here is much more to a motorcycle seat than some padding and a cover material. Designing a seat that looks good, provides enough comfort to keep a rider on his bike all day long and still does not break the bank is a challenge. A big challenge.
     Drag Specialties has been in the seat business since 1970, conceptualizing, prototyping and eventually producing unique seats for all kinds of bikes and riders. Kevin Lehan has been involved in the Drag seat-manufacturing world since 1974–that makes him one of those guys that have seen it all. He gave us some insight on what it takes to build a quality, comfortable motorcycle seat that has mass appeal.
     Designing a seat for a motorcycle is a complex operation. It starts with sketching out a shape. A designer must take a vision, put it on paper and then move forward on a prototype. That means you need an actual motorcycle to form a seat pan on. There you make allowances for clearance of the battery, electrical components, oil fillers, latches and often, varied fender designs. The seat pan is also the basis of the shape of the seat–will it be wider than stock or narrower? Will it move the rider back or forward on the bike? Should the rider sit taller or lower on the bike?
     Getting the answers to these questions involves a team effort. A designer will work with a varied group of people–some tall, some short, some with aggressive riding habits and some that are real mellow riders. Their feedback on riding position is factored into the equation and finally a seat pan prototype is formed.
     Now it’s back to the drawing board to take the sketch a designer started with and match it to the seat pan. Foam is added and a seat is stitched together. Then four or five additional versions are created with different levels of foam density. The same group of riders that provided feedback on the riding position are asked to test the different foam density versions and ultimately decide on one that seems to fit what the group is looking for.
     One little thing that people don’t often think about with a seat is width versus height. This is where the final adjustments in the seat become so crucial. By making the seat a little lower in profile, but widening the pan, it can cause a shorter rider to have to spread their legs more and make the bike harder to maneuver. Kevin and crew work all these details out before they put a seat into production.
With that bit of seat-making history out of the way, let’s look at some of the exciting things Drag Specialties has going on in the seat world. One of the most revolutionary new ideas is really cool–literally. Long time riders know just how uncomfortable it can be to park your bike in direct sunlight for an hour or so with nothing to cover the seat. Since black absorbs heat (and most seats are black), oftentimes seats heat up to 120-140 degrees in the sun. And you have to put some pretty sensitive parts of your anatomy on that black leather skillet if you want to get home. To combat the heat, Drag has incorporated a new solar reflective leather in some of their seats. Imagine parking in direct sunlight for a nice lunch on a hot day, coming out to your bike after basking in air-conditioned comfort for a while and not scalding your butt when you drop onto your seat. That is really cool!
     Another new feature for this year will be the addition of a line of seats featuring memory foam. These pillow designs will incorporate about one-inch of memory foam to provide additional comfort and cooling. On a long ride the foam conforms to the rider’s physique and allows him or her to ride much longer with less discomfort over the miles.
     There are some standard items on Drag Specialties seats that are often billed as premium elsewhere. Starting at the bottom, all Drag seats are finished with a carpet liner to protect the finish of fender paint and frame rails. Additionally some models are fit with rubber bumpers for extra protection. Most of the Drag seats are made from molded urethane that is blended to exacting specifications that support the quality Drag Specialties is known for. Seat covers, when not leather, are made from a special brand of Naugahyde, made only for Drag. If the seat comes with an exposed metal bracket, rest assured that it comes in a polished nickel chrome finish for durability and good looks. Finally, each Drag seat has a one-year warranty on workmanship and material defects.
     A look through the Drag Specialties catalog will reveal page-after-page of unique seat designs. From the new Low-Profile Touring Seats available with solar reflective leather or faux snake inlays to Predator seats with a low-lean profile that comfortably sits a rider and a passenger, you will see new seat ideas abound.
     Styling ideas and options are seemingly unlimited. Spend a few minutes cruising the catalog and before you know it you’ll have your customers cruising on Drag Specialties seats.