Sargent seat vs stock (1000 mile test)

[Trip]

I realise this subject comes up a lot and seat choice is a very personal thing.

A friend and I went camping & touring in Wales this bank holiday weekend on two R12GSs. It was our first long-haul test of the bikes, our kit and ourselves in preperation for a London-Nepal trip later this year.

My issue with the stock seat is that it rolls you forward towards the tank (even with the front on high and back on low) and puts undue pressure on your wedding tackle.

We took one sargent seat, one stock and one airhawk and swapped bikes at intervals. My initial impression of the sargent (on the 10 mile commute home from work) was that it was not as comfortable as the stock seat particularly when shifting forward a bit to work through traffic or putting your feet down at the lights.

After an hour on the motorway I had changed my mind completely. By the end of the weekend we were almost fighting each other to sit on the sargent. The sargent is completely comfortable for 90 minutes and only mildly problematic for the next 90. The stock seat leaves my arse screaming and my balls numb after 60 minutes.

The airhawk improves the comfort on the bum but does not seem to help the 'roll forward'. In the end we both agreed that the sargent without the airhawk was the most comfortable for 2+ hours in the saddle.

I'm 6ft and 13 stone, my friend is 5ft 11 and 12 stone.

Other issues that came up on this trip were discovery (and fix) of a type fault in the autocom relay/fuse box, and testing of streetpilot III gps and ram mount. More details if anyone wants them.

With the bum discomfort resolved I am now looking to solve the right wrist problem (stop sniggering at the back). After 90 minutes or so of motorway driving my right wrist starts to ache. This does not happen when riding back-roads where frequent throttle movement is required. Any suggestions?

Trip

 

[MIKE R]

Try

www.adventurersworkshop.com

for Kaoko Throttle Controls

Worked well on a trip to Spain.

or a similar produce is for sale on e bay for the 12.

Mike R

 

[The Burpster]

Tried a Corbin?

I might get lynched for suggesting this as Sargent are obviouly a sponser, however have you tried, a Corbin? I have one on my 12gs and it makes stopping a little bit trickier, as its a bit wider at the front....... but my longest is 486miles in one trip with petrol stop only and no sore- arse- back- neck.... This is a first for me on any bike! I totally agree about the stock item, absolute nut-numb er after 100 miles.

 

[Trip]

I havent tried a corbin on the BMW. I bought a corbin on a previous bike and absolutely hated it. The ridges designed to keep you sat back in the seat cut off the blood to my legs.

Another factor is that Nippy Normans do sargent and not corbin. I rang Norman and asked him if he'd take the seat back if I didnt like it and he agreed he would.

Trip

 

[Panzer Patrol]

I did a 400+ mile run at the weekend back through the Highlands with only petrol stops and the Sargent seat came out tops. No bum/inner thighs/small of back aches. Very very happy chappy. No longer sliding about under acceleration or braking, the seat just seems to hold you in position. Also narrow enough for me to reach the ground. FYI - 15 stone short-arse. Well pleased, bought it from Nippy Norman

 

[JAY]

I'm beginning to get a complex here - my wedding tackle doesn't suffer at all with the standard seat Am I doing something wrong or do I just have to accept that nature makes us all different?

 

[The Burpster]

Corbin.

Trip, thats OK fella I understand.. I was just plying options. I must have a Corbin shaped arse. As for our colleague above that doesnt get numb nuts, YOU LUCKY MAN!

 

[Wizard]

Numb wrist.......

.......do a search for "Renthal". The standard 1200 bars are very sharply angled, resulting in all the pressure being put on the outsides of your hands. Many of us have changed to Renthal FatBoy or TwinWall bars with a reduced grip angle with great results. I use 997 TwinWalls, and am so happy with them that I have a new set on order after twisting the last ones in a high-speed drop.

HTH

 

[birdseye]

I realise this subject comes up a lot and seat choice is a very personal thing.

A friend and I went camping & touring in Wales this bank holiday weekend on two R12GSs. It was our first long-haul test of the bikes, our kit and ourselves in preperation for a London-Nepal trip later this year.

My issue with the stock seat is that it rolls you forward towards the tank (even with the front on high and back on low) and puts undue pressure on your wedding tackle.

We took one sargent seat, one stock and one airhawk and swapped bikes at intervals. My initial impression of the sargent (on the 10 mile commute home from work) was that it was not as comfortable as the stock seat particularly when shifting forward a bit to work through traffic or putting your feet down at the lights.

After an hour on the motorway I had changed my mind completely. By the end of the weekend we were almost fighting each other to sit on the sargent. The sargent is completely comfortable for 90 minutes and only mildly problematic for the next 90. The stock seat leaves my arse screaming and my balls numb after 60 minutes.

The airhawk improves the comfort on the bum but does not seem to help the 'roll forward'. In the end we both agreed that the sargent without the airhawk was the most comfortable for 2+ hours in the saddle.

I'm 6ft and 13 stone, my friend is 5ft 11 and 12 stone.

Other issues that came up on this trip were discovery (and fix) of a type fault in the autocom relay/fuse box, and testing of streetpilot III gps and ram mount. More details if anyone wants them.

With the bum discomfort resolved I am now looking to solve the right wrist problem (stop sniggering at the back). After 90 minutes or so of motorway driving my right wrist starts to ache. This does not happen when riding back-roads where frequent throttle movement is required. Any suggestions?

Trip

Thanks for that report - a comparison makes much better reading than the usual "I've got a *** and its great"

Having said that, I use a throttle rocker to avoid the numb right hand bit. Simple, cant accidentally lock open, works well and is cheap enough to try and throw away if you're not happy with it. Google "throttle rocker"

 

[~Stef~]

I had a corbin on my Triumph wasnt much better than stock, but the Sargent seat on my 1100GS is the best mod Ive made closley followed by the MRA screen.

 

[Trip]

Thanks for the ideas regarding wrist relief (ho ho). I'll try the throttle rocker and throttle lock.

The angle of the stock bars is also a bit of a niggle and I do feel the pressure on the outside of my hand particularly my clutch hand if I'm in traffic. But this is a separate issue from the wrist ache I think and doesnt affect me much on the open road. I suspect I would prefer the renthal bars and risers to stock so I might give that a go too.

Trip