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VFR800Fi Seat options


ariesblade

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So curious question for someone that has acces to both bikes and would be willing to test this for me. I am wondering if the seats are interchangeable between the 5th and 6th gen models.

The reason for this is that there have been mutliple custom gel VTEC seats available near me. But not a single 5th gen seat. And I'd love to have one.

 

Hope someone can help me with my inquiry 😄

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I don't think that they're even close...or they'd be listed as the same in aftermarket products. 

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Sargent makes a 5th gen saddle.  
 

I have the 6th gen Sargent and it is definitely an upgrade.  Have friends who had it for the 5th gen and really liked it.

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Yeah the sargent is where my preference would go... but second hand seem to be no options round here. And new well. man thats a heavy price (for a student :D) and i def dont want the red piping around the edges 😬

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You can get the Sargent with black piping for a slight discount. ($499 US vs $519 US with red or yellow piping).  They are rather pricey but I have had a Sargent on two 5th Gen VFRs and couldn't live without it. It is so much better than stock, particularly for long days in the saddle.  

 

https://www.sargentcycle.com/Seats-Accessories/Honda-VFR-800-1998-2001-Front-Rear-Set/Black-WS-507-19.html

 

Let's see some pics of that Tahitian Blue! We only got red and yellow in the states.  

 

Justin

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Gel seats are a gimmick IMHO, they do not address the major seat comfort issues, which are usually the seat is to Soft (unsupportive) or to Hard causes pressure points. Gel does not really address either & they are not permeable so cause your butt to sweat. 
 

Soft is usually because the foam or its coating are too soft & don't provide support. I fitted a leather seat cover to my 5th gen over the top of the vinyl to avoid water ingress into the seat foam. This improved the weight distribution across the seat & has been great since. 
 

My Versys-X 300 is on its 5th seat & still not great. I tried a gel insert, but was no better than the stock seat which is atrocious. 
 

Every butt is different, what works for one will be a pain for another. FYI I'm 6'1" 15.5st with a 34" leg. 

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4 hours ago, Mohawk said:

Every butt is different, what works for one will be a pain for another.

And that's how Corbin has been in business after selling their first seat. Not built for me at all. Much worse than stock on every bike I've tried them on. Seems like they're built for people who like to sit way back on the seat, pivoted back. Agony...I want to sit up front and leaning forward. 

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1 minute ago, bmart said:

And that's how Corbin has been in business after selling their first seat. Not built for me at all. Much worse than stock on every bike I've tried them on. Seems like they're built for people who like to sit way back on the seat, pivoted back. Agony...I want to sit up front and leaning forward. 

 

Never been able to get along with a Corbin.  Pushes me back, and I also want to be forward adding weight to the front.  Even on My ST1100 that came with a Corbin, I was so happy the bike included the never used stock seat.

 

Plus HEAVY.  Much prefer Sargent.  Especially when they use the stock seat pan (that fits perfectly).  Piping doesn't have to be colored either.

 

BUTT, everybody's different.

 

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There was a thread discussion long ago about seats.... whether you had a Sargent butt or a Corbin butt..... :tongue:

 

Guess I have the Corbin butt... have used them on  any sporty type bikes I've had... For me with the seat, if you are just slabing or semi droneing, easing back into 

the seat "pocket" is comfortable. But then, if you are in attack mode in twistys, scooting up to the tank and moving around works with the front shape of the seat.... 

 

BUTTOCKACY---(whoa, new word)  Complaint on the thing is its crazy damn heavy. I have screwed around to see if a seat builder could duplicate it on the stock seat pan..... 

 

-------

Then again, haven't tried a Sargent, I would if a chance came up for a comparison..

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Aside from weight, teh two big differences are density, Sargent is more cushy and Corbin is...hard. Corbin really puts the rider further back adn a rearward angle in teh seat. Sargent does also, but teh slant is far less pronounced and lets the rider get forward. I actually had the high spot near the front removed and the rear of the driver's seat raised on my Sargent. 

 

I'm sure that it is my a$$ that is the problem!

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I had a Corbin on a CBR1000FP which was absolutely torturous (the push-back problem combined with a long OEM reach to the bars), but the Corbin Smuggler (half-seat) on my VFR800FIY is perfect.  But I've never compared Corbin/Sargent on the same bike.

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/16/2021 at 5:20 PM, jroberts427 said:

Let's see some pics of that Tahitian Blue! We only got red and yellow in the states.  

 

 

My man, after 15 months of ownership, I still treat my VFR like a newborn puppy. My phone is filled with pictures and I would gladly share them. If theres a topic to shamelessy dump your beautiful pictures then I will gladly do so. I have many pictures of trips around the country, Germany and the swiss alps so.... 😉 And god the colour is an addiction for me. definitely not saying the other ones are ugly, but man... it sparkles, even after 21 years of sunshine and wear.

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As for seats go. You all have given me so much info.

 

Reading @bmart's description of the seats I am prety certain that my butt is more corbin suited when i think of my complaints about the standard seat. I mean its not a terrible seat, but wouldnt mind an improvement if its with a decent pricetag. Unfortunately those second hand prices are high man. (and also not nearby)

 

Reupholstry might be an option for me, as i have a spare seat in the closet, and also theres an option for that in the Netherlands, and well praised

 

 

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On 12/16/2021 at 4:49 PM, Thumbs said:

For half the price you can get your seat reupholstered to your own requirements @ http://www.sussexmotorcycles.com/elite-comfort-motorcycle-seats.html

 

I had my 2015 seat reshaped and memory foam inserts, transformed the ride


Would you recommend them? Was just looking at their site. I note that they use memory foam and are not impressed by gel inserts. I’ve not tried any non standard seat, so not sure what to expect.

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I have had a Corbin (Suzuki RF900) and yes it was hard but I liked the shape. I had a Sargent on my ST1300 and did not get on with that too well, I found it had two pronounced ridges along the sides that my thighs did not like. The stock seat on the 1300 was better BUT you had to tip it back a bit to get the right slope. My 800 came with a Sargent seat and I have loved that from the first sit down. Seems to be angled just right.

 

IMG_2832.jpg

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13 hours ago, stuartb3502 said:


Would you recommend them? Was just looking at their site. I note that they use memory foam and are not impressed by gel inserts. I’ve not tried any non standard seat, so not sure what to expect.


They did an excellent job and I’m very pleased with the result, I had it made using the anti-slip finish 

 

You're fairly close to them and they’ll do the seat while you wait, you’re also on hand to check it before they cover it 

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A running gag in our household is that the Missus has a Sargent butt and I have a Corbin one.

That's mostly true, too.

I have had Corbins on many bikes, and almost all, not all, have been right for me.  The one on my ZX1100E (GPZ) was good for lots of 600 mile days and went 830 once.  Yes, there was a lot of fore-aft room and movement.  Which I much preferred.  In traffic, scoot up, on the road, scoot back.

Then among the Corbins I got one for my FJR1300 and dang, that didn't work.  Looked great, looked right, sat right when in the garage.  Two hours on the road and nope, that wasn't it.  Wound up with a Seat Concepts thing on that bike that's pretty good.

And then again, my 5th gen VFR came with a very nice Sargent that does right nice by my lights.  My only complaint would be, you guessed it, not enough fore-aft space to move around.

I'm not big, 5-9, 215, and it's a little bit cramped for space overall.  Yet, I like it quite a bit and before the winter closed in, I ran a 600 mile day on 1/3 Interstate, 2/3 two-laners and it did fine.  It's a keeper.

But I can't forget how the Sargents the wife had on her Ninja 650 and NC700X practically kept me off those bikes.

So there. I hope that's clear enough and helps.

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12 hours ago, Thumbs said:


They did an excellent job and I’m very pleased with the result, I had it made using the anti-slip finish 

 

You're fairly close to them and they’ll do the seat while you wait, you’re also on hand to check it before they cover it 

Thanks very much. Not that much hardship to take a spin down the lanes from here to Brighton 🙂

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On 12/16/2021 at 8:49 AM, Mohawk said:

Every butt is different

The lesson for the day, kids.

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