Aftermarket versus BRP Comfort seat

[gwilburn]

Brand new to the Spyder... haven't even taken delivery (2013 RT SE5). At the dealer, it was very evident to me that the stock seat created a cramped space for me. Hated the "lumbar" support and legs were cramped. Dealer suggested I buy the comfort seat (at discount). I sat on a customer's RT-S that just happened to have the seat installed. Riding position much improved.

The aftermarket seats would be several hundred bucks more than the price she gave me for the comfort seat... since we are new to this, long journeys are not currently planned. Any advice would be appreciated.

thx

[captblack]

I had the comfort seat and it was fine until I installed a backrest and found that it really cut back on the passenger room. If you do that, be sure to get a backrest that can be removed.

I replaced that with an Ultimate Tall Boy with a backrest and I really like it.

[HedonismBot]

I'm 6'4" and 230lbs to start this off. When we test rode an RT, we did one with the stock seat and one with the comfort seat from BRP. Like you the comfort seat felt great position wise. My wife and I opted for the comfort seat. We are very new riding, so, like you, we haven't done long trips yet. However, I've ridden 120 miles (or about two hours) to a place then two hours home with no problems or discomfort--even the next day.

You can buy the Utopia backrest for the BRP seats so you don't have to replace the seat itself to get yourself a backrest. I'm planning on doing this in a year or so. Whether or not this affects us riding two up, we'll have to figure out based upon measurements or finding someone with it already on their Spyder. I think the big thing to note is that you're only going to get 2-3 hours on the ride at a time before gassing up. Take that time to stretch and get a drink.

If it were me, I'd opt for the BRP seat at a discount (like we did) if you don't plan on making a 1,000mi trip right away. If you find you may need a backrest, look into the Utopia backrest. You can always get a newer seat later on (which we may). I've found that you tend to bleed money if you are a newbie to riding. We had to buy jackets, decent boots, helmets, gloves, bluetooth communication for our helmets so my wife and I could talk and we bought Ride-On for the tires. If your not flush with cash, I'd spend money on other stuff if you liked the BRP seat. Save up for a "better" seat in a few years.

[Bob Ledford]

This will or should generate more posts then you may want to read. It is highly Opinionated!

I traded my OEM seat for a Corbin and while I like the seat for the way it seats. I don't like the never knowing if it is going to let me unlock it to perform an under seat function. So at this point I would hesitate to recommend them

If you were me I would be looking for another owner that had already purchased the seat inquestion and beg him to let you sit on it for a couple hours to minutes. Your dealer should accommodate you on trying one out just to make a sale if his/her Parts Manager is on the ball.

[Huntindawg1962]

Your dealer should accommodate you on trying one out just to make a sale if his/her Parts Manager is on the ball.

Boy, would that not be sweet if it were true for our bikes. Harley dealers have the "try a seat" program. Spyder dealers are luck to even have a comfort or aftermarket seat in stock much less a "try it" program but it would be a nice feature.

[ARtraveler]

You have now come to deliema #1 for owners. With a few exceptions, most people do not like the OEM seat that comes on any . I have owned four and replaced the seats on all four.

You have figured out that the Comfort seat from BRP is about one half the price of other aftermarket seats. At $595 that is not a cheap option either. I have put the BRP on two 's out of four. They are a definate improvement and you can ryde more miles in comfort. The other two 's have Corbin seats. You either like them or not. I like the support and the fact that they have a gas door, so that you do not need to raise the seat to fill the tank.

Recommended is to go to a gathering of 's and test sit the seats of different types. Purchasing in hopes of finding the right one for you, the first time, can be a little like playing roulette.

There are a lot of seat threads and it might be good to read some of them. The top three that get mentioned here are Russel Day Long, Ultimate, and Corbin.

Good luck on your hunt.

[SpyderLady]

Ultimate seats will be at Spyderfest. I love their seats, also can have a gas door and put it on both of my Spyders

[gwilburn]

This will or should generate more posts then you may want to read. It is highly Opinionated!

I traded my OEM seat for a Corbin and while I like the seat for the way it seats. I don't like the never knowing if it is going to let me unlock it to perform an under seat function. So at this point I would hesitate to recommend them

If you were me I would be looking for another owner that had already purchased the seat inquestion and beg him to let you sit on it for a couple hours to minutes. Your dealer should accommodate you on trying one out just to make a sale if his/her Parts Manager is on the ball.

Thanks to everyone for their input. Since we are new to riding, there will be no 1000 mile trips this year. I already had the chance to sit on a Spyder with the BRP comfort seat (at the dealership on the same day), along with my passenger. I immediately knew the riding position was much improved for me. I was actually quoted $480 from the dealer for the comfort seat. Seems like a no-brainer.

BTW - the Spyder ST riding position feels much like the comfort seat.

I really don't understand why, when buying a new machine, they can't just swap the seats at n/c (or a greatly reduced price).