Don't forget the seat

One of the most important parts of riding a motorcycle is sitting. When you are riding a motocycle you spend most of your time sitting. You sit more than you shift, more than you brake...and so forth. So it stands to reason that you would want a high quality seat almost as much as you want high quality brakes. At least this is the way I see it, but I may be in the minority.

I've noticed that a lot of show bikes don't have much of a seat. I understand that they aren't going to mass produce these bikes, they're one of a kind. I understand that they are going for engineering, design, art, style and a lot of other things that appeal to the eye and the emotions. I like that, and I notice that too. But please, put a good seat on the thing. A lot of the really cool bikes that I enjoy looking at have a seat problem. Some of the seats look like nothing more than an antique shaped tractor seat. Some of the seats look like a piece of plain leather or vinyl stretched over a board and stapled with no style or artistic quality. It looks like a six year old kid did it. Some seats are so short and basic they look like a mini bike seat.

So I say, design a beautiful bike and design a beautiful seat to go with it. Build it so a person would actually be comfortable sitting on it for an hour or two at a time. Build a seat so it fits with the flow of the bike but is comfortable and attractive. It doesn't have to be a sofa, or a Lazy Boy, but it could have some comfort and still be pleasing to the eye. Use some nice stitching, chrome pieces, silk screen logos, patterns, rivets, bones, beads, braids, whatever. Just don't slap an ugly nothing seat on a frame. Some of the really beautiful custom bikes are completely predictable with the seat. It's always the thin sliver of a seat, just like all the rest.

The stock seat on an early Goldwing fits the bike. Later versions let comfort get involved too much in which case you have a sofa and a stack of luggage on wheels. Comfortable and convenient, but not as much for the eye or to get the adrenaline going.

I'll still admire the other bikes but I thankfully have something reasonable to sit on .