Aftermarket Seats

[zenwhipper]

Off the seats below - which ones are the softest on the rump?

1. Rick Mayer

2. Bill Mayer

3. Corbin

4. Russel Day Long

5. Sargent

I realize not many may be able to comment since you would have had to try several seats over time to determine the level of cush. But there may be a general perception on the board of a given seat manufacturer as to which is the softest or the hardest for that matter.

And - the reason I ask, I sustained a tail bone injury in the summer and it looks like I should part ways with my '08 hard as a brick stock saddle! Well... until my injury, the seat was fine - had done a few 12 hour days on it without a problem.

Thanks Mates!

Scott

 

[Ignacio]

IMO, "Soft" isn't what one should look for as a criteria...even with the tailbone hit.

One should look for the one that "fits" best and tell them you have a specific issue with your tailbone. They then will factor that in with the design. It may well be they end up going soft because it fits best....or maybe soft in an area and firm in another.

That said I'd go with a fully customized seat...ideally one you ride into. My order would be Bill Mayer, Russell, then Rick Mayer. And maybe not as popular in the LD circles, but don't ignore Rich's Custom Seats in your backyard.

 

[Fred W]

#4

Nothing else quite as supportive and comfortable. I have owned all of them except the Sargent and the Bill. I did own a Rick, Corbin, stock and now the Russell. Day Long and they aren't kidding.

 

[johnny80s]

The stock seat is by far softer than all the ones you have mentioned above. Soft is not what makes a good saddle. They can make parts of it softer like they did for me. I have problems with the sitz bones and they cut out the firmer foam and put in some soft stuff just in that area. Go to the Bill Mayer website and read the articles people have written about them if you haven't already. After you do that call them and talk with Rocky (Bill). Explain your injury and what you need. He is a great guy and will work with you. I also highly recommend that you do a ride in even if you have to drive the bike down in a truck.

 

[luvtoride]

IMO, "Soft" isn't what one should look for as a criteria...even with the tailbone hit.
One should look for the one that "fits" best and tell them you have a specific issue with your tailbone. They then will factor that in with the design. It may well be they end up going soft because it fits best....or maybe soft in an area and firm in another.

That said I'd go with a fully customized seat...ideally one you ride into. My order would be Bill Mayer, Russell, then Rick Mayer. And maybe not as popular in the LD circles, but don't ignore Rich's Custom Seats in your backyard.

This is my thought, also. I seem to remember a guy awhile back that changed his stock seat in "just" the tailbone area.

 

[zenwhipper]

I think the issue for me with the stock seat is that it is just narrow enough and too firm so that it feels like it puts too much pressure directly on and up through the tailbone. If a seat was wider and more supportive on areas such as the thighs, butt cheeks and the back of the butt - I would have less load directly on the TB as the total load would be distrubuted over a larger area. The extreme of this the other way is a bike seat, which supports only the sit bones (ischial tuberosities) and places all the pressure on those structures and the TB is usually not affected. At least that is my experience - since I can ride a bicycle all day and not have any issues.

Scott

 

[L2M]

The Sargent is actually quite a bit more firm than the stock seat. I was a little surprised by that. However, as other have noted, the shape of the seat and correctly placed support is what makes it great for me. I love mine and can go for an entire day without issue, but if you require special consideration in seat design to alleviate pressure on on a sore tailbone then I wouldn't recommend the Sargent. I do know one person who have had excellent results with the Russel though.

 

[juniorfjr]

What Iggy said. If you can ride in, that is your best option. I chose a Rich's because it is only 100 miles from my house. If I lived in Ca, I would have ridden to Russell, and so on. Every one of these guys will do a custom fit for a ride in. But more than that, if you have issues, they all warranty their work, some for the life of the bike. jmho

p.s. I love my Rich's seat.

 

[ridepastu]

I'd like to chime in on this seat thing. I was reviewing one of the post's about voting for favorate seat, i.e.Bill Mayer, Sargent, Corbin ect. What I did notice was that Corbin was at the bottom and not that popular. Well before reading this I did purchased a Corbin and Love this seat. I absolutly love this seat, and it has a lower stance so I sit more "in" the bike as opposed to "on top" of it. But like the topics about windscreens I guess it's subjective.

Also to help answer the "soft" seat thing. From what I understand is that manufactures build their seats to be the most comfortable while this bike sits on the showroom floor. From experience we did an 8 hour trip to niagara falls with the stock seat, and let's just say I was not too happy afterward. The soft foam breaks down and creats hot spots. My corbin is a lot firmer and actually breaks in after time. Since then riding two to three hours at a time is absolutly no problem.

Just my thoughts

 

[El Toro]

All of the aftermarket seats I've seen do a better job of distributing the load than the stock seat. When you stop and think about it, making a seat is not rocket science. The tractor companies, and even the lawn mower companies, generally make seats that are comfortable for hours on end (hee hee hee).

Why stock motorcycles come with seats that are so ergonomically lousy is a mystery to me.

If I were you, I'd try the nearest aftermarket guy and see if I liked his work. After that, I think until you have personal experience with one or more of the companies, its a crap shoot.

I have had good luck with both Corbin and Sargent myself. I'm a big guy, and it is more important to me to get good support on the periphery of my butt than it is to have something "soft." Firm is generally good if it supports you well over the whole area that needs support.

 

[Pierre]

Have my seat done actually by Sellerie Européenne, the are in The Montreal Area, tomorrow is my first trial, should have it done by next week.

He molded it to fit the shape on my Corbin Smuggler, and a few inches on the passenger seat, for my wife. She will be able to see over my helmet when she rides with me.

I will post pick next week...

This is a seat he did for the ST1300

 

[FJRBluesman]

I like my #2 Bill Mayer seat. The Corbin is a little hard for me.

The best seat maybe the toilet seat.

 

[Sagebrush]

It takes time to break in seats also. The stock seat was pretty good after 2,000 miles, just not up to my weight requirements. I've not liked my last couple custom seats I orderd via the phone. So, I tried the Sargent and so far so good. After 500 miles in one sitting the seat is much better than the original. I don't bottom out, the foam holds my fat ass up off the pan just fine and its a bit more wide. I feel like I sit lower too.

If I was in your shoes I would plan a ride in to a custom shop and have the tale bone area thickend up with soft foam up top with stiffer stuff in the layers below. Sounds like you may want a soft cushy feel up top to settle into?

I prefer dense and supportive foam through out with my cheeks not hanging off.