterproof. Sargent is.

 

[eram310]

I read some reviews on this forum on the Rox Risers for the 2nd generation Super Tenere.
Not all are favorable. Some say extending the break line is needed if you want to take full advantage of rotating the bars toward the back seat. Some others say you can’t really rotate them too much backwards, since there is a some sort of mechanical limitations.
I am a little confused about this.