Review - RX3 short seat, carbon with colored stitching

[detours]

I ordered CSC's new comfort seat and it finally arrived ... the short seat with red stitching for $299 (http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/product-p/csc-200.htm). I installed it yesterday and went for a 45-minute ride. I'm taking a 4+ hour ride this weekend, and will have a better report after that.

My initial impression is that the new seat is more comfortable than stock. The foam feels softer initially and firmer when compressed, but not hard, like the stock seat. The shape is also flatter, which seems to support the sit-bones better. However, the back part of the seat seemed to press into my backside more than stock, though not uncomfortably. Someone smaller than my 5'10" height won't even notice.

The seat cover material is very tough and less stretchy than stock. It has a pebbled texture in the saddle area and a smoother, carbon fiber texture at the nose and along the sides. I ordered the red stitching and the threads are all clean and very high quality. The red really complements my bike.

As for height, the short seat feels maybe a little bit shorter than stock but is definitely no taller. This is the one to get if you have a shorter inseam. I actually felt like it was too short for my 30" inseam and I may have to order the tall seat.

Both front and rear seats are built on the standard RX3 saddle base. The seat cover is securely attached to the base with a continuous line of horizontal staples, and I'm sure this contributes to the saddle's solid feel.

More pics to follow!

[detours]

Here's a side view of the old and new seats. You can see the extra thickness at the back of the seat.

[detours]

The rear seat is included and also has red stitching and pebbled surface to match the front.

Strangely, even though it is also based on the stock seat, I found it more difficult to install and latch than the old one. But thinking back, I remember the stock seat had the same issue at first. I'm sure this one will bend into place with use.

[detours]

Here are the seats installed on the bike. They fit perfectly as expected and look amazing!

[detours]

Here's a side view installed. The front of the new seat looks loose in this shot because I didn't set the front hook properly. I took another shot with it fit properly, but it didn't come out. It fits as well as the stock seat.

[detours]

This shot shows a top view of the front seat, properly fitted. You can see it fits perfectly with no gap.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the excellent review and great photographs. :tup: We eagerly await further updates after you gain more time in the new saddle. :)

[AZRider]

Thanks for the review. I'm 5'10", with a 32" inseam and the tall version looks like it would suit me better.

[detours]

Yes, if you have more than a 30" inseam, definitely start with the tall seat. I understand it's more comfortable too (with its thicker padding).

[SpudRider]

I can see where the taller saddle, with thicker foam, would level the seating surface more, thus preventing the rear of the saddle from pressing into your derriere. ;)

[dave92029]

Nice review... thanks.

Your seat with the red stitching looks sharp!

[SpudRider]

Indeed, I really like the new cover material, and the colored stitching adds a nice touch. :) The stock cover material stretches too much to suit me. ;)

[detours]

Thanks! The red stitching is nice and I much prefer this cover material. It is much stronger and I doubt it will scuff as easily.

[marzhere]

Thanks for the review and pics. Can't wait for the longer ride results.

I think the color stitching adds just the right amount of pop to the seat (sounds like my feminine side is showing :hehe:)

[detours]

Long ride results are in, and with 4 hours (nearly) continuous hours in the saddle, the short seat is definitely more comfortable than stock.

Riding home at the end of previous 4-hour rides, I always had to stand on the pegs every once in a while to rest my sore bum. But not this time. I was much more comfortable and wasn't saddlesore after the ride :tup:

A big :thanks: to CSC for developing this saddle!

[detours]

Also, forum user Marzhere from Parker came up to try out the saddle. She was looking for something shorter than stock and wanted to try it out.

But strangely, even though my initial impression was that the 'short' comfort seat was a bit shorter than stock ... when I put the original saddle back on for comparison, it turned out to be slightly shorter than the comfort seat.

My recommendation ...

For the shortest seat possible, stick with the stock seat.
For more comfort, with less than 30 inch inseam, get the short comfort seat.
For more comfort, with more than a 32 inch inseam, get the tall comfort seat.


If you're right at 30 inches like me, you have to decide if you want more or less height. For now, I'm keeping the short saddle (because I've already bought it), but the extra height of the taller seat might be calling my name.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the update. :tup:

[jct842]

Might attempt to sell it to a shorter rx3 owner and then buy the taller one.

[ElectricCircus]

My recommendation ...

For the shortest seat possible, stick with the stock seat.
For more comfort, with less than 30 inch inseam, get the short comfort seat.
For more comfort, with more than a 32 inch inseam, get the tall comfort seat.



Maybe is time to include another ítem for the RX3 2016 wishlist:
3412

[SpudRider]

:lol:

[woodlandsprite]

Thanks for posting the review and photos!

Hmm. My new boots are actually shorter at the heel than my current boots - I don't know what my actual inseam length is, I suppose I should go and figure that out :P

[marzhere]

Thanks for posting the review and photos!

Hmm. My new boots are actually shorter at the heel than my current boots - I don't know what my actual inseam length is, I suppose I should go and figure that out :P

And after sitting on Detours new and original seat (he was kind enough to put the original back on, so we could compare the two) and our thinking the stock allowed me to be not quite so much on my tippy toes when compared to the new seat, I decided to keep the original seat and try to modify it myself. After all, if it didn't work out, I could just buy a new one...anyway, I pulled all the staples and removed the cover. DH Mark got out the bread knife and started sawing. We ended up taking some off both sides and a little off the top. He then hit the foam with an angle grinder that had sandpaper on it. We put the cover back on and stapled away. I will admit it's not as smooth (under the cover) as stock, but we called it good enough.

Mark then adjusted the shock so there will be more sag. He rode it to work yesterday and said those two mods definitely had him more flat footed than before. He's going to bring my motorcross boots back from the cabin this weekend, so I'll try those. They are shorter in the heel, but maybe they are taller in the toe area, than my other boots.

Now, I'm just waiting for the lowering link, that should be an additional inch of help. It was ordered yesterday (along with the 13t sprocket)...

[detours]

Marzhere, I was just thinking about something else you could maybe look at to shorten the bike. You might be able to slice a little off the rubber bumpers under the seat. That's what I did on my Vstrom and I got an extra 1/4 inch.

You just want to make sure shaving the bumpers won't put the seat directly on the frame or plastic panels or you'll rub paint and feel more vibration through the seat.

[marzhere]

Marzhere, I was just thinking about something else you could maybe look at to shorten the bike. You might be able to slice a little off the rubber bumpers under the seat. That's what I did on my Vstrom and I got an extra 1/4 inch.

You just want to make sure shaving the bumpers won't put the seat directly on the frame or plastic panels or you'll rub paint and feel more vibration through the seat.

Excellent thought. Will check into that possibility.

[Riceburner]

Marzhere, I was just thinking about something else you could maybe look at to shorten the bike. You might be able to slice a little off the rubber bumpers under the seat. That's what I did on my Vstrom and I got an extra 1/4 inch.

You just want to make sure shaving the bumpers won't put the seat directly on the frame or plastic panels or you'll rub paint and feel more vibration through the seat.

Detours, Marzhere, I don't think you can shorten the rubber bumpers. The starter relay is under the the seat and about middle, it sticks up above the frame rail. I wanted to lower my seat pan and relocated the starter relay back under the passenger seat. cut out the seat pan a bit and was able to lower the seat base about a half inch. I used my CAD design knowledge (Cardboard Aided Design).

I thought the seat was OK before I had it covered, hadn't been able to test ride it but when I got it back and have since done about 60 km, it's OK, not quite right, close but no "chocolate chip cookies"; figured from the beginning I'd have to re-do it. After the covering was on it seems to be higher than I'd expected and it's not wide enough under my thigh and even with cutting part of that back slope out, it still slops too much for me. I'll ride it for a bit before I modify it again. And I made it too wide on the sides, I think it ended up being wider than stock.

I ordered a second OEM seat on Taobao, I'm going to cut that one down and dish out the back where the slope is, I'll have a metal pan built for the center and get a better saddle shape to it.

[marzhere]

Thanks Riceburner. Appreciate the insight.

[detours]

Quick update ... Went on another 4 hour ride on Saturday and the seat is holding up really nice. The stock seat had me sore in 2 hours. But the new one is comfortable for 4+ hours. I'm sure the tall seat is even better.