Stock Seat

[RidingUpandDown]

Sometime in the next few months im going to 'tweak' the foam on mine and have it recovered by my upholsterer... Got a few cool ideas...

I just did 2892 miles(6 days) MA>FL w/ no seat-related issues, of course I wore 4 lower layers And had a sheep skin on the seat(that's a ton of cush and slip). When riding in just mc jeans the boyz get a bit antsy, and I think about reshaping a wee bit o foam off the top corners and adding a more-slippery cover material. Seems a creative sort could pull the staples from the bottom and diddle that thing. ::002::

I'd be very interested in this type of mod if you can tackle it Jaxon. ::003::

 

[~TABASCO~]

I just did 2892 miles(6 days) MA>FL w/ no seat-related issues, of course I wore 4 lower layers And had a sheep skin on the seat(that's a ton of cush and slip). When riding in just mc jeans the boyz get a bit antsy, and I think about reshaping a wee bit o foam off the top corners and adding a more-slippery cover material. Seems a creative sort could pull the staples from the bottom and diddle that thing. ::002::

I'd be very interested in this type of mod if you can tackle it Jaxon. ::003::

Hey bud..... Yea, Ive build custom bike seats for 10+ years.... Im going to take mine down this winter and massage it a bit... Come back with a kick butt cover too....... If you have something you want, give me a shout ! Ill be happy to talk with you about it, and if you like we can make it happen !!! ~ Jaxon

 

[cosmic]

Shifting my arse from T-max to this beauty was a very painful experience. Just after half hour of driving i felt so much pain at very end of my spine that i could not belive it. Seemed like i spent couple of hours sitting on steel pipe.
At home i had trouble sitting on the chair,or sofa.
Day 2 Some 600k on the clock...same thing again. Nothing i had ever experienced before.
After spending 15000€ on a bike...i could not belive it.
Day 3. I decide to take my wife with me for a ride. We spent the whole day cruising up&down the coast, with stops every 100k or so.
At the end of day, and some 400k done, i felt like i've just been thru 12hrs of Thai massage. No pain whatsoever.
Now, i really don't know how to explain this other than blaming my scooter for three years spent away from big bikes, therefore sitting in a different position.
I hope it stays like this. For the record...i'am 6,4-225 (hi pstn).
Btw, my wife had only good words about it, and minor surprise regarding the height of the pegs.
I guess they could be little bit lower.

 

[Mike Sisson]

I'm finding my seat (Alaska butt pad put on after about 30 miles) has gradually improved. Not sure why. Break in?
Painful at 1st but now I'm not having the issues I did at the outset.
Might consider the Spencer mod but will give it another 1k or so.

 

[dcc46]

I think the stock seat is very comfortable. First bike I haven't even put my sheepskin on in a long time. Only 1200 miles so far but I have no plans to change it.

 

[Tremor38]

I think the stock seat is very comfortable. First bike I haven't even put my sheepskin on in a long time. Only 1200 miles so far but I have no plans to change it.

Yeah, a speadsheet with everyone's weight, height, arm length..etc and whether the seat is comfortable for them or not might reveal some interesting info. I'm think weight might be the #1 factor. The right amount of foam compression makes a hugh difference, and any decent seat maker will match that to your weight.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

For now I am ready to declare my current seat setup adequate. I've done enough different rides in temps from 25 to 70 degrees F. I've tried a number of different combinations and I think this last one is sufficiently comfortable that I will be able to live with it on 6+ hour ride days. It is not perfect, but it is adequate for now, and will likely be how the seat stays for the long term (plus/minus sheepskin).

Spencer seat mod + beaded seat cover + sheepskin + Speedstar lower bumpers

I tried the beaded seat cover and sheepskin before doing the Spencer mod and it was not good enough. I've tried the Spencer mod and just a sheepskin. This was better than stock seat, but still after 3 or 4 hours started to bother me. With this latest iteration of everything together I still get fatigued after 4 hours, but a short break is enough to get rejuvenated enough to do some more.

This will be my winter time setup, same as I used to do on the DL1000. Summer will lose the sheepskin. While beaded seat covers don't necessarily look cool, the air flowing under you does. Once you get used to the airflow you really appreciate it. It's not something you want in the winter, but the pressure point distribution it provides is desirable anytime.

In the end this is exactly the setup I used on my Strom. It also was never "perfect," but it did allow me to do 600+ mile days and not hate life. Of course your result may vary.

 

[stevepsd]

D_D,

Did you ever just try the Spencer mod by itself? Did you find it not firm enough, or.....? What weight-class are you?

Thanks.

-steve

 

[Dirt_Dad]

D_D,

Did you ever just try the Spencer mod by itself? Did you find it not firm enough, or.....? What weight-class are you?

Thanks.

-steve

I did, but I don't care for the non-slip cover so I don't know how much of the discomfort was from the seat cover vs. the non-broken-in seat mod.

I weigh just under 180 pounds. Probably pushing 200 lbs with full gear.

 

[stevepsd]

Did you get the 'Supracor LD' foam in your seat?

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Did you get the 'Supracor LD' foam in your seat?

Yes, got every upgrade he had to offer. Price was $75 for the front plus shipping.

 

[stevepsd]

Well from reading this thread it sounds like the Spencer mod is iffy if you are over 200lbs or so.....

 

[s10-dave]

Very useful thread. Dirt-Dad, which model sheepskin cover did you buy (did not see one listed for S10 on Alaska site)?. I just purchased my S10 and after only 200 miles (in 2 days) believe the seat needs some work. So far, I find higher seat setting is better and I intend to try Speedmaster mod (free) as I can't deal with downward slope at tank (seems to be a Japanese bike thing). I think sheepskin (cheap) will help as well with overall comfort and eliminate problems associated with no-slip seat cover. FWIW I am 5'11'', 175 lbs, 31 inch inseam. Thanks

 

[s10-dave]

Correction: Speedstar mod. My apologies

 

[Dirt_Dad]

...which model sheepskin cover did you buy (did not see one listed for S10 on Alaska site)?

I'm using the one I purchased for my VStrom DL1000. It works just fine on the S10. That was many years ago, I think it was a medium.

Seat comfort is the ultimate personal preference item. For me the Spencer mod was worth it, even if it wasn't the complete total solution.

 

[s10-dave]

Thanks Dirt_Dad. I will try the Speedstar and sheepskin mods and put on some miles. If that does not work for me, then I will try Spencer mod. You are right about the personal preference thing. My favorite stock seats were on bikes that were notorious for bad seats (KTM). Windscreen preference seems to vary from rider to rider as well.

 

[toompine]

I put another 250 miles on mine on Sunday and I am quite happy. Certainly an improvement and a bargin price to boot. The center is dead comfortable, no pressure points. Outside of a total seat replacement with a very expensive seat this is quite nice. I only see it getting better and better each ride. Happy to recommend it over the stock seat.

Just an update for those that are curious or undecided. I now have 1,000 on the seat and love it. Definately took a little time to shape to me but it is now an extremely comfortable seat, certainly the best stock seat I have ever had and way above my Sargent seat.. +10 on the value

 

[Kevhunts]

I'm 215 and 5'8", with a 30" inseam.

I cannot sit on the seat for longer than an hour or two; I had a sheep and an Airhawk, which made it ok, but with a 30" inseam, adding more height was only temporary.

I got a Corbin earlier in the week, and do owe a review on a separate post...but, so far, after 700 miles and 16 hours, I'm not impressed. I've had Corbin's that were like thrones, instantly comfortable ride all day, every day kind of seats....and this past weekend was ok, but I'm still feeling a little soreness, sitting in a desk chair...not painful, just a reminder I rode 16 hours this weekend. Haven't yet called Corbin back...I do have lower footing in comparison to the stock seat so maybe Corbin chose to reduce the amount of fill.

Anthony,

Did you ever contact Corbin about your seat? What is your final verdict on the seat?

Kev

 

[Combo]

Just an update for those that are curious or undecided. I now have 1,000 on the seat and love it. Definately took a little time to shape to me but it is now an extremely comfortable seat, certainly the best stock seat I have ever had and way above my Sargent seat.. +10 on the value

I may have a goofy butt, but I have liked my stock seat since day one. My wife says she likes it too.
I like to think she is talking about my goofy butt.

 

[Borghi]

I am thinking about the Spencer mod but came up with a temporary fix that seems to be working for me. I am 6 ft and weigh about 215. The stock seat was unbearable after about 45 minutes. Initially I thought the seat had a nice thick foam base, but after closer inspection I found that the seat pan shape greatly reduces the available space for foam. At 215 I believe I am compressing the foam completely and riding on the hard seat pan, which is the source of pain. I thought about modding the seat and installing a 3/4" thick gel pad, but came up with another option. I have an Airhawk and bought an extra large gel pad that is 3/4" thick from JC Whitney. I put the gel pad inside of the Airhawk cover (under the Airhawk), zipped up the cover, and everything looks and feel very good after a 150 mile day. This will get me through until Sargent launches something or I decide to do the Spencer mod. Right now I don't want to give up my seat for a week to get the work done! If you don't mind the extra height, this may be an option for you too!