Early this season I broke down and bought a new seat. The old one (about 45 000 miles on it) was just ok for my riding position and after 400 miles a day my butt started aching. To be fair, I don't know many places or instances in which a human body can be confined to one position and still feel ok after several hours. But in any case, for my long tours I wanted an improvement.
So I went for the comfort seat from
these guys, which are located in a shed outside a small town called Sées, about 100 miles west of Paris. It really is a
shed; I drove by in the beginning of August while touring France.
So I got my new seat, looked very well made and nice detailing. I opted for the option in which they send you the new seat and then you have 45 days to send your old one, or they'll charge your credit card with some 80€ (105 USD). They make the base or use bases that got from previous customers. Mine was made by them, and the fitting is about 99% right. I have to giggle it a bit to get it to latch, but that's ok since I almost never remove the seat.
Now after about 6000 miles on the seat I haven't been completely satisfied. It
is an improvement over the old one in terms of comfort, support and riding position, and it doesn't push you forward like the OEM. But I just didn't feel like it was worth my investment, 320€ (some 400 USD). The seat is somehow too compliant, like if the plastic of the base was flexing under my weight, which is not that much at 205 lb fully kitted. Also, the front of the seat is a bit high, crushing my nuts at times. But what drove me crazy was that the seat moved around and the cover rubbed the tank, making a squeaking noise
So a couple of weeks ago I was rumbling over the idea of sending it back to them for a rework, or at least contacting them to see what can be done. I figured that if I drive over there it's still a good excuse for another nice trip. But before doing that, I went to the bike and took the seat out, and then...
It turns out that the right tab/latch thingy that is welded to the top of the tank, where the seat goes, was bent down, meaning that the seat has been resting on top of it (and crushing it) instead of the tab being inserted in the corresponding opening on the underside of the seat. So very carefully and with a screwdriver wrapped in a rug, I managed to get the tab up and put the seat in the correct way. And bingo! The seat is now firmly attached to the bike, not moving one bit in any direction, not crushing my kids in any driving situation, and the tendency to let you slide forward is much, much less than the OEM. It also offers more room for moving around fore/aft, and the surface doesn't heat up much under the sun nor gets too cold.
So, in my opinion, this is a great option for those in Europe that don't have to pay an outrageous shipping. Highly recommended.
