Sargent Seat Report w/pics

[R100Pilot]

FINALLY the big brown truck arrived with my bundle o' joy, or at least salvation from testicular distress. I been runnin' late all day, so I did not have a chance to give it a full-on day-long trial, but here are my impressions so far...

Seat comes complete except for rear trim piece - you gotta swap that offa the old one.

Fits nice an' snug, although it is a little shorter top-to-bottom than the stocker an' you kin see the tops of the side panels if'n you git down level with it. This is not something anyone but a detail freak is gonna notice.

Quality - stitching, hardware, etc. - is excellent. The carbonFX material is cool looking, the thumbscrews are a nice touch, and I like the welt, so sue me. The underseat storage container will hold your tools or whatever, but that's about it.

Here's a couple of comparison shots with the Sargent on the left. click 'em to enlarge:





You'll notice the front-to-back size issue, from tank to seat rise. However, it feels roomier, since instead of an uninterrupted curve, there's now a flat portion. Also, as you move rearward, the seat flares a bit wider. This spreads the weight out a bit more.

I noticed with feet down that this flare digs a bit more into the spot where your butt meets your legs (whatever that's called). it's not bad - just different. This may annoy riders with a shorter inseam (I'm 5'7", not exactly tall, 32" inseam ).

When riding, with feet on the pegs, there's no pressure - just a flat seating platform. It's firmer than the stock seat, more like the pad on a sport bike, and transfers a bit more vibration than the stocker. Part of this, I think, is a function of it bein' brand new, and I expect the foam to settle in some to fit my own personal butt cheeks.

Now, about that rise... You feel it. Especially when accelerating - instead of being pushed back and up a slope, your butt is up against that rise. Cafe-racers will feel right at home.

As for comfort, well, it does not have a lot of wiggle room, but what's there is much better for me than the stocker. Instead of stretching out a bit and therefore sitting on a downward slope (where you ineveitably slide forward again), or moving forward and settling right in the dip of the curve on the stocker - both of which cause the aforementioned testicular distress - the Sargent offers a level platform. Aaaaaaaah! Sweet relief!

Here's a few more shots of the gizmo on the beastie. If you have any questions, shoot.

[HiVel]

Great report Pilot! Nice pics ! I am waiting for the BB truck with bated breath. The stock seat really is a junk crusher for me. This should solve the problem.

[R100Pilot]

HiVel, I kin tell you are an educated man - rarely have I seen the term "bated breath" rendered properly (not only am I a cranky olt fart, I usedta teach English at the li'l school here in Tallahassee).

I am so glad to be rid o' that slope-an'-curve! The only "issues" I kin see folks havin' is that it's a bit on the firm side, an' some of 'em might not like their butt bumpin' (though they'll appreciate it when they get ambitious with the throttle).

It'll be interestin' to see what other folks think - my guess is there'll be a few whom it just don't suit, but I don't think I'll be needin' to take advantage of the money-back guarantee.

Oh yeah... one thing I forgot:

Notice on the underside shots - the "rise" on the Sargent is in the same place where the stocker takes a more serious upturn, so the front-to-back room is really not all that different - just flatter and level with the ground instead of sloped.

[ This message was edited by: R100Pilot on 2006-06-07 18:43 ]

[MrZed]

In the last picture, there looks to be a pretty good gap between the tank & seat at the middle? Good lookin' bike & seat.

On another note, what's that crazy thing hanging from the back of your bike?

[R100Pilot]

Yeah, part o' that is a gap, but part of it is a trick o' the light on the brown dirt that got on the thing when I laid it on the floor to take the picture. It is not completely flush against the tank, but it's on there tight and it's closer than it looks in the picture. I think the flash makes the gap look deeper.

That thing hangin' off the back is called "too cheap to buy a tail tidy and too lazy to cut the d*&m thing off!"

Hey, at least I had the good sense to get bar-ends and remove the passenger pegs (useless things, those).

[MrZed]

On 2006-06-07 20:54, R100Pilot wrote:
I think the flash makes the gap look deeper.

Figured that was it - night pics have a way of doing that.

On 2006-06-07 20:54, R100Pilot wrote:
That thing hangin' off the back is called "too cheap to buy a tail tidy and too lazy to cut the d*&m thing off!"

I've heard of them things... :-D

[tsc17]

Good review...thanks for the info!

[jimmydean]

Good reveiw but no mention of passenger seating.
The only reason I was thinking of a new seat is when my g-friend rides with (about once a week) and then I would put the stock seat back on. I'm so tired of feeling like I have a hundred pound ruck on my back. Usaully ride alone but need a seat for once a week.

[cheapbastard]

nice post R100! Great write report! :upthumb:

[R100Pilot]

Passenger seating should be more comfortable as well. There's a bit more length front-to-back, the passenger section is level rather than sloping forward, and as you'll note in the top view, the foam has a similar flare, offering a wider platform than stock.

Of course, it helps if your passenger has 12" legs, since the pegs are so close to the seat anyway. Not much a seat can do about that.