Seat Foam

[ChasF]

I'm trying to re-model a seat hopefully making it more comfortable for long distances. I plan to cut out a small amount of the existing foam to make the sitting part wider and then build the seat up using layers of thin foam 10 or 20 mm thick. Had a look on Ebay and ended up confused as I've really no idea what I need, I'm looking for something reasonably firm, possibly memory foam?

Anyone got any experience of this and are there any recommended suppliers?

[dodursley]

I have not done full remodeling but have used layers of camping foam between base and standard foam to increase thickness of seat. Means undoing the seat cover adding foam then re-stapling/gluing the cover Most covers appear to have enough spare overlap to do this.

[Big Yellow Tractor]

It would be worth finding an upholsterer or foam supplier you can visit. Then you can "feel the quality, feel the width"

Go firmer than you'd think, soft feels comfy at first but it's the shape that's important. Also maybe don't sculpt it too much; being able to shuffle about a bit will change pressure points on you bottom and also the position of your back, knees and elbows and might mean you can ride for even longer.

I completely ignore my own advice though and ride a stock DRZ seat with an Airhawk seat pad because I dump the seat pad for off-road use.

[ChasF]

The chap who rebuilt my R100GS seat said he would replace the original foam with Bultex. He didn't but just added some extra layers as wanted the seat 30 mm higher and 30 mm wider. He did make a new cover using grippy vinyl which was the biggest improvement as we almost always use the bike two up but even so it's good for 200 + mile stints now. Cost 180 euros so being a tight wad was trying to save a bit of cash - plus he's not the most approachable bloke that I've met. The seat I'm doing is on my 690. The seat cover was knackered so I've got a new cover. I remember Famous telling me that he'd just fitted an extra layer of foam and then refitted a standard cover, whicg he reckoned was more comfortable than the original.

[frenchy3]

I had an upholsterer who is also a motorcyclist rebuild my Harley Davidson MT350 seat as the structure of the foam had broken down and i could feel lumps in the seat and even the seat base when sat on it. He did not specialise in motorcycle seats but had done many including his own. I thought i would need to go softer on the foam and have a gel insert but he suggested a harder grade of foam and a memory foam top layer. He finished this off with a grippy tough seat cover and also had the seat foam thicker and more rounded on the edges. I will not state it was a miracle solution but i could certainly stay on the bike a lot longer between breaks.http://www.sjcoxupholstery.co.uk/ He does have some photos of seats he has done in the gallery.

[Jak*]

Years ago when I had seats recovered and the foam replaced they either used the end of the foam which was harder stuff that looks like it is made up of lots of bits of different coloured foam. Last time I had a seat recovered I used Sharon at [email protected] who was excellent. I will probably be taking my CCM seat to her soon to get some proper foam put in it.
This company's website http://elsemade.com/index.html looks interesting and their prices seem reasonable. I haven't come across anywhere that sells memory foam or gel in the sizes that you would want for a motorcycle seat.
Why manufactures are incapable of making a stock seat that is comfortable is beyond me. How companies like Triumph, BMW and Harley have the audacity to sell 'comfort' seats is shocking really. Can you imagine buying a new car and the salesman saying would you like to upgrade to a comfortable seat rather than the standard plank?
Cheers Jak

[frenchy3]

Years ago when I had seats recovered and the foam replaced they either used the end of the foam which was harder stuff that looks like it is made up of lots of bits of different coloured foam. Last time I had a seat recovered I used Sharon at [email protected] who was excellent. I will probably be taking my CCM seat to her soon to get some proper foam put in it.
This company's website http://elsemade.com/index.html looks interesting and their prices seem reasonable. I haven't come across anywhere that sells memory foam or gel in the sizes that you would want for a motorcycle seat.
Why manufactures are incapable of making a stock seat that is comfortable is beyond me. How companies like Triumph, BMW and Harley have the audacity to sell 'comfort' seats is shocking really. Can you imagine buying a new car and the salesman saying would you like to upgrade to a comfortable seat rather than the standard plank?
Cheers Jak

I agree 100%,it is a joke that i had to buy a comfort seat for my BMW F800gs. I can understand a comfortable seat not being a priority on a focused enduro machine where riding distances will be short and most of the time will be spent stood up on the pegs but any road biased bike should have a comfortable seat. I get that everyone is different in their size shape and pain tolerance. I suppose it is like publishing the temperature comfort ratings on a sleeping bag,i never find my snugpak bag is comfortable to what it says on the label.

[chrisjk]

For me, the keys to comfort are sufficient width under the seat bones and a very firm foam with enough space fore and aft to avoid being locked in place.

[ChasF]

Manufacturers are trying to make bikes that fit as wide a range of rider sizes and shapes as possible. My R100GS was made before they started introducing low seats, lowered bikes or even adjustable seats. The R100GS was considered a tall bike so the front part of the seat had minimal foam to make it as low a possible and was also narrow at the front so provided no support under the thighs which I've always found helps comfort otherwise all your weight is transmitted through the (relatively small, boney) part of your backside. To be fair the seat on mine was OK ish for the first 30 k miles but eventually the foam breaks down and gives little support. I agree that manufacturers could do a much better job using much higher quality materials and stop ripping us off for comfort seats which often aren't much better.

The 690 seat was never designed to be sat on and as such is like sitting on a blunt razor blade. A little flattening out in the middle and a bit more foam should help but I don't think it will ever be what you call a comfort seat.

[kito]

reconstituted foam and ideally in firm is what you want to be searching for