Well I ended up getting a Sargent. No options on the seat, just the standard black one. I have only had it out for less than half hour stints just commuting. My first long trip will be for the Tenere rally down in TN. That will be 4.5 hours saddle time.
My first impressions are (in no particular order):
1. The quality is good- not that I expected it to not be good. Well made.
2. The seat does move around a bit more than the stock. If I grasp the rear outside edges of the seat, it can be moved around more than I'd like. However, I have not noticed any problem while riding the bike (I have not done any spirited riding with the seat yet.) I suspect I may be able to adjust this movement by shimming up the rear plastic "L" that mates to the frame like what is necessary when you do the stock seat leveling mod. But I haven't messed with it yet.
3. It s much firmer than stock. I definitely notice the bumps alot more - they are more jarring. Certainly not a deal breaker, but something to adjust to. The 2.5 miles of gravel between my house and pavement definitely highlight this fact. But I also notice it just riding around on regular pavement.
4. Unlike the stock seat, the vinyl material along the top of the rear portion of the seat is not attached to the foam underneath. Since the Sargent is a more desirable bowl shape than the stock, the vinyl floats above the foam underlayer, much like a trampoline. It isn't something noticeable in normal usage. I but I do worry that the stretched vinyl could be more prone to damage or tears. If that were to happen the damage would be more catastrophic than if the vinyl was bonded to the foam. My bike has been known to take a dirt nap or two while riding on some overgrown two track.
5. The order shipped quickly. It probably helped that I didn't order anything custom so it didn't need to be built to order. I wasn't sure I'd get it before the Tenere Rally, but I already have it.
6. I haven't noticed any problem with the wider seat interfering with my being up on the pegs and moving around while riding for off-road terrain
I will post comments after the Tenere rally as I will be logging longer saddle times over several days. Ultimately that will be the key deciding factor on whether I like the seat or go back to stock.
Cheers