bwringer Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) One last nit remains to be picked... As a graduate and disciple of the advanced training offered via Lee Parks' Total Control Riding classes, I prefer... no, I NEED to be able to shift my weight easily at will when riding. So even in ordinary non-attack-mode grocery-getting riding, I'm sliding my bum one way or the other at least a little. This is quite easy on my other bikes (two of which are wearing Seat Concepts kits. The other is wearing an aftermarket seat cover made of a normal vinyl), but the stock seat vinyl on my FJ-09 is sticky as hell. No, it's not damaged or deteriorated. It's just... sort of rubberier than the seat vinyls I'm used to, and it sticks to my britches in the most incredibly annoying way. Yes, I've tried two different pairs of overpants and plain old blue jeans. It ain't my pants. The seat cover is too sticky, and it's weird and I hate it. Any ideas? FWIW, a new seat cover from Yamaha is only $12.69 at my preferred parts peddler. So if the stock seat cover doesn't normally have this problem, or if an experiment with chemicals goes badly awry, that's an option. I kinda wanted to allow some account recovery time before coughing up for a Seat Concepts kit with the "carbon" texture, but I suppose that's an option as well. Edited March 7, 2021 by bwringer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfundo Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) I can tell you that I Armor All'd a bike seat once and really paid the price, could barely stay on it. Maybe some light Armor All coating will get you where you want to be. Edited March 30, 2021 by Jfundo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 I actually got so frustrated on a long ride this weekend that I stopped, bought some actual old-school greasy-ass Armor All, and applied it to my bike's seat. I can say that it's the only thing that's helped somewhat. It hasn't made the seat too slippery at all; it's still too sticky, but it is a lot better. The rear seat doesn't seem to have this issue; I'm sort of wondering if the first owner put something on the seat that damaged the vinyl. I first tried this "matte" finish interior wipe stuff from Meguiar's and it really didn't do anything. It's all weird, very very weird... in any case, it sure doesn't sound like some sort of common FJ-09 issue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Jeffers Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 48 minutes ago, Jfundo said: I can tell you that I Armor All'd a bike seat once and really paid the price, could barely stay on it. Maybe some light Armor All coating will get you where you want to be. Been there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfundo Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Did a car steering wheel once too. Good times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfundo Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 I'm thinking you are right, there is something wrong with your seat if it is that bad. Wonder if can be buffed smooth or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) Got to agree. The stock seat is normally really not sticky at all. I can slide readily on mine, much moreso in fact than most seats I've owned. I suspect there's something screwy with your seat. Edit: Also, my seat and pillion seat have exactly the same material covering them and surface. Reading that the main seat feels different really reinforces that it's probably the seat cover being damaged in some way. Edited March 30, 2021 by Wintersdark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member Heli ATP Posted March 30, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 30, 2021 Motul MC Care M4 Perfect Seat Clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 Good to know weird rubbery seat skin isn't endemic to the FJ-09. As I mentioned, a measly $13 or so will fetch a new seat cover from Yamaha, so that might be a good route until my Seat Concepts kit shows up. Heck, a whole new OEM seat is less than $80. On an unrelated note. Yamaha's parts prices are pretty dang great compared to Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki. I had no idea until I owned one... a KLR650 valve cover gasket is over $45, and Yamaha wants $12 for an FJ-09 valve cover gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tktplz Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 I put the Sargent seat on mine and it's great for me. Just enough slip and slide to get through the corners. The "stock" seat cover for the Sargent looks like the carbon on the sides of the FJ. I wear textile pants and they have a sticky patch where you set. Plus they put a cut out in the center of the seat just where the jewels set. Like the extra room. Being an old man they aren't what they used to be, LOL! Ain't no fun when the rabbit gets the gun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 Just an update on this: I have a Seat Concepts kit on the way whenever they get around to producing it. My bike's Previous Owner did some weird stuff to the seat pan, so I decided to just buy a new seat from Yamaha in order to at least get a good pan. It was only $76. Turns out the PO did... something, I don't know what, to the original seat. The foam has been monkeyed with, although with what goal I cannot fathom, and the seat cover was changed. You have to look close, but it's covered with a different, stretchier, and stickier vinyl than the new front seat and the original rear seat, with a different texture. He also carved up the front mounting lug for some reason, so the seat never really fit very well. Plus, on closer examination, there are several sets of staple holes in the original seat pan. Overall, it seemed best to start over with a new seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfundo Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Let's hope that the seat is where his creativity with modifications starts and ends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 3 hours ago, Jfundo said: Let's hope that the seat is where his creativity with modifications starts and ends. Ah, the horrors of Previous Owner creativity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) Another report, if anyone's watching... Upon comparison with a new stock seat, it turns out the original seat on my FJ-09 has been monkeyed with. But it was a professional monkey... once I got that horrible rubbery cover vinyl off, I could see that a couple of added layers of foam had been carefully sculpted, by someone who seemed to know what they were doing. Hmmm... So I bought some black marine vinyl at Joann fabrics and spent an hour with my air stapler and a heat gun. The result looks good, it has just the right amount of slide for rabidly rapid riding, and, to my complete surprise, it's honestly pretty comfy. I spent a long day in the saddle Saturday with no posterior problems. I think the rubbery stuff was locking me into place and leading to a major case of butt burn. Being able to move around slightly as needed has really turned this "custom" seat into a pretty comfy place to spend the day. I still have a new stock seat (which is indeed a torture device...) and a Seat Concepts kit on the way. When that arrives, I'll install the Seat Concepts kit on the stock pan and do a bun to bun comparison. Edited May 17, 2021 by bwringer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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