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Burton seat review

29K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  Papa Weeley 
#1 · (Edited)
Since there has been a fair amount of discussion about aftermarket seats lately (some of which led me to the decision to buy this one), I thought I'd toss up my impression of my new Burton, purchased from British Bike Bits in England.
First of all, before I even start with the seat itself, let me say that this company's customer service is impeccable. Due to being caught up in a teleconference with a client longer than expected, I ended up calling them much later than I'd planned, at just before 5pm their time - which I assume is closing time for them - and was very cheerfully helped with my order anyway, even through all the details and questions that I had about the seat, shipping, etc. Add to that, this was 5pm Thursday evening, and I received my order the next Tuesday! (I don't even know how that's possible from England, but these people are to be commended for their quick and friendly service!)
Anyway, on to the seat.
The quality and foundation construction are definitely on a par with the factory saddle, BUT...some of the little details were a bit dodgy that made its installation more of a pain than it should have been.
You have to use the two metal hooks from the bottom of your stock seat on the Burton (I have an extra seat, so didn't have to molest mine, and can still just easily swap it in the event I need to do any two-up riding). The hooks have two holes in them for mounting (though the factory seat pan only uses one bolt for one hole, and a position peg for the other, the Burton uses two bolts each for the attachment), but the holes in the hooks didn't line up with the threaded openings in the Burton seat pan. A little "ovalizing" of the hook holes with a drill bit did the trick, but seems like an unnecessary bit of hassle on an otherwise nicely made product.
The rear end bolts up through a pair of loose brackets, rather than the hard-point mounts on the stock seat, but a little trial and error fitting did the trick there...again, a little more work on an already difficult point of attachment, but not that big a deal.
As mentioned, first impression of this piece is very positive, and that of a great looking, nicely made seat that fits the contours and lines of the bike beautifully. There is a metallic gold "Triumph" embossing across the rear of the seat that I first thought a bit too blingy, but after mounting it, found it to be a decent complement to my gold paint, making it look all the more "factory".
Sitting down with your feet on the ground has the top edges of the seat biting into your legs a bit; but as soon as you put your feet up on the pegs, that sensation disappears and you find yourself on a very comfortable platform. The foam feels denser/stiffer than the stock seat, which is no doubt why the upper edges of it feel uncomfortable against your leg when your feet are down (it's not compressing as easily), when the similarly shaped factory seat does not. This also makes for a much more comfortable, "supported" ride, especially over bumps, which was my biggest beef with the factory saddle - it felt wafer-thin and you felt every ridge in the road up through your backside. I'm a pretty thin guy (6', about 175#), so I can't imagine how the stocker feels to some of you heavier guys. I haven't taken any extended rides on it yet, but initial reaction to what I have done is extremely favourable, and a huge improvement over the old seat.
The only other disappointment for me - though no fault of the seat's - is that it's about the same height as my mag-wheel model's stock seat. I had specifically swapped a new 2009(?) saddle onto my bike at the dealer, which is about 1" taller, and made a huge difference in leg comfort on the bike for my 6' frame. So, (heavy sigh) I'm back to stock height again. So far, the trade-off in ride quality seems to be worth it, though.
One thing I have to say is that I was trying to leave the bike alone after making the few comfort changes I've already done, but seeing the lines of the new seat on it has me thinking about a FEK now...
Anyway, enough blabbing; here's a couple of pics for those visual-stimulated members out there:



 
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#2 ·
I have a Burton saddle on my bike. The DS003 model. It's a more standard two up saddle. I'm 5'10" and 210 lbs. I am very comfortable on this saddle. Actually this is most comfortable saddle I have ever had on a bike with a neutral seating position. I also have a BMW R1200RT. Sport Tourers have a different seating angle. I'm a big fan of Burton.
 
#4 ·
The only other disappointment for me - though no fault of the seat's - is that it's about the same height as my mag-wheel model's stock seat. I had specifically swapped a new 2009(?) saddle onto my bike at the dealer, which is about 1" taller, and made a huge difference in leg comfort on the bike for my 6' frame. So, (heavy sigh) I'm back to stock height again.
More info on the Burton seat height...

I wrote them a couple of months ago asking if these seats were taller than the stock seats (at 6'3", I'm looking for a bit more height as well).

Danny's response from Burton:

"Our DS003, DS003A, DS002 and DS002A are thicker than the stock seat. In the rider position they are approx 4" thick. By special order we can get them made slightly thicker."


R
 
#9 · (Edited)
I guess there's a possibility that they're a bit taller than the stock seat, but it's definitely shorter than the 2009 model I put on mine.
Interesting that they told you they could change that as a special order, though - I obviously wanted one taller than stock, and I was told specifically that special orders COULDN'T be done. :confused:

EDIT: Nevermind! I just remembered that mine is a DS001...
 
#5 ·
RSDA,
Which model Bonneville do you own. The stock seat on the T100 is about an 1" thick and worthless. My Burton seat is at leaf twice as thick. Also have you installed handle bar risers? With the Burton it changes the whole riding position.
 
#11 ·
'12 mag wheel Bonnie.

I'm fairly happy with the stock bars, though we'll see how it all feels when I pick up one of the Burton seats next season...
 
#13 ·
Another Burton seat review, this time for the Triumph Hinckley Bonneville Classic Style Seat Silver Logo for Triumph New Bonneville 2011, Part number: DS003B.

I ordered the seat from British Bike Bits on Monday night by expedited airfreight. It was at my doorstep on the Canadian prairies Thursday morning.

The seat was well packed and looks beautiful out of the box. This is a quality item. The faux-perforated top looks great, and might even be a little cooler to sit on. The chrome strip along the bottom is a nice touch. I have read in other reviews some griping about the attachment of this strip. The manufacturer seems to have responded, at least with this fairly new model seat, because the trim is neatly and securely attached.

The seat went on with just a bit of fussing. It took but a few minutes to remove the metal hooks from the old seat and attach them to the new. I also had to adjust the attachment tabs at the rear, which was easy, and ditch the spacers on the end of the attachment bolts, which took me a while to figure out. I had to lean pretty heavily on the back of the seat to get the tabs low enough for the bolts to go through. This might be a bit of a continuing pain. I hope I'm not crushing any sensitive electronics under the seat. That it runs as sweetly as ever would suggest not.

The seat looks great on the bike, better than stock, I would say. It has a '70s profile that is very much in keeping with the bike's retro look. It is way more comfortable than stock; flatter, so you can move around a little, and with softer, springier, shock-absorbing foam. The rock-hard, nut-crushing rise on the stock seat's front end is blessedly absent on the Burton. I would rate the comfort as pretty good by the standard of other bikes I have owned, German and Japanese. The stock seat is just terrible.

You sit a little higher on the Burton seat, but not much. The outside edges are more squared off and you can feel them inside your thighs when you put your feet down, but it's not a problem. It just feels different, and probably not for long.

For ergonomic reasons I cannot explain, I seem to have better riding posture on this seat, with my hips properly rolled back and my back straight. This pays big dividends over the haul, at least for me. Reaching the handlebars seems easier, too, for some reason. I might have been unconsciously cringing on the old seat.

The Burton is a worthy seat for the new Bonneville, which is more than can be said of the wretched stocker.
 
#14 ·
I bought a DS003 a few months back, my feel for the seat is that it is taller, looks good, you sit taller, it fits well, but is not day & night better than any of the many other seats for the new Bonneville that I've tried. The trim strip at the bottom edge of the seat looks a bit cheap at the ends and was a bit loose all around the seat.

I've ridden a lot on just about every seat made for these bikes, with the fugly Triumph king/queen seat being used for a 5K+ trip a few years back. Seat worked, but it was too ugly to live with every day. I probably would buy another K/Q if it became available. The Corbin is too hard for me - yea, I know, give it time. The Burtons are good looking and an improvement on the stock plank, not sure it is worth $350+ for it, maybe, maybe not.
 
#16 ·
Great Reviews

Hi All,

It is great to hear all of your great feedback on our seats! We are constantly working on new ranges, although we mainly supply parts for the classics. If any of you have any suggestions as to new seats or other products for the Bonnevilles then we would love to hear them!

It is great to see the success of the new Triumph and we look forward to this continuing.

Thanks again,
Danny
Burton Bike Bits / British Bike Bits
 
#31 ·
Hi All,

It is great to hear all of your great feedback on our seats! We are constantly working on new ranges, although we mainly supply parts for the classics. If any of you have any suggestions as to new seats or other products for the Bonnevilles then we would love to hear them!

It is great to see the success of the new Triumph and we look forward to this continuing.

Thanks again,
Danny
Burton Bike Bits / British Bike Bits
Danny,

Please ensure that the whole team there knows how well these seats hold up. My DS003, after being on a stock and gel seat from Triumph, is superb. In fact, the mark of a great seat is that you don't ever notice the seat while riding--that's how comfortable it is.

To be honest, I was ready to give up on seats all together until I read the reviews on this forum.

They're expensive, but worth it. You get what you pay for.

Best to y'all over there,

Paul
 
#22 ·
I've had the Burton seat on my 2012 T100 for just about a year new. Great looking seat
and more comfortable than the stock seat. BUT, that silver trim around the seat, although it looks great, is cheaply made and does not stay attached. Twice now I've had to get out the crazy glue to re-attach. Why did they use those little screws to attach that silver strip?

As I mentioned, it is a much more comfortable seat that the stocker, and it looks great. But for about $350 is crazy glue really necessary???????
 
#24 ·
I just got my DS003G and put it on last week.

I tried the stock seat and the stock Scrambler seat and butt did not like either one. I ordered and received my Burton DS003G a couple of days ago and today I took it on a long ride.

I could not be happier. Forty miles and my arse is happy. No pain, burning nor penile numbness. I used to get that at about 20 miles on the stock seats.

Install was easy, quality is good and it looks great on the bike! It also feels a little taller than the stock seat.

I took a couple of photos for people to see.
 
#27 ·
Comparison of the Burton DS300A with OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel Seat

Link to Saddle section of Burton Bike Bits:
http://www.burtonbikebits.net/seats.htm

Very comfortable saddle, this particular iteration of the seat fits very closely to the tank.
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OEM seat, I'm 6'2" and found the seat pushed me too far forward and confined me to a deeply formed 'pocket'.
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Burton DS300A (L), OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel(R).
Hand strap supplied, not installed on Burton.
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Burton DS300A (L), OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel(R).
Rear of Burton has an uplift rear than drop away treatment resulting in about 2" difference in height at very rear of saddle.
[/URL][/IMG]

Burton DS300A (RR), OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel(F).
Burton saddle is about 2" thicker and flatter in the 'pocket' and about 1" thicker behind the pocket creating an overall flatter, roomier feeling seat.
The pocket itself feels like it's an inch or so further back compared to the OEM seat.
There is a very small difference in length, optical illusion here, it's really only 1/4 - 1/2".
[/URL][/IMG]

Burton DS300A (RR), OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel(F).
Mounting hooks removed on OEM seat.
Again the difference in seat thickness is obvious.
[/URL][/IMG]

Burton DS300A (Top), OEM 2010 Bonneville Mag Wheel(Btm).
Note Burton has adjustable rear fasteners and double bolt mounting hooks.
[/URL][/IMG]
 
#30 ·
Seat comparison is actually for the DS003A

Too late to edit, sorry.
 
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