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Kontour Seat

11K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  RonKMiller  
#1 ·
I cannot ride my '09 LT any more without a decent seat. As has been stated by many others the stock seat is junk and the early model seat I bought and modified will work but it sits too high leaving a gap between the seat pan and the frame and looks like crap. I am ready to bite the bullet for a seat that is rideable for hours at a time and looks good on my motorcycle. On previous bikes I have had Sargents and Corbin seats. The Sargent seat was ok for 80K miles but always was lacking a little. The Corbin is still on my K1100LT and has over 100K miles on it, but the fit and finish from day one has been a disappointment. I like everything I read about the Kontour seats but do not know anyone that has one. I went down to Jacksonville, FL this passed week-end to watch the Ironbutt riders come in. I checked out all the IB bikes but I didn't see any Kontour seats. I saw lots of tractor seats that looked like they could be from Russell Day Long, the Mayers, Rick's and etc. These seats do look comfortable for interstate riding but not so comfortable for the twisties. Also, they just don't enhance the lines of the bike in my opinion. I have read all the threads on after market seats and keep coming back to the Kontour. I would like some non biased opinions from the folks that have the Kontour seat on their LT's. I know the seat is not supposed to need a cover but I did read an old review that stated the seat did hold water and in the morning the dew would get you wet. I like to do m/c camping and do not always carry my cover. Wet leather or vinyl seats can be wiped off but I have concerns about the mesh covering of the Kontour seat. I also read a review that stated the Kontor seat did not relieve any pressure in the
groin area. Also, I weigh 225 lbs which is right at the top of the weight scale, before Kontour recommends a magnum seat with wings. I may be heavy but my wife says I have the disease "noassatall". Based on this, do I need the magnum seat? My wife enjoys the ocassional ride with me but also complains about the stock seat. How do your pillion riders feel about the Kontour seat? Ron, feel free to answer these questions too if you like but I would like unbiased opinions from your customers. If your comments are not good and you would rather be private feel free to PM me.
Thanks,
Steve
 
#2 ·
I love my Day Long saddle. Makes not difference on the highway or in the mountains. Feels just as good. Wife feels the same about her seat also. Got rid of the stockers and have not looked back.
 
#4 ·
cfell said:
I'm a Magnum Kontour owner with a happy backside and UNLIMITED riding time thanks to the excellent seat!... can 't wait to get back in the saddle!
Glad you are happy with your MK. What can you tell me about my concerns with a wet seat in the morning or after a rain? Did you have your pillion seat Kontoured too? Can you see the metalized vapor shield through the mesh cover?
Thanks for responding.
 
#5 ·
I had a Kontour seat for my 05 LT and loved it. Had about 30,000 miles when I traded it for my 06 R1200RT. The RT has about 40,000 miles now. The first thing I did when I made the trade was to order a Kontour seat for the RT.

Rain is not a problem. The seat looks like it would absorb and hold water, but it drains very well. The new material he is using looks like like it also will drain well.

The seats are cool--both in appearance and temp.

I highly recommend the Kontour seat.
 
#6 · (Edited)
:corn:
I love this, the guy asks specifically about kontour and the first reply is from kevin about how good a russell seat is :)
by the way Kevin I am about to order a russell :D
 
#8 ·
I too have a 09 LT and hate the seat! :mad:

I will upgrade the seat this winter and really don't know which seat to go with.

I tried the airhawk. It helps a little but far from being good for lots of miles.

David
 
#9 ·
Since I replaced my seat, for the last time (had a Meyer that worked well, but not well enough), I have not even thought about the seat. I have a Magnum and it works perfectly for me. I'm close to 250lbs, so I put a lot of weight on a seat, but not from having a wide a$$ (the beer has been bought and paid for. :D), but it is nice to have the extra width that's hardly noticable.
I have just the riders seat and backrest covered by Kontour. I mostly ride 1-up.
Just returned from a 3-day 300mi/day run through the Kentucky backroads (SR-421 is awesome! from Frankfort to Madison, IN) and never gave the backend a thought.
As for wetness, you can see the silver vapor shield if you look down through the mesh, otherwise not. I have ridden through heavy rain and there is no puddling. It dried out rather quickly. I can't comment on dew. I don't think it's an issue since there's air flow under you when riding since the mesh doesn't compress much, nor hold moisture. It's really an amazingly well thought out system that Ron has created.

I love my La Z Boy at home and at play,
Jer
 
#10 ·
I have a kontour on my 05 LT. No more sore butt. Going riding today, and its supposed to be 100 degrees. This seat vents really well. It is the best seat I ever had.

and yes, you can see through the mesh.

Chris Ogle
 
#11 · (Edited)
"Ron, feel free to answer these questions too if you like"

Well, since you asked... :D

A bit of history:

Up until 2007 we used perforated Alcantara for our covering. While it was (and still is) superior to commodity vinyl or leather it had one nasty habit that we couldn't cure - when it got wet it stayed wet. We also had some quality control issues with our foam and glue since it was sourced outside of the USA. It would oxidize rapidly and become compressed, and occasionally the composite would come apart.

Time to go back to the drawing board.

We spent over a year with a USA based textile company developing an entirely new patented covering: Polar Mesh. It is superior to Alcantara in many ways, but most importantly it is completely hydrophobic - or "water fearing". It cannot wet or absorb water. It is a 100% polyester 5mm thick knit loaded with UV inhibitors. Water drains through the knit and onto the water proofing barrier below it. The barrier (from DuPont) is one piece - no needle holes or seams to allow water to drain through into the foam - it is truly waterproof. Even during a deluge you are never sitting in a puddle of water - you are suspended above it. No baggy and expensive rain covers to deal with either.

So, problem with the "wetting" resolved. :check: (and that's a good thing since we were getting a reputation as the "soggy bottom when it rains" seat) :eek:

Polar Mesh also has superior grip compared to Alcantara, there are thousands of tiny fibers that protrude from the surface just a couple thousandths of an inch. These fibers are knit into the fabric so that they point only in one direction - backwards! This keeps you from sliding forward - which is the number two complaint we get besides sore butt.

Probably the best characteristic of Polar Mesh is the air flow - simply incredible. With armored mesh pants and poly underwear your butt can stay dry and cool all day long.

We easily cured the quality control issues with our foam and glue by purchasing it solely from 3M - proudly made in Indiana. It's more expensive - of course - but our rationale is that if it is good enough for NASA and military use in F-16's and Cobra helicopters it should be good enough for our customers too. (I've been a Commercial Pilot for 28 years so appreciate well engineered products)

100% of the materials we use in our seats are now sourced from the USA (except the staples which are German).

It's been an interesting trip. It all started in my garage one day in 2004 - rubbing my butt after a 150 mile trip thinking - "there's GOT to be a better way!" ;)




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#12 ·
I have an '09 LT and I purchased the Kontour Seat a couple of months ago. So far I haven't had a long day in the saddle more than 5 hours. The reason I upgraded the seating was in anticipation of a 2 week trip coming up in August. I ride everyday with the LT being my main source of transportation. I've probably put 3k miles on the seat since purchasing. I also had the pillion seat done along with the backrest and armrests. My wife has only put about 500 miles on her seat. Here's our opinions with the time we've had so far.

Pros: I LOVE my seat. I live in a very hot climate and the Polar Mesh really works. I can feel cool air blowing up into my crotch area even when it's over 100 degrees. I guess the little bit of "wind chill" is a lot cooler than I thought. The look of the seat is, IMO gorgeous. I really like that the seat doesn't scuff when you happen to drag a boot over it and you don't have to use any kind of cleaner or polish type stuff to make it look good. It always looks new. Ron is good to deal with and he'll try to make you happy. The Kontour did change the pressure point(s). I don't get sore where I used to and I'm supported more spread out than before. It might just be me but I've never been able to sit on any seat and ride for several hours without a break. I still want to stop and walk around a bit after 150-200 miles tops. I don't think any seat would change that for me and I'm always skeptical when I read somebody's statement that they can ride for several hours and not be sore. Heck, my knees just want to move after awhile even if I've been going back and forth to the Jpegs.

Cons: My wife doesn't really like her new seat. She liked the touch soft seat best. The Kontour seat apparently changed her angle and was initially putting a lot of pressure on her crotch making it go numb (can't have that). I purchased foot peg risers and after raising her pegs to the highest setting she is much happier but I still get grief about changing it in the first place. Maybe that will go away on the longer trips.

Hope this helps with your decision
 
#13 ·
I've had the KonTour on my RT for over a year and lotsa miles. Can't beat the airflow for those hot Texas days, and the comfort factor is really amazing. It may not sound like much, but the "anti-skid" factor really works! Makes the bike easier to control if you're not sliding forward rapidly on an ABS-engaged stop, or slooowly scooting forward and slouching down as you progress over many miles. General opinion holds that stock RT seats are historically worse than LT seats.

No problems with wet seats - drains very well.

For winter riding, the "bare" KonTour vented a bit too much - couldn't feel all the heated seat had to offer. Easy fix, though - I had a local upholstry shop make me a leather "slip-on" cover for it for winter rides. It takes a bit more than "slipping" to get it on right and tight, but it fits snug and is great. Now the air doesn't vent, I get a good warm saddle, and I get all the comfort of the KonTour seat.

Ron is great to work with, and will do re-work on the seat for you if it doesn't come out spot-on the first time.

Iron_Horse - let Ron know about the angle change on the pillion seat - he WILL rework it so it's perfect.

Brian
 
#14 ·
Hey Guys, thanks to all of you that responded to my post. I appreciate your candor. I really wish I knew someone in the middle GA area that had a Kontour seat for me to see and sit on. I need both the driver and pillion seats modified and therefore have two individuals to please. Since I live in middle GA heat is a real factor in the summer and the Kontour seems to answer that problem. I am a little concerned about the failure of the heater to warm your buns in the winter. That will really concern my wife since she loves her seat heater :bmw: In 45 years of riding motorcycles I have never had a seat that didn't get hard after several hours in the saddle, especially in the heat, but I do expect to get more than a couple of hours before I begin to dread the rest of the ride :mad: Everyone keeps raving about the RDL seats...these seats look like they would drown your butt in a hard rain. Where is all the water that puddles in the dished out area going to go except through the seams in your riding pants and the needle holes in the seat? I know I have probably waited too long to get a seat before the ride to PA for the MOA rally and that is really making me second guess the trip. The ride to Jacksonville last week on the comfort seat about ruined me :( Then again, if I suffer through the ride I just might get a chance to try some other seats at the rally.
Thanks again for all the replies. You are all one heck of bunch of nice folks. If you have further comments please keep em coming.
 
#15 ·
I have sent Ron an email for quote. I have got to have some relief! I think I can ride my '09 KLR 650 Kawasaki with a stock seat further than I can ride my LT with the comfort seat. :histerica
I'll keep you posted.
 
#16 ·
I've wanted a comfortable seat for my LT for years. But, I have been riding mostly around town and short trips; I could wiggle around and make it OK.

But, since I am going to ride from Maine back to AZ at the end of the summer, my top priority was to get a comfortable seat.

The seat is very cool on warm and what y'all call hot days, days in the 90s. I've ridden in the rain out here in Maine, not something I encounter a lot in Tucson--the water doesn't collect on the seat.

In cool wx, I just turn the heated seat on high. So far that has been good enough for me. Course our cool winter wx rarely goes down to 32F.

Given a choice between a cool but during 100+F wx and a cool one during cold wx, I opt for cool but during HOT! wx.

When the wx is cool enought I ware either mesh crash pants or my Aerostich pants.

best from Gorham Maine

Bob

PS: Ron is local to me. A pleasure to do business with.
 
#18 ·
Relief from the unberable pain and numbness is my main concern. I am retired and looking at doing some long rides. Since I can ride much further in cold weather than in the HOT Georgia summers I figure heat must be a key factor in discomfort, so the coolness of the KonTour seat is bound to be a winner. In the winter I will plug in my Gerbings and turn on the seat heat. Also, no matter what rain gear I wear I always get a wet crotch when riding in the frog strangler rains we have here. Once again I am hoping the KonTour will aleviate some of this problem. And since if Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy, I am getting her seat the full treatment as well, after all I do have a great intercom system :rotf: I am in the process of ordering and getting my build date which is probably going to be July 26th. I will keep you posted.
 
#19 ·
PS: Ron is local to me. A pleasure to do business with. "He was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena, and the style of a poison toad."

Whew Bob, I'm sure you glad you didn't make that a run on sentence! :rotf:

I really miss 'ol Hunter, anyone that gets shot out of a cannon as confetti for his last gesture isn't all bad. ;)