Kawasaki 650R rant!

[bassjones]

You would think an almost $7000 motorcycle would come with a stock seat that would be reasonably comfortable for at least 50 miles or so!  Seriously, why should a person have to spend $400 for an aftermarket seat to make a bike sold as a sport-TOURING motorcycle comfortable enough for 100 mile stretch of riding?  I know it's not just the 650R, but you would think manufacturers could make a decent seat, then if you wanted something different for your personal preferences you could do that, but you wouldn't HAVE to.

[marc11]

I never thought the 650R was marketed as a Sport Touring bike....many bikes sold today and all different price points have uncomfortable seats.

[R.Markus]

You would think an almost $7000 motorcycle would come with a stock seat that would be reasonably comfortable for at least 50 miles or so!  Seriously, why should a person have to spend $400 for an aftermarket seat to make a bike sold as a sport-TOURING motorcycle comfortable enough for 100 mile stretch of riding?  I know it's not just the 650R, but you would think manufacturers could make a decent seat, then if you wanted something different for your personal preferences you could do that, but you wouldn't HAVE to.

The problem, most likely, is your sensitive ass.

[bassjones]

The problem, most likely, is your sensitive ass.

   probably part of it, but that seat is bad too.  I also had a pack bungeed to the rear seat, so I couldn't move around on the seat much.

[Hickey]

Get one of these:  http://www.beadrider.com/

Much less than an aftermarket saddle and much more effective.

[thatguy]

My Tuono had a rotten seat as delivered.These guys fixed it up.They don't list your bike on the site but a phone call could clear that up.

[R.Markus]

I also had a pack bungeed to the rear seat, so I couldn't move around on the seat much.

That could be a lot of it. A lot of being comfortable on a long ride is the ability to move around on the seat and change the position of you legs.

[Rigger]

The seat on my VFR was really uncomfortable until I dropped 20 pounds of fat.  Some how the seat seemed to be more comfy.  

[keppyou812]

Ok, I'll trade you one SV seat, for the 650R seat.  

Garry turned me on to the bicycle shorts with the gel padding in them.  Got a pair at Dunhams for $18.  

HUGE difference.  Stock seat, no shorts = 150 mile ride.  And you really didn't want to even look at the bike again, for at least a couple of days.
With the shorts, I did the trip from Tyrone, PA. to Millville, NJ. no problem. (256 miles one way).

Oh, and keep an eye on the front motor mounts.  I have heard of cracking issues on the frame.  

[XLR8]

How long have you had the bike?

I always have to laugh at people who get a new bike and then within the first week of ownership they are claiming the seat is the work of the devil. The body needs time to adjust to new things especially a seat.  

[Muddart]

Spencer at greatdaytoride.com is supposed to do a good job, for around a $100. I am thinking about it for mine.

[bassjones]

How long have you had the bike?

I always have to laugh at people who get a new bike and then within the first week of ownership they are claiming the seat is the work of the devil. The body needs time to adjust to new things especially a seat.  

1500 miles so far.  It seems to get worse every time I ride it...  I might just have to try the bike shorts idea...  I've got a pair somewhere.

[XLR8]

1500 miles so far.  It seems to get worse every time I ride it...  I might just have to try the bike shorts idea...  I've got a pair somewhere.

Oh...well that seems time enough. Yeah that seat sucks man!  

[Giaka]

Its because most meriKans ride 1000 miles a year.

[Orson]

Bicycle racers ride on skinny little seats for hours. They're uncomfortable but, skinnier seats allow better pedaling.

They develop a butt callous after so much time in the saddle. You may just need to develop a butt callous  

[Grumbler]

Well, you could always buy two whoopee cushions (one for each cheek)
and deflate them whenever the right opportunity comes along.    

[kyzrex]

bet you thought the seat was comfortable when you 1st sat on it at the dealer.  M/C companies sell bikes based on people liking them when they sit on them or see them in magazines or shows.  Very few people get a chance to take a long ride on a bike before buying it.  So....seats are made to feel comfortable to the person that is shopping for the bike at the dealership.  Most of the time, they are made very soft because that feels good when sitting on it the 1st time.  However, that soft seat becomes a torture device after a hundred miles or so.  

I had the opportunity to demo ride a ninja650 a few years ago...about 30 miles or so....and after getting off the bike my first impression was that if I bought one I'd get a new seat first thing.  It does suck.  But doesn't kawaski offer an optional gel seat for that bike?

[bassjones]

they have a more thickly padded seat, but it costs more than the Corbin...  I'm thinking about getting a second stocker from the guys at BRP and sending it to Sargent for their mod...  Seems the most cost effective way to do it without giving up my ride while I wait for the seat.

[birdrunner]

they have a more thickly padded seat, but it costs more than the Corbin...  I'm thinking about getting a second stocker from the guys at BRP and sending it to Sargent for their mod...  Seems the most cost effective way to do it without giving up my ride while I wait for the seat.

I'd try the Meyer seats first, though Sargent has a pretty good rep.

If the bike model has been around for a while,  they might have an extra pan on hand,  then they give you a refund when you give them your stock seat after getting the new one.  Voila,  no lost time.

[1moreroad]

Figure out what you're sitting on.  If you sitting on the boys or slightly behind them, the discomfort is warning you about some significant potential damage.

If you are sitting back on your butt fat, then you're a little sensitive.

If you are sitting on the sit bones (to bones I think at the bottom of the pelvis just in front of the butt), then you need to spend time and you should adapt to it.

+1 on the bicycle shorts.  Avoid pants (like most jeans) that have a big thick seam right under your crotch.  There are gusseted jeans that help with this.

Make sure you are leaning into the handlebars with bent arms (no straight arms).  This can help rotate the hips forward to get most of your weight on the sit bones.