Seat Height Spec: Stock vs Sargent

Have a stock seat, the pad is ok but may I need a bit more seat height and some more nose on the saddle so I don't press my crotch against the tank on my 2001 VFR800. Searched the forums could not find an answer. Can anyone help out here?

Thanks
Guy

 

dont know the the specs, butt my butt says:

the biggest diff for ME with the sargent is that it seems flatter at the balls/metal interface
i dont feel like im always sliding into the tank and pushing back away from it like the OEM

my take is that you cant regret the sargent, unless the $ is the overwhelming factor

PS- if it is for the 5th gen you list, its a 2-piece affair, and my solo cowl fits no prob

PSS- can i assume by your username that you are a fan of italian pedaled machinery ???

 

I have a stock and a Sargent seat for my 2000 VFR. I can measure both for you if you like once I get home from work. As a side note, I can offer that the Sargent seat to me feels about the same height off the ground when I am sitting on the bike at a stop, though since the seat is shaped more like a saddle than the stocker, it does feel a tad wider. Not a huge amount wider but enough to notice a slight difference. I too noticed that when riding I was sitting rather close to the tank as the stock seat seems to angle down toward the tank, whereas the Sargent tapers up a bit to the front. Again, not a huge difference, but I no longer seem to suffer from crushed nuts when I come to a stop and my son slides forward and squishes me forward.

 

Thanks for the reply, appreciated. I have a couple of Cinelli's 84 Laser Strata and a 72 SC. I also run/own the Cinelliregistry.org and do a lame job of trying to keep track of the years of product based on serial number etc.

Again, thanks for the information you guys.

Guy

 

I read through 3 pages and only saw one reference that they seemed the same in height.

In those 3 pages however Sargent is the clear winner comfort-wise over stock or Corbin.

But for a really nice custom seat at a great price- this guy has gotten some rave reviews:
http://greatdaytoride.com/site/mobile?url=http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php#2876


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Thanks VFR Love,

I have looked at that site before posting and I have had a ton of history with so called custom suppliers, typically one man shows. The results are good but once you send your seat (car, bike, motorcycle frame, engine etc) you are at their mercy. Not for me on this bike.

Really thank you anyway for sending that information over, may be useful in the future for another list member.

Guy

 

When I bought my 2000 last year, it had a sargent already on it. I do not have a stock seat, nor do I want one. I cannot say of it is a lower position or not. I can tell you I feel a tad lower than am 92 with the stock seat. I do love the Sargent. It is wider, far less angle into the tank (I rarely even have Big Jim and the twins jammed up against the tank). I would love to find a passenger back rest for it, but that looks to be a dream.

 

Even Corbin at one time was a one man show and I hear, so was Honda, Harley and Davidson was a two man show that turned into a three ring circus.

Mail order stuff that involves ergonomics is iffy. It would seem that near you, one might find a custom seat builder and get you away from the cookie cutter seats.

The cookie cutter seat builders are influenced by the bean counters. The lower grade vinyl covering materials are slick and this alone might be the reason you are either scratching your tank or it feels like you have a crotch full of squirrels when you downshift or grab a handfull of that right hand lever.

A plug here for my "guy"

"Rich's Seats"

 

Folks should not be concerned about the quality of the seat foam replacement and upgrade that Spencers (greatdaytoride.com) can offer. I did the seat on my Honda 919 after i grew tired of the Corbin that i had used for several years. Since i had that upgrade done to the stock seat i have only used the Corbin a few times (for some longer distance rides...). That Spencers upgrade doesn't dramatically change the shape of the seat like the Corbin or even as much as the Sargent but it is a real improvement over stock. The height of the Spencers can be customized but for me it was taller by about 1/2" but was no longer mushy so it rode even taller.

 

What comparison can you make between a sargent and a spencer'd seat?
Are you saying the spencer seat is just as pitched fwd as the stock one?
Thanks!


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Again, sorry to repeat but can anyone just give me the height difference between stock and Sargent? I recommend that in the interest of clear searches, that a Custom Seat thread be started or this good information will be buried in my thin thread

 

Hey Cinelliguy

I have both stock and Sargent seat for my bike (2000 VFR). I can take a measurement of both seats if you like, just let me know where you would like the heights taken.

 

4" and 6" from the rear of the gas tank will do it for me. Thanks again, appreciated!

Guy

 

Sorry, both seats please

 

Sounds great. I will measure them both and get back to you.

 

So, with the Spencer'd seat they did not create a seat "bowl" shape like the sargent or corbin. For my 919 they did thicken the front seat portion and eliminated the pitch forward. The material is also more supportive.

I have both a sargent and OEM seat for my 2006 VFR. I went out to measure the shape differences for reference. I know it's not the same as the gen 5 but some folks might be interested. On the gen 6 there are two positions of rubber bumpers in the front half of the seat frame. In the front position the sargent seat is 1/2" thicker than the OEM. But at the second set of bumpers they are both the same thickness. So effectively the front of the sargent is pitched up by 1/2". Also the seat for the sargent is an obvious bowl shape and is 13" wide at the butt seat area. The OEM is not a bowl and is 10" wide at the same point. The OEM is sort a reverse bowl - the sides actually fall away. The added width of the sargent makes the rider feel it is even taller.

Regards,
Mark

 

@Mark919

Mark, that is valuable information. Thanks!

 

Hey Cinelliguy

Here are the measurements for you on the stock seat vs. 2 piece Sargent seat. The measurements were taken with the bike sitting level with both tires on the ground. I held the bike straight up and down with tie downs attached to the GIVI rack passenger handles to ensure the bike remained stationary and level.

One thing to keep in mind with these measurements is that the Stock seat has some slightly different width measurements as well. The stock seat as Mark 919 mentioned is shaped more like an upside down dinner plate shape that tapers slowly down (more or less flat for 3" to either side of stock seats center line) from the center of the seat, whereas the Sargent seat is more like a right side up dinner plate shape. The bottom of the bowl on the Sargent (at around 6" back from the tank) is about 3/16" lower than the edges and is more or less flat for about 6-7" wide in the center and then slowly tapers up to the highest point and then tapers sharply down. The measurements of the seat height depict the height of both seats. I have included the overall width of the seat at the two points you asked for (4 and 6 inches back from the tank).

Measurement from Floor to top of seat at Tank / Seat intersection - Taken on seat centerline

Factory Seat - 32"

Sargent Seat - 32 1/8"

Measurement from Floor to top of seat at 4" back from edge of fuel tank - Taken on seat Centerline

Factory Seat - 32" (width of seat at this point = 8" )

Sargent Seat - 31 13/16" (width of seat at this point = 8 3/4" )

Measurement from Floor to top of seat at 6" back from edge of fuel tank - Taken on seat centerline

Factory Seat - 32 1/8" (width of seat at this point = 10" )

Sargent Seat - 31 3/4" (width of seat at this point = 11/ 1/4" )


As you can see from the measurements the Sargent seat is about 1/8" higher than the stock seat where it joins the tank, and then slopes gently downward (3/8") to the middle of the butt area. The stock seat by comparison slopes upward about 1/8" from where it joins the tank to the middle of the butt area. The Sargent seat is also about 3/4" wider at the 4" mark back from the tank, and approx 1 1/4" wider at 6" back from the tank. The 4" mark back from the tank is about where your legs would notice the difference when you put your feet down on the ground. With your feet on the pegs it definitely feels more like you are sitting in a saddle versus the stock seat which feels more like you are sitting on top of a 2x6 (though a bit softer).

Personally I find the Sargent seat to be far more comfortable on longer trips. With the stock seat I could ride for about 150 km before I started getting numb butt. The first ride I took with the Sargent seat installed on the bike was over 500 km and I felt just as comfortable at the end of the trip as I did when I started.

Hope this info helps and let me know if you would like any other measurements.