Seats are one of the most ignored aspect of the motorcycle. Most people view seats from a cosmetic angle than from a perspective of comfort.
THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD SEAT FOR A LONG RIDE
1. AVOID DISCOMFORT Prolonged exposure to any activity causes stiffness. More so on a motorcycle you can also experience numbness. The best motorcycle seats makes your trip comfortable
2. MANAGE HEALTH Most riders would have experienced the pain of spending long hours on the saddle. This gets exacerbated if you have pain in the tail bone, lower back or other areas. A good seat helps minimize these health issues.
3. THROW GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD
Most stocked motorcycle seats aren’t particularly comfortable. Riders spend money to upgrade ready made alternatives till they find the most comfortable seats. A cost effective customized option saves you a lot of time, pain and money.
4. BREAKIN OR BREAK YOUR BACK
As mentioned earlier stock seats can be hard and uncomfortable. It takes hours and hours of riding to break them in. The discomfort experienced in this process is not worth it.
5. INFREQUENT STOPS
When you ride long distances you normally stop for a butt break and to stretch. A good seat decreases your stop frequency
TYPES OF SEATS AVAILABLE FOR LONG RIDES
While Seat pads are a popular choice, it comes with its own set of challenges with regard to comfort, durability, security and ergonomics
1. Air Cushion: This is a seat pad pumped with air to provide cushion to your butt. While popular, it has its own set of drawbacks. To determine the right amount of air to keep your derriere comfortable .
2. Foam: Motorcycle pads made of foam are very comfortable. The basic ingredient of your stock seat is foam. Soft foam is too compressible and your body ends up against the hard seat, hard foam feels hard to sit on and leaves you sore.
3. Gel: A gel motorcycle pad confirms to your body which makes it comfortable. The original application and benefits of gel was medically to design seat pads for patients on wheel chair. Gel pads on motorcycles unlike wheelchairs are exposed to the vagaries of nature and change shape defeating the purpose.
4. Sheepskin: While sheep skin helps regulate your temperature and dries easily when it gets wet, the cost benefit advantage is missing. Moreover it is difficult to clean and a pain to maintain.
5. Beaded: Beaded pads don’t provide cushioning and our positioned as seat pads that achieve the good effects of massaging. While comfortable on car seats, motorcycling is a different story altogether.
WHAT ARE CUSTOMIZED SEATS?
Most aftermarket seats are positioned as customized seats. The customization exists only for the manufacturer and not the rider. Real customized seats are seats where a Posterior Characteristic Index (PCI) is established to quantitatively evaluate the static seating comfort of motorcycle seats. The index expresses characteristics such as the shape and size of the posterior as well as the weight of the person. In simple words this means that each seat is made taking into consideration the height shape and weight of the rider. Thus making it truly customized.
Front Seat 
Rear Seat
THE STORY BEHIND ARMSTRONG SEATS
Motorcycle seat development is an iterative process based on subjective evaluations; however, there are no established subjective tools for evaluation of seating comfort. Research also suggests that seating comfort in motorcycles is poor and needs improvement. The MSCQ is developed following guidelines available in literature and referring to established questionnaires for seating comfort Motorbike riders are more exposed to musculoskeletal disorders such as lower back pain. Motorbike riders are relatively more exposed to sitting posture hazard compared to car drivers Ergonomic principles are valuable in providing basic scientific information, regarding unsupported backleaning seating posture among motorbike riders.
ADVANTAGES OF AN ARMSTRONG SEAT
Over a period of 4 years, I have tried and tested various densities of foam, not only to ensure the longevity of the customized contours, but also to ensure the density retains its firmness over thousands of kilometres. The ridges on the cover not only ensure air circulation to enhance coolness, the foam that is heat pressed beneath it ensures climate control and also provides a certain amount of rigidness. The coccyx or the tail bone is where the fatigue kicks in over a period of time sitting on the otherwise OE seat…This seat addresses that in particular. Also, the thighs get a fair support as the sit is designed a bit too wide without making it obvious.
While the seat does get a couple of inches in height, this is where the customization comes into play as the foam inside is layered according to the height that the rider is. Overall, do expect this to be a little taller than the OE seats as this is designed with a different variety of foam altogether.
While the rider seat is designed keeping the harshness of the ride that the rider experiences, even it if means riding between tank fills, the pillion seat too is designed for equal comfort with a nice rounded support for the base and a larger thigh support. From my experience, the tail bone and the thigh muscle are the main pain points and this has been addressed in the seats that I have designed.
For More Information on Armstrong Seats logon to www.deepakkamath.com/seats