Bike SEAT - GEL or FOAM???
 

Hi all!!

We're taking the VStrom far beyond!

We want to upgrade the seat as my a*se really hurts after a couple of hours in the stock saddle.

We'll get the sheepskin but I would need something more. The question is should we go for a higher spec FOAM or insert a gelpad?

HELP!
Andy

Gel Pads & Memory Foam
Found this! Any one used these?

Price is not an issue here! We want the best possible comfort.

Thanks a lot!
Andy

I have a gel/memory foam seat It's fantastic

I had Gel inserts put into the stock Wee Strom seat,this did help though I have discovered the joys of Sheepskin too now,still find I start to get a sore behind after a few hours though.
Andy (& Gosia strangely enough:cool4:)

I used Sheep skins over 20 years ago when touring on my BMW RS and GS. This turned out to be a "half-assed" solution if we are talking about true distance riding. Nor am I a fan of Gel pads or foam pads. Sure, they are soft and cushy for the first hour ... but what about after that? Nothing beats a custom seat.

A good seat needs to be firm, wide and properly supportive. Do it your self hackers rarely get it right. There is actually something to this ... that is why aftermarket seats are pretty expensive.

I don't know if you have good custom seat makers in the UK but certainly there must be somebody building touring seats or custom modifying a stock seat for touring?

If you are on a DL650, the first solution is to get the DL1000 seat. Fits straight on and much better than DL650 seat. I put over 70,000 miles on two DL1000's and never had a comfort issue, solo or two up, doing many 500 mile days, day after day. Best stock saddle I've owned. But a custom seat would be even better. I rode a Vstrom with a Corbin seat for a day and loved it.

There are probably half a dozen great custom seat companies in the USA who do Vstrom seats. Corbin does a nice one that I liked, as mentioned.
Many others too, do some searches and ask around on Vstrom boards.

Thanks a lot guys!

I'll do some research and get a custom made one I guess.

Andy

The DL did have a gel seat that can be ordered from the dealer, do not know if it is still so.
But I got one and then a sheep skin, good for me.

here are some seat makers that I have looked at.
Rich's Custom Seats
Corbin Motorcycle Seats & Accessories | Cool Motorcycle Stuff since 1968 | 800-538-7035
Aftermarket Motorcycle Seat Aftermarket Custom Motorcycle Seats Aftermarket Mustang Seats Heated
Custom Motorcycle Seats and Touring Saddles - "Day-Long" Touring Saddles and Motorcycle Seats by Russell Cycle Products
Rick Mayer Cycle custom motorcycle seats

In the end I did not get a custom I do not care to do 1000 miles a day for weeks at a time. The OME gel with skin will get me by when I do need to do that range. Out of them all the daylong and the Rick Mayer have the best rep with the long range iron butt bunch. To get the seat right it can be a day long event you at the shop and you need to set up a time with them to do it.

You may try have the seat remade at home or at reupholster can save bunch and still get something nice out of the deal.

Thanks a lot for the info. I was actually looking at the Day-Long seats and they do seem appealing. Problem is it's all in the US - we're in the UK :(

I'll phone one of the custom seat manufacturers in UK and ask if they could do something like the Russell.

Cheers,
Andy

Plus One on the Russell Day Long seat. Probably best rep of them all. I rode a friends GS with one ... very nice. He described it like this:

" ... The Russell feels like the gentle hands of a 16 year old Virgin caressing your Butt" :smartass:

A cheaper option and one that has served me for over 260,000km now(90k of that through the Americas) is an Airhawk. This is the best for long term inho, especially with regards price.

My seat here in Oz was modified to take the airhawk bladder after the foam was removed, and a new cover put on, only $80 all up for the mod. I did not modify the US bike, just had the AH on the seat as normal, this lost me a bit of height but was workable.

Although I like the idea of a Day Long seat, I would prefer to test ride a $600 seat before I buy which is hard to do on a custom made seat. Have a look at the Vstrom forums and see how many custom seats are for sale, not many people return or sell an Airhawk. If you know someone with an AH, ask for a loan for a day or so, set it up right and ride, you will notice the difference, I went from 3/4hr max ride before numb bum, to 1200km days with no problems :)

Just my 10c worth :)

Cheers
TS

I find the Air Hawk pads allow me to move around too much in ways I can't control. Not good for me, in corners or under braking especially. I feel less than secure. I suppose one can adapt and I'm sure its good sitting stock still on a straight highway all day. But on twisty roads I found it distracting.

I like the idea of inserting the pad UNDER the leather cover. This sounds good. As long as it does not create any "Hot Spots" sounds OK.

BTW, most aftermarket seats being sold on Vstrom forums and others are mostly sold when owners are selling their bike and wisely sell off all farkels, putting bike back to stock. Farkels add little to re-sale ... at least in the USA.
290K kms is a lot of riding:thumbup1: Was that done all on one bike? How many aftermarket seats have you ridden on and on how many different bikes?

I do believe some arses are not cut out to be on bikes sometimes mind. I have tried a sheepskin on my Transalp and still was in agony after a days touring on a seat that some say is a fabulous seat as standard!! Then on my XR the standard plank just kills me, and a mate with the same bike says " ride it more you will get used to it" But after 10,000kms ... tosh.. it still kills. Im thinking I just dont like seats that have a natural forward slant, my arse skin stays in the position and my body weight moves forward.
the best I have found was an airhawk that allowed me to puff up the front perhaps making me more level

notice most people with gel seats also cover them?

i had the accessory gel seat on my triumph and it was a lot comfier than the original, but it got seriously hot if left in the sun, and stayed hot for a long time (like a medical back pad). most seats being black vinyl too doesnt help!

The AH should not be moving under you, but there should be a slight give into corners because you are riding on an air cushion after all.

Fair enough on the aftermarket sales on custom seats.

I never noticed any hotspots, but then I was always wearing riding pants so that my be why. Here is the thread where I posted a picture of the seat clicky
I did my riding on 3 different Vstroms and I have never ridden on an aftermarket seat, like I said, too expensive to get to try them where I live. If the seat has been custom made, then it would be no use me trying it anyway as it would not fit my bum. :)

I'm talking to a guy call Lee at Viking Vinyl and he reckons he'd be able to create a Russell Day Long styled seat for a lot less than the quoted 600 bucks. He uses gel and memory foam as well as other stiffer foams to give adequate support and spread the load evenly. I'm waiting for the last qoute and think we'll go with it. I like the idea of the Saddle like seat that you sit IN not ON.

If this won't be enough and Airhawk doesnt seem like a big expense and also covered by a sheepskin this would make the ride a pleasure :)

Is there a world record for the longest continuous ride on the bike? Hours? Miles? :):)

Just kidding! We're after the best possible comfort.

Thanks a lot for the info!
Andy

Sounds good! The combination of the correct foams is critical. Hope it works out ... certainly worth a try. Hopefully the guy can work with you and make adjustments until the seat works for you.

Longest continuous ride?
No idea but I would not bet against some of our crazy Iron Butt riders. These guys fit huge gas tanks and one or more Aux fuel tanks. They run Pee tubes down their leg ... and most use Russell Seats! In the early IBR (Iron Butt Rally) days there were no fuel limits. Now there is; (11 or 12 US gallons I think?)

In the old days guys would carry 16 to 20 gallons all plumbed in ... and could ride all the way through the tank(s). These guys do about 1000 miles a day for 11 days with no required breaks. Just nuts.
Not for me thanks. Just stupid.

That is incorrect, the IB rally has sleep and rest breaks included in the itinerary and riders are expected to take them and can be penalised if they don't. The get bonus points if they prove they did sleep!

They also have scheduled stops between the different ride legs, so there are more sleep/rest opportunities right there.

You obviously have no idea what they do!!!

TS

How many IBR's have you ridden?

For years they had NONE of the rules you quote and the ones they did have had no way to be enforced. Back then they had very few if any actual "manned" check points, so it was all about getting receipts with date/time stamps, pretty much the honor system. Talk to the riders mate.

I don't really follow the IBR closely now so I'm not familiar with current new rules ... but I have known some former IBR riders personally. They cheat. Period. The winners get around every rule in the book to win. They are not supposed to speed either. yea, right. :innocent:

I'm amazed more riders haven't died. The poor Aussie guy hit a Deer last year .... no helmet. Tragic. I knew Fran Crane and a good friend was on the search party for the guy who went off the road and disappeared some years ago. They found him ... 2 days later. I'm sure they all had comfortable seats! :eek3:

Soory to take this thread off-topic.... but, yes, I'm amazed too and I really believe IBR is a foolish and dangerous concept - to each his own, however.

One thing that can be learned from Dave's (the Aussie guy) mishap is take along your own shampoo and don't use what's provided in the motel - if he had done that I believe he would still be alive today. :(

As for a comfortable seat, the only thing that is going to keep your bum from aching is to use lots of painkillers - and that's not a good combination for ongoing alertness.

On topic.
I have over 260,000 miles on my BMW R100R, 2-up on a Russell Day-Long seat.
No Iron Butt rides but many 10 -12 hour days and we never had to use painkillers.
If you have never had a custom seat you have no idea how comfortable they are.

Airhawk
 

Talking of Airhawk's I've got one-used literally on 2 ride outs-and couldn't get on with it-if anyone wants to make me an offer its in my garage in London.
PM me if interested.

Thanks

Simon

26,385 miles on an airhawk............well two actually
 

Hi there - just coming in on the side. My better half was not impressed with leaving the UK on a stock seat (R100RT). After much badgering, and hours and hours of research we bought two airhawks. From numb bum and that awful pain when you climb off we covered 500-600 mile days and could still walk. If you blow them up too hard you defeat the object - and move around a lot! Too soft and you more or less sit on the seat. It took us days to get the pressure right - especially at 15,000 feet up in Peru! Talk about pressure inflation! Nearly turned into an ejector seat!

Anyway, height off the ground can be an issue if you are short in the leg after you strap them on - particularly on GS models etc. Good idea to get them put into the stock seat - I think - but she disagrees as your bum will be in constant contact with a hard seat cover? Thus, no air circulating............. she thinks too much.............but is usually correct.........as I have learned to my cost..............

Anyway - that's what we found!

Regards to everybody.

Cathy and Bernard

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles

What has shampoo got to do with his death, what a stupid statement!!!

Hi John, I've done many 16 hour days on the bike (I even did a month of 12+ hour days on a little Chinese 125 (with absolutely minimal seat padding) across China) without needing any aid but what the IBRers get up to is ridiculous.

I'm talking 20 hour days in a row for a week or so - a totally different kettle of fish.

Not at all. Why do you suppose Dave took off his helmet? No one knows for sure, only him but its not hard to put together a highly likely scenario based on my own, and many other rider's experiences.

Ever heard of, or had, helmet head? It's that terrible itch you get on your scalp that just makes you want to throw your helmet as far as possible.

Do you know what causes it? Massive amounts of sodium lauryl sulfate which is used in cheap shampoos such as those provided in motels.

My bet is that Dave pulled into a cheap motel, got some shuteye, had a quick shower, washed his hair and got 1/2 an hour down the rode before his scalp erupted.

Everyone on Farriders has commented on the fact that Dave was ALWAYS very helmet conscious and it was totally out of character for him not be wearing one.

If you can think of a better explanation please provide it.

Plus 1000 :thumbup1:

I'm not sure why our English and Aussie brothers seem so CHEAP about getting a good seat. Such a huge difference when its right.

If you know so many IBA riders, then go ask them, but ask the ones who rode in last years rally. He was stopped at the US border on the way back in from Canada and failed to put his helmet back on when he rode away, it was not the first time he rode without a helmet in the USA.

Maybe because by the time you factor in the shipping costs it is too expensive for something that cannot be trialled :?

The problem I had with my airhawk is that it's yet another thing you need to remember to remove from the bike when you get to your destination. The aircells also spread the load over the whole of your undercarriage (including your nutsack!) which I didn't like at all....

yes, i totally agree with TravellingStroms answer, i guess we dont like to blow money without inspecting the goods. not that there would ever be a problem if using the old flexible friend but its easier not to spend your money than it is to do without it for as long as it takes to get a refund.
also in the UK to import something worth more than £18 sterling (yeah, like what costs less than 18 quid?) will cost an extra 17.5% tax, (soon to be at least 20%) plus a fat fee from the delivery service to collect it. on top of that you will have the costs involved in sending an expensive and heavy seat back to the states if you dont want it and a wait of at least a couple of months for the US postal service to sort itself out, a service that models itself on spanish postcards and touratech customer services for levels of efficiency.
i know americas a big place but ive had jewellery from beijing in 3 days, and a birthday card from my aunt in maryland took six weeks. she'd have done better folding it into a paper boat and floating it over!
i suppose thats why so many use UPS? costs more but the confidence is there

If you look at the link I posted, you will see the AH was inserted under the seat cover, just for that reason.

TS

Fair point. But most reputable seat makers I have dealt with in the USA are quite happy to make any and all changes to your custom seat if you have a problem ... FREE .... until you're satisfied. Still, shipping your seat back and forth and then waiting a month or two would NOT WORK for me either.

I'm really surprised there aren't more saddle makers in other countries.
Russell, Corbin and Sargent are ALL multimillion dollar companies. Seems like a good business opportunity here?

Or ...
If I lived in the UK I'd look to France, where there are over 5 times more motorbikes than in the UK. (little known fact) Quite a healthy aftermarket industry there as well. I've been to a couple big rallies in the South and was blown away at the numbers, the diversity of bikes and people and the friendliness. (good Beer too!) A friend runs a Ducati, Triumph, MV dealer there, so I got good info on the French scene.

I don't blame you guys not wanting to pay duty or postage. Screw 'em.
Someone talented in the UK should take this up.

:offtopic:I have no idea why you talk about the Iron Butt Rally a race and think about it needing to be safe. No one bats a eye if someone gets hurt on a Dakar rally or some other race. It is a chance you take going in you know the risk and are willing to take it. Riding the world is not safe we know the risk and are willing to to take it.
I do not like riding long runs you see so much less and you are gust making miles not traviling you be better of flying. Now I have done some long runs gust to get there in some preset time but I do not like it.

Back to the post then.

There is a few seat makers in the EU must be more around. Top Sellerie - Deluxe seats for motorcycles, petrol tank covers, tank bags and scooter leg covers [Rates for an order from : FRANCE]

You may need to talk to custom bike shops they deal with this all the time.

there are lots of quality custom seat makers here, so we dont have to pay sargent/russell/corbin prices, end of.
10yrs ago i bought a corbin gunfighter+lady for my gsxf (to be fair, it was a discount deal but still £250) and it was rubbish, it didnt fit, the base wouldve rub through the paintwork in minutes and it weighed a ton. dont know if it was typical of the brand but i wasnt impressed for rrp £300+ and it went straight back. i took a page from the corbin catalogue and asked a local seat maker to make my seat like that, and he did and did a better job for £110. my choice of vinyls (wasnt impressed with the leather corbin), foam cut to suit my pie loving butt, custom piping to match the bike, the original seat base went back on fine and a third of the price.
i think a lot of people simply dont realise how easy it is to get your seat altered so they spend a fortune on these big brands

No question Corbin have gone downhill. Even at their best, not all their seats worked for everyone on all bikes. But once Mike Corbin started drinking and got into electric cars ... (10-12 years ago) it all went to Hell. I don't even know who is running Corbin today. BTW, all Corbin seats are heavy like lead.

Corbin's real craftsmen at the factory have always been the Mexican Horse saddle makers. This is most likely still the case. Corbin recruited Craftsmen from Mexico over two decades ago, sought them out. Some are very good, but getting fixes is now nearly impossible as there are no intermediaries that follow up for a customer. Only way is to show up in person.

I've tried several bikes where I hated the Corbin seat. VTR1000, VFR800, GTS1000 Yamaha, and probably a few more. But somehow they got lucky on my DR650. It works pretty good. On my buddies Vstrom is was good too. I had a Corbin on my XR650-L and it was OK too. But I did not get on with the bike that well, sold it off after only a year or so.

A good seat man can literally save your Butt by just using better quality foam and doing the right shape on your stock seat. BTW, I love my leather covered Corbin. Holding up well at 32K miles.

Still, I think it's worth it to pay someone with some true expertise in seat making. It's a real skill.

no argument there, the people i always used were just a husband and wife team, she dealt with front of shop and he made everything by hand, by himself. a real craftsman stitching cutting and stretching the vinyl somehow from a screwed up mess into a perfectly fitting cover. i could spend ages just watching him shape the vinyl with steam from an electric kettle.

unfortunately (but not for them i suppose!) they retired and bought a place in spain

Opinions on seat comfort are highly individualistic.

I'd encourage you to find some folks near where you live who have the different seats you're considering and ask if you can come sit on them to test for comfort. A bit of a strange ask, but better than ending up with a seat you don't like.

Having broken my tailbone once and then fractured it a second time, a comfortable seat is a must for long journeys. I've tried Corbin, Mayer, Sargent, and a handful of others. Sometimes the Corbins work well - and other times, it's Mayer all the way.

Hope you'll take time to try a few out and see what works. Sheepskin only works for so long. :cool4: