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Motorcycle Seat Upgrade

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Article And Photos By: Sara Liberte

Look, it’s inevitable as time goes on that certain parts on your car, motorcycle, dirt bike or whatever vehicle you cherish most will eventually deteriorate. It’s a part of life; things wear out. Take your own body for example. There are certain things you just can’t do like you used to, especially if you have played sports for awhile. Eventually your knees, shoulders or hips may start to hurt. Wear and tear does take its toll and that’s when maintenance comes into play. We might start to add a vitamin supplement or focus on different nutrition, or maybe even medication to help our “wore out” body parts. If things get real bad, some may even have to opt for surgery or part-replacement, such as a hip or knee.

Much like our bodies, our vehicles will wear out after so many miles Wear and tear will take its toll and begin to break things down. Over this past summer, I came to the realization that my own bike, a ‘96 XL, was also in need of parts’ replacement; I started with my seat.

The stock seat that has been on this motorcycle since 1996, is now 14 years old. Well after that many years, there really wasn’t much left in terms of support or “cushion comfort.” Plain and simple, it was not only hurting my ass to ride but I was starting to feel the pressure it was putting on my back and knees.

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Now some of you may already know me and what I do for a living. I run a motorcycle business, RT’s North Hills Cycle, where we specialize in custom motorcycles. We either build ground-up customs or we take a stock bike and transform it into what the customer envisions. Custom paint work is our specialty. During this process, my art background comes into play and it’s my responsibility to make sure the project looks great and aesthetically pleasing while functioning safely and properly. So to be faced with trying to find a seat that was going to provide my aging body with the comfort it so desperately needed while maintaining the “good looks” of my bike just made me cringe. How in the world am I going to find my cake and eat it too?

I turned to the company that I go changing the dynamic of it. After speaking with staff at Mustang, it was decided the Vintage Solo with Vintage thin rear pad was going to please both my mind and body. I was informed this seat vs. the wide Vintage would be the way to achieve the comfort I needed, all the while keeping the seat within the lines of my chassis to maintain the look I desired.

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I couldn’t be happier! I now have a seat that supports me the second I sit down compared to my old stock one that would squish right down to the base plate. I now can ride without extra tension on my back and knees, and boy does that feel amazing, especially for someone like me that will soon be focusing on maintaining this worn out body! I even had the chance to test out that thin rear pad; Ron took me for a spin and I was a happy passenger, too!

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