BAGGER SEAT SHOOTOUT

The factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide seat does the job it was built to do. It provides a comfortable ride, has a universal shape that will suit a variety of riders, and it comes standard with the bike. But we were looking for something a little more than just “adequate” for our bagger. We picked a few new seats on the market and put them through their paces. And the most important tester (my wife) had a say in the matter too!

RIDER: Upon initial receipt of this seat, the first thing I noticed was the build quality, second-to-none and absolutely beautiful. The material feels thick and durable; the diamond stitch pattern adds the perfect touch of style and class, with stitch lines that are evenly spaced and straight. Just by looking at the seat shape you can tell it is a rider’s seat first and a passenger’s seat second.

The shape of the rider’s cockpit has a nice scoop to the seat to hold the rider in place. However, my initial concern was with the side edges of the seat because they were a little pronounced for my liking. After initial installation, I sat on the bike, and the edges felt as though they would be a bother, possibly digging into my legs a little too much.

Once on the road, my worry disappeared. The contours of the seat kept my butt perfectly in place as if I were fastened to it with Velcro. After logging a couple hundred miles in the seat, the feature that I initially thought would be a negative ended up becoming a favorite of mine. The defined edge of the seat gave me leverage when leaning through corners and even helped with directional changes at speed. It gave my body a load point to use my weight to get the bike turned while using minimal handlebar input.

The Lucky Daves seat foam is firm, yet still comfortable. The cup of the seat also helps to distribute body weight fairly evenly. The firmness also gives the bike a sportier feel by eliminating some of the bounce that comes with the OEM seat.

PASSENGER: Unfortunately, as much as I fell for the seat, my wife felt the opposite. The Lucky Daves passenger seat is the narrowest of the three, and after a moderate ride, she was beginning to mention pressure points.

Overall, the build quality is top notch, and the seat comes with everything you need to install it in only a few minutes.

RIDER: This Le Pera seat has a unique grip material with just about the right amount of hold. Upon picking up the seat, the first thing that stood out was the weight. This is by far the heaviest seat of the group. Now being that it went on a V-twin bagger and not a performance superbike, it’s not a big deal, but something I felt was noteworthy.

The KickFlip seat has a bit of a square profile in the sense that it is rather flat on both the top and the sides, but also where the rider’s sit area meets the back support. The other thing that immediately stood out was the seat’s height. This Le Pera is also quite a bit taller than stock, and coupled with the square profile, it made getting my feet to the ground a slight struggle despite my average 30-inch inseam. On the plus side, the added seat height gave me a bit more legroom in the cockpit, and it also increased my view over the front fairing. Consequently, the taller saddle also put my head up higher and left me more vulnerable to the wind, wind noise, and buffeting.

In regard to the seat foam, the KickFlip has the firmestfeeling foam of the bunch, which could possibly be one of the contributing factors of its mass. As far as break-in goes, it currently doesn’t feel like it has changed any after a good amount of time testing. Similar to the feel of the Lucky Daves, the Le Pera KickFlip seat gives the bike a slightly more sporty feel by absorbing a lot of the OEM’s road bounce.

As mentioned in the beginning of the evaluation, the junction of the seat from the rider to the back support is more square than the Lucky Daves, and I was really able to feel it. On longer rides it did create hot spots on my sit bones and lower back, where it seems all my weight was focused.

PASSENGER: This was my wife’s second favorite seat for two reasons: First and most obvious is that it is slightly wider than the Lucky Daves seat. Next, she really loved Le Pera’s grip material, which runs along the top of the passenger section, saying she never had to worry about slipping or sliding toward the back of the line or during quick acceleration.

Overall, another solid contender, with exceptional craftsmanship. I loved the attention to detail underneath, with Le Pera choosing to hide most of the rivets under the seat base’s carpet. Add to that a grip seat material that stands out from the group and the KickFlip really sets itself apart.

However, I did have one gripe about the KickFlip. My qualm is with where the mounting bracket screws into. While the other two seats had rivet nuts in the seat base for the mounting bracket to screw into, Le Pera opted to just drill the holes and tap the base. This particular method sours me a little for the reason that there are only two or three threads for the screw to bite into. Adequate? Sure. But keep in mind these are the only screws and threads keeping the seat buttoned down to the bike.

RIDER: One look at the Saddlemen RoadSofa-LS and you know it’s meant for logging miles, not just as a solo rider but with a passenger too. The RoadSofa is wide and has a bit more cushion than the other seats, and with features such as Gelcore Technology, it has slightly better impact- and vibrationdamping abilities too.

Even though the RoadSofa visually lives up to its name, you wouldn’t know its size once mounted on the bike. The edges of the seat are contoured nicely, and the front was just narrow enough to allow me to be flat footed on the ground. The Gelcore Technology that makes up one of the multiple layers of the seat does an excellent job of giving the rider significantly more support than the OEM seat, while not being so firm that it transmits every little bump in the road to the rider. While being exceptionally comfortable due to its shape and design, the rounded edges of the seat had one flaw, in my opinion: There was no side ridge to create leverage for transitioning the bike. This design also felt like it lacked the ability to give me the feeling of being cradled by the seat. Instead, I felt like I was just sitting on top of it. On the other hand, this type of seat shape allows a rider to move around more and not just be locked into a specific seating position. The best way to describe sitting on this seat is that it feels like sitting on a high chair at a bar: plenty of cushion that is easy to move around on.

My only dislike about the RoadSofa-LS is where the seat meets the back support. I’m just not a huge fan of the sharp transition in that area. A small complaint, and one that I would probably make with the majority of the seats on the market, but it’s something I feel should be said.

PASSENGER: This was, hands down, my wife’s favorite seat, and it’s no wonder why. Saddlemen gave the passenger section just as much cushion and attention to detail as it gave to the rider. The seat has plenty of room in every direction, with the back of the seat flaring out slightly to ensure the passenger’s sit bones will still be in contact with the Gelcore innards. The only negative for the passenger, and this is situational, is that due to the size and width of the RoadSofa, the passenger is no longer able to use the grab strap, which is about an inch too short. Again, not necessarily an issue for most riders and their passengers. For me and my wife, it was no problem. If you were on a date, it’d be a great barrier break to maybe get a little closer. However, if your buddy’s bike broke down and you were going to give him a lift back to get a truck, well, get comfortable and find somewhere to hold. I speak from experience—it’s happened to me twice. Once, I was able to hold onto the bike’s grab handles. The second time it was love handles.

Like the other two seats, the Saddlemen RoadSofa-LS has fantastic craftsmanship and excellent attention to detail for both rider and passenger. Something else to note: This was the only seat of the three that allows use of an optional rider backrest and an optional heated seat (which were not tested here).

With so many seat options on the market, any of the three that were tested would be a good buy for anyone looking to upgrade the one spot on the bike you’ll be getting really personal with. Lucky Daves, Saddlemen, and Le Pera each can fulfill a rider’s need in their own unique ways.

For my personal taste, I preferred Lucky Daves’ bagger seat for its eyecatching style. I really liked how the seat held me in place no matter how I turned and moved. I also appreciated how I was able to use the edges of the seat to steer and transition the bike while riding. As for the design of the seat, it’s just modern enough to give the Road Glide more of an aggressive look and separate itself from the touring bike that it is.

If long-distance riding is your plan, or if you often carry a passenger (that you care about), the Saddlemen RoadSofa-LS is on the money. It has all the bells and whistles one would expect when buying a seat fit for a tourer: gel cushioning, wide footprint to distribute weight, optional backrest, and optional heating available. The construction and design of this seat bridges the gap between the growing popularity of the step-up-style seats and classic touring seat.

For anyone on the taller side, or those who want the stunt-style look, the Le Pera KickFlip Gripp Tape step-upstyle seat is for you. The ideal rider for this seat would be someone with longer legs than torso, who would want the extra legroom without the discomfort of an extended-reach seat putting strain on your back. HB

1990 to 2006 (except 2006 Dyna)

• 6: 1 Planetary gearing for superior mechanical efficiency compared to 4.44: 1 and 2.86: 1 in other starter motors.

• Special Neodymium Magnets provide more power with half the current draw of other 2KW starters. The only starter of its kind in the industry!

• A must have for high compression, large displacement engines

The Highest Performance starter available!

1981 to 2006 (except 2006 Dyna)

• Narrow Rotor fits in Softail/Dyna, voltage regulator mounts in stock location Available for Evo and Twin Cam Engines

• Precision wound 3Phase Stators provides 25 AMPS at idle, 40 AMPS continuously above 2,800 RPM!

• Vented rotor keeps stator cooler to maintain maximum output.

• Custom designed flanged seal spacer provides maximum support for the vented rotor.

• Series Voltage Regulator provides 14.2V from idle on up!

1970 to 1999 BT (except injected models) & 1971-2003 XL (except “S” models)

• Performance advance curves for engines from mild to wild!

• Tunable VOES adds 5 to 10 degrees vacuum advance

• Easy installation with LED static timing light.

• Selectable RPM limiter from 6,000 RPM to unlimited

• Systems for electric start, kick start, and race engines.

I’ve been testing the First Manufacturing Milestone leather shirt, a comfortable and stylish moto shirt for many riding types, since last summer, and it’s by far my go-to for multiple types of rides. First off, the Milestone is stylie. I’m not a fan of overthe-top doodads on anything, especially riding gear, and this jacket’s simplicity is what gets my vote for when it comes to raiding the closet.

The Milestone is a high-quality, lightweight leather shirt made from soft 0.8–1mm lambskin, and its supple feel provides a comfort like no other every time I slip it on. Featuring six easy front button snaps to make removing and wearing it a breeze, the Milestone also features two snap-enclosure breast pockets, two external waist pockets, and two deep inside pockets for storing multiple belongings. The soft satin liner is also very comfy, and I especially like how it feels against my skin. It’s available in sizes small through 5XL in your favorite color (black).

The cuffs also feature two snap adjustments for varying wrist diameters, but I find these to be right in the middle of where I need them to be. I find myself scaling up to get nongauntlet style gloves under the cuff, and using the tighter snap with larger, longer gloves. I’ve worn the Milestone in various conditions (except rain). It does well with heat in that air still finds its way in through the front snap enclosures, but when the temps drop, it’s definitely best to layer up a tad. Not that you need to rock a snow parka underneath, but a comfortable flannel easily does the trick.

Overall, for $170, the First Manufacturing Milestone is a must-have for any rider’s gear repertoire.

POSSIBLE BY:

THE RSD SUPER HOOLIGAN HILL CLIMB

CAMPING/LODGING/RV GRUB/BREWS+MORE FEATURING

HIGHPIPEMOTO.COM

ART DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN SPECIALIST

Robert Martin

PHOTO MANAGER

Jeff Allen

VIDEO SERVICES

VIDEO CONTENT MANAGER

Spenser Robert

VIDEO CONTENT SPECIALIST

Bert Beltran

CONTENT SERVICES

CONTENT BUSINESS MANAGER

Irene Gonzalez

COPY EDITOR

Dave Carriere CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Calabro, Rob Fortier, Chris Kimball, Jon Langston, Julia LaPalme, Ryan Loughridge, John Mata Jr., Robert Pandya, Drew Ruiz, Tim Sutton, Mikey Van, Winston Yeh

DIGITAL SERVICES

DIGITAL PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

Matthew Miles

GROUP TECHNICAL EDITOR

Kevin Cameron

DIGITAL CONTENT SPECIALIST

Jon McDevitt

DIGITAL CONTENT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

Serena Bleeker

CONTENT BUSINESS MANAGER

Terry Masaoka

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

For customer service and subscription questions, such as renewals, address changes, email preferences, billing, and account status, go to: hotbike.com/cs. You can also email HBKcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com, in the U.S. call toll-free 800-759-5540, outside the U.S. call 515-237-3697, or write to Hot Bike, PO Box 6364, Harlan, IA 51593-1864.

EDITORIAL OFFICES

760-707-0100

15255 Alton Pkwy., Suite 300, Irvine, CA 92618 hot.bike@bonniercorp.com

REPRINTS

Reprint requests: reprints@bonniercorp.com

MOTORCYCLE TESTING

MOTORCYCLE TESTING MANAGER

Ari Henning

MOTORCYCLE TESTING SPECIALIST

Andrew Oldar

MOTORCYCLE SERVICE SPECIALIST

Will Steenrod

SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCIAL CONTENT MANAGER

John Zamora

BONNIER MOTORCYCLE GROUP

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Andy Leisner

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARKETING

Tim Collins

CONTENT DIRECTOR

Kurt Hoy

ADVERTISING

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS

Katelynn Dudek,Ross Cunningham

SALES OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Kaitlyn Thompson

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

John Simanovich

DIGITAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Mary Hannah Hardcastle

SALES & MARKETING OPERATIONS MANAGER

John W. Scafetta

DIGITAL STRATEGY DIRECTO R

Sadie Huemmer

IT/OFFICE MANAGER

Camilo B. Viray Jr.

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Kim Putman

BUSINESS MANAGER

Connie Lau

MARKETING

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER

Ashley Roberts

MARKETING MANAGER

Nichole Starkey

PRODUCTION GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Rina V. Murray

ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Kelly Kramer Weekley

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Rick Andrews

CHAIRMAN

Tomas Franzén

HEAD OF BUSINESS AREA, MAGAZINES

Lars Dahmén

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Eric Zinczenko

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Joachim Jaginder

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

David Ritchie

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Elizabeth Burnham Murphy

CHIEF DIGITAL REVENUE OFFICER

Sean Holzman

VICE PRESIDENT, INTEGRATED SALES

John Graney

VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL OPERATIONS

David Butler

VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC RELATIONS

Perri Dorset

GENERAL COUNSEL

Jeremy Thompson

The Monster line features some of our most widely available inventory and our tallest front tire to date at 34”. With an all-weather tread and superior casing, this tire is made to handle a wide variety of road conditions. Multiple sizes available for most custom cruisers and baggers.