Saddlemen Adventure Tour Seat

At one time or another most of us end up experimenting with different seat styles, especially if you’re a long-hauler spending weeks or months of day after day in the saddle. There’s a dizzying array of choices out there—everything from DIY reskinning of seat pans to full-blown plush upgrades. Nevertheless, given the myriad of upgrades and bolt-ons available, is the investment in a better seat warranted, or should the money go elsewhere?

One such option we’ve been testing for several months is the impressive Saddlemen Adventure Tour. Saddlemen makes variations of this seat for BMW, KTM, Ducati, Triumph, Yamaha and Suzuki adventure bikes. For our test we used a BMW R1200GS Adventure.

The Adventure Tour is a gorgeously crafted seat where clearly the build materials, stitching and fit are serious business. After nearly 20,000 miles I’m impressed with the seat’s resilience— it still looks new. Even with thousands of “boot-overs” from my Sidi Adventure Rains scraping across it, something that would easily have damaged a lesser saddle, there’s not a scuff or a tear. That’s durability!

Durability aside, most riders are looking for comfort. When it comes to ponying up the dough for a new seat, it has to feel right. Spend 10 or more hours in any saddle and you’ll have a good idea. Do the math on how that same saddle will feel after 10 solid days or months, and the answer should come pretty easily.

The Saddlemen is constructed from a gel core, surrounded by progressive density foam with “comfort gel channels” that conform to where the butt makes contact. It’s covered with marine grade vinyl, allowing the rider to shift around easily without over-gripping.

Seat contours are another matter, not just for fit, but also for practicality. Almost every manufacturer has their own take (or multiple takes) on saddle forms and shapes. However, the couch-like design preferred by so many long-distance Wing and Harley riders isn’t an option for adventure riders. It’s a tricky compromise, especially because a mixture of sitting and standing are very much a part of the genre. The Adventure Tour is sculpted so that the thighs are free while sitting, and provides plenty of leg-shifting room with minimal contact while standing.

If the Adventure Tour has a downside, it would be its heaviness. On the GSA it’s about twice the weight of stock. Because the GSA is already a monster, for me the sacrifice of weight for greater comfort is a good trade.

The Saddlemen Adventure Tour is aptly named because not only is it brutally tough, its comfort is also unparalleled. Ultimately, seat preferences come down to individual taste—ride on enough seats and eventually you’ll discover what’s right for you. But I’m more than satisfied with the Adventure Tour, and with it my search is over. Saddlemen.com

MSRP: $549 (plus low profile and heated options)