MEMBER TESTED Sargent World Sport Performance

Sargent’s World Sport Performance S 1000 XR seat

By Steven M. Green #198919

SWITCHING FROM THE STOCK SEAT ON MY S 1000 XR TO

the Sargent seat, my highly calibrated ‘butt-o-meter’ registered a 250 percent increase in comfort. Specifically, I’m usually fidgety after about 200 miles with the stock seat on my XR, but with the comfort built into the Sargent, I was still going strong at 500 miles.

I’ll get into the reasons why in a minute, but first I’m going to have to attempt to answer the question some fellow XR owners asked, “Why can’t BMW build a seat this comfortable?”

If you want to be highly analytical, every motorcycle is a series of compromises in one way or another. A production motorcycle must meet all kinds of criteria including cost, performance, weight, government restrictions, seating position, styling, and suitability of purpose. In the case of seats, if you were to only use a bike for relaxed, long-distance touring, then you would want a seat that didn’t offer a rider the ability to move around a bunch but would cradle you in upright sitting comfort. On the other hand, if you like to ride in a style where you constantly move around, such as off-roading or canyon carving, a smaller seat profile facilitates body shifting. The Sargent seat cradles you, yet doesn’t interfere with spirited canyon runs. Also, all manufacturers also have cost targets. As you’ll be able to see, this seat is quite a bit more expensive to manufacture than a stock seat. So, while the stock seat is reasonably good, the Sargent is great!

Underside of the Sargent seat.

The first difference when looking at the seat is the change in overall shape. The stock XR seat does have some butt contour but the Sargent clearly is designed to cradle you. Additionally, the pillion seat is light years ahead in comfort for your passenger as well, with both a shaped larger area for pressure reduction and their hidden center comfort groove, just like the main seat. What is that, you ask?

A couple of decades ago, bicycle seats began to appear with the center cut out to take pressure off the perineum area. It was a milestone in comfort. Sargent now appears to be the first seat manufacturer to have a groove cut in the padding to eliminate perineum pressure. You can’t see it, but you can readily feel it with your hand and definitely appreciate it when riding. I’m scratching my head why it took so long to transfer from bicycles to motorcycles, but happy Sargent is leading the way.

Sargent, with its patented technology, also inserts a visco-elastic

layer (memory foam) into their proprietary main seat foam to provide a better distribution of pressure points. Additionally, Sargent makes different seat coverings options available with our sample coming with their UV stabilized DTX material. Other options include advanced variable heating for rider and pillion, a backrest, and combinations of seat/welt materials and colors. Sargent’s unique seat base fits exactly like a stock pan; however, it’s upgraded. Standard equipment not only includes a strap to hold the owner’s manual, but also an enclosed storage area that can hold registration and insurance information, some emergency cash and even some coins for the parking meter. Another nice touch is the standard Sargent labeled LED flashlight hidden in the seat pan.

The seat is reasonably priced, costing about what many seat companies charge just to change the shape of your stock seat. Since there are so many options, you can find full price info at sargentcycle.com. The seat for the XR starts at $469.95.