All materials we use are Made In The USA
THANKS for taking the time to visit our web site, we are happy to have you here. If you consider a ride across town riding, skip to custom seat covers. You don’t need an Astech comfort insert.
Since you have found our site, chances are good you are looking for a one of a kind improvement in the comfort of your motorcycle seat. If you have been looking for very long, it’s a fair bet you have found nearly as many opinions on what makes a good seat as there are riders and seats. At the heart of the confusion are strongly held convictions about design and materials by seat designers and modifiers both new and old. Some facts, some fiction, some trials and some errors presented as hard fast rules that must be strictly applied to every rider and seat made. Reality is every body is different, each rider feel’s comfort differently, and every bike effects the rider’s comfort differently. Compound that by riding style and ride distance and we have a real challenge ahead of us. No one manufacturers seat design or single type of material will fit every rider.
So how do we get the seat to give us what we want, that nice long, comfortable ride without going numb or burning after an hour or so? Spread the applied weight over the greatest possible area, adjust the shape to fit the object, minimize impact & vibration.
Let’s look at the technology available today…
Gels, What is the Difference?
Everybody seems to be using some super special exotic gel like, super atomic gel, impact gel, saddle gel, butt buffer, butt buddy, skwoosh, gel seat, gseat, blue diamond, pro pad, super comfort gel pad, comfort max, and so on and so forth. All of these sound very cool, except they are all the same. A viscoelastic polymer gel, originally designed to simulate body fat. Very temperature sensitive, effective padding only when applied to the surface of the existing seat foam, offering minimal deflection. We have removed dozens of these.
But, there are two patented and effective gel’s currently being manufactured, referred to as column buckling gel. Column buckling gels have the ability to rebound and deflect in response to pressure or loading and absorb vibration. Soft bottoms gel has column’s approximately 1inch square, requiring a minimum of 2 layers to provide enough support for an average rider. Astech Dry Polymer Gel has columns about ¼ inch square, close enough to support an average rider with only one 1 inch layer. Astech Gel absorbs very little heat, due to the columns and absorbs a significant amount of shock & vibration.
Foam, How much difference can it make?
Three basic types, open cell, closed cell, and visco-elastic memory foam. Each of these is produced in various densities, measured in pounds. Density is separate from hardness. Foam’s hardness varies from very soft to very firm depending on the amount of hardener mixed in at the time of manufacture.
Open cell means the foam breaths or rather air moves in and out when pressure is applied or released. Closed cell foam retains air inside the structure of the foam. These are the ones that you hear about “breaking in” you literally break the bubbles in the foam over time. Usually very hard and dense foam is used. It can work, just not for everybody.
Two generations of visco-elastic memory foam have been developed, both are an open cell foam. The first generation was invented for NASA to reduce impact of hard landings and improve seating comfort. It is very temperature sensitive, thus the name Tempurpedic. The second generation is much less sensitive to temperature and made of 40% plant based ingredients.
Astech Comfort Inserts use only second generation memory foam. It fits the shape of the pressure applied and doe not return pressure like regular open cell foam. It alleviates seating fatigue by distributing pressure and absorbing impact energy.
How do we do it?
Off with its cover! Most seat covers are attached with staples. These include most factory Harley Davidson seats, the majority of Honda, Indian, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Triumph, BSA, Victory and Ducati. After market seat covers are sometimes stapled, Saddleman, Willie & Max, Custom Chrome. Others are pop riveted such as Corbin, Mustang, Lepera, Corbin Gentry. Many aftermarket seat covers are glued to the foam, Corbin, Mustang and Lepera are usually glued .
Some manufacturers are experimenting with molded seat covers, where the vinyl cover is vaccumed into the mold to act as a mold release and foam is poured into the cover. Several seat makers attach buttons or some type of tie down like Honda Goldwing and many pillow top seats. We have to charge more for glued down covers and seats attached with rivets.
Once the foam is exposed we remove a large section of the foam from the rider and or passenger’s seating area, to the pan. The hole is then beveled to the outer edges of the existing foam. Now we have the space, lets fill it.
Next we insert our Astech Gel in the bottom of the seat, something impossible with flat gel pads. This gel acts like a set of shock absorbers with springs.
Now comes the most important part,
We begin placing the memory foam in the space, adjusting each layer for the given riders weight and build. We use up to seven different hardnesses of foam in a seat. The firmness of the foam helps control the rate of gel deflection. The laminated layers of foam control the depth the riders sink into the foam. During this stage ,we actively adjust the shape of each layer to finish the seat back to its original shape. Or, we make adjustments to the shape to finish the seat with changes that make the rider more comfortable. With the final shape complete we then carefully replace the original cover and return the seat to you. We’ll ask your height and weight.
WHAT can we do? Other than our ASTECH Comfort Insert?
It seems like we have done an endless variety of things with seats, from replacing a button to sawing large pieces off of them. Dozens of times we have made a seat fit bikes they were not intended to fit. Including making solos from 2up seats or 2 ups from solos.
Narrowing and or Lowering
A common request is to narrow the seat through the area where the thighs rest. Many seats have a sharp drop off in this area. Many times removing ½ inch from this area will help a great deal. More can be taken off if the rider needs additional reach. We’ll need your inseam to make changes if you are not on your bike with the seat. We have been very successful in bringing riders to safer and more comfortable position by lowering and narrowing the seat foam, we have gone as far as altering the pan when possible to get you where you need to be.
Dishing
Many seats believe it or not, are actually domed or convex. Many others are practically flat. Dishing or making them concave will make a significant improvement in rider comfort.
Adjusting the seating angle
Tilted the wrong way, either pitched forward or backward. Often a passenger problem, common issue with 08 –10 FLH seats.
Widen the Seat
Also a common passenger issue – Its unrealistic to expect an average built American woman to be comfortable on any seat less than 10 inches wide. Look at any rider portion of a cruiser or touring bike, they are at least 16 inches wide, more often 18 to 20 inches wide. Now, you think she can ride an 8 inch wide or less pogo stick around the world for hours on end and not have a legitimate complaint? If so, you may be wrong. Often we can widen your seat up to 2 inches without replacing the cover or over stressing the fabric – dependent on seat design. We have widened seats up to 8 inches.
Shaping for Reach
Either forward or back.
Pan up Foam Builds
You have the pan, we fit the foam into a shape you prefer. Anything from a dinky little solo seat or retro chopper or custom king & queen, if you can communicate what you want, we’ll make it
Covers
We are capable of producing any thing you can imagine in a seat cover, exotics like stingray, alligator or snake. Basic black leather, premium leather in multiple shades, made like stock or otherwise, with inlaid designs, stitched patterns or embossed logos or designs. Subtle or extreme, its up to you. We do high quality marine vinyl covers in exotic patterns and multiple colors – usually preferred on a daily rider. We have done hundred’s of stock replacement style covers as well as repairing more than we can count. We have in stock vinyl’s to match most factory seats.
Seat Heaters
Front or rear only or 2 up. Single or dual temperature controls
Made by Check Corporation.
Vibe Rider’s
What can I say, the girls do like to play on seats with vibe-riders!
Run time should be 5 minutes or less with some downtime between runs.
Heat Shielding Under the Seat
Some twin cams can be very hot, shielding reduces the heat build up in the seat.
Sheepskin Seat Covers
We design our sheepskin to be removed or installed in less than 10 seconds and to stay attached when you are off the bike. We have patterns for Harley Davidson 1981 thru 2010 Ultra Classic FLH seats, several Heritage, Fat Boy and Honda Goldwing. Usually made from 1inch thick black wool, long woolies and colors are available. We use only American Made Sheepskin. Its more expensive, better quality and it gives our brothers and sisters a job.