Damning with faint praise 
Is the classic sport-touring motorcycle doomed to extinction?
- Thread starter Andrew Shadow
- Start date
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
Mebbe so, but I've put long days on the stock saddles on my ST and my GSA.Damning with faint praise
Always room for improvement, I reckon, but I don't recall "having" to swap seats on any of my bikes.
I got a nice Corbin Canyon for my Blackbird, mainly because it was sold by a club member in great shape at a great price, and it looked good. But I rarely rode with it, because I didn't want it messed up or aged by the rain or our intense Alabama sun.
My first-ever SS1K was on the XX, wearing the stock seat, and it was fine.
As we often say around here, mainly because it's true, "all butts are not made the same."
Then again, it may just be that I enjoy riding so much, I'll endure just a bit more discomfort than some. Butt I would really like to buy a custom-fit Russell one day, before I'm too old.
The stock seat on my 'Bird gives me butt burn in about a half hour. I stand up on the pegs to get relief. I can't imagine riding 1,000 miles on the thing. The Corbin on the ST has padding measured on the Rockwell scale, but I can ride for hours on end without much discomfort.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
I too have never had a custom seat, on 31 motorcycles, although I did have Frank @ GreatDayToRide lower my ST seat an inch to accommodate my stubby legs and he put different foam in there to keep me from sinking into the pan, but I wasn't uncomfortable butt wise on the stock seat. My NC seat is probably the most uncomfortable stock seat I've ridden on, but that may be because as I've gotten older all the padding from my rear has gone to my stomach lol. I can't do more than 8 hours on it without wanting to get off for awhile.
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
I just remembered -- i DID order a custom Bill Mayer saddle at a BMW RA Rally, for my 2nd f650gs Dakar. Nicely dished and a big improvement.
But I also rode out to New Mexico on the stock seat, for a BBG. Now THAT was the longest I had ridden between sleeps. The seat was adequate, but the miles and hours went long.
It was long ago, but convinced me with authority, that I didn't have what it takes to be an Iron Butt RALLY contestant. 11 days of riding all day? Nah.
Just call me a wussie now, and let's get it over with.
But I also rode out to New Mexico on the stock seat, for a BBG. Now THAT was the longest I had ridden between sleeps. The seat was adequate, but the miles and hours went long.
It was long ago, but convinced me with authority, that I didn't have what it takes to be an Iron Butt RALLY contestant. 11 days of riding all day? Nah.
Just call me a wussie now, and let's get it over with.
This.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
One major factor in seat comfort is pretty straight forward - How much do you weigh?
That has a lot to do with how much pressure comes to bear on the 'pressure points' because of how the foam compresses.
'Big' fellers like me have gravity fighting against them in the 'seat department'.
I have RDLs now on all four of my ST1100s and I am very happy with them and have no regrets about the cost.
If you keep the bike(s) for a long time, the 'cost' of the seat becomes pretty insignificant spread out over years, miles and smiles.
The main thing is that your butt is happy - whatever seat does that for you is the one you want.
And if you swap bikes as often as some people change clothes, custom seats probably don't make much sense for you.
That has a lot to do with how much pressure comes to bear on the 'pressure points' because of how the foam compresses.
'Big' fellers like me have gravity fighting against them in the 'seat department'.
I have RDLs now on all four of my ST1100s and I am very happy with them and have no regrets about the cost.
If you keep the bike(s) for a long time, the 'cost' of the seat becomes pretty insignificant spread out over years, miles and smiles.
The main thing is that your butt is happy - whatever seat does that for you is the one you want.
And if you swap bikes as often as some people change clothes, custom seats probably don't make much sense for you.
I weigh 220 lb most days and find the stock seat on my bike really comfortable for an all day ride while the seat gets almost universally trashed by other owners of the model. I have often wondered if adding bar risers adds additional weight to your seat and more importantly transfers more of a shock straight up your spine from road irregularities? Just a thought but one “upgrade” may lead to the need for the next upgrade.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
Only 220 lbs? Why you are a 'skinny Minnie' compared to me!
From my experiences at the RDL shop, yes all of that also comes into play.
I think it also depends on what the 'design' weight was for the seat originally - which is probably impossible to find out.
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
Dang, that @Uncle Phil is one wise old feller. Body weight never occurred to me. Makes perfect sense that less weight means less pressure on the ole gluteus maximus.
I hover around 150 - 155, unless i get into too much ice cream for too long, when the scale needle will approach 160 and my britches get snug in the waist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging, nor am I complaining.
Fact of the matter is, I'm just too damn lazy to carry around another 50lbs of body mass if'n I don't hafta. Or even 10lbs.
It's all about energy conservation. I'm saving the planet, doncha know.
You can thank me later.
Depends on whether you want to slide forward/ back, left/ right on the seat or just sit stil and bounce all day. Skinny Minnie to XXXL farmers can spend all day comfortably bouncing on:
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In my opinion, a must for long rides is having a second place for your feet. A set of pegs or blades can change the pressure points between your butt and your thighs, and increase comfort. Sometimes I use only one at a time, effectively providing a total of four seating positions.
Big_Jim59
Site Supporter
I was thinking that really, up until the 1970s, there was really no category for touring, sort or otherwise. Prior to this there were just scrambles and street bikes and the scrambles were not much differet. Harley V-twins were their own category, in the US anyway. We are probably headed back to those days as motorcycle sale will just not support specialization. Some day an enterprising person will pull a dusty ST-1300 out of its hiding place and declare it pretty fantastic
We do that now.
Big_Jim59
Site Supporter
They are pretty fantastic and we do haul them out of dusty hiding places but I was thinking more like archeology.We do that now.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
Being a munchkin, unfortunately my legs arent long enough to put them anywhere else. Thats why I had to have my seat cut down, they barely reached the ground.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
Tom (at least one of you) - You ever spent much time sitting in one of those?Depends on whether you want to slide forward/ back, left/ right on the seat or just sit stil and bounce all day. Skinny Minnie to XXXL farmers can spend all day comfortably bouncing on:
Just curious as I used to own a 'wartime' (1940s vintage) Case tricycle (front wheels together) tractor and used it to fetch firewood in the Holler.
I thought this was an interesting article on that (https://www.antiquepower.com/normal-blog/2016/6/6/tractor-seats) -
A critical part of the tractor, however, seems to get the least mention, and that is the seat. Looking at the big picture of the evolution of tractor seats, from the mid 19th century to today, you might describe it as a journey “from pain to pampering.” If the manliness of our farming forefathers was measured by how much physical discomfort they suffered, they scored high points. Walking behind a plow might have been better than sitting all day on a hard metal seat that transferred every jarring bump and took a serious toll on the body. At least those old cast iron seats, now the valuable prizes of collectors, were beautiful. As part of their ornate designs, they featured pierced openings that would let air circulate and allow rain to drain through. The farmers who rode on them, however, might have traded that beauty for a softer seat, if given a choice. In the early days of tractor history, manufacturers gave little thought, if any, to the operator’s comfort and well-being. Farmers were tough. Some (not all) even thought a fellow who fussed about a sore behind might not be much of a man. They also figured a padded tractor seat left out in the weather would likely just be ruined. At the same time, some farmers were trying to figure out a way to make the ride more tolerable. One way was to stuff a bag full of straw and tie it to the seat, only a slight improvement. An article titled simply “Tractor Seats,” on page 17 of the March 27, 1919 issue of a periodical called “Motor Age,” promoted common sense and pushed for padded seats, calling a metal seat “a relic of the inquisition.” The author stated: “Seats fitted to most tractors are the same sheet metal stamping that for years have been one of the answers to ‘Why do farmer boys leave home?’ The chief virtue of this type of equipment is that it prevents the operator from going to sleep on the job.”
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Big_Jim59
Site Supporter
Back in the 80s I rode with my bike shop boss Leroy and the owner of the dealership I worked for Rex. Leroy was a short stocky man with very shot legs. (he said that he was built for low wind resistance.) He would ride his BMW R100RT with his feet hanging straight down. Rex was probably 6'-6" and he was heard to remark "if I did that I would draw back two bloody stumps." Leroy would also ride side saddle and sometimes he would lock the throttle and ride on the passenger seat just to get comfortable. I miss those guys. Good times.
I have the opposite problem: PSRs are the only blades I have found that are low and forward enough that I can get my feet onto them, and they stopped making them for 1100s
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