I was looking to get a custom Bare Bones with tribal embossed leather and the gel in the seating surface. In the meantime I came across a killer deal and decided to try the seat before I spend a lot of money.

I ended up getting a new vinyl LePera Bare Bones for the 07+ for like 130 to my door. It doesn't have the gel but I am very happy with it so far.

Fit and Finish: The seat looks great. The vinyl is a lot deeper black than the factory seat and has a nice luster to it for vinyl. Its not the same as leather but looks phenomenally better than the stock solo. The construction of the seat seems very solid. The plastic seat pan from the stock seat is gone and this seat has a metal seat pan and the bottom of the seat is finished just as well as the top. You do have to push down on the back of the seat a little while securing the screw for the seat tab because of the rigidness of the metal pan. It however isn't a problem and it follows the lines of the bike very well. It looks a lot better on my black Nightster than some of the bikes in the production photos.

Ride Quality and Cushioning: The seat is much firmer than the factory seat in my opinion. I like the firmness as its very supportive and you don't get that horrific bounce you get out of the stock seat. It is significantly narrower and thinner than the stock seat. I feel that there is a significant improvement in the comfort level. I put about 150 miles on the seat yesterday and hit several bumps. I caught one bad one that felt like it put my nuts deep into my stomach but nothing near as bad as the stock seat. The stock seat would give a similar feeling on much less significant bumps. The thing I did notice is I find myself sliding back on the seat more than the stock seat. Its lower in the back (which I knew when I ordered it) and I with forward controls tend to push back on the seat. I also noticed when I stop that I feel a lot lower than the factory seat. I am 5'11" and at a stock my knees are at nearly a 90 degree angle when I touch the ground. With my 3" extended forward controls however the angle is great and the seat is definitely more comfortable than the stock solo.

Overall Opinion: I would definitely buy the seat again. After getting the vinyl seat and being very pleased with the way it looks I am debating not even buying a leather version with the gel. I might eventually recover the seat but now I am very happy with the vinyl an the seat is a vast improvement over the factory seat. I am a little suprised that I think it feels better because I go for 240 and I'm not a small guy. I think it lies mostly in the firmer material in the seat itself. I could be somewhat biased by the way it looks though. I'll try to post some pics in a little while so you guys can let me know what you think. Overall I would definitely consider this an improvement over the stock solo.

 

Looks good, thanks for the word on the seat.

 

ive got mine on its way to me, it looks actually very good on your bike, the only problem is that now with the stock solo i had managed to fit the big plugs of the fuel pak under it, i was wondering if they still are gonna fit, have a look at the pics and see what you think, they dont stick out too much but according to what you saying about having to push the seat down a bit to reach the securing screw makes me think maybe is a very tight fit

 

where"d you get it from?Your bike looks sweet by the way.

 

ah, i forgot, its a lepera barebones 07

 

It fits fine with the fuel paq. I have one on mine with the connector under the seat and don't have any problems. I got it from a buddy that is a drag specialties dealer. I got it for like 130 or so and I know he made a little off of it.

 

cool then i cant wait to put it on, ill post some pics

 

Im trying to find out if the bare bones lt series will fit a 08 nightster?

 

The LT won't fit. You have two options in the bare bones. LFK-006 which is the one I have and LCK-006 that is designed for the 4.5 gallon tank. It will fit with the 3.3 but leaves a gap like the stock seat.

The LT doesn't have the cut out for the ECM. You would have to either relocate the ECM out from under the seat in the side cover or on the frame between the battery and the oil tank to get the LT to fit.

Hope this helps.

 

does the seat change your riding position from stock? i have a solo tripper now which i bought because it moves you back a bit from the stock one but the la pera looks like it sits lower which is nice but im crious if you are moved back at all.