T-Sport: First Two Years

The Saddle

I sat on the stock seat for about five minutes during my test ride prior to purchasing the T-Sport. The next time I rode the bike, it was mine, and it had a brand new seat installed. Just like I changed the windshield to improve the look of the bike, I replaced the seat for precisely the same reason. I chose the King Seat from Saddlemen because of the back support it provided, and the traditional lines it gave to the bike. I also liked the idea of having gel padding to improve comfort, not that I had any experience with that product prior to obtaining the seat. It certainly sounded good in the literature though, and the price was quite reasonable.

My first week with the bike left me with large bruises on the inside of my thighs. The King seat is much narrower at the front than stock, and just managed to cover the frame it rested on. Obviously, the seat's padding when compressed by my legs at a stop did not provide me with sufficient protection. But after that first painful week, either I adapted by becoming tougher, or I learned to straddle the bike differently, because I have not experienced any further contusions since. That was a great relief as I had thought initially that I had made a big mistake in my choice of seat.

As of this writing, I have traveled 14,000 km and can only say that the Saddlemen King saddle has proven to be the finest motorcycle seat my cheeks had ever sat on. If my knees didn't give me so much trouble, I'm sure I could do five hundred mile days easily perched on this baby. Too bad my passengers can't say the same. Their pain starts fairly quickly into a trip, and only escalates to excruciating levels as time progresses. Or so I'm told - over and over again.

It doesn't matter if my passengers are petite and light as a feather, or come with ample padding of their own, the verdict is always the same. The seat sucks! When I ordered the seat, it never occurred to me to ask for the passenger's accommodations to also have the gel pad installed. If I had, I might have avoided the constant wiggling and complaining at the rear.

So now I had a problem. I loved the way the bike profiled with this seat, and I couldn't bear to lose the excellent comfort it gave me. But I also enjoy the company of my passengers, especially when they are happy. I finally made the decision to experiment with gel seat pads. These pads are designed to be placed on top of the seat whenever a passenger comes along for the ride. A high friction material is used on the bottom of these pads to keep them from sliding around, while an optional strap provides additional security against loss.

Left: Top view of pad and optional strap.
Right: Bottom view. Will supposedly grip seat with a friction fit.
The strap can be added and fastened by Velcro for additional security.

So did it work? I'll let my passenger report as soon as spring 2004 arrives and she can test it out.