Triumphrat

BlueJ · 06-04-2007

... what really matters is how the dang seats feel under your a**s. To that end, I'm sending back to MADSS my Thruxton black & gray 'contemporary' seat, and trying to decide what to try next.... hard to decide with only looks to go on!

SO, any RATNetters out there not too too far from Gaithersburg MD with something other than 'the brick' on their Bonnie/Thrux who would be willing to meet up with me and BonnieLass sometime for the good old-fashioned 'butt check'???

Respond here or pm me, thanks!

KF6VGZ · 06-04-2007

These make any seat more comfortable. I wear them under my jeans, or motorcycle pants. The key is in the crotch padding.

wenzel850 · 06-04-2007

Bluej,

I recently bought a gel-pad from Air-Riders. To see if it worked I completed the second leg of a 3000 mile ride. Boy without it I would've had to walk home, my butt was that sore from the stock seat.

Well to make a long story short, I didn't walk home, I rode my beloved Bonnie home. She is now a pleasure to ride for more than 1 hour.

Air Riders

badrufus · 06-04-2007

I think the most comfortable seat for a Bonneville is the Triumph solo seat. I got one from MADSS and it has transformed my riding. I've put more miles on in April/May than I did all last summer--simply because of the seat. There may be other comfortable seats out there, but the problem is that so few riders have them that we have insufficient data--on all but the solo.
Like KF, I also wear bicycle shorts, Pearl Izumi Attack shorts, to be exact. These are high-quality bicycling shorts with a good chamois (what you buy them for). No, I don't like how they feel when you're just walking around (Depends anyone?), and yes, you have to wash them frequently in very mild detergent like Woolite. But they do help a lot. And like you said, it's what it feels like that counts. I want to be able to head out for the day and know I won't be stopped simply because the seat is killing me. I can put up with discomfort, in my hands, my neck, my back etc--motorcycling is hard on the body and gets harder as you age, but I can't put up with the pain caused by a seat that doesn't work for me. I even tried sending it down to Sargents, but no go. My vote is for the Solo.
Don't get the Triumph Thruxton Gel Seat--I just got one from Hinds Motorsports off ebay at a higher price than MADDS, and yes, I'm kicking myself. But more important--it does not fit the non-Thrux Bonneville. I'll be putting it up on the Classifieds soon and I plan on being quite frank that in my opinion, based on my 05 T100, the seat does not properly fit a Bonnie. It leaves an unacceptable amount of area just forward of the battery and above the side covers exposed, so it looks bad and I hate to think of riding in the rain. It also simply doesn't fit correctly, so the nose sits up in the air, increasing seat height, which I can't afford. It's made for the Thrux and that's what it's good for.
If you are looking for a two-up seat, the Triumph K&Q has good comfort reviews, but if you can go with a solo, the Triumph solo looks and feels great.

BlueJ · 06-04-2007

Yes, I've thought about padding for the 'boys', but man oh man it is already hot and stickky out here in Maryland!

I'm "sorta" liking the look of the K&Q (having never seen one in person) -- may just have to grab one off eBay and test it. Would be nice for when I'm driving my daughter around.....

The solo seat looks ok, too... but my reason for not liking it is really, really silly -- no embossed lettering to paint silver on my Black...

Thanks for the info, and any of you locals, feel free to chime in!

badrufus · 06-04-2007

Hey wait!! My solo, ordered two months ago from MADDS, came with embossed Triumph logo

It's a little bit different from the stocker in that it doesn't have the double line around the outside and so is a bit trickier to paint, but just takes a little more time. Call MADSS and see about this. I think the new ones (mine had a red sixty8 tag on it) may have the embossing while ones ordered as late as last fall did not. Check out more photos of the bike with the solo seat on it.

Badrufus' Photo Album

BlueJ · 06-05-2007

Ahh.. thanks for the info, BadRufus! I guess that the ones I've seen with no logo have been older than that. I've certainly coveted your bike - would love to put a paint job like that tank on my BBlack (to match my Phil Read Arai, lol).... and maybe some racing checks on the fenders.