Any recommendations regarding the Griptex vs Carbon FX.
When I received Sargent's carbonFX (CFX) front seat for my '06, there was a warning notice attached:
"Some seat fabrics, especially CarbonFX, can be sensitive to marking or scuffing. Care should be taken when getting on or off the bike to avoid contact with riding shoes or boots."
This concerned me and I emailed Sargent to inquire as to the suitability of this material in light of the probability that a boot would come in contact with the seat at some point in the future. Here's their reply:
"The warning is simply intended to caution the customer of the possibility of damage that is easily avoided with care. This is especially important in the 30-day return period. Just as most other fabrics on products like leather jackets, riding boots, etc. can be permanently scuffed by impacts, care should be taken with any seat fabric, weather it be stock or aftermarket, to reduce the possibility of permanent superficial damage.
Like many fabrics, CarbonFX (CFX) can sustain permanent damage by boot scuffing. In fact, our Custom Seat Services Division is well aware of this, as they see hundreds of seats per month from all types of bikes including OEM, aftermarket, old, and new seats, where permanent damage has resulted from shoe scuffing.
One material that does seem to resist scuffing better than most (or at least conceal it better) is Griptex, most likely due to its extremely heavy texture and slightly harder surface. But Griptex has fallen out of favor in the past few years for the more desirable, and in many ways, more durable CFX. Consequently, CFX has become the material of choice accounting for around 90 percent of our seat applications these days. While CFX may sustain superficial scuffing damage more easily than Griptex, we believe that it makes up that short-coming in long-term durability and lower maintenance, not to mention its visual appeal."
