May 2013 - CityBike

Have a SeatThere’s just enough lub-a-dub vibration,but the motor isn’t too buzzy until you’rebreaking the law. The exhaust note isloud enough to hear at freeway speeds,and it’s got just the right roar. The rigidframe, 19-inch front wheel and shortish61.8-inch wheelbase offer up a mixof predictable steering and high-speedstability not unlike a nicely set-upvintage ride.It’s engaging in a way other metriccruisers can’t manage, but it’s still easyand comfortable to ride. It’s no beginnerfriendlylightweight at 540 pounds, butthat’s 33 pounds lighter than an 883 and73 pounds less than the V Star 950 from20% to 50% offstock items, excluding Forcefield Armour.May 1 st - May 31 stWe stock a large selection of heavy duty jackets , pants, chaps, & bags.Custom garments and accessories. We repair, alter and clean leather products.Our leathers are guaranteed against defect for life.1833 Polk St. (@ Jackson) San Francisco - johnsonleather.com(800) 730-7722 • (415) 775-7393Forcefield Body Armour, The worldsleading “Soft armour technology”Body protection system specialists.Dress it up: Apehangersand leather saddlebagsare in the Staraccessory catalog.whence the motor came. And the weightis low in the frame, so you mix that withthe good steering lock, narrow bars andlow seat, and around-town confidence isgreat. The brakes, simple as the specs are,work very well, and the front fork offerssimilar utility. The rear shocks bottomout on extreme bumps, but the damping34th Anniversary Sale!!We makecustom 1 & 2 pieceleathers!soothes the experience enough to makeit less miserable than it could be, and theR-Spec dampers make it noticeably betterstill. And the buttery-soft clutch workswell with the slick-shifting gearbox—agearbox that is somehow engineered withjust enough throw and resistance to feellike a vintage machine.On the open road, the Bolt’s capabilitiesare limited—but it’s still pleasant to ride.The seating position is pure Sportster,with the high flat-track bar and midmountedpegs that put the rider into aweird, hunched-over crouch. I started tofeel (and probably look) like Quasimodoafter a while, but a couple hours in thesaddle won’t ruin your day. The buzzingand windblast over 80 mph might, sokeeping it in that sweet spot around 75 isheartily recommended, even if the bikewill break into triple digits just smoothlyrolling on the throttle in fifth gear.Some other niggles I noticed: even on a70-degree day in breezy San Diego, theshielded header was still uncomfortablyhot on my right calf, and I felt someFI stumbles at low RPM. Some of theplastic bits and exposed wiring lookschlocky, and the big Electrolux of anexhaust can won’t be hanging in theMuseum of Industrial Art any timesoon. The digital speedometer, whilealmost invisible in direct sunlightthanks to its cool tinted glass cover,at least seemed pretty accurate. Longparagraph, I know, but that’s a short listfor a bike in this price range.Who’s going to buy the Bolt? Nobodywho wants a Sportster, probably. But at$7990 ($9 less than the aforementioned883 Iron), or $8290 for the R-Spec(which includes blacked-out mirrorsand color-matched stitching on thesaddle), the Bolt is a great platform forcustomizing (the accessories we sawwere pretty unique for a Japanese factory,including some stylish ape-hanger barsand brass—yes, brass!—headlightbezels) or riders who want somethingthat while not exactly authentically cool,is arguably a cool-looking and inarguablya fun-to-ride motorcycle that gets prettyclose to the bare, minimalist ethos thetargeted buyers want.Gabe Ets-Hokin, photos provided bymanufacturersYou can group the problems withmotorcycle seats into two categories. Thefirst is the foam. It’s usually too soft, toothin, too hard or a paradoxical combinationof all three. The other problemis shape. The seats are oftenshaped by designers, who aremore concerned with keepingthe bike’s flowing lines intactthan a rider’s rump comfy. Asa result, the seats slope theirriders down into the tank(which reminds me of a jokeI read in CityBike many yearsago—how is a bad motorcycleseat like a cheap hotel? Noballroom! Bah-rump-pump!),lock them into one position, orput too much pressure on anygiven point. Any one of those can be worsethan hard or thin foam.So what to do? Luckily, there are suppliersof aftermarket seats, simple, drop-insolutions that can not only save your ass,har, har, but can add a dash of style andeven extra comfort features. I had a chanceto test two of the best-known names on my2010 Triumph Street Triple R, which isn’tequipped with the worst seat, but like mostmoto-mounts, is only good for an hour ortwo before the butt-hurt creeps in. Let’s seehow much better the aftermarket can do.CorbinCorbin has been a well-known name inaftermarket saddles since AMA Hall-of-Famer Mike Corbin started making themfull time in 1968. Corbin’s career hasbeen controversial—recall the Sparrowelectric three-wheeler of the late ‘90s—but his brilliance isn’t: Corbin and hiscompany hold more than 70 patents,including three for the “Comfort Cell”foam used in the seats.You can get a Corbin seat two ways.The easiest is to just get on the phone(800/538-7035) or internet (corbin.com)and order a ready-made or custom seat.The company makes seats for hundreds ofsport, standard, cruiser, touring, dual-sportand other machines, and you can specifydifferent colors and types of vinyl, leather,stitching, welting, covers and accessorieslike removable backrests (for rider andpassenger) or clever built-in storagecompartments.The other way to get a Corbin is to...go toCorbin. The 82,000 square-foot factory,nestled among the artichoke fields ofHollister, offers a comfortable hang-outarea where you can sit and read back issuesof CityBike while you wait for your seat tobe made from your exact measurements. Atechnician even looks at you on your bike,and then brings the pan and foam back outseveral times until you’re happy with the fitand feel. After that, they cover and stitchthe seat.I opted for the ready-made one. I’vehad Corbin saddles before, so I knewTwo ways tobolt on comfortwhat to expect:perfect, easyfit (the latch ispre-installedand it fit tothe bike) firm,supportive foamthat feels hardat first and thengently moldsto your tush.There are nohot spots, no sharp feeling along yourthigh, and though the initial comfortlevel is somewhat less than a stock saddle,after an hour it’s exactly as comfortableas when you first got on—and it doesn’tchange much from there. And since thefoam doesn’t break down, you’re likelyto have the seat until the vinyl or leatherrips with little degradation in comfort.Another advantage of the Corbin designis its broad, supportive design, madepossible by the stiff, heavy Fibertech seatpan. It does add weight to the bike (as wellas a touch of seat height, which can becustomized for us shorties), but it fits asnicely (nicer, says the company) as stockand makes the seat wider, longer and cupsyour buns nicely.I’m very happy with the seat and know Icould ride for many, many miles beforeneeding a break. However, I’m not a fanof the tuck-n-roll stitchingthat makesmy formerlythuggy-lookingstreetfighterlook like arefugee fromSturgis—orGreat GrandmaMinnie’s dinetteset. Corbin saysthe stitching is necessary because of theseat’s broad shape—the cover will bunchup and look funny otherwise. The seat can’tbe equipped with a backrest—not enoughmeat on its bones—but does support theTriumph accessory solo cover.At $419, including leather seating panels,the Corbin seat is a good value—especiallyconsidering everything but the covering iswarranted for the original owner for life.The rumble-seat style cover is irritating, butonly visually—you can’t see it when you’reriding, and we all know that’s what matters.SargentCorbin’s just a young pup compared toSargent’s 80-year history. Started in 1935 asan auto upholsterer, the Florida companyhas been re-covering motorcycle seats sincethe early 1990s. In 1996, the company spunoff as a separate entity offering the WorldSport Performance Seat.Sargent offers a lightweight basepan madewith its “CarbonTec” plastic/polymeralloy. It’s remarkably light—much lighterthan the Corbin, and isn’t as flexible orcheap feeling as the stock Triumph pan. It’salso ready for the solo cowl, and you canspecify custom trim colorsand cover materials. Also ofinterest—Sargent’s “FineWire” heated seat upgrade($200 for both seats, $150 forjust the rider, also available asa do-it-yourself kit for $180),a one-millimeter-thick padthat sits under the cover androasts your buns up to 125degrees, if you need that.The seat I received for myStreet Triple ($410, $610with heat, additional forcustom welts, fabrics, etc.)was beautifully finished and as light asI expected, even with the heating padpre-installed. It went in and fit as easily asthe Corbin. The seating position isn’t asspacious, but it’s better than other Sargent’sseats I’ve owned (and also customizable).The “Atomic Foam” is dense, yetcomfortable, similar to Corbin’s product,although it doesn’t seem to take as manymiles to break in. It also sits a half inchlower than stock, where the Corbin adds alittle height.The heated seat is a fine thing. It wires intothe battery with an included harness (witha switched wire to prevent killing yourbattery when the ignition is off) and drawsjust two amps. The 10-position controllerunit can be mounted anywhere on the bike(I put mine on my left switchpod), uses aneasy-to-use pair of up and down buttonsthat are easily worked with gloved hands,and remembers the heat setting when youswitch it off. The pad heats up quickly andis one of those “why didn’t I have this 10years ago” kinds of things.You can check out the over 80 models ofmotorcycles Sargent’s makes ready-madeseats for (many more cruiser models areserved by Sargent’s Mustang division) orcheck out the custom seat program if yourride is too old or weird at sargentcycle.com.You can also call 800/749-7328.May 2013 | 22 | CityBike.comMay 2013 | 23 | CityBike.com