Ducati Monster Forum

Im looking to buy an aftermarket seat that is better suited for longer distances then the OEM one that came on the bike. The main reason that i want a new one is that i find myself going on longer and longer rides and the comfort factor with those seats are pretty low after the first couple of hours....ALSO i would like my girlfriend to ride on the back more often, but she finds it hard to do so most of the time because the passenger seat is so hard and hurts her butt after more than an hour of being on the back seat....i have heard about sergeant seats, Corbin seats, and the Ducati comfort seat...but havens felt them myself...so im hoping you guys have....

So my question to you guys is what touring seat would you recommend? Not only would the seat need to be more comfortable for me but the passenger seat would need to be more comfortable as well....can you guys help me out a little??  ???

They are ugly as can be, but the Russel Day-long will probably be the most comfy http://www.day-long.com/ (http://www.day-long.com/)

The corbin is pretty comfy when sitting still, but I find its too hard for actual riding on a sport bike.  The foam is really, really hard on the corbin which is good for the butt, but doesn't absorb bumps in the road.  It works well if you have super-smooth suspension or super-smooth roads.  Also the fit, finish and customer service from corbin is seriously lacking.  I haven't had a sargent - they are supposed to be very nicely made though.  I'm not sure how much extra space, if any they'd give a passenger.

This guy will mod your stock seat and lots of folks like his work - I haven't sampled first-hand
http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php (http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php)

I second what bikepilot said about the Russel saddles...all the Beemer guys swear by them...

from my experience though, the Sargent saddle I had put on my old Monster was the bees knees and probably hands down the best modification I made to that bike.

well i just looked at the Russell ones and they dont even show having them for monsters.....and yea...they are pretty ugly haha but they look comfy as hell! but i only plan on putting this seat on when im going any serius distance....so looks are a HUGE issue...

When you had that sergeant seat did you ever ride 2up? if so how did the passenger fair?

When you say that the corbin seat is really really firm does that mean that its not very comfortable?

yes, I did 2 up all the time with the Sargent on my Monster. The only think more comfortable for a passenger seemed to be the Corbin Gunfighter that was on my 82 GP-z550 or the passenger seat on a Honda Goldwing or a Victory Vision...I had the Sargent with my Ventura rack and high mount Arrow carbon cans and my GF was quite comfy back there on a couple of long trips we did together....the other great thing about the Sargent was the storage tube underneath and the fold out bungee hooks which made for convience a plenty.

The corbin is comfy as long as you the road is perfectly smooth.  If the road is bumpy you feel every little bump. I don't like it for that reason.  Also the poor fit, weight, etc make it not my first choice. 

I like my DP Gel seat a lot.

+1 on the DP seat and affordable even when it's DP.

My second Monster came with a Corbin seat, I kept my Sargent when I sold the 620 and it went straight on to the new bike and the Corbin got sold.
They are very very hard IMO. The Sargent also has the added value of storage in the tube under the seat.
I do enough touring on it to know that I wouldn't sit on anything else for 3-5 days of riding.

So i think that the DP gel seat is out...yes i would be more comfortable on it then on the OEM seat however i have heard that all the comfort enhancements are for the driver...and that there isnt much of a difference for the passenger.....which is mainly why im getting a new seat, so my girlfriend will be more comfortable and ride with me on longer trips more often.....

So i think that its down to the corbin which definately looks cool.....or the sergeant....which is pretty pricy.... :-[ so i guess ill just have to bite the bullet  [bang]

have you thought about modding the seat if you're looking for something under budget?

http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php (http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php)

he's gotten great reviews and can mod the passenger section to your needs.  that being said... i dont know if the pillion section of the oe monster seat can be enlarged all that much or changed that much if you want to fit the cowl back on after.  but if it's just the quality of the foam you want changed, it shouldnt be a prob.

I have the DP gel and the Sargent.  I love the DP gel seat.  Comfy and cool in the heat.  The Sargent is great looking and built like a tank but not that comfortable.  Its a personal thing too.

more often than not, the pricier stuff is better for a reason....there are exceptions to that rule...but generally speaking...

+1 dp gel. I like it better than my sargent

I have a corbin and a sargent for my 01 900 and have put thousands of miles on both. I cannot express deeply enough how much I hate the corbin. It is a heavy, hard brick. However, it has the space and strength for a passenger.

The sargent is far lighter than the corbin and really, really comfortable. I have done many 12 hour days on it without issues. However the sargent has little space for a pillion and is not designed for one from either a space or strength perspective.

I had this guy do a seat for a different bike and it turned out great.  You really can't beat a custom seat compared to an off the shelf one.  You will have to send in some pictures of you and your passenger on the bike so he can figure out how to shape the foam for your specific application.  Plus, his prices are cheaper than buying a new seat all together.

This guy literally saved my ass  ;D

I emailed the guy that you guys recommended that rebuilds the seats to fit you.....i think that might be the best way to go!  [beer]

Do any of you know how much the rebuilds usually run for the driver and passenger area?

I know all of you guys love you DP gel seats....but that wont work for me because the passenger seat supposedly inst much better then the stock seat  :'( which sucks pretty bad because its a great price  [bang]

from his faq:

 "How much does it cost: For a two section seat the riders section comfort mod is $50, lowering at the same time is an additional
  $10, the passenger section at the same time is an additional $25*.
  For a one piece seat the riders section comfort mod is $50, the passenger area done at the same time is an additional $15*
  "LD" upgrade pricing is based on the amount of Supracor used in your model, usually adds $25 to $35 (e-mail for quote)
  (*passenger section/area pricing is only valid when done together with the riders section/area)"

http://greatdaytoride.com/FAQ.html (http://greatdaytoride.com/FAQ.html)

so you're looking at $65-100 depending on if you want the gel insert and how much gel he puts in.  though truthfully... if you're doing this mod, then i would def get the gel, esp if you plan on doing any kind of touring.  pretty cheap comfort upgrade.