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Seat 2017 Tracer Problem


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I test drove a 2017 tracer for not more than twenty minutes and found the seat amazingly painful after this short ride. Anyone else have seat issues and is there a fix? I love the bike and want it for touring but that seems impossible with that seat. Comments welcome. BTW, nope ! I don't have hemorrhoids šŸ¤£. Thanks

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You must not have done much research lol.... The seat has been unbearable for most since the FJ-09's / MT-09 Tracer's creation.Ā  The general consensus is also not to bother with the Yamaha "comfort" seat.Ā  An aftermarket seatĀ or custom shop that can add/shape foam will be your best bet.

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'15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras...

Fayetteville, GA, USA

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Welcome!Ā Lots of options available. The stock seat also has 2 positions, so you probably arenā€™t aware of which one it was in? Low seems to be most common and thereā€™s a plastic supportĀ thatā€™s gets moved to another position to support the seat in the ā€œhiā€ position.Ā 

Most common are Corbin and Sargent. There are others (whose names I forget). Seat concepts has a cover with new padding available which is very inexpensive.Ā 

itā€™s been discussed a lot around here (along with windshields).Ā 

-Skip

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Welcome to the forum @Mudcat. Ā You immediatelyĀ found the first common complaint about the first-generation FJ/Tracer; theĀ factory windscreen is a close second. Ā 

The most common & popular options seemĀ to be Sargent, Corbin, or Bagster. Ā  Several members have had custom seats done as well, and swear by the results. Ā I have a Sargent on my 2015 FJ (identical toĀ the 2017 you test rode), and really like the improvement over stock. Ā Itā€™s not perfect, but works well for my typical 200 - 300 mile days. Ā 

If you use the search feature up at the top of the forum, youā€™ll find TONS of discussion & opinion on seats, windscreens, suspension, etc.

Good luck. Ā The FJ is an awesome bike, once youā€™ve made a few strategic upgrades. Ā 

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@Mudcat - Like @texscottyd mentioned, the seat and the screen are by far the most complained about and most sought after upgrades/replacements.

While there are off-the-shelf options available, I cant praise a custom built seat enough.Ā  There simply is no better option than one that is shaped and built specifically to your dimensions.Ā  Yes, they are expensive but (to me) comfort has no price tag.

The longest road-trip I have done is 10 straight days at 400-500 miles a day, my butt was the one thing that DIDN'T hurt.Ā  My back, shoulders and knees were a different story though...

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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25 minutes ago, Mudcat said:

Well great but who made your custom seat and what did it set you back?

Thanks...

Where are you located?Ā  I live in Washington and I had mine made at Rich's Custom Seats.Ā  The custom seat built from scratch was $450 and included future adjustments.Ā  After I had it built, I went back 3 times to tweak and trim and slightly re-shape a few areas to meet my picky needs and didn't cost me a penny extra.

Ā 

Seat1.jpg

Seat2.jpg

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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11 hours ago, betoney said:

Where are you located?Ā  I live in Washington and I had mine made at Rich's Custom Seats.Ā  The custom seat built from scratch was $450 and included future adjustments.Ā  After I had it built, I went back 3 times to tweak and trim and slightly re-shape a few areas to meet my picky needs and didn't cost me a penny extra.

Ā 

Seat1.jpg

Seat2.jpg

That does look like a comfy seat.šŸ˜Œ

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On 11/24/2019 at 10:13 AM, betoney said:

@Mudcat - Like @texscottyd mentioned, the seat and the screen are by far the most complained about and most sought after upgrades/replacements.

While there are off-the-shelf options available, I cant praise a custom built seat enough.Ā  There simply is no better option than one that is shaped and built specifically to your dimensions.Ā  Yes, they are expensive but (to me) comfort has no price tag.

The longest road-trip I have done is 10 straight days at 400-500 miles a day, my butt was the one thing that DIDN'T hurt.Ā  My back, shoulders and knees were a different story though...

My experience anyways has been that custom seats - that is, not on some online webshop, but actually going into an automotive upholstery shop - tend to be substantially cheaper than options like Corbin or Bagster.

I shopped around a lot for my MT07, and found most would do a custom re-cover with new shaped foam starting for around $150-$200 (including multiple adjustments), vs. say a bagster seat at wallet rending prices (though, if reviews on the forums are any indication, it's a good buy nevertheless).Ā  A more advanced multi material seat with heating elements can be done for around $400.Ā Ā 

The trick is to find some competent people who do bike seats, but aren't bike seat specialty shops as they come with a significant premium.Ā 

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Original owner of my bike went for the Yamaha comfort seat option. I have found it very comfortable did a 300 mile day including 100 odd miles of monotinous motorway riding with no problems. All down to personal choice however it would be nice to "try before we buy" to avoid expensive mistakes. What you are wearing between you and the seat can also be an issue. A friend had to stop part way through the day last summer to change the shorts He was wearing under his textile trousers because of the discomfort.

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