Seats are one of the fundamental choices when it comes to riding a motorcycle. If you're riding one, you're gonna be sitting on it all of the time.
Why seats matter
Stay with an OEM seat that's too small and too skinny on a long ride, and all the pressure goes toward the middle of your butt. Pick one that's too wide, and you get uncomfortable from how far apart your legs are spread.
It's not just you that you have to worry about, though. If you carry a passenger, you have to think about them as well.
Starting with the OEM seat
When I first got my Sportster, I started off with the OEM seat. It was designed specifically for the 3.3 gallon tank, which meant that if I ever upgraded the tank, I would have to switch to another seat.
I didn't think about that too much. A couple of months later, I learned that having somebody ride on the fender wasn't exactly the best idea, so I got a pillion add-on for the OEM seat. That did well for a while.
A new passenger, a new problem
Then things went south with that relationship and I got into another one. The seat worked for the first girlfriend, but I could tell Bast was not a big fan of it. It was entirely too skinny for her, and I could tell she was done after about two hours of riding.
The seat in the closet
Thankfully, a couple of years earlier a friend had given me another seat because he wanted it out of his house. It was buried in my closet. I tested it and found out that it worked.
It's built for a 4.5 gallon tank instead of my 3.3, so there's a little bit of a gap between the seat and the tank. I thought it looked tacky. A lot of people I know actually prefer that gap. I never understood it at the time, but I do now.
The 4.5 gallon seat is one piece, while the OEM seat was basically two pieces held together by a metal bracket. In my opinion the new seat is a tad harder and doesn't have as much cushion, but Bast seems to enjoy it more than the original. I can still ride on it, but after about four hours, even with gas stops, my bottom starts to hurt.
Which one to choose
Every seat has a trade-off, and each one does something slightly better than the others. It's all in what you're willing to sacrifice.
Related: the seat bolt on Lilia
Iron 883 Red Knurled Seat Bolt
