What Seat Do You Have On Your Yamaha Super Tenere ?

[Harry Dresden PI]

Looking for information as to what seats are the best to buy for my Yamaha 2014 S10 ES.
OEM is okay for me but fails me after 300 - 400 miles but I can tough it out for 700 miles in a day.
Tried the Sargent for 600 miles (~ 150 mile interstate rides and it did not work for my size 6'3" 290 lbs inseam 32"

~ 90% of my riding is interstate very little on rough or off-road

Thanks in advance for your vote(s) and comments ...

 

[EricV]

Go with the RDL. Just do a mail in and you won't regret it. Pick the material you like, colors you like, stitching pattern you like and tell them what issues you have with the oem seat. Then ride the RDL for a couple of thousand miles before you consider sending it back in, if you ever do consider it at all. The seat will break in over the first few hundred miles. They told me ~250, but I put 400 miles on it the day after it arrived, then 2000 miles in the two days after that, with zero discomfort. My riding partner with a custom Rich's seat had to stop on the second day around 500 miles into a 1k day because he just needed to get off the bike for a bit... Granted he rode 1k the day before, but he wasn't new to the LD riding scene and I was, so I was a bit surprised.

Of the seats on your list - Corbin, Saddlemen, Moose Adventure, Seat Concepts, Sargent, Russell Day Long, Touratech Comfort Seat, only the RDL is true custom seat. Seat concepts is close and Sargent does custom work, as does Corbin, but they don't really do custom seats for individual butts.

You should also check out Seth Laam, Rich's, Kontour & Bill Mayer Saddles (BMS - a.k.a. Rocky Mayer).

 

[bob dirt]

I have a Kon Tour seat.They are in Tucson. I waited too long to get an RDL before my Alaska trip in 2015. I tried a Sargent and couldn't stand it. I sent it back and they charged me 20% restocking plus shipping. When I contacted Kon Tour and told the owner about my timeline, he said if I paid for it right then and sent it too him that day, he would promise to have it back to me within a week. It took about 200 miles to break in. I took it off my 2012 and put it on my 2016. I can ride all day long with no butt or back pain with this seat.

 

[EricV]

Kontour is the seat with mesh and a waterproof layer under the mesh, that I was thinking of, but couldn't recall. I edited my post above with links to the custom seat makers you should investigate. Don't waste your money on a seat that's just aftermarket, but not built custom for you.

 

[sparkyduc]

Can't beat the RDL for all day comfort! Alaska & back(10,700mi) in 500-700 mile days. When I got back I ordered one for my FJR. I have to slide forward on the seat when I come to a stop to put both feet down. I am glad I chose the RDL.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Bike had a Sargent on it when I bought it. I'd give it a B-.

 

[Dmcleane]

I had a RDL on my Honda ST1100 and absolutely loved it. It was a saddle that enabled me to ride nonstop between fill ups - 300 miles. Russell was my first choice for my Super Tenere, but the Russell folks informed me that it would add an inch to my saddle height. While that would have been tolerable on the highways, it wouldn't work for "off pavement" riding. I opted for a Seth Laam saddle, and while it's a nice looking saddle, I won't deal with him again, and I need an Airhawk pad to do full days. I'm not complaining, but, boy do I miss the comfort of the Russell.

 

[JRE]

Kontour is the seat with mesh and a waterproof layer under the mesh, that I was thinking of, but couldn't recall. I edited my post above with links to the custom seat makers you should investigate. Don't waste your money on a seat that's just aftermarket, but not built custom for you.

I never heard of this before...good one to add to the list. Curious to see pics of the seat on the Tenere if anyone has any.
The one thing I don't like about the RDL is the added height but it's not too bog a deal to me...I can still reach the ground well enough and I don't go too far off the beaten path. At this point I wouldn't switch but I may pick up a second (non-Tenere) bike next year and will likely need another seat.

 

[EricV]

Tip from a cheap bastard... the rear seat can be mounted in reverse and with a magazine shoved under it for a little spacer action, is surprisingly functional as a rider seat. I did this so I could keep riding while my RDL was being built. Did some 400 mile days on it w/o too much extra moving around.

 

[fredz43]

Ive mentioned this before, but when I got my RDL for my 14ES, I liked it, but didn't care for the added height. I then rode William42's S10 with an RDL and it was more comfortable for me and lower. In checking with RDL, they told me it was the sport version, so I sent mine back for a free redo and they built it into a sport version, exactly like William 42's RDL and it is perfect for me.

 

[Velvet]

Since it really works for me I'm using the stock seat and I don't have any plans of a custom. The only thing I really need to do is to level it out.

 

[Brick]

I loved the stock seat on my 2012 Tenere... for the 68,000 miles I put in it. This 2014ES at 35,000 miles needed a seat... or my back side did. I got the Seat Concepts Low and it works for me. I'd give it a B.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JRE]

Ive mentioned this before, but when I got my RDL for my 14ES, I liked it, but didn't care for the added height. I then rode William42's S10 with an RDL and it was more comfortable for me and lower. In checking with RDL, they told me it was the sport version, so I sent mine back for a free redo and they built it into a sport version, exactly like William 42's RDL and it is perfect for me.

I was gonna do the sport version (based on your recommendation) and they cautioned that it wouldn't have "all day comfort" so I went with the "normal" version. At the time, I had just done 1200 squirmy miles on the Sargent seat and desperately wanted real comfort so I didn't chance it.

 

[holligl]

Bought my '14ES with a Bill Mayer Saddle (BMS) installed. I find it to be comfortable enough but never rode a stock seat for anything other than test rides, so hard to compare.

 

[HBLQRider]

I bought a Saddlemen Adventure Tour Seat. Absolutely loved the seating area. It is very comfortable. They did not address the slope of the seat (of course you can do this yourself). I did not like the slippery seat cover or how hard it was to put on the bike. Horrible fit.

I ended up placing a Coleman ATV Comfort Seat Protector on and have never looked back. They fit great on the Tenere and make a huge difference in all day comfort and they only cost $15.00.

 

[ov1]

Currently I have a Seth laam seat, only put about 500km on it so far, but no complaints. Because Seth is not listed on the vote list, I voted "Other"

copy paste quote from another site


Seth Laam is a new name to most, also from the Redding area. He worked with Rick Mayer for a number of years before going on his own. His build approach is similar to Rick's, adding different densities of foam where needed and building a cover to fit.
I've had seats from all of these sources and believe that any of them are capable of delivering a very comfortable seat. Most will tell you (even the other makers) if the rider is very heavy that the Russell would be the best choice because of the spring suspension system used.
Costs vary between them. In general I believe the Russell is most expensive. I believe that Bill Mayers is next the Rick's. At this point in time I believe Seth is the least expensive.
My most recent seat buying experience was for my 1400 Concours and i had Seth Laam do it. I have to say that I don't know that I have ever met anyone in the industry who is more focused on customer service. He likes to talk to the customer on the phone, after intitially telling him what I wanted he called me when it was going into production and then again on the day he shipped it and once more later to see what I thought of it. Each time emphasizing if there was something I didn't like that he would be happy to make any changes necessary. Hard to find that kind of service.
Hope that some of this might be useful to those contemplating having a seat redone.

 

[Harry Dresden PI]

I bought a Saddlemen Adventure Tour Seat. Absolutely loved the seating area. It is very comfortable. They did not address the slope of the seat (of course you can do this yourself). I did not like the slippery seat cover or how hard it was to put on the bike. Horrible fit.

I ended up placing a Coleman ATV Comfort Seat Protector on and have never looked back. They fit great on the Tenere and make a huge difference in all day comfort and they only cost $15.00.

For $15 worth a try with the OEM seat. How long have you have the Coleman ATV Comfort Seat ? (Months miles)

 

[HBLQRider]

For $15 worth a try with the OEM seat. How long have you have the Coleman ATV Comfort Seat ? (Months miles)

I really think it is worth a try with the OEM seat. It fits well and doesn't look as out of place as you would expect.

I think I have ridden about 1,000 miles on it over several months (I don't ride very often). I will say that over time I think the ATV Comfort Seat may soften up and need to be replaced. I'll post here if that happens.

 

[Tenerester]

I am quite happy with stock seat (2014 ES) and I think its very well designed. Have ridden almost 35K miles on it and have done several 500 mile days on long trips. As a habit I never ride more the 90 minutes at a stretch and ensure I take at least a five minute break after an hour of riding. Never had a sore back or numb buttocks.
In my humble opinion, if you have to consistently ride more than 500 miles a day, it's no longer an adventure trip. You are just using the motorcycle as a means of transport to get from point A to B.

 

[jimmy z]

R.D.L. Passenger seat also.