Seat modification

[rules]

Hi All

I have read quite a few posts and it seems the general consensus is that although the aftermarket seats (Corbin, Sargent etc.) are generally quite nice, similar results could be had from having the seat "adjusted" for a lot less money. That being said, I don't know anyone on this side of the world that specializes in seat refabs. There are one or 2 guys that will quite easily recover them however so I'm thinking with some directions I could get them to make the seat a tad better.

So on to specifics, what would you recommend for ...

Type of vinyl? Something smooth, something course etc.
Flatten the front (to eliminate the slide to the tank) and round the sides to make it slightly easier to reach the ground?
Would skimming 10 or 20mm of foam off the top and replace with a layer of memory foam make a difference?

Flatten the rear (eliminate the rear bulge to stop pillion sliding forward)?
Skimming 10 or 20mm of foam off the top and replace with a layer of memory foam?

What do you gents think?

Thanks,
R

[Nitty Gritty]

Hi Rules,
all the info you want is listed on ebay under 1400 GTR from Gel pads to covers, exchanging your own seat for a modified one or modifications to your own seat. Happy hunting

[mcfroyce44]

The bike I bought had already been fitted with a Top Sellerie seat. This is a French seat, the one on mine has gel inserts front and rear (I looked up their site with the label to see whether it had no gel, just gel in the front, or both). I've also ridden two GTR1400's with the stock seat.  I think mine looks great but over a long run I'm not convinced it's hugely better than the standard seat.

This is only my personal opinion but if you're gonna alter the seat from standard then do it properly. I've seen a few modified seats and they look like exactly that - modified seats. You'll spend a fair bit of cash getting your seat altered and it'll very likely look like a seat that's been messed with (somebody's sure to come on and say they have had one modified and it's the bees knees).

IMHO, either buy a custom seat for it (Top Sellerie, Corbyn etc) or leave it alone until you've had the bike on a really long run and can tell if you absolutely must change it.

Also, if you buy a custom seat, you can sell it and put the original back on when you sell the bike. That brings the price down a bit. If you modify the standard seat, anyone viewing your bike thinking of buying it is going to hate what you've done to the seat.

[O.C.]

It's almost impossible to offer advice on how to modify a seat so that it meets the riders requirements, there will always be a degree of 'suck it and see' plus we all have different requirements / expectations

Advice from others is good but not always relevant to others needs....seats can be likened to screens,  many of us have tried all sorts of different screens before finding one that is suitable

I have also had a Top Sellerie seat on my last GTR and it was extremely comfortable, but that is only my opinion as it may not suit others

There are a number of seat specialists who have a proven track record of modifying seat.. Tony Archer comes to mind .....good luck

https://tonyarcher.co.uk/services/bike-seats/   

[rules]

Thanks gents, some good input. I've only had the GTR for a week now and haven't had the chance to take it on a really long ride and probably won't for a while still (thanks lockdown).

My impressions at this point is the seat is very comfy but the standard cover is super slick which had me and the mrs slide forward when braking, something the hump right at the back doesn't help with either. So considering that, I reckon for short term I'll have the seat recovered (which should help with the sliding and will make it look nice and fresh again) and level out the back end of the seat a tad and leave it at that.

If at a later stage I feel it needs to be changed, I'll have a look at the professional alternatives.

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

[O.C.]

before modifyingyour seat to eliminate the slippery cover you could consider a seat cover, check out Ebay there are plenty options

Good luck, and the deal is that you keep us posted