Custom DIY Seat

[dswervin]

Fellow riders, below is a brief description and pictures of my DIY seat modification. Like most of you, I have been searching long and hard reviewing the aftermarket (and one factory) option for seat replacements and have been generally disappointed. Here are the known options and the lowdown on each to save newcomers the time:
 
1. Corbin Gunfighter: $470+ (for leather) expensive, one-piece front/rear with atrocious looks that don't flow with the bike, however it has leather and custom color options, and it's obviously very comfortable due to being half the size of China.
2. SeatConcepts: $160, expensive in my opinion, considering this is ONLY a foam and cover kit, you have to do the install yourself or send your seat to them for additional charge, shape of seat is largely unchanged, I hear it's much more comfortable than factory however.
3. AsTech: $169 plus shipping, again no appreciable change in shape, much more comfortable though, gel/memory foam, they will do the modification for you and send you back the completed seat.
4. Airhawk 2/R/Cruiser: $100-150, air cushioned pad that attaches to stock seat over the cover, need I say more?
5. Yamaha Comfort Saddle: $276 for front and rear, no shape change, nicer cover, claimed to be more comfortable but it's "Made from the same high-quality material as the stock FZ-07 seat." O_o
 
I personally wanted a seat that puts the rider in proper position during active riding while allowing some semblance of comfort while cruising. My major complaint with the stock seat is the shape, to say nothing of being painful in under an hour. Being flatter than Death Valley, I found myself being sucked back away from the tank under hard acceleration or at higher speeds, especially around corners (not confidence inspiring). This causes one's weight to shift rearward and results in pulling back on the grips (bad!), which in turn makes the already shaky front suspension very unstable.
 
Yamaha, you could have done better. But because I love the rest of this bike I've decided to give them a break.
 
My ultimate goal here was to change the seating position on the bike by changing three things: bars, seat, and rearsets. So I created a seat that cups your backside to provide a slight forward lean, shifting more weight over the tank for a more athletic (if you will) position. It's also MUCH more comfortable, utilizing a combination of 1" and 0.5" thick memory foam. I have Renthal Ultra Low bars which put my hands about 1.5-2" lower than the stock bars (which I highly recommend btw), so the new seating position works in tandem there. The final piece will be adjustable rearsets to move foot position rearward, which will, in my opinion, make the bike much more enjoyable. But that's for another post.
 
The main changes to the seat are as follows:
1. Added about 1" of seat height overall (nice for me at 5'11", always thought stock was a bit low)
2. Added rear bolster and reshaped to encourage forward position (I absolutely cannot tell you how much better of a riding experience this is)
3. Added 0.5" thick memory foam and about 1" of width to front portion of seat (you dudes can understand the benefit here)
...and I was able to re-cover with the factory seat cover no problem.
 
All told I was into materials and an electric carving knife, staples and adhesive under $50. The whole process took about 3hrs (keep in mind I'm experimenting here) and 2 overnight glue drying sessions which could be done in one round I'm sure. Let me know what you all think, this is Version 1, there will be improvements to come, including different cover material. If I get enough feedback and you want a full DIY write up with material sources and procedure I'm more than willing.
 
So here's the seat. I could have smoothed out the foam a tad more, but this is the R&D stage here. Give me a shout if you like it!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[faffi]

Thank you for sharing! I am also contemplating an attempt at making the stock seat better for me, although that would require a substantially different shape, albeit similar tactic. My idea of a better seat includes a more level top, meaning adding foam up front that gradually taper toward zero at the very back. That is to get some support for my tighs. I would also rather have a wider than a narrower perch for more support area. Finally, I would like a slightly concave shape, where the sides at the back sits a little higher than the portion where my cheeks rest. Most seats tend to be convex in their shape, but that isn't ideal for our anatomy.
 
Or I may just go Corbin

[Beemer]

[div]Another option is to have your seat done by a local upholstery company. That's what I did and instead of taking off all the original foam, they instead cut out the foam where your butt makes contact and fill in with gel, $200. My seat is much more comfortable now. If I were to do my own seat I would use gel as a base and memory foam over top of that, like how Astech does with their seats and not mess with the shape. I wouldn't try to build it up like you did unless you can do it and make it look good, natural. To be honest, it looks kinda funky, although it offers a different level of comfort that way but as you said, you're experimenting. Maybe a 2nd attempt will hit the mark. GL![/div]

[faffi]

Gel has, if I am informed correctly, not ideal for cool or very hot conditions as it changes with temperatures quite a bit. Or am I misinformed?

[Beemer]

Gel has, if I am informed correctly, not ideal for cool or very hot conditions as it changes with temperatures quite a bit. Or am I misinformed?

You have a point. From what I've read, to use any gel in a motorcycle seat you have to make sure the gel is insulated over top with a foam type material or else it can be affected, as you mentioned, especially by the sun. My seat was done the right way and has no trouble from this Fl. heat. It feels the same no matter how hot it gets and it's way more comfy than any foam seat I've ever sat on. One other thing, the guy that did my seat said he's been using this same gel in marine boat seats for 20+ years and not one of his customers have complained about the gel and those seats are in the sun constantly.  
He swore by it, I took a chance and he was right. If no one has a local upholstery shop nearby I would highly recommend the Astech company. It's cheaper than what I paid and I would bet good money they're very comfortable.
 

[faffi]

Thank you for the explanation, Beemer!

[optytrex]

On 5/17/2017 at 6:55 PM, dswervin said:

If I get enough feedback and you want a full DIY write up with material sources and procedure I'm more than willing.
 
So here's the seat. I could have smoothed out the foam a tad more, but this is the R&D stage here. Give me a shout if you like it! 
 

Don't mean to revive an old thread but here we go. I've taken mine apart a long time ago and shaved a bit off of the stock foam to make it more comfortable, but all it does is make it bearable. I'm curious to see if you've experimented with this and if you're so kind as to share your results. I'm wondering what kind of foam to buy as I'm not digging the stock seat after about 30-40 minutes of riding...

[RSTX]

Why not get a pair of padded bike shorts for longer rides? Seems like a simpler solution. /Devil's advocate

[gregjet]

optyrex,

Like the originator of this post I am a Mr. Do everything if I can. I evded up with the Seat concepts because it has both a very good slip/grip cover and a very good foam . Vastly superior to the original ( and I mean vastly). I still had to reassemble it but I do have a Air Stapler so only the cost of the staples to consider extra.

When I considered that the cost of a quality cover material plus sewing ( required specialist sewing machine) and the ability to accurately shape an unknown quality of foam, I went the SC path. For the price , even to Australia, it was reasonable cost/benefit. That is until you factor in the fact that is actually a BIG upgrade. The moves it to a good cost/benefit.

RSTX I wear cycle shorts on long journeys as well. But then I have a heap of them.