Terry Adcox Seat Review

[johnmark101]

Some of you may remember the debacle with the release of the Sargent seat for the 900 GT.   I was one of the first to get one and promptly sent it back as their manufactured seat pan was a terrible fit. 

Ended up sending my seat off to Terry Adcox.  Turn around was quick.  The build quality is very good and he matched the stitching and materials to the pillion seat beautifully.  The seat is wide, slightly firm and fits well to the bike.  The forward slope to the tank is gone, thank goodness!  It definitely raises the ride height a bit.  I was on the fence as to which seat height setting I preferred but with the new seat I am definitely leaving it in the lower position.  I am 6 feet tall with a 34 inch inseam and I can just reach the ground on the balls of my feet with this seat in the lower position.  Much of this is because the seat is wider and it pushes your thighs out just a bit.  I believe this will change a little as the seat wears in.  Every seat I have owned has worn in just a little and this one should be no different.  Comfort is excellent, a big improvement over stock.  Money well spent for sure.  

Terry was very busy when I contacted him so I had to wait a couple months before he could get to my seat.  He was very nice on the phone and prompt with his email replies.   

[roadrash83]

@johnmark101 that seat looks very comfortable. I like my bagster seat for spirited riding but your seat looks really good for long days in the saddle. I think I will send of my stock seat to Terry!

[betoney]

On 5/24/2020 at 4:16 AM, johnmark101 said:

The seat is wide, slightly firm and fits well to the bike.  The forward slope to the tank is gone, thank goodness!  It definitely raises the ride height a bit.  I was on the fence as to which seat height setting I preferred but with the new seat I am definitely leaving it in the lower position.  I am 6 feet tall with a 34 inch inseam and I can just reach the ground on the balls of my feet with this seat in the lower position

The seat looks great, I really admire what Terry can accomplish for what he charges.  If I didn't already have a custom seat built I would definitely be contacting Terry.

I am almost the exact same size and had the same results with my custom built seat, it fits perfect in the lower position and I am on the balls of my feet at a stop light if I were to ever put both feet down at the same time.  Mine is at least a full inch thicker than stock but I don't consider that a negative as it also increases the seat to foot peg distance making it a little easier on my knees. 

 

[2and3cylinders]

I've been happy with my Sargent which was customized for free so my gonads didn't slide into the tank.  With my sciatica caused mounting and especially dismounting issues I hadn't thought to go to the lower setting cuz I wanted to maximize leg room but thanks, I'll do that until I can shorten the Razor R length.  Been waiting to do that when I replace the rear tire for gotta be the 4th or more time, and lube the swing arm and linkage altogether.   To keep turn in sharp, I'll raise the forks.  I can just about flat foot in the upper setting and the Sargent is about 3/4" taller than stock too.

[kmev]

My butt was sore for a few days after riding my new seat from Terry - but it was 7,775 miles in 11 days. I had a Sargent prior to that, and I walked with a limp after riding 3,000 miles in five days. Terry's seats are  like Russell Day-Longs but at a lower cost. Highly recommended. 

[johnmark101]

9 hours ago, kmev said:

My butt was sore for a few days after riding my new seat from Terry - but it was 7,775 miles in 11 days. I had a Sargent prior to that, and I walked with a limp after riding 3,000 miles in five days. Terry's seats are  like Russell Day-Longs but at a lower cost. Highly recommended. 

Wow, 7775 miles in one week is some serious riding.  It's not unusual for me to do 400 ~ 450 mile days when I am on a road trip but only for about five days.  Don't think the wife would like it if I were gone any longer.  

I have only ridden twice since getting my seat and both were local rides of about 150 ~ 175 miles.  Plan on hitting the road for about four or five days in June and that will be the real test of the seat.

[kmev]

54 minutes ago, johnmark101 said:

Wow, 7775 miles in one week is some serious riding.  It's not unusual for me to do 400 ~ 450 mile days when I am on a road trip but only for about five days.  Don't think the wife would like it if I were gone any longer.  

I have only ridden twice since getting my seat and both were local rides of about 150 ~ 175 miles.  Plan on hitting the road for about four or five days in June and that will be the real test of the seat.

The funny thing is that I had 21 days to do that trip, but I was enjoying the riding and the seat wasn't holding me back like the Sargent had previously, so I just kept on riding.  Everybody's seat preference is a bit different, but if you're planning a lot of long days I think Terry's seat is better than the other options. If you're constantly dragging knees through sweepers you'll probably want something narrower.  

[johnmark101]

23 hours ago, kmev said:

 If you're constantly dragging knees through sweepers you'll probably want something narrower.  

Good point and something that I did not mention in my original post.  With the new seat from Terry Adcox, shifting your hips from side to side for spirited cornering is not difficult, but it was a bit easier with the more narrow stock seat.  At first I thought I might look for a deal on a used stock seat for local rides with my hooligan friends, but after the second time out on the seat I adjusted to the added width when hanging my one butt cheek off the side, so no problem.  

That is about the only negative thing I can come up with about this seat, and it is a very small matter that I was able to adjust for.

    

Edited May 27, 2020 by johnmark101

[carey]

Quote

Good point and something that I did not mention in my original post.  With the new seat from Terry Adcox, shifting your hips from side to side for spirited cornering is not difficult, but it was a bit easier with the more narrow stock seat.  At first I thought I might look for a deal on a used stock seat for local rides with my hooligan friends, but after the second time out on the seat I adjusted to the added width when hanging my one butt cheek off the side, so no problem.  

When Terry did my seat, I had concerns about the edges digging into the underside of my leg/hips.  Most seats I tried were a problem in that area.  Terry suggested in "rolling" the edges.  It worked for me, and as an added benefit, I'm able to transition easily side to side.  

This might not work for everyone, but my problem was bone spurs around my hip socket.  I need a narrower seat.  I have no problem riding on a skinny dirt bike seat or even a bicycle seat, but anything that is wide, splays my hips out causes a problem. 

Last November I had my right hip replaced and no more bone spurs on that side.  I still find Terry's seat, with the edges rolled, comfortable.

Just to be clear, my bike is a 2015 FJ09, and not a 900GT, so the seats may be different.

Edited May 27, 2020 by carey

[betoney]

56 minutes ago, carey said:

When Terry did my seat, I had concerns about the edges digging into the underside of my leg/hips.  Most seats I tried were a problem in that area.  Terry suggested in "rolling" the edges.  It worked for me, and as an added benefit, I'm able to transition easily side to side.  

This might not work for everyone, but my problem was bone spurs around my hip socket.  I need a narrower seat.  I have no problem riding on a skinny dirt bike seat or even a bicycle seat, but anything that is wide, splays my hips out causes a problem.

I too had to have the front narrowed, as I grip the tank with my knees.  A lot of seats have seams, like Terrys or even angular cut foam with ridges, like the stock seat.  I had to have mine smoothed out and rounded with no seams.  This is the result after 3 sessions of tweaking and re-shaping.

[littlebruv]

That picture shows what looks like a very comfortable seat, or am i wrong

[betoney]

22 minutes ago, littlebruv said:

That picture shows what looks like a very comfortable seat, or am i wrong

You are not wrong, it is VERY comfortable, I have put over 37k miles on the seat in 2.5 years.

It took a little tweaking and re-shaping over 3 appointments to get it perfect for me but the builder was very understanding and helpful.

[johnmark101]

Finally managed to do some real mileage on the Terry Adcox seat.  I am very pleased.

Got back last night from a 3 day ride.  Average daily mileage was 350.  Most of this was spent on winding mountain roads.  After getting used to the seat I am now totally comfortable with hanging one cheek off the side for spirited cornering.  At first the extra width made it a little awkward, but no longer.  I can literally sit in this seat without shifting, moving or squirming and be comfortable for long distances.  On the last day we had to get back quickly and took the interstate during the last half of the day.  We did a 150 mile stretch of I-75 at an average speed of just over 80 mph.  I sat in one spot on the seat the entire time and was just fine.