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[NanoMech]

Has anyone replaced the stock seat on a DS/S/SR?

My 2014 DS seat was quite uncomfortable on moderately-rough mountain roads in the Santa Cruz mountains. Not many miles, around 80/trip, but a few hours of time encouraged me to replace my seat. I found good reviews of an antique/classic/high-end sports car seat upholstery business on the SF Peninsula, and the owner is an avid touring bike rider.

Required 2 weeks of shop time for 2 days of work time, but the quality is very nice. I selected black Buffalo side seat leather and tan ostrich top seat area leather. It was laid over an additional 1/2" - 2" of the pink foam used for final seat comfort and flexibility. It's also 4" wider and flatter with a corresponding lower weight/area loading factor. I like it,  and now have no complaints. I've painted the bike blue

Has anyone else replaced/upgraded the seat?

[NanoMech]

And another seat view. File restrictions require I shrink the image size (boring), or submit another posting. I'm 6' 1" and 175#. probably 10-15 more for proper cycling attire.

[protomech]

Richard230 will no doubt have some comments about seat quality..

Let's see some pictures of the paint job too : )

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah, I want to see some more shots of your bike, it looks interesting!

[Richard230]

Well....The stock 2014 seat is sure a lot better than the stock 2012 seat.  On my 2012 S, I was only able to ride for 30 minutes before my butt started hurting.  The stock 2014 S seat is good for about 2 hours before I start to notice it.  That is about the same as some stock BMW motorcycle seats that I could think of.     Right now, I can live with the comfort and looks of the stock seat, so I will pass on any improvements.

Having said that, I do have experience with custom seats.  I have had several custom seats made for BMW motorcycles over the years from Corbin, Meyers and Sargent. 

Corbin seats are typically hard, large, tall and very heavy, plus they use a fiberglass in-house seat pan and it rarely fits well and needs modifications by the owner to fit securely on the bike. I bought the Corbin low seat that they made for the 2012 Zero (and was sold as a Zero factory accessory) and it was only a slight improvement over the stock seat. It had a better shape, but less padding and still hurt after about 45 minutes.

Meyers usually wants you to ride into his shop and leave the bike there for the day as he works on it.  That could be an issue if you don't live close to the shop when riding an electric motorcycle.  If you live in Oregon, Mr. Ed is the go-to guy for custom motorcycle seats.  He also will only work on ride-in customers.

I really like Sargent seats, but they deal in volume and use a custom seat pan that is better designed and manufactured than the stock factory pan.  Unfortunately, they would never make a seat for a Zero as the sales numbers would not be worth the cost of design and production.

There are a number of small custom motorcycle seat manufacturers all around the country and I would encourage anyone interested in having their stock seat rebuilt to do some research and find out if one of these companies is located nearby.  You might get lucky with an auto upholster, like NanoMech did, but most of these guys will make a nice looking product that might not be too comfortable.  There is a big difference between sitting on a motorcycle seat and sitting on a car seat and most of the motorcycle seat builders have years of experience getting the design just right for each individual rider.  Expect a custom seat from a motorcycle seat upholster specialist to cost around $500-$600.

[Justin Andrews]

Best "stock" seat I've ever encountered is the one of my old 900 Diversion.
Probably the worst was indeed the "plank" on the 2012 S, followed closely by the seat on my long gone (and not much lamented) YZF-750

The 2013 S seat is actually not that bad, just a touch on the hard side, but an averagely good seat for me. However I get the 'feeling' that seats are a very subjective matter.

[NanoMech]

Good summary, Richard!

I appreciate, even more, that I have enjoyed my seat for nearly 1,000 miles, especially after reading your summary coupled with my first minimal exploration into seat design/construction. I performed research and learned of Corbin, and others, and the difficulties of using the existing, or a custom, seat pan. I explored a custom seat profile before realizing that it is optimal for long distance flat road cruising and, as you mentioned, can be very heavy and bulky. By selecting the existing seat pan, I was constrained to many factors, including foam build-up and build-out by increasing the back wall angle and width/flatness, and raising the front of the seat where it intersects with the tank.  The seat height was raised ~1/2" at the lowest point, and I have long legs that don't mind the additional height. I'll suffer some leather creep/sag as the seat breaks in more, a product of such high-aspect topography.

I've added 2" handlebar risers to assist in my preferred upright position.

The aesthetic component was more personal/subjective and I selected plain black, as opposed to stitched pattern/pleats/rolls/etc, and the ostrich as a contrast-match and bike theme painting.

I've attached a couple of intermediate photos of the seat stack-up.

[Richard230]

I like your leather tool roll. Kind of classic and kind of funky on a modern electric motorcycle.   

[NanoMech]

Thanks, Richard. I wanted an ammenities bag with an end-cap rather than 2 circumference buckles on most bags. I carry a tool bag and registration/insurance info under the seat, and only need a single metric hex key to remove the seat, of course, and I keep it in the bag.

I designed it with a Victorian focus and an Israeli college student made it. She engraved octopi in the surround bands, and the lock is an old Chinese fish-lock. I had the seat upholsterer add two attachment straps that mate and lock with the bag. The bag is 5 1/2" in diameter and 14" long. It has symmetry with the fender and protrudes a few inches more on the left side, due to the cap constraints.

i use it to carry the seat hex key, water, wire-rope helmet locking cable, disk brake lock, wet-wipes, camera and, maybe, something to eat. My wife has a new 2014 DX without the powertank and can carry some food items in her storage compartment.

[Richard230]

Really nice detailing on that bag.   

[Losmeister]

"I've added 2" handlebar risers to assist in my preferred upright position."

Aha! What brand and model, et cet, please...  as I am keen to do this as well.

Mines a DS 2013

[NanoMech]

"I've added 2" handlebar risers to assist in my preferred upright position."

Aha! What brand and model, et cet, please...  as I am keen to do this as well.

Mines a DS 2013

I purchased Rox Risers, available from many vendors. Measure the diameter of the handlebar at the mounts. Easy to install, although be sensitive to the throttle wire if you install 2" risers. Mine worked, but becomes tight as you rotate the handlebars fore and aft to find your preferred position. I paid around $90 for my black model.

[SoundMusic]

Just puchase an AirHawk air bladder to put atop your seat.
Very cost effective and a great ride.

[ammonsh]

What size is best fit for 2014 S?

[Richard230]

What size is best fit for 2014 S?

I use the smallest Air Hawk pad.  This is the one that is made for the passenger seating area.  Any of their other pads will be too wide for the Zero's narrow seat.