Ultimate Seats and the 2014 Spyder RTL: Our Story

[Spyder RTL]

Disclaimer: The following is not meant to be a bash against Ultimate Seats. I just want to share what happened to me so others can benefit from my experience and make informed decisions. I need to add that I am vertically challenged at 5’ 4” and with a 27 inch inseam (on a good day).

Now onto the story...
I ordered a Midrider seat for our 2014 RT Limited. I decided not to have “Ultimate” embroidered on the seat, a decision that I now regret (more about that later).

Installation
The seat was delivered on July 14th. I love the build quality and the look.



The installation was a breeze thanks to the YouTube installation video that I watched. I bought a Stanley rotating ratchet (recommended in the instructions) and that was a great tool to use.

Fuel Door Option
After I installed the seat, I was anxious to try out the fuel door. I discovered that the gas nozzle gets stuck in the seat's fuel door opening. We live in California (San Francisco Bay Area) and our gas nozzles are equipped with a Vapor Recovery System and has a rubber sleeve (I call it the "foreskin"). The end of the sleeve gets caught between the bike and the seat, making the nozzle extraction very difficult. So refueling is best done with the seat up. I did try holding the sleeve up but this did not work for me.

Seat Comfort
With the stock seat, I experienced some tailbone pain after being in the saddle for over an hour. I did not experience this pain in the Ultimate seat although there was some minor numbness.

Ultimate’s website states, “Our Spyder RT Midrider seat will sit you at the same height…” but I found that I had to kick my leg higher to clear the seat to get on the bike. Once in the saddle, I felt that my legs were stretched out more to reach the floorboards. I also felt that the seat was wider at the front. During my trip through the Napa Valley Wine Country, I experienced inner thigh pain.

I did contact Des and he wrote, “…you need to raise the footpegs up a couple inches, they made the passenger boards adjustable but not the rider, everyone with a short inseam has that issue because they designed the RT for long leg people, I made this change on our RT and it makes all the difference...The seats are the same ride height but with our lower back support and rider backrest you are sitting up straighter.”

If the seat was truly at the same height, I don’t understand why I would need to raise anything. I know width also affects the reach to the floorboard but I have to kick higher to get on. Maybe I’m missing something…

Anyway, I put the stock seat back on our RTL. Because our Ultimate seat was made without the Ultimate name on it, I can’t return the seat (I tried). For full disclosure, I was made aware that I could not return the seat when I placed the order. I just did not anticipate the fuel door or seat height issues. And if I knew I needed to raise the floorboards, I would have made different choices. It’s unfortunate that Des was not willing to make an exception to his no return policy.

So for Spyder owners considering a seat from Ultimate Seats, I hope this post helps you.

The Ultimate Seat is a great seat but not for us. Your mileage may vary…

Ryde Safe!
Dave

 

[bcoulter19]

What are you going to do with the seat?

 

[Spyder RTL]

What are you going to do with the seat?

It's for sale. I just haven't figured out a price yet. The seat includes the rider and passenger backrests, rain cover set, and a bottle of Ultimate's Conditioner / Protector. We paid $1,412 OTD for it.

 

[Chupaca]

Very nice..!!

feedback. I have often said they should have a saddle shop for spyder seats..all brands all models. At those prices mistakes are painful and advise is limited to what you got...you need to put it out there and see, it is a big name in seats and like you said it doesn't fit you but sure to fit someone else...good luck..!! :thumbup:

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Love to take a look

I am not far away and would love to take a look.

 

[MikeT]

Sorry to read your "tale of woe". You would think that the many bike/trike manufacturers that expect you to fork up $20-30+K would provide a stock seat that was equal to the price, not the cheapest POS on the planet. Buying a "Custom" Seat that is not directly measured is a crap shoot, as your story exemplifies. I don't understand the return policy; but they all have such wording. Many years ago I bought a Corbin seat mail order for my Road King. Luckily, It worked out fine. I had my GL1800 seat modified by Wing Soft @ WD, while I watched. If I wind up moving to a '14-'15 RT-S ( currently on-the-fence because of continued issues with inconsistent "local" service quality/cost, and BRP's customer service responses posted here) I"ll be sure the stock seat is unlivable before I seek a solution.Hope you can recover your losses.
Mike

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: Sorry to hear that you've had to endure this...
Here's to hoping for a successful conclusion to the story! :cheers: :thumbup:

 

[R30SHIRE]

I couldn't be happier with the last 3 Ultimate Seats I've purchased for my RT's. Well worth the money over the stock RT Limited seats.

 

[MarkLawson]

Ultimate’s website states, “Our Spyder RT Midrider seat will sit you at the same height…” but I found that I had to kick my leg higher to clear the seat to get on the bike. Once in the saddle, I felt that my legs were stretched out more to reach the floorboards. I also felt that the seat was wider at the front. During my trip through the Napa Valley Wine Country, I experienced inner thigh pain.

I did contact Des and he wrote, “…you need to raise the footpegs up a couple inches, they made the passenger boards adjustable but not the rider, everyone with a short inseam has that issue because they designed the RT for long leg people, I made this change on our RT and it makes all the difference...The seats are the same ride height but with our lower back support and rider backrest you are sitting up straighter.”

If the seat was truly at the same height, I don’t understand why I would need to raise anything. I know width also affects the reach to the floorboard but I have to kick higher to get on. Maybe I’m missing something…

Dave, because the saddle has more support under the thighs, it causes your thighs to go out more and down less. This results in a longer reach to get to the foot rests because your legs are going out more and down less. The seat height may be exactly the same, but the resulting position change is why you're having problems, but with the foot peg reach and with the pain under the thighs. Also, as the saddle is a bit wider and less sloped, it will require you to swing the leg a bit higher to clear it. The driver's backrest, of course requires a higher swing too.

All I've written above is conjecture on my part, as I don't have an Ultimate on my RT, but do on my wife's GS, but is based on experience and my understanding of the problems from your description. I cannot ride my wife's Spyder long with the Ultimate because "the boys" tend to go numb after a half hour.

On my BRP saddle, I have installed the Utopia driver's backrest. When I mount the Spyder, rather than lowering the backrest or swinging my leg over it, I bend my knee sharply, which allows my leg to pass in front of the backrest and the top of my foot to go over the top of the backrest. I have found this method to be much easier. I learned it by watching a motor cop friend mount my Spyder one time. Before then, I stuck my foot over the saddle and hopped on one leg to move it over. Very awkward...