SHAD Comfort Seat

[tweak89]

Mine arrived with the wrong rear seat as well. Mine had all the proper holes, so at least I escaped that part.

I fit it onto the bike. Unlike deedub, I had a much tighter fit with the stock rear seat. No gap whatsoever. I went ahead and installed the rear seat as well,even though I am getting it replaced.

At the front of the front seat there is a bigger gap along the edge as well as a slight curve where it meets the tank.

I'm taking the long way home so I can test the comfort, but just sitting on it it feels better. So, we'll see.

Oh, and the unlatching of the rear seat is now much more difficult regardless of which rear seat is in place. After installing the front seat, tried it with the stock rear and then with the Shad rear. Not sure why, but both require pretty good effort. I'm going to see if there is some sort of adjustment.

At first glance it appears the rear of the front seat is a little taller, so when you engage the rear seat latch (which requires a healthy push downward), it's under tension. When releasing, one side or the other will release, not both.

UPDATE:

Just made some more observations and tried latching/unlatching it several more times. If you press down firmly on the front/center portion of the passenger seat, it allows both latched to disengage at the same time. It appears slightly longer "hooks" on the seat would cure this problem. Too bad neither rear seat (stock or Shad) allows for this.

 

[captdirt]

What's next? Wrong color and have to do the slope mod to a new $400 seat? I never noticed if they say anything on the website about a satisfaction guarantee as many seat manufacturers do.

I really want this whole thing to work out as I really like the looks of the seat, but the experience so far is not very confidence inspiring.

Don't mean to whine. Patience has never been one of my strong suits.

 

[NJ_Dan]

Hmmm.... Looks like that itch I've had to order this seat for the last few weeks is fading fast. Glad I at least avoided this first run, but I was hoping this would be "the one". If there was a cosistent problem i would have some hope that they cold fix it once and i could order once they had things straightened out, but these random fit issues, holes drilled on some not on others, etc. it is going to take a lot of convincing. Had a Corbin on my last bike but just can't get myself to spend that kind of money on it. Besides it doesn't sound like they've been doing much better these days. Oh we'll, the search continues.

 

[tweak89]

After all the negatives I posted, took the long way home and have to say (this coming from someone who didn't have nearly the issue others had with this seat) it is VERY comfortable. Never really noticed how much of an arc across the middle the stock seat had until riding home on the Shad. You actually fell like your sitting IN a seat rather than ON a seat.

I can't comment on the sliding issue some folks have as I never found that to be a problem. Now that I have figured out how to easily unlatch the rear seat, I think this will be a keeper. Going on a really long ride (200+ miles) this weekend and will post impressions after that ride as well.

 

[deedub]

I just did 50 miles in the Shad seat, and can't say I'm liking it. If there's a reduction in the forward slope of this seat compared to stock, I can't feel it. In fact the anti-slip surface of this one makes the situation worse for me. Now I fall forward, but my pants don't, so they ride up my legs and bunch up in my crotch. Just the thing I wanted on a 93 degree day!


The seat is well built and fits well on the bike, but it's got the same underlying flaw as the stock seat. If only I could combine Corbin's design with Shad's build quality and customer service...

 

[ziggie]

it looks good.i think im going with airhawk for now.

 

[bonnielover]

Deedub,
I'm in MD. Just modified my seat. We should ride and compare seats. Send me PM for contact info.
Anyone else out there in the DC area?
Paul

 

[hozabah]

Oh, and the unlatching of the rear seat is now much more difficult regardless of which rear seat is in place. After installing the front seat, tried it with the stock rear and then with the Shad rear. Not sure why, but both require pretty good effort. I'm going to see if there is some sort of adjustment.

At first glance it appears the rear of the front seat is a little taller, so when you engage the rear seat latch (which requires a healthy push downward), it's under tension. When releasing, one side or the other will release, not both.

UPDATE:

Just made some more observations and tried latching/unlatching it several more times. If you press down firmly on the front/center portion of the passenger seat, it allows both latched to disengage at the same time. It appears slightly longer "hooks" on the seat would cure this problem. Too bad neither rear seat (stock or Shad) allows for this.

when i installed a Hepco Becker rear rack, it raised the grab bars about 3/16" of an inch.... the rear snubbers on the rear seat rest on the grab bars so it made the rear seat "tight" to latch and unlatch and I press on the stock seat to unlatch as you do....

try removing the front and or rear snubbers and see it it makes any difference.. they may need to be shaved down?

as I recall, folks with the corbin had the same tightness problem until the seats got to know each other....

 

[tweak89]

My stops are shorter already as my SW Motech side racks came with them as they mount using the grab rail holes as well. I used the pressing trick and it opens just fine. Just have to get used to doing it.

 

[max cooper]

By the way Tweak89 What brand and model side bags are you using ? And what mounts did you use ? They look good on the bike and aren't over sized for what I need.

Mine arrived with the wrong rear seat as well. Mine had all the proper holes, so at least I escaped that part.

I fit it onto the bike. Unlike deedub, I had a much tighter fit with the stock rear seat. No gap whatsoever. I went ahead and installed the rear seat as well,even though I am getting it replaced.

At the front of the front seat there is a bigger gap along the edge as well as a slight curve where it meets the tank.

I'm taking the long way home so I can test the comfort, but just sitting on it it feels better. So, we'll see.

Oh, and the unlatching of the rear seat is now much more difficult regardless of which rear seat is in place. After installing the front seat, tried it with the stock rear and then with the Shad rear. Not sure why, but both require pretty good effort. I'm going to see if there is some sort of adjustment.

At first glance it appears the rear of the front seat is a little taller, so when you engage the rear seat latch (which requires a healthy push downward), it's under tension. When releasing, one side or the other will release, not both.

UPDATE:

Just made some more observations and tried latching/unlatching it several more times. If you press down firmly on the front/center portion of the passenger seat, it allows both latched to disengage at the same time. It appears slightly longer "hooks" on the seat would cure this problem. Too bad neither rear seat (stock or Shad) allows for this.

 

[tweak89]

By the way Tweak89 What brand and model side bags are you using ? And what mounts did you use ? They look good on the bike and aren't over sized for what I need.

Look HERE for everything you need to know!

 

[max cooper]

Thanks for all the info and pics. That helps a lot. I will shop around and find these . They look as though they will work well.

Look HERE for everything you need to know!

 

[pismocycleguy]

I hope everyone is still receiving the introductory offer pricing and free shipping since Shad is still learning how to construct, assemble and ship the NC700X seat set. Maybe they were not ready for "Primetime"!
Good luck with Shad.

 

[tweak89]

Well, for those that aren't giving up on the seats (and I almost did) I have to say that it's quite comfortable. Rode about 180 miles Saturday morning and it felt great. As i had mentioned earlier, this new seat makes me realize the odd shape of the stock seats seating area. While I never experienced the sliding forward issue that many complain about, I did feel a "hot spot" on longer rides.

Most of the literature for the Shad Comfort Seat line mentions the greater seat contact area. I had wondered what that meant as I figured that, well, my rear end already contacts the whole seating area! But, by eliminating the hump in the center of the stocker, it relieves the pressure point that caused the hot spot (at least for me). I am utilizing it with the stock rear seat for now as I am awaiting the exchange for the proper color from Shad. I may just leave it like that for a while as I never carry passengers on this bike.

So, while I was disappointed by the delays and rear seat snafu, it's a keeper for me.

 

[captdirt]

That is really good news!! I'm really looking forward to Thursday now.

 

[sgallimore]

Hey ziggie, I couldn't find our bike on the airhawk forum, did you??

 

[captdirt]

BTW, does it raise you any over the stock seat?

 

[Cagedodger]

I hope everyone is still receiving the introductory offer pricing and free shipping since Shad is still learning how to construct, assemble and ship the NC700X seat set. Maybe they were not ready for "Primetime"!
Good luck with Shad.

Me too! I can't wait for my Shad seat. Glad you agree!

 

[tweak89]

No. And that was one of my major concerns as I can barely flatfoot with the stock seat.

 

[hozabah]

initial impressions

received my seat today and although I won't get any miles on it for a week or so... I thought I'd offer some initial impressions:

seats had all the proper holes drilled.. installation was straight forward. You'll need to get the old snubbers out and transfer them, but some hand soap or silicone spray works good.

no sore hands

I did receive the red stitched rear seat.. but I emailed SHAD and cancelled my request for the gray stiched replacement.. I kinda like the red "700X" and actually wish the "NC" was red also... the red is dark and I think it's less obnoxious then having all the stitching in gray... but overall I would prefer no text

the fitment is very good... the front SHAD seat did not like the stock rear seat so I mounted the SHAD rear and it works... The two together actually works better opening and closing then the stock seats in my situation.... I have a Hepco Becker rack that raises the rear seat mounting points. I didn't use the rear snubbers and it works good.

seat height raise is negligible

the seat is also lighter in weight than the stocker...

after sitting on it for a bit, I can say:

I like the gripper material on the front seat, I really didn't have the sliding forward problem, but this might adress some peeps concerns.

The foam is quite cushy (guess that's why its called a comfort seat)... in comparison it is softer than other Corbin and Sargent seats I have/had and softer than stock, in that order.. like tweak said, you sit in the seat instead of on it..

The rear seat is higher than stock and I think it will offer some lower back support.

The rear seat also feels quite comfortable... on really long stints, sometimes I occcupy the rear seat to stretch out

the rear seat also has a nice raised "lady bump" that should keep a passenger from sliding forward which also happens to act as some lower back support.


that's it for now... I'll reserve my final opinion till after I log a couple hundred