vrex Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 After a few hundred miles, I can see I'm gonna have to do something about the seat. It has even less padding than I do. What are some recommended (on the basis of experience) improvements? I'm thinking Russell Day-long, or to save money, a sheepskin pad. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjjj2006 Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 It amazes me how some riders hate the seat and other find it o.k.. I am in the o.k. camp, just done 1500 miles in 5 days and it was o.k. (I use a pair of cycling shorts with gel in the ass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Honestly, "a few hundred" miles is nothing. It's not really long enough to get adjusted to and evaluate a seat well, especially if you've just come off another motorcycle that you've ridden for many years. Give yourself some time to get used to the seat and put some more miles on it before you jump to the conclusion that the seat is bad. It may still be bad, but at least then you'll know you're not wasting money. This is the first stock motorcycle seat I've found comfortable enough to be in the saddle for 12 hours straight, and I don't even have Yamaha's "comfort seat". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I think seat comfort also depends on the pants one wears. I thought the stock seat was great up until my latest ride this past weekend. Not 20 minutes into the ride I started to experience extreme discomfort on the seat. I suspect it was due to the Costco jeans I was wearing as they are baggier in the crotch area vs my regular jeans. This excess crotch fabric caused painful chafing in areas where the sun doesn't typically shine. Very disturbing! Will never wear those jeans again when riding! YBMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lawrenceofsuburbia Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I think seat comfort also depends on the pants one wears. I thought the stock seat was great up until my latest ride this past weekend. Not 20 minutes into the ride I started to experience extreme discomfort on the seat. I suspect it was due to the Costco jeans I was wearing as they are baggier in the crotch area vs my regular jeans. This excess crotch fabric caused painful chafing in areas where the sun doesn't typically shine. Very disturbing! Will never wear those jeans again when riding! YBMVI do find that under-clothing can have a big effect on rider comfort. I found out long ago (I have done a lot of long-distance day-in-day-out touring) that the best thing for me under my riding pants is a pair of SKINZ microfiber compression-type of waist-to-knee under-shorts. Other brands I have seen recommended include Under-Armour, etc. Being very old and somewhat wrinkly and flabby (!) I find that these seem to 'tuck' me in nicely so that I do not suffer from skin-folds or whatever that can cause chafing, heat-rash, whatever. Their 'wicking-effect' also keeps me relatively dry, and as a bonus they wash and dry very quickly at day's end...As an approach to maximising on-bike comfort - highly recommended. BUT - not recommended for honeymoon attire! L of S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I dislike the stock seat too, it is way to harsh, i order and installed the comfort seat, i think that is worse then the stock one, what a waste of money on it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfart Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I dislike the stock seat too, it is way to harsh, i order and installed the comfort seat, i think that is worse then the stock one, what a waste of money on it.... Hopefully you can send the Comfort Seat back like I did. Yesterday I just took the stock seat to my local upholstery shop and told them the seat was way to hard and to add more foam. Today I got it back and it's perfect! $50. And they were able to thicken the padding without having to replace the original cover. I'll post pics later. But don't overlook the easy solutions. Motorcycle seats aren't as complicated as Corbin, etc. want you to think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thruster8999 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I dislike the stock seat too, it is way to harsh, i order and installed the comfort seat, i think that is worse then the stock one, what a waste of money on it....Hopefully you can send the Comfort Seat back like I did. Yesterday I just took the stock seat to my local upholstery shop and told them the seat was way to hard and to add more foam. Today I got it back and it's perfect! $50. And they were able to thicken the padding without having to replace the original cover. I'll post pics later. But don't overlook the easy solutions. Motorcycle seats aren't as complicated as Corbin, etc. want you to think! I thought the harder the seat the better it is for long distane. Zx6r has a hard seat and its comfortable on long rides but the fj seat is soft and very unconfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I thought the harder the seat the better it is for long distane. Zx6r has a hard seat and its comfortable on long rides but the fj seat is soft and very unconfortable. Usually. However, the prevailing misconception is that a softer seat is more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted June 17, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 17, 2015 I thought the harder the seat the better it is for long distane. Zx6r has a hard seat and its comfortable on long rides but the fj seat is soft and very unconfortable.Usually. However, the prevailing misconception is that a softer seat is more comfortable.This is not always true. Sometimes a soft seat is preferred to a hard seat. My bottom for example. Not all bottoms are the same. I think we can all agree on that. Of course this is based on experience on a dozen bikes, not on hyperbole. Example, my 2004 VFR had a hard Corbin seat, and I hated it. I called it my 50 mile seat. Then there was my 2007 R1. The seat was rock hard, so I carved out some foam from the bottom which created a nice and soft air gap and all was good. My FJR1300. Tried a Corbin, hated it. Tried a Seargant seat, it was better but still was not good for very far. Then I got a Baldwin seat and all was good. Softer then the others, but not very soft. YBMV (Your bottom may vary). A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Bikes: 2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket. 2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes) 2007 FJR1300 (Sold!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thruster8999 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Well I have a boney butt and my butt likes a hard seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfart Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Well I have a boney butt and my butt likes a hard seat. Ha. This thread is getting a little wacky! One man's firm seat is another man's hard seat and one man's soft seat is too soft for the next guy. The only consensus here is that the majority (but certainly not all) don't really like the stock seat as it is. From there it's every man (and woman) for themselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 This is not always true. Sometimes a soft seat is preferred to a hard seat. Usually for people who are not habitual ultra-distance riders. Weekend warriors carving canyons should have no problem with a soft seat, and often desire one. If you want to do serious distance over multiple days, a more firm seat is better. Of course this is based on experience on a dozen bikes, not on hyperbole. Example, my 2004 VFR had a hard Corbin seat, and I hated it. I called it my 50 mile seat. Then there was my 2007 R1. The seat was rock hard, so I carved out some foam from the bottom which created a nice and soft air gap and all was good. My FJR1300. Tried a Corbin, hated it. Tried a Seargant seat, it was better but still was not good for very far. Then I got a Baldwin seat and all was good. Softer then the others, but not very soft. YBMV (Your bottom may vary). There are a lot of factors that go into making a comfortable seat, many of which are arguably more important than how soft/hard the seat is. A largely overlooked issue is the slope of the seat. If the seat is sloped too much toward the gas tank, it doesn't matter how soft or hard it is, it'll be uncomfortable. Same is true with the opposite direction, if there's not enough slope, it'll also be uncomfortable. The width and contour of the seat is extremely important as well. Other things are also important, like your hip angle and contact points and posture. Most rider's first instinct is to blame the hardness of the seat, but if a seat is not comfortable, you may be overlooking some of the more important factors that go into making a seat comfortable. The biggest problems with a softer seat is that it doesn't retain its profile and doesn't provide enough support. Soft seats also create hot spots and chafing that amplify discomfort over distance and time. Another thing that often happens with seats that are too soft is that you sink through the foam to the seat pan itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted June 17, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 17, 2015 Somebody needs to develop a butt-ometer. You sit on this device, and sensors tell you the proper shape for the foam and the foam density for your weight, shape, and riding position. Kind of like the Sleep Number bed device. Or maybe a device that you sit on your seat and it molds around you to make a seat from. Kind of like a ride in custom seat fitting, but more precise. The most comfortable seat is universally accepted to be the Russell day long. It is very wide and offers support all the way across your back side, but damn is it ugly IMO. Since I would rather watch mold grow then do an iron butt (nothing against those that do, just not my cup of coffee), my Seat Concepts seat is just fine for me. I live for the lean. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Bikes: 2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket. 2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes) 2007 FJR1300 (Sold!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbezerkeley Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Why don't folks rely more on gel or air seat pads?? I'm going to try that route first, leave it off for local riding, and use it for the long trips. You can try a couple different brands and still be at a big savings over a whole new seat that may not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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