Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Triumph gel saddle vs custom seat

I know discussions of saddles are almost as common as oil threads but here goes. My stock 02 TBA seat is as hard as a rock. Last year on the Ga rally trip I used a sheepskin butt buffer thing from Alaska Leather. It helped a little. I'm finally in a position to get a gel seat but a member suggested I look at the Rick Mayer custom seat website. They have a May special for a solo seat for $369 plus shipping vs. $178.49 for the gel seat including shipping from Madss (motorcycle Accesory Discount Superstore). I'm looking for some opinions on both seats to figure out if I should spring for the custom seat or just go with the gel seat. All comments and thoughts are welcomed.

Hey PES - I'd ditch the stock seat - nothing I tried made it work - except maybe the air hawk I bought. Tried the Alaska leather sheep skin, no help; tried having a custom insert, no good. I got a Corbin and that with progressive 440 shocks and springs turned things around. Save your money - buy the Mayer saddle... I'm leary of Corbins - expensive and also very hard. Mine went back to the factory to get a softer insert... I've read good stuff about Mayer's saddles.

Good luck!

The Airhawk helped a bit. It got me home from Sturgis in 2002. But it's nothing like my Corbin. I tried the Alaska Sheepskin on my Corbin but it just didn't improve the comfort significantly.

Now you don't have to get a Corbin, but unless you have a local upholstery shop that can properly redo the seat, or the wherewithal to do it yourself, you may as well pony up the bux for an aftermarket seat like the Rick Mayer or Mustang or Russell Day Long.

Paul, I've got a Rick Mayer, and I love it. If you go that route, get the leather too. I originally got the basketweave vinyl, and while it's quality stuff, it was just too hot in warm weather, and too hard and slippery in cooler weather. I sent it back and had Rick recover it in leather, great looking, quality stuff, and it makes the seat just about perfect.

Gel seats suck!! Just wait until you park your butt on one that's been sitting in the sun all day. You'll change your mind real quick. I put a Corbin on my American and now my wife and I can ride from tank full to tank full with no problems. Expensive, Yes. Worth it, Double Yes

Friar it was me that was telling PES to have a look at the Mayer seat. You and Freedom have both seen the one on my bike numerous times in Nelson. I think it looks pretty good but maybe you could give PES your opinion. It has kept my big butt comfy for many years and many hard miles and is still as good as new. As mentioned above leather is the way to go, just give it a good treatment every couple of years and your set. I have found the Montana Pitch Blend products are excellent for treating leather.

Your bike does look good with the RM seat, Kit. I'm not sure I can go the extra $200 for the leather that would be close to $600. For $360 something you can get a solo Corbin that is leather. I heard around here that they can be kind of firm when they are new. Do the Corbins take longer to break in? I didn't know Mustang made a seat for our bikes.

I would say it took me over 1000 miles to get my Corbin conformed to my butt. After that it just seemed to get more comfortable with time.

You can get the seat stitched when you order it, supposed to soften it up some.

Hey PES - If you decide to go Corbin, maybe specify that you want the softer material for padding - why spend all the money to ride a thousand miles breaking in another hard saddle? They're good at working with ya. I like my Corbin, and more importantly, my wife likes the pillion (if she ain't happy, ain't nobody happy...).

The mayer seat is definitely super comfy. I'd love to put several hundred miles or more on one in a day. The only drawback is that it looks big and comfy. Like a lazyboy recliner or a couch. It's only a drawback if you're going for a leaner, meaner look like a bobber or something.

While it did take some time to get my Corbin broken in, it was at no point uncomfortable. I don't want it to sound like I was in pain or anything before it conformed. Just stiff. Now it's perfect. Besides, what's a thousand miles anyway? Maybe a month, month and a half?

I have the gel seat and I'm perfectly happy... except when the temp is less than 4degC.... then it's rock hard.

Ray has a Corbin and is contemplating getting it tinkered with - as it's still rock hard. Bearing in mind he had it on the America before he got the Speedie, he's had it a while. He actually said it's causing him pain...

To me there wasn't really a choice. To get one from the US just was financially not a choice. I got my gel seat from my friendly dealer with a fair bit off.

I sent my stock seat in to Mean City Customs for a re-do over the winter. They put 2 separate density layers of memory foam in it. The place came highly recommended from friends who had seats done there (HD's) Mine is still no good. My tailbone actually hurts after about 30 miles. That is unacceptable. I'm at a loss on a solution to this. I hate to blow 3 hundred or or more only to have the same problem.

My Corbin was way too hard at first. After a couple years of it never breaking in, I sent it back, they adjusted the foam for free and it's been great ever since.

Ask for the softer foam! It will still be supportive.

It's not that the seat is too hard. It seems like when they re-padded it they took the shape out of the seat. Now the seat feels like it is flat with no scoop shape to it. Most of the padding is too far forward so with my riding position, it actually forces me back farther. And with the lack of scoop on the back part of the seat, there is nothing there to support me. So all my weight just ends up right on my tailbone. I put my tombstone bag on yesterday with the thick back pad to test this theory. It did shift my riding position forward, but not far enough to really help. And while my back was supported, my butt wasn't. I'm going to put a call into the company today to see what they can do to fix this.

Not wanting to jack this thread. But who else makes seats for out bikes other than Corbin? I want to find one that is just a direct exchange. Aka no moding it to get it to fit.

Had Corbin-sold it as it was very bad for me. The guy who bought it loves it. Got ALL the Triumph seats to try from our dealer-none were better than stock and some were worse. Called Spencer at www.greatdaytoride.com and for 75 bucks plus shipping I was doing 400 miles back to back to back.

K.O.F. Is that a photo of your bike on the great day to ride site??

Yep.

I like your footpeg set-up on your bike.

My seat is en-route to me from Mean City Cycles.....again. I'm hoping this does the trick.

I sent mine to Spencer @ Greatdaytoride.com as well and although I have not gone on any long rides more than an hour or so but it definitely feels more comfortable. I am going to check on having it reupholstered using some kangaroo leather. They say it is the strongest and longest lasting of all the leathers. I am just not sure if I want to go with brown or keep it black so I will get a couple pieces of both and then decide.

Well I got my seat back today from mean city customs. I put it back on along with my new progressive 440's. It passed the initial 20 minute sit test but with the current weather being 45' and rainy the test flight will have to wait.

THE STOCK SEAT IS AWFUL, I WENT TO THE CORBIN WITH A BACKREST. THIS HELPED WITH THE LOWER BACKPAIN. THE RIDING POSITION OF THE FOWARD CONTROLS ADD TO THE PROBLEM. SO I WILL ALSO ADD FLOORBOARDS TO BRING MY FEET INTO A MORE RELAXED POSITION . BUT WHAT DO I KNOW IM A CRAZY CAT THAT LOVES BIKES IVE OWNED ONE OF DIFFERENT BRANDS FOR OVER 40 YEARS. SO NOW I SEEK COMFORT SO I CAN CONTINUE FOR YEARS TO COME. THE TEARS I CRIED TODAY WILL WATER THE FLOWERS TOMMORROW. CRAZY CAT

I should have listened to you ezrider. But I only had $200 to spend on a seat. How could a gel seat be worse than stock? Believe me it is. A short trip to Hot Springs and back was torture.

I'll take your advice ezrider - thanks!