Seat of Choice?

What's your CURRENT Seat of Choice?

  • Sargent

    Votes: 192 18.4%
  • Corbin

    Votes: 194 18.6%
  • Russell Day Long

    Votes: 173 16.6%
  • Rick Mayer

    Votes: 32 3.1%
  • Bill Mayer

    Votes: 18 1.7%
  • Mr Ed's Moto

    Votes: 1 0.1%
  • Stock Seat

    Votes: 180 17.2%
  • Modified Stock Seat

    Votes: 22 2.1%
  • Rich in Seattle

    Votes: 10 1.0%
  • Stock Seat with Airhawk Cushion

    Votes: 25 2.4%
  • Stock Seat with Sheepskin Pad

    Votes: 33 3.2%
  • SPENCER Seat Mod

    Votes: 163 15.6%
  • Laam

    Votes: 7 0.7%
  • Motorcycle Dave

    Votes: 1 0.1%

  • Total voters
    1,044

Highway STar

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In 12,000+ miles and a number of 400+ mile days, I have found the stock seat very comfortable. I've never had any interest in replacing it.

I'd be curious to know if other lightweight STers (I'm 135 lbs) also find the stock seat good, and likewise if heavyweight STers find it not so good.
I am 5'6.5" and 135 pounds. The stock seat is not good for me at all. A friend gave me a Soft-bottom pad from "crossgel" which helps A LOT, but I'm still looking at a Sargeant or Day Long.
 

Byron

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I am 5'6.5" and 135 pounds. The stock seat is not good for me at all. A friend gave me a Soft-bottom pad from "crossgel" which helps A LOT, but I'm still looking at a Sargeant or Day Long.
Unless Sargent has changed their seat design you won't like it. Hard like a Corbin but no taper or rounded edges. I'm 5'-8" with 30" inseam and the seam of the seat, flat top to side, would eventually dig into the inside of my legs and pinch a nerve. That was will going down the road. Because of the wide flat design it made it harder to even get one foot flat on the ground.

Spencer does an outstanding job on the stock seat. Long distance inserts and was even able to lower it slightly. If you can't part with your seat then pick one up wherever you can and send it off to be reworked. Well worth the money and your comfort.
 

Highway STar

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Unless Sargent has changed their seat design you won't like it. Hard like a Corbin but no taper or rounded edges. I'm 5'-8" with 30" inseam and the seam of the seat, flat top to side, would eventually dig into the inside of my legs and pinch a nerve. That was will going down the road. Because of the wide flat design it made it harder to even get one foot flat on the ground.

Spencer does an outstanding job on the stock seat. Long distance inserts and was even able to lower it slightly. If you can't part with your seat then pick one up wherever you can and send it off to be reworked. Well worth the money and your comfort.
Thanks for the warning. My ST 1100 had a Corbin saddle which looked great but was too hard as well. Those must be for people who come equipped with their own built-in padding.

I will try to find some one with a Spencer I can try out before I take the plunge.
 
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If you ever started this over, it would be nice to ask average time in the saddle in a day when traveling and longest time in the saddle in a day. Then we could run ANOVA to test for differences in the means.
Just a thought. Oh, and ask how happy they are with their seat. Then there is ... Ad nausium. Never mind, sorry I brought it up.
Terry
 

Andrew Shadow

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Every time that I have come across this poll I have found it curious that, despite all the complaining we read about it, the stock seat is still the one being used by most who responded.
 

ibike2havefun

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Every time that I have come across this poll I have found it curious that, despite all the complaining we read about it, the stock seat is still the one being used by most who responded.
Errrrrrrrrmmmm, no. Although it is correct that unmodified stock seats have more responses than any other single category, for every (unmodified) stock seat indicated there are over four times as many votes for some other alternative- just not all for the same alternative. So, to put it another way, four out of every five respondents have seen fit to use something other than an unmodified stock seat.
 
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Andrew Shadow

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You are correct- it was a sloppy choice of words on my part. The individual seat type that received the highest number of votes of any of the seat types listed was the stock seat was what I actually meant. I find this interesting because I suspect that people who have chosen to change their seat are probably more likely to respond to such a poll than people who have not. Because of this I would suspect that if there was a way to survey all of the ST1300's currently in service the percentage still using the stock seat would actually be higher than what this poll shows. All that to say that when I see this poll it occurs to me that the number of complaints that we read about the stock seat would have you believe that it is a much worse seat than what many people who are using it find it to be.
 
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Also no mention of 1100 vs 1300 within the poll.

Wonder what the new Goldwing will show.
 
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ibike2havefun

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Hope I did not come off badly in my previous post. I used to make a living looking at, analyzing, and working up analyses from data, and some habits die hard.

Anyhow, yes you are right about possible effects of polling bias on the data. And here, it is impossible to say whether or in which direction it might skew things.

Guess I need to find something better to do... But the bike is still in winter storage and I am spending too much time with internet-connected electronic devices so what can you expect? :)
 

Andrew Shadow

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If your comment was directed at me than the answer is not at all as you were absolutely correct. Funny thing is that what you wrote is what I was thinking but didn't write. Winter is long here as well!
 

T_C

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Or another variation... what is your mass vs the seat? One seat builder was recomending that those of certain heft look at seats with wings.
 
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Or another variation... what is your mass vs the seat? One seat builder was recomending that those of certain heft look at seats with wings.
This would be something I'm interested in. IE. I'm 6'3" at 260 lbs with a 34" inseem. I just bought an 05 that already has a well used Corbin "close" seat with passenger back rest. What a waste for me im thinking since the seat was designed for people well under 6'. Funny thing is that when i test rode the bike, it seemed pretty darn comfy. This is not withstanding the fact that it not only sat me low but also forward on the bike. I can see how this is likely going to kill me at a couple hundred miles. I would like to hear from others that are near my size on what they have found to be comfortable for 200 miles before stopping for a stretch. Even on a Wing...I don't see doing more than 200 before I need to stop for 1 reason or another anyway.
 

T_C

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I'm 6'3" at 260 lbs with a 34" inseem. [...] I would like to hear from others that are near my size on what they have found to be comfortable for 200 miles before stopping for a stretch. Even on a Wing...I don't see doing more than 200 before I need to stop for 1 reason or another anyway.
I'm 6'4", 240 adn found a non-wingnseat to be comfortable. Rick Mayers made mine, but I think he quit the business. There are a few out there... just look around and go to an ST event and try sitting on some, after you ask permission of course. ;) The seat wings drove me crazy but some love 'em. Each to their own.
 

paulcb

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I would like to hear from others that are near my size on what they have found to be comfortable for 200 miles before stopping for a stretch.
I have a Sargent and it's good enough for me, but the only seats I hear about that practically everyone likes are Russell Day Long and Seth Laam. Another good option seems to be Terry Adcox.
 
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Russell Day Long. Best Farkle for touring purchased in almost 50 years of riding motorcycles
 
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I know this looks funky, but I hated the slide forward syndrome. This also creates a bit more of a pocket to sit in. I find it a big improvement, but not enough. What I really would like is to bring the handlebars back a little more but don't think I can since I already have a set of bar risers. Then I would love to try a RDL saddle.
 

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fnmag

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I know this looks funky, but I hated the slide forward syndrome. This also creates a bit more of a pocket to sit in. I find it a big improvement, but not enough. What I really would like is to bring the handlebars back a little more but don't think I can since I already have a set of bar risers. Then I would love to try a RDL saddle.
That's a good McGyver solution to that problem. :thumb:
 

thekaz

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This would be something I'm interested in. IE. I'm 6'3" at 260 lbs with a 34" inseem. I just bought an 05 that already has a well used Corbin "close" seat with passenger back rest. What a waste for me im thinking since the seat was designed for people well under 6'. Funny thing is that when i test rode the bike, it seemed pretty darn comfy. This is not withstanding the fact that it not only sat me low but also forward on the bike. I can see how this is likely going to kill me at a couple hundred miles. I would like to hear from others that are near my size on what they have found to be comfortable for 200 miles before stopping for a stretch. Even on a Wing...I don't see doing more than 200 before I need to stop for 1 reason or another anyway.
I am 6'4" @ 275 and use a stock seat with the foam replaced. I insulated the pan and keep almost the same stock profile. Just made it alittle more horizontal. I have only tested this set for 60 000KM or so and I only use this bike for IBA rides :D
 

ibike2havefun

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Mass vs. seat for me: something around 260 these days :( and previously-owned RDL. (I am ~5'10", 31 inch inseam. The health charts and my doctors agree that I "should" weigh about 175-180...)

When I was a svelte 250 or so I was on a previously-owned Sargent, which was better (for me) than stock but still made me squirmy after a few hours, and the time interval between required breaks would diminish throughout the course of a day.

On multi-day rides with the Sargent, I needed a day off about every third day. I did a week long ride on the RDL last year and never had the same sort of issue, although I did still have to stand up or stop to rest / flex / stretch my knees now and again.

Dunno whether it's the wings or some other factor, but the RDL is definitely my preferred saddle for comfort although I DO rather miss being able to flat-foot at stops (31 inch inseam = balls of my feet are what's on the ground when both feet are down).

And here for your viewing pleasure, an updated summary of the current stock vs. non-stock poll results:

After-Market Seats
Seat ................ Votes
Corbin ................ 190
Sargent ............... 188
Russell Day Long ...... 171
Spenser ............... 165
Rick Mayer ............. 32
Bill Mayer ............. 18
Rich in Seattle ........ 10
Seth Laam ............... 6
Mr. Ed's Moto ........... 1
Subtotal, non-stock: .. 781


Stock, Stock+Option Seats
Seat ................ Votes
Stock alone ........... 184
Stock w/ Sheepskin ..... 36
Stock w/ Airhawk Pad ... 25
Modified Stock ......... 21
Subtotal, Stock ....... 266


Total votes ......... 1,047

As we discussed last year at almost this same time (come ON, Spring- we wanna RIDE and not look at data!) there's no telling whether that is accurately reflective of reality or whether there's a reporting bias, and also no separation between 1100 and 1300.
 

st11ray

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Been on ST's, 1100 & 1300, since 1997. Never had anything but a totally stock seat. I guess what you don't know, won't hurt you? I've done plenty of 1k mile days and don't plan on a new seat anytime soon. Riding a road bicycle regularly makes the ST seat feel just fine.
 
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