Seat Concepts

[rush2112]

Put some miles on the SC seat and have mixed impressions about it. The seat fits and looks good but after after a couple of hours or so I'm squirming to find a new seating position. Is it better then stock? Yes, and I've done 500+ miles on the stocker. The foam seems a bit on the soft side and I'm hoping it will compress and give a firmer seat that will mold to my bottom. Overall I feel it's a good value and only time will tell on how comfy it will be.

Same experience here on another bike I had. It was better than stock, but wasn't the answer. Of course for the price it's not that bad.

If it can't give you 500+ days, and sometimes back to back, then to me it's not the answer. RDL should be here next week. Had one of the last street bike and could ride multiple long days and my rear was the last thing that was hurting. Of course it is a bit pricey.

 

[TierHawg]

First off, I like my stock OEM low seat. It works for me and I've used on many 300+ mile/day rides and I don't plan to change it out anytime soon.

I purchased a Seat Concepts seat for my WR250R a few years ago during a group buy. I spoke with the owner a couple of times and ordered a seat built for my specs. For the WR250R they can use various foam density for height and weight. I also went with the "carbon" covering on the seat. If I remember correctly, back then the covering choices were "gripper", carbon and standard vinyl. I was told the gripper was too grippy for a dual sport. I also sent in the seat for recovering because I figured it would be better to have pro do it than me. The total time was less than week with CA to CA shipping.

How is the seat for the WR250R? Well, better than stock, but a few things to point out. The stock seat felt plush at first, then as the miles piled on, became more uncomfortable. Anything over 50 miles and the stock seat hurt, over 100 miles it was a torture device. For short trips around town, the seat was fine as is. The new Seat Concept seat was built with lower firmer foam. It felt like the stock seat felt at 50 miles. It wasn't comfortable from the start, but it doesn't get worse with miles. By now, I'm used to it and have done a few 200+ mile days on the seat. As of now, my only real compliant is the carbon covering. With certain riding pants, it is slippery. The heavier cordura pants grip fine, the lighter type nylon pants love to slip and slide. I have no idea if the new embossed cover is better in this regard. I wish I'd opted for a "gripper" covering on top for the 250.

If I were in the market for a seat upgrade, I'd give Seat Concepts a call to see what they can make as far as foam density, height and covering options.

 

[barkingllizard]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the covers:
Embossed Top with Plain Vinyl sides and
the Standard all Black Vinyl and
the All Carbon Fiber seat covers?

I had sent them an email asking for some clarification, but it has gone unanswered.
Not certain what that says about their customer service.

I had specifically changed the stock Tenere seat last year to a smoother vinyl because I didn't like the sandpaper cover.

thanks.....

 

[TNWalker]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the covers:


I had specifically changed the stock Tenere seat last year to a smoother vinyl because I didn't like the sandpaper cover.

thanks.....

Any of the seat concept covers will not be any where near as grippy as the stock cover. I got the Embossed Seat concept cover on mine and it easily allows movement in the seat. Not too grippy at all. Its pattern is just small dot pattern embossed or pressed partially into the cover but not all the way through. Seat Concept works great for me but as we all know, seating is a very personal issue that differs from person to person. The foam they use suits me fine and is a bit bigger to allow for a little more freedom in the saddle. Also eliminates the forward slant that the stock seat has eliminating the need for short bumpers. It does sit a little taller than stock foam. I had the stock seat in high position, and the seat concept mod in the low position so it is about the same. Again it works good for me, but opinions I'm sure will vary ..... I also got the pillion cover so they match. Finished mod looks really good.

 

[barkingllizard]

thanks TNWalker, I think I have made a decision, only reservation is they don't answer emails..... which can be an issue when they are in the US and I am not.

 

[nwrider]

I've installed a number of Seat Concepts seat covers/foam -- KTM 950 Adventure, Suzuki DR650, Yamaha WR205R, Honda XR250 and a Honda XR650R. I've had no complaints about any of those. However, the one for the Tenere, in my estimation, missed the mark. The foam is too soft and squishy. It may be because the depth of the foam is greater than the others but whatever the reason I think it would be much better with a higher density foam.

 

[TNWalker]

FYI, Rick Mayer Seats are on sale right now for 50% off regular pricing. Makes their seat options much more affordable and attractive.


Steve

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[Sparb]

Just installed mine and went for a ride. Very nice! Much better than stock.
Seat pocket is wider, and the foam has a much better feel to it.
Also, the old seat tended to push me forward toward the tank; not so with the Seat Concepts.
It does feel a tad taller than the OEM seat, but not drastically so..
And when you look at the cost of the other alternatives; this seat really makes sense.
Sparb

 

[Siseneg]

I put 369 miles on mine today. Never got more than 50 degrees out, so the foam is not tested when hot, but I did like it a lot. At 6'2" and 275# I liked having more room to spread out and I noticed that the lift in the front creates a more comfortable transition to the tank. When you stretch to the back it feels diiferent enough from the front to prevent squirming every few minutes just to put pressure on the same patch of butt. It is taller and put me a little more on my toes at stops. I didn't notice any sliding around under hard accel/braking. It was a nice kit and fit well. I was 'staple-gun-challenged" tho, and will have to re-do the job when I get more horsepower in my fastening machine. For the money it was a good improvement for me.

 

[mxbundy]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the covers:
Embossed Top with Plain Vinyl sides and
the Standard all Black Vinyl and
the All Carbon Fiber seat covers?

I had sent them an email asking for some clarification, but it has gone unanswered.
Not certain what that says about their customer service.

I had specifically changed the stock Tenere seat last year to a smoother vinyl because I didn't like the sandpaper cover.

thanks.....

Hey guys, just registered here! My name is Lendon, I am one of the owners of Seatconcepts. I go by the handle of mxbundy both on here now and on the other sites ( adv, etc...).
Barkinglizard, sorry we missed your email, we do get A LOT of email and sometimes a couple may fall through the cracks, so sorry about that. Believe me , customer service is our #1 priority!!
Can you pm me your email addy so that I can see if I can find your email?
But to answer your question, our covers for the Tenere will all be much more smooth than the OEM seat cover, unless some specificaly asks for a gripper cover, we do not intend to stock the gripper coveThere the Tenere.
Theere will be 3 basic types of covers for the Tenere, Embossed, Carbon and basic black.
The embossed is pictured in this thvinyland is a black vinly seat cover with the centevinyll made with a vinlky that has little dimples embossed into the tperforatedgive it a perferatvinylok.
The Carbon vinly is embossed with a pattern to give it a Carbon Fiber look, and the basic black cover is made of a black vinyl with a leather like finish.
All are marine grade vinyls and will give years of service.

Hope this answers your questions.


Bundy

 

[mxbundy]

nwrider wrote: I've installed a number of Seat Concepts seat covers/foam -- KTM 950 Adventure, Suzuki DR650, Yamaha WR205R, Honda XR250 and a Honda XR650R. I've had no complaints about any of those. However, the one for the Tenere, in my estimation, missed the mark. The foam is too soft and squishy. It may be because the depth of the foam is greater than the others but whatever the reason I think it would be much better with a higher density foam.


nwrider,

Send it back and we will exchange it for a firmer foam for you! ::008::

Bundy

 

[TNWalker]

Hey mxbundy,
Glad to see you here on the forum. Welcome. I purchased the kit for my Tenere and am very pleased with it. Much more comfortable than the stock foam, and very reasonably priced compared to other seat otions out there. Thanks for a good product and prompt customer service.



Steve


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[Siseneg]

Great to see vendor support. Thanks for posting, mxbundy. ::004::

 

[tomatocity]

Bundy, glad to have you on board.

I went to your webpage to see the different cover materials. Do you have pictures of the All Carbon Fiber cover?

Hoping to see one of your seat covers this weekend at a Tech Day in Folsom CA.

 

[nwrider]

MXBUNDY -- nwrider here -- I've sent my seat back for the denser foam -- Great Service -- Since this was my 6th seat from you, I guess you know I like your products. Thanks!

John

 

[mxbundy]

Bundy, glad to have you on board.

I went to your webpage to see the different cover materials. Do you have pictures of the All Carbon Fiber cover?

Hoping to see one of your seat covers this weekend at a Tech Day in Folsom CA.

I dont have one mounted, so I pulled a carbon cover over a foam and took a pic!

 

[Rudolph]

A question regarding the sargent...
I hear its firm, but does it have pressurepoints, or it just give you a numb behind all round? I ask, because this stock saddle is getting up my nose. Why do they design a bike and then stop, just before they get to the seat. The people who makes them must weigh 50.

 

[TreeMuncher]

Just a quick update / opinion on the Seat Concepts kit that I installed a couple weeks ago.

I now have a seat that has totally eliminated the forward thrust into the tank. I can comfortably ride 300 miles easily before starting to squirm. With my highway pegs, I can stretch enough to push myself to the back of the seat into the pillion seat to change my pressure points. The true test will be my next Iron Butt ride but I am confident that 600-750 miles of that should be nearly pain free. My first 2 IB rides on the Tenere with the stock seat would have been nearly impossible without the use of the Airhawk pad - that was the only thing that allowed a LD ride with the stock seat.

The only drawback to the new seat that I have noticed is that my inner thighs still chafe a bit, especially when at a red light, there is extra pressure at that point. The seat is a little bit taller but if I cut down the inner thigh area, I think this will solve my problems. I'll bide my time and let it break in some more as more time has been giving more comfort as we adjust to each other.

All in all, this is definitely a much better seat with a near perfect balance between firmness and pliability. After talking with the owner's wife, I found out that they custom pour their own foams to any firmness level requested. This is really working well for me as I had asked for a slightly firmer ride and included my fully geared weight and height. I also asked for the tacky, no slide cover and I stay well planted with no unwanted sliding around on the seat. Pricewise, this is a NO BRAINER. This is one of the best value purchases that I have made for the bike.

Great job from the guys and gals at Seat Concepts! ::008:: ::008:: ::008:: ::008:: ::008::

 

[snakebitten]

Thanks TreeMuncher!

I'm slow to pull the trigger sometimes. But you might have gotten to me.

 

[Dallara]

Thanks TreeMuncher!

I'm slow to pull the trigger sometimes. But you might have gotten to me.

I've got one, too, Snake...

I got a used Seat Concepts kitted seat from a member here on the forum. His was done with the "firm foam" option, and I have to say it's as good or better than the Cee Baileys kitted seat I've been using the past year or more (that I got from a member here, too).

I used a stock seat for the first 18,000-20,000 miles I had the bike, often with a sheepskin pad, then I got the Cee Baileys, and it was a quantum leap better than stock. I tried several times to go back to the stock seat, but that never lasted more than a couple of hundred miles. The Cee Baileys was *THAT* much better. Then I got a used Sargent V2 from another member here, and it just didn't work for me at all... Which was surprising since I've had a bunch of Sargent saddles in the past and they were always worked the best for me on other bikes...

So the Sargent sat on the shelf and I went back to the Cee Baileys. Then I ran into a deal here where a member wanted to swap this Seat Concepts saddle for a Sargent, so I did the trade jsut to try something else. Glad I did, too. The Seat Concepts is way, way better for me than the Sargent or a stock seat... And in many ways better than the Cee Baileys, too. The biggest single drawback to the Seat Concepts saddle is it adds seat height. On my bike the Seat Concepts in the *low* position is higher than either my stock seat or the Cee Baileys mounted in the *high* position, but I like the firm foam the Seat Concepts has.

I will be using both the Cee Baileys and the Seat Concepts...

On shorter trips or off-road-intensive trips, as well as super twisty road trips where I need to move around on the bike a bit more, I will use the Cee Baileys. It's a lot easier to get my feet on the ground with it if need be.

On longer, multi-state jaunts or longer slab day rides around Texas I will use the Seat Concepts for its firmer foam and feel, and better leg positioning.

If you want to meet up somewhere between CC and Houston for a day ride I'll bring 'em both along and let you try 'em.

Dallara




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