Hi, I am wanting to change the seat on my 06 T100, not because of a comfort issue but because I saw a Bonnie T100 (I think a Bella course bike) with a burton seat fitted (66 67 look) and it is the look I am after. After contacting them and asking about additional gel inserts and the cost of postage (To the great land of OZ....even better SE QLD, all year riding and all year surfing, what more could a man want?) I am a bit set back by the fact that it is going to cost me nearly $700.00 (AUS). So before I out lay any funds, does anybody have one of these seats fitted and are they comfortable? I know I can get mine retrimmed with gel inserts and a similar look for probably less costs but the burton seats are narrower giving the bike the better look of the 60's then what the fat flat seat does of the 06 T100. Cheers TD
Burton Bike seats.....anyone fitted one??
- Thread starter Twodogs
- Start date
GT rideaholic
Scooter
I have a Burton seat on mine. I really like the look it has on the bike.. The way Triumph should have done from the start. Anyway, the only complaint I had was the foam made it feel like I was sitting on the seat pan after a short ride.. I finally sent the seat to Sargent seats to have them trim the foam down and put their foam on it.. Now it rides as nice as it looks.. It looks an rides much better than the stock original seal.. It is also a little bit taller than the stock seat, so it takes a little stress off the knees on long rides. Hope this helps..
Allen
Allen
I received the seat. Looks great and with the gel inserts fitted is as comfy as. I just don't like the way it sits back from the tank leaving a noticeable size gap. I actually slotted and bent the brackets to make it move forward to close up the gap. Did yours have a gap or has mine just been made wrong?
musicswapshoppe
Rocker
I dont actually agree but all have different opinions.
Should check here http://www.newbonnevilleriders.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3937
as lots of seats and opinions mate. I reckon mine is the best, real comfort and a lot cheaper
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musicswapshoppe
Rocker
Should move to Sydney then. ride 12 months a year and 5 days a week minimum.
Over 100,000 km's on my 02 now, which includes a few trips to Victoria
Have to say that (besides price) I really dont like the Meriden swirl on back of seat. Small point to some I realise, but it just dont look right on a Hinckley to me.
bluesforchallah
Rocker
I can't attest to the comfort as I've never sat on one, but IMO, the best looking seat on the market for the new Bonnevilles.
Chris in NC
Street Tracker
GT rideaholic
Scooter
Mine has a very small gap from the seat to tank.. I actually never even noticed it until you brought it up.. I went out to look at it and its about 8mm away from the tank... I can't remember if, or how much gap the original seat had.. It is a possibility that they made a mistake on yours, but if bending the tab repaired it then its time to ride:ride:.. Its way better than my old Suzuki GT seats.. They touch the tank and wear the paint away after a while... Still nothing beats the sound of my 2 stroke triples..
Allen....... Rideaholic
Ok I have had the Burton seat fitted for about 1000 Kms and this is what I now really think and this is just MY opinion only.
Looks 9.5 out of 10. I cannot say anything more, I think the looks are great, really compliments the bike except, as already mentioned I also think that the rear script should be done to represent the Hinckley Triumphs. The old Meriden style makes it look like you are wanting it to actually be an old Triumph and there are already two different styles on the bike now with this making it a third.
Quality/Finish/Installation 7.5 out of 10. Overall the seats appears to be finished off well, nice quality vinyl and nice stitching. The logo on the rear is slightly off centre but if I didn't tell you you probably would not have picked it. My biggest complaint here is the rear mounting brackets. Instead of the base having a moulded rear mount as per the OEM seat the Burton seat comes with two thin tin bolt on brackets. The brackets when located correctly (A bit of adjustment is required as they are slotted to allow for movement side ways) position the seat away from the tank with what I see as an unnecessary gap. The brackets can be bent quite easily to close the gap but in the end I decided to fabricate my own bracket as the two thin tin ones just appeared weak and cheap. The supplier did say that these brackets only locate the seat but I could push back on it and as a result bend the brackets so as the seat sat further back and open up the gap slightly more. To have the seat sit closer to the tank the two OEM brackets that are required to be removed from the OEM seat and fitted to the Burton seat that sit mid way underneath the seat needed to be slotted slightly.
Comfort 6 out of 10. Now as mentioned, this is my opinion and everybody is entitled to theirs but this is what I thought. To start with I am 180cm tall (184 in heels) and I found that the seat to me has be designed for someone of a shorter dimension. The profile of the Burton seat does not match that of the OEM seat having the seating position recess much closer to the tank. I found that the OEM seat was comfortable as far as the riding position was concerned and it was mainly the comfort issue of the foam or the lack of being its major let down on longer trips. With the Burton seat I have heard that the original foam was an issue so I ordered mine with GEL inserts at an extra cost which does feel nice on first impressions but because of the redesign in shape/profile to that of the OEM seat I found that I am sitting in the position where the recess starts to tapper back up and not actually in the recess so that with every bump and bounce encountered when riding I am slowly shifted back down into the recess and closer to the tank and into a cramped riding position. To prevent this from happening again after repositioning myself I find that I am putting pressure on the wrists which then in turn results in numb hands which then becomes a pain in the arse which is what I was trying to prevent in the first place by getting another seat. The seat has the same effect with the pillion passenger. Because I have positioned myself further back and out of the profiled recess they are then moved out of the recess that is shaped on the rear of the seat for the pillion, therefore with every bump and bounce encountered they are moved forward and into my back which again puts further weight on my wrists.
To fix this problem up I have taken my seat to a local guy (John Morehouse of ERGO Seats) who specialises in motorcycle seats, fitting and redesigning the seat to your riding position and backside better then what the OEM generic set up can. He will actually be filling in the recess slightly to allow me to sit back a bit, stopping me from sliding down and will do the same for the rear.
Problem is that is more added cost to what is not what I would say is a cheap seat and in my honest opinion cannot understand why the manufacturer would change the profile to that of the OEM seat. Sure go and change the looks and maybe the width and alter the thickness (I can say this because I am tall but shorter people probably will not welcome the extra thickness but as mentioned the position will have them closer to the tank where it will suit them which is odd because it is a mixed contrast.) but to alter a riding position is not a welcoming change when you are happy with the current set up.
One last bit about the quality I was not happy with is I did not like the way the chrome strip around the base of the seat is secured by nuts that are only done up and can only be done up finger tight. When received these nuts are so loose I actually had one drop off while fitting the seat. To tighten them involves trying to hold the tail of the thread with some pliers as the head is under the chrome strip and is inaccessible and twisting the nut with my fingers. To over tighten them pulls the chrome in unevenly and to leave them loose will or maybe result in them coming off while riding. A bit of a better quality control audit could of been put into action in this area with either some resign being placed over the nut to prevent it from coming off or to actually have a small sleeve in place that allows the nut to be tightened up without it actually compressing on the vinyl and warping the shape of the chrome strip.
Cheers TD
Looks 9.5 out of 10. I cannot say anything more, I think the looks are great, really compliments the bike except, as already mentioned I also think that the rear script should be done to represent the Hinckley Triumphs. The old Meriden style makes it look like you are wanting it to actually be an old Triumph and there are already two different styles on the bike now with this making it a third.
Quality/Finish/Installation 7.5 out of 10. Overall the seats appears to be finished off well, nice quality vinyl and nice stitching. The logo on the rear is slightly off centre but if I didn't tell you you probably would not have picked it. My biggest complaint here is the rear mounting brackets. Instead of the base having a moulded rear mount as per the OEM seat the Burton seat comes with two thin tin bolt on brackets. The brackets when located correctly (A bit of adjustment is required as they are slotted to allow for movement side ways) position the seat away from the tank with what I see as an unnecessary gap. The brackets can be bent quite easily to close the gap but in the end I decided to fabricate my own bracket as the two thin tin ones just appeared weak and cheap. The supplier did say that these brackets only locate the seat but I could push back on it and as a result bend the brackets so as the seat sat further back and open up the gap slightly more. To have the seat sit closer to the tank the two OEM brackets that are required to be removed from the OEM seat and fitted to the Burton seat that sit mid way underneath the seat needed to be slotted slightly.
Comfort 6 out of 10. Now as mentioned, this is my opinion and everybody is entitled to theirs but this is what I thought. To start with I am 180cm tall (184 in heels) and I found that the seat to me has be designed for someone of a shorter dimension. The profile of the Burton seat does not match that of the OEM seat having the seating position recess much closer to the tank. I found that the OEM seat was comfortable as far as the riding position was concerned and it was mainly the comfort issue of the foam or the lack of being its major let down on longer trips. With the Burton seat I have heard that the original foam was an issue so I ordered mine with GEL inserts at an extra cost which does feel nice on first impressions but because of the redesign in shape/profile to that of the OEM seat I found that I am sitting in the position where the recess starts to tapper back up and not actually in the recess so that with every bump and bounce encountered when riding I am slowly shifted back down into the recess and closer to the tank and into a cramped riding position. To prevent this from happening again after repositioning myself I find that I am putting pressure on the wrists which then in turn results in numb hands which then becomes a pain in the arse which is what I was trying to prevent in the first place by getting another seat. The seat has the same effect with the pillion passenger. Because I have positioned myself further back and out of the profiled recess they are then moved out of the recess that is shaped on the rear of the seat for the pillion, therefore with every bump and bounce encountered they are moved forward and into my back which again puts further weight on my wrists.
To fix this problem up I have taken my seat to a local guy (John Morehouse of ERGO Seats) who specialises in motorcycle seats, fitting and redesigning the seat to your riding position and backside better then what the OEM generic set up can. He will actually be filling in the recess slightly to allow me to sit back a bit, stopping me from sliding down and will do the same for the rear.
Problem is that is more added cost to what is not what I would say is a cheap seat and in my honest opinion cannot understand why the manufacturer would change the profile to that of the OEM seat. Sure go and change the looks and maybe the width and alter the thickness (I can say this because I am tall but shorter people probably will not welcome the extra thickness but as mentioned the position will have them closer to the tank where it will suit them which is odd because it is a mixed contrast.) but to alter a riding position is not a welcoming change when you are happy with the current set up.
One last bit about the quality I was not happy with is I did not like the way the chrome strip around the base of the seat is secured by nuts that are only done up and can only be done up finger tight. When received these nuts are so loose I actually had one drop off while fitting the seat. To tighten them involves trying to hold the tail of the thread with some pliers as the head is under the chrome strip and is inaccessible and twisting the nut with my fingers. To over tighten them pulls the chrome in unevenly and to leave them loose will or maybe result in them coming off while riding. A bit of a better quality control audit could of been put into action in this area with either some resign being placed over the nut to prevent it from coming off or to actually have a small sleeve in place that allows the nut to be tightened up without it actually compressing on the vinyl and warping the shape of the chrome strip.
Cheers TD
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musicswapshoppe
Rocker
Really great write up TD.
I realy am surprised more people dont just re work their stock seats as that way you can get a higher seat and a lot cheaper.
Mine has about inch and half added and is really great. Bought it from here 2nd hand, but other than the King and queen which seems to be the most comfortable of them all. (Problem is i dont like the look), its the best seat i have ever owned.
I realy am surprised more people dont just re work their stock seats as that way you can get a higher seat and a lot cheaper.
Mine has about inch and half added and is really great. Bought it from here 2nd hand, but other than the King and queen which seems to be the most comfortable of them all. (Problem is i dont like the look), its the best seat i have ever owned.
GT rideaholic
Scooter
Twodogs, I had forgot about the cheesy plastic seat trim bolts.. What I did to mine was finger tighten them being careful not to distort the trim.. Then taking some thread loctite and putting a drop on the threads so the nut will not back off... it has worked well for over 5K miles so far.. True, by the time you get the foam right to make it comfortable, it becomes an expensive seat. Personally, I think its the best looking seat giving it the old school look...
Allen....... Spending my kids inheritance, one gallon of gas at a time :scooter: !!!
Allen....... Spending my kids inheritance, one gallon of gas at a time :scooter: !!!