Sargent Seat, Pre-Registering NC700X for Seat Development

[Alfred_bham]

Yes Sir!!

If you are afraid to get the seat wet, you bought the wrong one.

Listen to the man. Like OCR says, "Get out and ride."

 

[Alfred_bham]

I did get the seat on & the Cover on the rear seat!!

 

[NCer]

Looks good! What material is that? What's your impression?

 

[Alfred_bham]

The seat is the "World Performance Plus" with "DTX" inserts!! Looks about the same Vinyl as the original seat!! I chose to get "Double Stitching" & Black Welting to maintain a Stock look!!

My impression (without a ride just yet) is that the quality of the material, , & , , Seat Base is top notch!! I am a little concerned that there is a "Gap" between the foam & the cover that will probably resolve itself after some use!! The Installation of the Cover on the rear seat was pretty easy with the proper tools!! I have installed a couple "Seat Concept" covers & had purchased an "Pneumatic Staple gun and some Stainless Staples" so the install went smoothly!!

Overall, , , I think I'll like it!!

Looks good! What material is that? What's your impression?

 

[Fuzzy]

My Sargent seat made it home just fine with 90 minutes riding in the rain.

My butt however did get wet , so need to think about upgrading my supposed water proof pants.

 

[pismocycleguy]

Comparing my Corbin to stock seat

Here are some initial observations/comparisons of the Sargent seat. My experience with aftermarkets seats thus far is I had a Corbin on my old ST1100, and I tried a Seat Concepts on my NC700X, but removed it after two weeks and sold it. I'm 5' 8" tall, 32 inch inseam, and 166 pounds naked in the morning (before breakfast).

The Sargent seat overall is only about 3/4 inch wider than stock. That's an additional 3/8 inch added to each side. The Seat Concepts was wider than either. Viewing the profile, the Sargent and stock are nearly identical up front. The Sargent tries to eliminate forward slope by dishing out the rear of the front seat, whereas Seat concepts added fill to the front. Sargent and stock allow the same seat height and leg reach to the ground, whereas Seat Concepts added a good inch to the seat height.

The seat pan and hardware on the Sargent are top notch - even better than stock. The front tongue and rear tabs were precisely placed and attached with socket head stainless steel screws. The cover fit up front was very good, as you can see in the pictures, but there was just a slight side to side play.

Positives: The cover is very nice quality and installed accurately. I think the Sargent Carbon cover is identical fabric to what SC used. The Sargent brand name is just a small tag like Seat Concepts has, instead of a big free advertising banner like a certain other aftermarket seat maker.

Now the bad: As you can see in the last photo, the seat rests on the rear grab rail. I am having difficulty installing the seat screws because the seat is down as far as it can go but the screws don't quite line up. This is because I have the SW-Motech Alu-Rack installed, which raised the grab rails by about 1/8 inch. The Givi side rails would probably result in the same "problem". It should be an easy fix as I could slot the seat bracket holes a bit with a file, or I could add a shim under the tabs on the seat.

As for comfort, well it's raining and cold and dark so I cant give a ride opinion yet. Sitting in the garage, the seat feels the same height as stock, or maybe a tad lower towards the back. It feels firmer but with a better shape. One concern is I can still feel the "ridges' that run along the two sides towards the front poking my thighs.

A ride report will follow when I get the opportunity.

View attachment 14389


Here is a photo comparing the stock NC700 seat to the my Corbin seat.

 

[pseal]

What is the "DTX" inserts that are a feature of the "plus" version?

Thanks,
Payne

 

[Alfred_bham]

Not quite sure but it appears to be the type of Vinyl that is used!! I looked on the Sargent site which didn't offer much help!!

What is the "DTX" inserts that are a feature of the "plus" version?

Thanks,
Payne

 

[pismocycleguy]

That is a GREAT question!

What is the "DTX" inserts that are a feature of the "plus" version?


Thanks,
Payne

Payne,
That is a great question. I too was wondering what DTX was, or stood for, but i could not find any information anywhere on the Sargent Cycle website. So I telephoned the research and development department.
It turns out, DTX is their abbreviation for a non-slip type of vinyl. The purpose is to prevent the rider from slipping around on the seat during abrupt maneuvers. So if you want to stay "planted" on the seat of your bike, that is what you want to order.
I hope this helps?

 

[670cc]

Payne,
That is a great question. I too was wondering what DTX was, or stood for, but i could not find any information anywhere on the Sargent Cycle website. So I telephoned the research and development department.
It turns out, DTX is their abbreviation for a non-slip type of vinyl. The purpose is to prevent the rider from slipping around on the seat during abrupt maneuvers. So if you want to stay "planted" on the seat of your bike, that is what you want to order.
I hope this helps?

Keeping it a secret from their customers seems like an odd marketing behavior. They should provide more info about it on their Web page. Glad I didn't order it thinking if it costs more it must be better.

 

[pseal]

Payne,
That is a great question. I too was wondering what DTX was, or stood for, but i could not find any information anywhere on the Sargent Cycle website. So I telephoned the research and development department.
It turns out, DTX is their abbreviation for a non-slip type of vinyl. The purpose is to prevent the rider from slipping around on the seat during abrupt maneuvers. So if you want to stay "planted" on the seat of your bike, that is what you want to order.
I hope this helps?

Absolutely! Thank you very much.

-Payne

 

[670cc]

First ride on Sargent seat - 120 miles today!

First impression: I'd rate it 8 out of 10. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than stock? Yes. By comparison, I'd give the stock seat a 6, and the Seat Concepts a 4. The Seat Concepts fails me because it is too tall, and too wide at the front.

The Sargent seat has a slightly dished wide area at the back, but the wide area is somewhat short, front to back, given the limitations of the motorcycle design. The seat works best if you can sit all the way back on it. Toward the front of the "seating area", the seat drops off with a rather sharp edge. I can feel that edge on my thighs. How much you feel it will depend on how horizontal your legs extend forward, or on how long your tibias are. If I extended my legs forward in the air onto imaginary highway pegs, the seat actually felt just right. I also felt this "sharp" edge when the landing gear was down at a stop. Actually it's not that sharp, but it is a ridge in the foam that doesn't conform to my anatomy.

The seat foam is harder than stock. Often people say hard is good. I'll wait and see how that works out, but it is, well, . . . hard. The forward slope is pretty much gone, by way of the rear being dished out, not by raising the front. Happily, the seat height is unchanged. If you just flat foot a stock seat, you will just flat foot the Sargent.

On the negative side, the standard Carbon cover is pretty slick. My riding paints today had a fairly slick bottom. Since the seat forward slope is mostly gone, hitting road bumps didn't really cause a forward slide. However, on medium braking, my boys were up on the frunk right now, no stopping the slide. I'd say the DTX fabric, if it is stickier, might not be a bad choice after all.

After the 120 mile ride on slow, rough, rural backroads, a short section of gravel, two water crossings, with at least four stops for photo shoots, I'd definitely say I was less sore than had I been using the stock seat. It was a fun day!

So more testing is in order, but if I had to decide now what to change, I'd switch to the DTX fabric, and I'd round off the transition under the thighs.

I look forward to hearing what other new Sargent seat owners think.

 

[showkey]

First ride on Sargent seat - 120 miles today!

First impression: I'd rate it 8 out of 10. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than stock? Yes.

The forward slope is pretty much gone, by way of the rear being dished out, not by raising the front. Happily, the seat height is unchanged. If you just flat foot a stock seat, you will just flat foot the Sargent.
Since the seat forward slope is mostly gone, hitting road bumps didn't really cause a forward slide. However, on medium braking, my boys were up on the frunk right now, no stopping the slide.



I look forward to hearing what other new Sargent seat owners think.

I pretty much agree all the above^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Especially on the slope............I rode about 50 miles........came back home.... added the slope mod back in and rode another 25 miles.

So far I am ok with the stock Sargent cover.

Conclusion :

I am leaving the slope mod in to raise the front of the seat 5/8"...........that works for me. The firmer wider flatter seating area in back works great for me.

Rating 0-10 ........8 stock Sargent, 9 with the slope mod added. (Stock Honda seat 5. Honda stock with slope mod added 6.5, Seat concepts with slope mod 6.8 .)

 

[StratTuner]

it's monday... seat should be here tomorrow.

My intiution is that the dishing will be about the same as the Ergo seat pad I'm using.
so, for me, the $300 will buy a better "look" than "feel".

 

[bri222]

I would like my rear seat to match nicely. Does the stock rear seat match the Sargent nicely enough or should one spend the extra 30 for Sargent rear cover?

 

[Enforcer]

To those who have ridden on the Sargent seat is it worth $300 to you? I have one on order and I am considering canceling my order based on some of the comments as it does not seem like a night and day difference. Thanks!

 

[670cc]

To those who have ridden on the Sargent seat is it worth $300 to you? I have one on order and I am considering canceling my order based on some of the comments as it does not seem like a night and day difference. Thanks!

Well I get 30 days to decide if it's worth $300. It needs some time for evaluation.

 

[Alfred_bham]

I rode 190 miles today in the N Georgia Twisties!! For me, , the new seat is far better than the stock seat!! I'm 5' 8" and have a real short inseam!! I'm just touching my toes to the ground at a stop!! The Sargent Seat doesn't change the seat height, , , keeps me firmly in the saddle without any sliding around!!

I'd give it a "Thumbs n' a Half Up"!!

 

[showkey]

To those who have ridden on the Sargent seat is it worth $300 to you? I have one on order and I am considering canceling my order based on some of the comments as it does not seem like a night and day difference. Thanks!

Yes I would buy it again.........agree with Allfred......"far better" is true..........

Considering some do not mind the stock seat, seat concepts cover and foam on the stock seat is OK for others...........night and day difference might be bit much to ask on any changes on the bike?????????? I go with far better

 

[StratTuner]

To those who have ridden on the Sargent seat is it worth $300 to you? I have one on order and I am considering canceling my order based on some of the comments as it does not seem like a night and day difference. Thanks!

I can't speak for anyone but myself... but it seems to me it would be worth it for two reasons:
1) it will be better than the stock seat... better slope and dish
2) you can return it if you really don't like it. (I believe...???)

Worst case for me would be never knowing.