Here's my experience with seats and covers. Very important to me because I have bad back, hip, and have to be sitting in the perfect spot or I cannot enjoy the ride.
Covers:
: Have a sheepskin/gel pad. Mine came from Alaska Leather. They advertise on the internet. X large fits the front pad of the
seat and Large fits the rear pad. About a hundred bucks.
: AirHawk Cushion: I have cruiser medium and it fits the front seat pad well. Also comes in AirHawk2--(enhanced ergonomics). About $150
Both work good. I usually start out no covers and add one or both after the basic seat position is no longer comfortable.
The stock seat still remains my biggest complaint on the
. Why can't they make a comfortable long miles touring seat for the ryders of their $30K machines??
Seats:
: The BRP Comfort is a step up from the OEM seat. About $550. I have had these on two of my
's.
: Corbin: Will mention it, but saw you don't like the prices. Hard and gives good support. Used in conjunction with pads, not to bad. You either like Corbin or not. Have had on two of my
's.
Still using the OEM and a Utopia backrest on my current 2014. I still do not like the OEM. I am thinking still to soft. I did save my Corbin and backrest from the 2010--so have that on the shelf--just in case. 3500 miles and still on the fence about 2014 seat.
Hope the information helps.