Style: 18/20
Price: 17/20
Durability: 19/20
Comfort: 20/20
Performance: 18/20
Pretty much every component on our project Hayabusa last year was upgraded in some way, yet we managed to exclude the seat. And if there’s one obvious component that any rider will notice it’s where the rump rests. For short street blasts and drag strip duty the bare plastic pan wasn’t much of an issue, but once the ‘Busa started pulling commuter and sport touring duties the neglected seating area was intolerable.
Because we’d removed all of the foam to help lower the rider we were in the market for a replacement, and the Saddlemen Tech style seemed like a good choice. It arrived with an unexpected extra—a passenger seat cover to match the rider’s seat.
The pilot’s seat was noticeably thicker than stock, and once installed it sits a bit taller, but that’s explained by its thicker padding and layer of memory foam. Yep—memory foam for the butt. Pure luxury.
The amount of squirming after an hour in the stock seat has been reduced significantly with the Tech, and the smooth, flexible fabric top keeps friction down while allowing for movement during aggressive rides.
Immediately obvious is the rear bucketed design that forms to the cheeks better than stock foam will, and apparently some of the extra comfort is from Gel Channel technology (that’s located somewhere under the cover and the memory foam). The gel component is a major part of the Saddlemen line and seems to work with the seat’s contour to provide max comfort.
Aside from taping a pillow to your stock seat it can’t get much more comfortable than this, and it doesn’t sacrifice style in the process. True, it’s a little bulkier than stock, but it conceals its girth with a stealthy black finish and cool contour.