Waterproof Seats ?

[tsitalon1]

I know the Russell is not waterproof. That sort of bothers me. While I do keep the bike in the garage at home, I ride in the rain as well. I would hate to have to always pull out a damn cover and wrap it around the seat everytime it rained.

And if it does get wet, do I have to sit on a wet sponge to get home just to dry it out. $600 for a seat and it's not waterproof? Seems silly to me really. I mean if the damn stock seat is waterproof why can't theirs be as well?

Russell claims that because of the sticking needle holes, it's not waterproof. Why don't theey use one piece of fabric stretched across the entire seat so there aren't any needle holes. Unless a customer asks for some special pattern, I don't see why it can't be waterproof.

Yeah, I'm venting, I know that the Russell is most likely the most comfortable seat out there, yet I'm turned away because of this.

Are any aftermarket seats waterproof?

 

[XJRGUY]

The Sargent seat is waterproof according to their website.

 

[SkooterG]

tsitalon1 - Dude! IMHO, your are being just a wee bit anal-retentive here. I offer you this: Serious LD types put THOUSANDS of miles in all kinds of conditions on these seats. And yet, I have never, not once, heard of any complaint of the seat not being waterproof.

And if I remember correctly, it was the Russell website (or maybe Rick Mayer) that said if you are riding in rain, its not a big deal. You just don't want to leave your seat sitting out in a torrential downpour letting the water pool in the "bucket" of the seat.

And I also believe it was the Rick Mayer website where he stated that he uses a special water repellent thread, and waterproof adhesive to glue the cover to the foam, that while not making it 100% waterproof, its pretty darn close.

IMHO, go stress about something worthy - like how any person with half a brain could actually order an FJR AE. :haha:

 

[tsitalon1]

Ok... so even though they are not waterproof, they are not turning into sponges is what your saying. Thats what I was worried about.

Not being retentive But I work in a concrete building with no windows and do not get lunch breaks really... I can't tell when it's raining so I don't want to worry about my seat every day it *might* rain.

So what happens when water does pool up in th ebucket of the seat for 5 hours? does it then turn into a wet sponge?

Any russell owners wanna speak up?

James

 

[Bounce]

hint" i put my cover over the pillion part of the seat (under the fast bag, fuel cell, or whatever) and stuff the rider portion up under the leading edge of whatever's on the passenger seat. if it starts raining, deploying the rest of the cover is jiffy quick and easy to do. not something to worry about until i stop though, since i'm the rain cover until then.

if i parked at work without covered parking, i'd just unlimber my tour king half cover when i first arrive. that would keep the sun off the seat and most of the bike too. (and keep nosey cow-orkers from messing with the bike.

 

[rodantking]

You could do like your grandma and cover it with plastic.

 

[RadioHowie]

I personally despise those damned nosey cow orkers myself. :haha:

 

[islandcommuter]

FWIW, the Corbin I had on my V-Strom was not waterproof. It was only a problem when parked in the rain, but if it was parked long enough, and the rain hard enough, it would retain water like your wife when she was pregnant. It took some time to dry out.

I used to switch back to the stock seat in the winter. FWIW...

 

[JimLor]

FWIW, the Corbin I had on my V-Strom was not waterproof. It was only a problem when parked in the rain, but if it was parked long enough, and the rain hard enough, it would retain water like your wife when she was pregnant. It took some time to dry out.
I used to switch back to the stock seat in the winter. FWIW...

:haha:

 

[tsitalon1]

FWIW, the Corbin I had on my V-Strom was not waterproof. It was only a problem when parked in the rain, but if it was parked long enough, and the rain hard enough, it would retain water like your wife when she was pregnant. It took some time to dry out.
I used to switch back to the stock seat in the winter. FWIW...

That is what I was afraid of.

Why is it so hard to make it waterproof?

James

 

[Toecutter]

But I work in a concrete building with no windows and do not get lunch breaks really... I can't tell when it's raining

Personal note: Add one more blessing to my list for when counting them becomes necessary. And my bike gets garaged at work. Pay ain't the best, but life's been good to me so far.

 

[sparky3008]

These are more questions really than any help but on Rick Mayers leather seats he talks about rain and his seats not becoming sponges. He mentions that the stiching doesn't make holes big enough for water and that usually the culprit is the actual stiching used acting like a wick. He uses thread that apparently doesn't have this affect so are we to assume that Russell doesn't????

Edit:

Will the stitching allow water to soak the saddle?

Water, just like electricity will follow the path of least resistance. Because the needle of a sewing machine pierces the material, not punches, material is not removed This means the thread through that opening is under compression by the surrounding material. If Cotton thread were used, water would tend to wick into the underlaying material. Since my thread is Dacron which actually repels water, virtually no wicking will occur. the thread is also run through an oil bath during the stitching process adding further to its water resistance. Lastly the cover is applied to the underlaying materials with latex cement in a very uniform pattern. All combined, the surface is as waterproof as it can be. Moisture does enter the saddle from a number of places however. Even "unstitched" saddles are sewn together using multiple pieces. Often when I build a saddle on a rainy day, the stock seat is wet at the bottom, not the top. Obviously water has entered the stock pan from below through the large openings at the bottom of the seat. On the other hand, stitching the seating area provides additional air space due to the 'pillow top' effect. It also provides a very positive bond between the laminates eliminating any possibility of glue seperation. Saddles ridden all day in the rain absorb actually very little water. If parked in the rain, the bucket can fill with water so its always a good idea to keep it covered when parked.