Ultimate Seat??

[BikerDoc]

I am thinking about getting an Ultimate Seat for my RT but I am concerned over the issue of them being water resistant and not water proof.. In my area I ryde a lot in the rain and its hard to cover the seat when you are moving. Has anyone incurred any problems with the water damage on the ultimate seat or had good experience even after getting it wet??? thanks

[effgjamis]

I was told that you need a seat condom to prevent the seat from soaking up water. Then again that has been a few months ago and perhaps Ultimate Seats has resolved the water problem.

[captblack]

Mine has been pretty wet a number of times ... I have not seen any issues, yet.

[Doc45]

I also have the Ultimate seat and last Friday I got soaked in a downpour. I also have a sheepskin cover on the seat (tender butt) so after I got home, I pulled off the sheepskin and the seat was slightly damp. I left the cover off over night and the next morning the seat was fine. With all the heat coming off the engine, the seat seems to dry pretty fast. I really don't think a one day storm is going to hurt anything as long as you can get the seat dry ASAP.

[Spacetrucker]

They sell a cover to fit their seat and is great .water out and dry .you can order from them when you pay your seat.

[Bob Denman]

Is the OEM seat waterproof? It's got lots of seams and stitching too...

[Yelhelp]

I have an ultimate seat and the cover they recommend , if I'm going to be riding and if I have to wear raingear I just put the cover on the seat. It has not gotten wet with this cover which is kind of a pain to get on at first , but gets easier the more you use it. I would rather not get the seat wet and riding with the cover is fine and does not take away from the comfort.

[Ga Blue Knight]

Is the OEM seat waterproof? It's got lots of seams and stitching too...

I don't know officially but in my experience it seems to be pretty resistant to absorbing water. Here in the "Sunny" South lately we have had some unbelievable downpours. Yesterday 4" in an hour! I was out riding and the seat seamed to do fine. Wet on the surface of course but did not seem squishy or drip water. Engine heat does a great job of drying I suppose. In May I went to a SE Blue Knights Conferrence in Charleston SC. Torrential rains going there, while I was there(4 days) and on the return. Bike parked outside in front of my Motel room. Seat seems to be pretty waterproof as it was dry the next day when I got home.

[Grandpa Spyder]

I don't recommend the Ultimate rain cover. I have had 2 of them and they tear very easy. and I was trying very hard to be careful after the 1st one.

[Bob Denman]

So... what do you do when the weather breaks out something that's a bit "sloshy"?

[MouthPiece]

So... what do you do when the weather breaks out something that's a bit "sloshy"?

Ride like hell and find and overpass..

Chris

[asp125]

It's leather, right? Saddle treatments like beeswax or mink oil ought to make it somewhat water resistant, at least long enough to pull out the seat cover.

[crossbowme]

I have ridden two days straight in the pouring rain and it was fine (seat only, I have a stock back rest). I just use a plastic garbage bag to cover it at night.

[spyder0ne]

here's a new product, NeverWet, you can get at Home Depot.

[Grandpa Spyder]

So... what do you do when the weather breaks out something that's a bit "sloshy"?

I put on my Frogg Toggs and keep going.

[Grandpa Spyder]

It's leather, right? Saddle treatments like beeswax or mink oil ought to make it somewhat water resistant, at least long enough to pull out the seat cover.

No it is not leather.

[daveinva]

No it is not leather.

It's vinyl. The nicest vinyl you'll come across, but still, vinyl.

As for its weatherproofing... I use the rain cover for anything above an immediate shower or misting. I've actually gotten lazy enough during rainy season to keep the cover on the bike all the time-- since I also have the Ultimate backrests, I just "roll up" the front half of the cover off the driver's seat and wrap/tuck it behind the driver's backrest, then fold the passenger backrest (I have an RS) forward to hold the cover in place. When I need the cover in a hurry, it's right there, just roll it on. Does it look stylish? Heck no. But it works.

That said, I've gotten the bare seat wet plenty of times, and it always wipes dry. Like the folks above said, you need to REALLY soak the seat to get it wet. That's the upside-- the downside is, if/once the water soaks through into the cushioning, I imagine you'll never get it dry again. Thus why I still keep the cover handy.

BTW, here's a tip for the rain cover, at least on my bike: if you have a Beadrider or Airhawk cushion, put them *over* the raincover. Otherwise, you'll never get a good fit on the seat (you *can* put the cover over a Beadrider or Airhawk, but the edges of the cover won't come all the way down over the seat; not really a problem as you'd have to be in a *monsoon* to get enough water under the cover in that circumstance, but still not ideal).

But yeah, I wish Ultimate would come up with a *slightly* "roomier" cover. As it stands now, it barely fits on the seat, and I'm sure you can tear it if you're not careful (I've been fortunate not to).

[johnwinslow]

for me the ultimate seat has been fine it, has rained for 40 nights, the water actually fills the seat with water I just use a micro fiber cloth to sop it up, wring it out dry, then wipe the seat and hop on. the seat I have has is the tall boy, and I have a 32 inch inseam. love this seat,

[BikerDoc]

It's leather, right? Saddle treatments like beeswax or mink oil ought to make it somewhat water resistant, at least long enough to pull out the seat cover.

It is not leather.. they have discontinued using leather..

[Ultimate Seats]

Good morning everyone,

Just chiming in with a few answers to the questions and comments above.

First, no seat is 'waterproof', including the OEM seat. All Can-Am OEM seats are vinyl, so are Ultimate Seats. We use marine grade vinyl on our seats which is completely waterproof. One of the many reasons that we discontinued leather years ago is because when leather gets wet enough, it will also soak through. So as stated before, our marine grade vinyl and the OE's vinyl are both waterproof, however the stitching that holds covers together is not. That being said, the difference between the two is that OE seats have a sheet of plastic between their vinyl and seat foam, which makes them more 'water resistant' that our seats. The reason we forgo using the sheet of plastic between the cover and the foam on any of our seats is because sitting on vinyl and a sheet of plastic doesn't let any heat generated by your 'seat' to dissipate which can lead to a very uncomfortable situation. Leaving the plastic out lets the seat breathe and allows for a cooler ride.

Best -

Ultimate Seats

[epiphysis]

I have an Ultimate seat on my Honda VTX 1300.......have had it since 2006......I put waterproofing shoe polish on my seat several times a year......it keeps the seat dry when I wash it and when I ride in the rain......never had any issues with it getting very wet!!

[muonwhiz]

I have the ultimate seat and driver backrest on my RT. It came with a rain cover, which is not that hard to put on. However, I have discovered a new use for that rain cover! In TX where I live, rain is frequently in the forecast and it can get very hot and humid. The seats are black, which absorbs heat from the sun. But when I have the rain cover on it markedly decreases the heat on the seat from sitting out in the sun (as when parked when I'm at work). I used to just put a towel over the seat on all my prior bikes during the summer & hope that no one would take it while I had it parked. But the rain cover works just as well and the seat is never too hot when I get ready to go home. Guess I won't be taking mine off until November!

[vrodrjs]

And loved all 2,000 miles of the trip on it. Rode in the rain a couple times and never had any problems with the seat staying wet.