What seat to buy?

[yzmaico]

I see so many different seats mentioned on this forum.

My main street bike is a '09 Bandit 1250s. I hate the seat, I got no ass, sits bones ache like Hell. I've tried the AirHawk and ButtBuffer pads, ehh.

Aftermarket seats aren't cheap, I don't know if I'd like a Corbin, feels so hard.

I don't wanna just keep buying seats till I find one I like.

Can I replace just the front half of the seat?

What kind of seat do other late model Bandit riders like???

[mattjw916]

Corbin's are great for distance IMO. It was a 100% improvement over stock on my K1200RS. Everyone's different though. To me the shape and contour of the seat is a lot more important than the squishy-ness of it. I don't think I ever remember thinking the seat felt "hard" on any 1200+ mile weekends on it.

YMMV

[Josephvman]

The last couple of Corbin's I've bought were junk. Heavy, poorly made, bad customer service when you call them.

My last aftermarket seat was a Sargent. Outstanding quality, decent price. Can't wait for their seat for my Multistrada 1200.

[mtwillyman]

The sargent seat on my Wee Strom is very comfy. YMMV.

[James Adams]

+1 for the Corbin. I also have a Corbin on my K1200RS and it is worlds better than stock. Some may take a little bit to break in (I've heard the 1000-mile number thrown around for these purposes), but mine was perfect for me when it arrived. As also mentioned below, it doesn't feel "hard" to me.

I know that my dad has had both Corbins and Sargents on his RTs, and he's liked them both.

Originally Posted by mattjw916

Corbin's are great for distance IMO. It was a 100% improvement over stock on my K1200RS. Everyone's different though. To me the shape and contour of the seat is a lot more important than the squishy-ness of it. I don't think I ever remember thinking the seat felt "hard" on any 1200+ mile weekends on it.

YMMV

[duck]

If you like the tractor seat look then you can't go wrong with a Russell Day Long.

I've had a few Sergeants of different styles. They were all pretty good.

Rick Mayer recently lowered his prices so a rider portion only is just $319. (I'm having one made for me as I type this.)

Corbins are OK for a one-size-fits-all. I'd never buy a new one though.

[yzmaico]

Originally Posted by duck

If you like the tractor seat look then you can't go wrong with a Russell Day Long.

I've had a few Sergeants of different styles. They were all pretty good.

Rick Mayer recently lowered his prices so a rider portion only is just $319. (I'm having one made for me as I type this.)

Corbins are OK for a one-size-fits-all. I'd never buy a new one though.

Russell Day Long WOW, you are not kidding!

They really believe in lots of extra width.

Do you know someone that already uses a Rick Mayer seat? Or have you had a RM seat in the past?

Thanks to all, for any and all input!!!

[duck]

Originally Posted by yzmaico

Russell Day Long WOW, you are not kidding!

They really believe in lots of extra width.

Do you know someone that already uses a Rick Mayer seat? Or have you had a RM seat in the past?

Thanks to all, for any and all input!!!

I've got one I picked up on Fleabay. It's for someone a bit shorter than me (I have a 34" inseam) so it's a bit cramped but it is comfy.

A riding buddy of mine has had two done for both rider and pillion and thinks they're da bomb. He spent a bunch of time on the phone with Rick and sent him a bunch of pictures of him and his gal sitting on the bike. My friend had all sorts of "I want it this way" stuff on the phone with Rick but at the end told Rick to just do what he thought was right. They do long days in the saddle and are both quite happy with the seats.

After my buddy's raving and looking at the shape (it looks right to me - I have a bony ass too - Russells work well but I can't get over the look) I decided to pull the trigger and get one.

You'll find old threads here about him not being too customer friendly but I think that's changed as I've spoken with him twice and been impressed by his knowledge and demeanor.

[EncoreJoe]

I just put a new Day-Long on my 1050 Tiger. Haven't had a chance to ride long with it yet but just commuting 50 miles per day for the first week I can tell it's going to be great.

Pricey, but it's my first new bike and I decided to go ahead and set it up for a long ownership.

Who cares how it looks when parked? It feels fine when riding!

Joe

[Sport]

Corbin will make whatever foam hardness you ask for. Their hard until broken in seat on my 82 CBX was still too hard after 5,000 miles so I had then redo it at no charge and they used their softer foam. Now I love it! I have no direct experience with any other seat maker.

[Florida Lime]

You might want to contact Frank at http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

Here in Florida, quick turn around, nothing but rave reviews.

[BikerGeek99]

The Russell Day Long is what you want.

Look at what the really long distance riders use - there's a reason why they're using Russells.

[ACDNate]

Originally Posted by BikerGeek99

The Russell Day Long is what you want.

Look at what the really long distance riders use - there's a reason why they're using Russells.

I don't have any personal experience with Russell but it's the only one that I've never seen a bad review of it in terms of comfort. Sure it's a bit ugly but I've never seen a bad review.

I've been contemplating one for my GL1800, not that the oem seat is terrible, but it could be better.

[ST-DocLizard1]

Originally Posted by Florida Lime

You might want to contact Frank at http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

Here in Florida, quick turn around, nothing but rave reviews.

+1 for Frank.

I would try to modify the existing seat first.


Doc

[bouldergeek]

I used to be all over Corbins, 15 years ago.

I wasn't impressed with the build quality of the one I got for my '93 VFR750 (purchased in 2004).

When it came time to get one for my 2009 KLR, I went to Sargent. I did 15,000 miles on that, and it looks perfect still.

So, I just received my second Sargent yesterday, for my 2004 VFR800. it's great, though a little tight to fit to the bike. But, still a great improvement.

We just ordered a KLR seat recovering/refoam kit (for the GF's bike) from SeatConcepts, thanks to the Vendors forum here. Looking forward to it, and they were great to deal with, and offer free ADV inmate shipping.