Aftermarket Seat?

[ohblackwater]

Anybody know of an aftermarket seat manufacturer? My only gripe about my bike is that the seat hurts my tail after about an hour. My longest ride so far is 400 miles in one day with a 400 miler back the next day. I survived it, but sure would like to know if there is a seat that will make things better.
Any help would be appreciated.
JQ

[Sev]

I got a sheepskin pad from www.alaskaleather.com it doesn't solve ALL the problems, but it does extend the distances I can go in a single ride.

[599Toronto]

I've read about people having seats from both Sargent and Corbin, but neither site offer the details for the 599. Corbin has one for the 919, but I believe the fit is slightly different.

I believe that both companies offer a conversion of the stock seat to one of theirs (basically use the same frame). In order to do this you would need to send them your seat, they'd work their magic, then send it back to you. This makes riding kinda tricky in the mean time!!

I've read reviews about the Corbin seats -- they apparently do a good job at 'cupping' your butt. This distributes your weight over the entire seat, but apparently make sliding your butt off of the seat difficult (ie. knee dragging in corners). I have also heard that Corbin seats are quite heavy in comparison to stock.

Be sure to post a review if you happen to pursue an aftermarket seat.

[Sachi]

I've heard as much bad as good about Corbin.

You do not need to look for a specific aftermarket seat for a 599 IMHO. The shape of the seat is good, and there's nothing really wrong with seats that are basically flat. It's wide enough and there are no hard edges. It doesn't slant the wrong way, so you don't slide into the tank upon braking (for example). The only problem with the seat is that the foam is not the best. If I were ever to get work done on the seat, I'd take the seat to a good seatmaker and have him or her replace the foam with a high-quality multiple density seat foam, in the same shape as the stock seat. That would do the trick at a much lower cost than a full custom seat.

Besides, you can find seatmakers who do that sort of work just about anywhere in the US and Canadia.

[lostlogic]

Originally Posted by Sev

I got a sheepskin pad from www.alaskaleather.com it doesn't solve ALL the problems, but it does extend the distances I can go in a single ride.

Which shape pad did you get? I've been considering one, and figuring out the right choice looked hard.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Corbin doesn't make a 599 seat.

I had Sargent remake my seat with their supercell stuff and it's awsome. An upgraded seat is alwasy a wise investment.

[599Toronto]

How much thickness was added to your seat by doing this? I am tall, so could certainly afford the extra height, but I am thinking that shorter people may have issues. Do they only reuse the frame of the seat, providing new foam and a new seat cover?

[Sachi]

If you get a custom seat you can add as much thickness as you want. Some people get a used seat (often a trashed one) and have it redone to save money and to keep the stock seat handy for selling the bike.

[Skip26]

If anyone happens to go the route of having their current seat "re-done" please let us know. I'm really curious as to where I could get this done and how much. I think the previous owner of my bike had the seat shaved down but I'm not sure. I'm going to try and find a seat maker as Sachi mentioned.

[Sachi]

Marine seatmakers can be a good place to look if you are near water, and you can't find one for cars or bikes. As long as they know what good foam is and have access to good naugahyde (or whatever it is these days) coverings, you're golden.

[dracflamloc]

My girlfriend won't ride with me anymore because the seat is too hard

Its a shame because we used to go to the park about an hour from here my old bike alot. I need to find a better seat.

[Skip26]

Thanks Sachi.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

http://www.sargentcycle.com/default2.html

Here's the Sargent web site. You can call them and ask them for samples of the different materials. I went with a carbon fiber look.

I just mailed them my seat and they mailed it back as you see here. They eliminated some of the downward sloap and widened the seat area a little. They have a good reputation.

[troyohchatter]

I don't know if I have ranted on this board or not about seating, but let me go ahead and do it.

If you are wearing cotton underwear and cotton denim jeans wondering why your butt is sore, quit wondering. Your perspiration is not drying on your butt and you are getting what can be called diaper rash, heat rash, monkey butt, or all kinds of other names for it.

So the fix isn't the seat. It's what you wear. Just today, I took the bike out and put 150 miles on it. 85 degrees and my butt was fine. I was wearing a pair of spandex/polyester undergarments (look like bicycle shorts) with a set of mesh Firstgear motorcycle pants. Complete heaven. And when my butt even thought about getting sore, I would just stand up on the pegs a bit, staying about 2 or 3 inches off of the seat. The air just blew around, like a fan on my fanny. Wonderful. Also, no seams on the shorts or the riding pants, which makes a helluva difference as well. I ride to work and back, 25 miles one way, in cotton as I am wearing work wear. My butt is worse off after that 25 mile ride than it is after a couple hundred miles in proper riding gear.

The 599 seat is pretty decent. If you disagree, try some proper undergarments and riding pants.

[Sachi]

Very true, Troy.

I wear cotton and chamois bicycle shorts under my leathers for my long distance rides and they help quite a bit.

Anything with thick seams, such as blue jeans have, is going to kill you.

[rndthought]

At Target (or anywhere I imagine) you can buy Cool Max underwear that wick moisture away. I like the "sport brief" type that come to about mid thigh. Like 6$ a pair.

FWIW I've been on Steve’s bike and his “new” seat is really much more comfortable than stock

[lostlogic]

So, I'd never thought about the swamp ass and scrunched up boxers I'd been getting also being the cause of a large amount of my soreness at the end of a full day's ride. I now know better.

Before riding from Chicago to The Tail of the Dragon and back this weekend, I bought some UnderArmor compression shorts to wear instead of boxers and the difference is _amazing_. Prior to this I was thinking that getting my seat recovered and/or getting a sheepskin butt pad as my very next purchase. Now I don't think I even need it.

Thanks for lettin' me in on this knowledge Troy, et. al.

[troyohchatter]

I bought a pair of the motorcycle pants off of newenough.com and they are wonderful as well. The air goes right through them, almost like riding in shorts. They also have the pouches for knox armor, but they seem to be padded in all the right places from the start so I never bothered. Ride in that and the mesh armored jacket, plus the underarmor shorts, and life is good, even for the long haul.

[Ben599]

Corbin does not mass produce a seat for the 599, but they have a custom shop in Hollister, CA that will make you a seat and charge the price of a similar one for another bike. Not a bad deal. If you contact Corbin dirctly they will give you more info.

I am not sure if they have other shops around the USA, they just reffered me the Hollister, CA since I live in CA. I have not purchased one yet, but I plan to.

[jimbokeeno]

they're not cheap.... but you could try baglux:

www.baglux.co.uk/seats.php

they have a good reputation and this style of seat is very popular in europe... I keep thinking about it but its a lotta money to spend on a seat! not sure if they post to the US but you could ask

edit: try their seat design page, its fun