Tenere 700: Seat Concepts Comfort Sport Touring Seat - Rider Seat Custom Foam Modification -

Seat Concepts Comfort Sport Touring Seat

Ordered the standard height model in late Dec before the 2022 price increase Seat Concepts had announced...approx 10 week eta...arrived March 28, 2022.  The cover is attached to the foam in the middle of the rear portion of the seat to aid proper positioning/alignment + comes with a plastic sheet for a water proof layer for the foam (recommended for wet climates).  The sculpted shaped wider rear portion & the sharp incline of the front half made it more difficult to fit the cover properly, particularly for the complex shapes where it transitions from the front to the wider shaped portion & requires patience & stretching/molding the cover in more than 1 direction simultaneously...an extra hand can be helpful.  

It is desirable to work in a heated environment or warm the cover in the sun or with a hair dryer & start at one end, working your way side to side to the other & get a basic fit keeping the cover just taught, not over stretched & using a minimum amount of staples initially...then focus on refinement of fit removing existing staples as needed & reworking the cover & re-stapling more fully....sometimes repeating this process until the desired fit is obtained....leave the excess material until after a few rides & doing your final adjustments, then trim it if necessary...my excess did not interfere with seat placement so did not trim any.  A pneumatic or electric power stapler, pronged screwdriver & needle nose pliers really simplifies install (see pics below).

I started by tacking down the back & not over stretching the cover to avoid stressing the pre-attached  section in the middle of the rear portion of the seat,  as it will deflect when sat on, then got a general fit on the front & tacked it down, then worked side to side in the middle. I ended up reworking a few areas  after a week of riding to further smooth them out....the back portion that is hidden by the passenger seat does not need to be perfect. It is possible to slightly fine tune the feel of a seat by stretching or loosening the cover...tauter firms up the foam restricting the amount of flex...looser provides the opposite...obtaining the desired look/feel for sculpted seats can be a little fussier without gluing the cover to the foam, which can't be done if the included plastic cover is used, so best to start with a less taut fit initially to allow the material & foam to set in. 

The Seat Concepts Comfort Touring Seat feels more supportive & comfortable than the oem or my previous seat mod (see below), via its added width, sculpted seat & optimized density foam + the slight forward slope of the oem seat seams to be corrected as well...it would have been nice to have slightly thicker more supportive foam in the sculpted portion, but SC selected a nice density of foam that likely won't bottom out or be unstable along the outer side edges for average weight riders (they do offer different density foams for people lighter or heavier than typical) & wanted to match the oem seat height + they make a lower & higher version...full ride review will have to wait until the bike is insured in April.

Initial Ride Review May 06, 2022

1st short term impressions of the Seat Concepts Sport Touring seat are good...the sculped tractor inspired shape has significant more surface area to support the butt while still allowing sliding forward & feet down without cutting into your inner thighs, all with a seat height that is similar to the oem...but is more rounded & wider than the oem at the top portion of the seat where it transitions narrower,  splaying my legs a little wider forcing me to the balls of my feet at stops vs slightly more flat footed for my 186 cm or 6' 1.5" frame & 83 cm or 33" inseam. I may shape the foam in that area for a slightly narrower fit & smoother transition..you can feel the edge where it transitions from the top to the sides. The outer sides of the sculpted tractor inspired portion flex a little more than preferred adding to a slightly unstable feeling as your butt sinks or rolls a little with side loading...a stiffer, perhaps dual density foam in that area would improve support. With an 83 cm or 33" arm length, tall upper body & the oem bars in the oem normal or rear mount position (the bar riser can be rotated 180 degrees moving the bars more forward) I tend to normally sit a little forward of the back of the rear sculpted portion, which still provides good support for my butt without adding pressure points to my pelvis bones while providing the option to move back or forward from that location. The shape & added width vs the oem seat allow unhindered transition to standing & moving my weight rearward over the passenger seat. Will require longer rides & more seat time to fully evaluate, but it seems to be providing at least 2x the seat time vs the oem before I start to notice my off-season, non-acclimated derriere 😀.

Aug 2022 Ride Review Update After 10 Day 3,800 Km Trip

I banged off many consecutive 450 to 600 km (280 - 370 mile) days, including an 80/20% mix of pavement/gravel, saw temps from 12C to 40 C (53-104 F) & am liking the seat more & more.  It is supportive, comfortable, roomy allowing fore/aft adjustment & does not hinder out of the saddle movements.  I wouldn't give it "Iron Butt" status as I was fatigued at the end of each day, but never sore & never thought about my derriere at the start of the next day. For an affordable off the shelf, non-custom seat it was a necessary & welcome replacement for the oem saddle, that was uncomfortable for me after 1 hour.  

Custom Seat Mod prior to ordering the Seat Concepts

The oem rider seat needs help in the comfort area, so added 2 pieces of 0.5" soft foam I had from a previous seat project.  I cut 1 piece to fit just the top surface & another to fit the entire oem seat foam & reused the oem seat cover which is very thin & stretchy.  The result is a noticeable improvement in comfort, minimal change in width with a more compliant seat, a little less of a dip at the front junction where it curves up the tank & approx 1/2" of actual increase in height (soft foam that compresses from re-install of the oem seat cover & being sat on...it takes the edge off the seat/arse interface, particularly off-road & it helps dampen out the road surface.  

 

Despite not being aesthetically to everyone's liking a sheep skin seat cover adds further comfort over a wide range of temperatures & does allow easier movement on the seat, particularly off-road.

Tools

A pneumatic or electric stapler simplifies the job 😀