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Seat options?


Blackened

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I did some poking around and was surprised I didn't see more on this...

 

My brother-in-law asked me to come check out a bike for him. It was a Triumph Sprint 1050. The first thing I noticed when I got on was upgraded Triumph gel seat. I'll tell you man... it was like a squishy heaven compared to my VFR seat. I took a look around for VFR upgrade options but I don't see much beyond the Corbin and Sargent sport seats.

 

The corbin seat is a whopping $600+ USD and the Sargent is about $425. I read some reviews on the Sargent and wasn't all that impressed with what I was reading. Sounded like the seat wasn't all that much different than stock.  

 

Does anyone have any experience with either of these?

 

 

EDIT: I also want to keep the pillion seat Cowl which doesn't look like an option with something like the top Sellerie . The Sellerie is almost $800 with shipping though which is way more than I am willing to spend. 

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Sargent is the seat you want. I have them on all 3 bikes I currently own. 
 

I’m on my third modern Triumph and have worked in a Triumph dealership. I’ve never felt the Triumph gel seats were worth the money, mainly because they only utilize a gel insert, but, the seat shape is still the same. Seat shape is the most important aspect, before determining padding. Most all your aftermarket seats are going to be concave shape, because they better fit the convex shape of most human rearends. 
 

The Sprint 1050 is an awesome bike. 

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I would guess we never saw many aftermarket seat options from companies other than Sargent and Corbin, at least for 6th gens, because VFRs didn't sell in great numbers.  In my mind it's not the padding and cover that's the hard part - it's the seat pan that has to be engineered to fit the bike.  If a company doesn't think they're going to sell very many seats, they probably just skip that bike.

 

I didn't have the stock seat on my 2004 for very long.  Soon after I bought the bike and joined VFRD, there was a group buy with Sargent, and I jumped on it.  I also didn't want or need to seat cowl attached, so I didn't care if it did or didn't work with the new seat.

 

In addition to the shaping of the seat that @ducnut mentioned above, Sargent's seats are often narrower at the front compared to OEM seats, allowing for an easier reach to the ground, which is beneficial to those of us with shorter legs.

 

I loved the Sargent on my 6th gen.  Held up extremely well, too.  I bought a Sargent for my current bike, too, but it's not quite as comfortable as the one I had on the VFR.  It's still a huge improvement on the OEM seat though.

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I'm not a Sargent fan, Corbin OK but heavy (their fiberglass pan).  I got lucky and found a used Russell, it is perfect, a little higher for knee angle, pillion is also redone but can get cowl on (although it goes on snug).  With Russell you would send them a stock pan.

Shape of the seat is key, not too soft and I'd never use gel.  I don't think you'd like Top Sellerie, they are not reshaped just puffy redesigned cover.  I don't know anyone on any bike who has liked them.

You could get one of those custom seat covers (ebay, from Poland ~100) look great, but get your angle grinder out and reshape your stock foam somewhat (flatten it in the middle).  I have done this on other bikes, better but not like a custom seat.

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Thanks for all of the replies guys. Very helpful! I think I'm going to see if I can find someone that does custom work. I do mostly solo riding and really like having the cowl on there. plus for the money we're talking about ($400 and up) I imagine the costs wont be all that much different. Before I go searching though:

 

On 10/27/2021 at 11:44 AM, ducnut said:

Sargent is the seat you want. I have them on all 3 bikes I currently own. 
 

I’m on my third modern Triumph and have worked in a Triumph dealership. I’ve never felt the Triumph gel seats were worth the money, mainly because they only utilize a gel insert, but, the seat shape is still the same. Seat shape is the most important aspect, before determining padding. Most all your aftermarket seats are going to be concave shape, because they better fit the convex shape of most human rearends. 
 

The Sprint 1050 is an awesome bike. 

 

Really? I was blown away by how comfortable that seat was. I guess I'm comparing it to the stock Honda seat though.

 

It was just a short ride on the sprint (I took it around the block to make sure it ran well and got through the gears smoothly) but it was a VERY slick riding bike. My guess is he will get it next week, it will sit in his garage for 6 months and then he'll sell it to me for peanuts some time next season because he has "no time" or is too scared to ride it. He is an inexperienced rider and yes, I swear I tried to talk him out of it in lieu of something less potent but his mind is set. All I can do now is try to get his skills built quickly and hope he doesn't kill himself. 🙄

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27 minutes ago, Blackened said:

Thanks for all of the replies guys. Very helpful! I think I'm going to see if I can find someone that does custom work. I do mostly solo riding and really like having the cowl on there. plus for the money we're talking about ($400 and up) I imagine the costs wont be all that much different. Before I go searching though:

 

 

Really? I was blown away by how comfortable that seat was. I guess I'm comparing it to the stock Honda seat though.

 

It was just a short ride on the sprint (I took it around the block to make sure it ran well and got through the gears smoothly) but it was a VERY slick riding bike. My guess is he will get it next week, it will sit in his garage for 6 months and then he'll sell it to me for peanuts some time next season because he has "no time" or is too scared to ride it. He is an inexperienced rider and yes, I swear I tried to talk him out of it in lieu of something less potent but his mind is set. All I can do now is try to get his skills built quickly and hope he doesn't kill himself. 🙄


The stock VFR seats really aren’t anything to write home about. I put the original back on mine, just for a change, and was like “No way!”.

 

Again, the Triumph seats are just an insert. They still utilize the same convex seat shape, which still creates pressure points. A custom seat of your choice, Corbin saddle, or Sargent seat will all start off with a concave shape. Russel Day-Long saddles really illustrate the idea. I’m just not into THAT much BarcaLounger on my bikes. Haha. However, I can’t appreciate what they offer. 
 

You can do only so much. Ultimately, one’s decisions are up to them. 
 

I almost bought a Sprint, as a street bike companion to my Daytona 675 track bike. However, the Tiger 1050 was a far different riding experience and that’s kind of what I was after; something different, but, still a Triumph triple. 

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I modified my stock HRC race saddle that was not only angled the rider towards the tank but was firm as a board...
gallery_3131_51_26391.jpg


I laid the stock seat pan over a 3 inch block of T47 extra firm Temper Foam...

gallery_3131_51_45760.jpg

 

I cut the basis shape using a electric carving knife...
gallery_3131_51_30179.jpg

 

I glue the foam to the plastic pan with 3M Weather Strip or Gorilla
Snot if you will... next I sculpture the foam with a air driven sander to afford a level riding position...
gallery_3131_51_13551.jpg


Behold... I went from a 60 minute seat to a 12 hour seat... long distance riders
know comfort and know how to get it too...
gallery_3131_51_26492.jpg

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Watch and wait for used Corbin.  I've done that for my Ninja500 and my 02 VFR.  Paid $250 for both, years apart, in like-new condition.  Deals are out there if you have patience... I've seen Sargeant and Corbin used in great shape this year for <$300 online...

 

my 2c (I'm cheap :D )

 

 

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Yeah, I'm a bit cheap too. At least when it comes to spending $400-$600 on a seat. That just seems ludicrous to me. 

 

I'm sure it makes sense to someone... Probably the guy making the seats.

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I don't seem to require much from a seat.  Maybe it's from riding a Brooks Pro all these years on bicycles?  It's not so much the composition of the seat, but the shape of the seat that I've had changed on several bikes over the years.  We have an upholstery shop here in Albuquerque that, on a scale of 10, I give them a 100!  They want to have you and the bike there so you can tell them what you want, and they will have you on the bike to see what you're talking about.  Then, when the seat is ready to "go under the knife" you get to be right there in the shop to say, "hmmm.. a little more off here, and..." .  When the seat is ready, you get to put it on the bike and test ride it.  If it's not right, the guys are quite willing to keep making adjustments until you are happy.  Then upholster the seat with anything you want.  Expect prices in the 2 - 3 hundred range.

 

So much better than blindly ordering something, or sending your seat off for mods that don't come out right.    

  

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I had a Corbin on my '02 for 100,000kms+.  It was amazing.  Still in amazing shape after those miles, and I sold it for a pretty decent amount when I got rid of the bike.  Just my experience.   (I will say that although I like the Corbin on my 1200, it's not quite as good as the one on my '02 - the  shape right at the tank wasn't perfect for me at first, but I have worked it in and now it's great).

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