Some things never change, such as the lack of comfort of a typical OEM motorcycle seat. The stock perch on my BMW F 800 GS ’09 is a peg in the butt, while Yamaha Tenéré 700Its seat, with its cold appearance, was more like a plank. It seemed fine at first, but a few long rides proved me wrong. The comfortable solution for my BMW is the World Sports Performance Seat from Sargent Cycle Products. Hoping the lightning would strike twice, I looked for one for the Yamaha, and my derriere hasn’t stopped thanking me ever since.
Sargent builds seats from the bottom up, molded in Poly-Tec material to fit each individual motorcycle model. The new pan for my Yamaha has the same tooling area underneath as the storage unit and it fits perfectly into that seat’s attachment points. I just had to transfer the Yamaha cushions and rubber washers to the new seat for a painless installation. The World Sport is almost an inch lower than the reserve and weighs 0.6 lb more, likely due to the wider pan and larger cushion area.
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At the top of the pan is the comfort zone, a sculpted slab of Sargent’s exclusive ultra-cellular atomic foam, designed to reduce vibrations while remaining firm and resilient. A layer of memory foam is molded inside that plate which is said to reduce hot spots by conforming to your rear. Adding a comfort-enhancing feature – a central channel like some on some bike seats – eliminates pressure in your vicinity. Covered all in black, UV-stabilized marine-grade vinyl, hand-stitched for a perfect fit. If my GS chair is any indication, this chair will last for years with no regimen of care other than occasional scrubbing when it gets dirty.
Wider at the rear than the perch but narrow at the front with rounded edges for better control when standing, the slightly removable seats help distribute the rider’s weight over a larger area. I felt comfortable sitting back on the highway, sliding forward in the thirties, and standing on pegs when off the sidewalk. The sides are sturdy enough for good control when standing, while at the same time not hindering the car roll from side to side on curved surfaces. All of this makes for a much-improved perch for long days of riding, which I’ve come to appreciate on several long rides with World Sport in my rear.
Sargent offers a range of options and upgrades to the base model reviewed here ($369.95), starting with color-coordinated welds. I don’t want to bother, prefer a smoother look. Those who want to cover their rear seats can order self-closing rear upholstery and heated seats for those who want bottom-up warmth. Sargent makes World Sport seats for dozens of motorcycle brands, and possibly yours. When my cake burned, they put out the fire.
For more information, visit SargentCycle.com.
