New C&C Seat
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,932
Likes: 882
From: SOON TO BE A SAFE AMERICA
That seat looks fantastic!
I feel your pain right now with deciding on colors, materials, stitch patters, etc. I'm trying to put together a Solo and SportTour for a Road Glide. It's so hard and every time I feel like I have it figured out, I see something else and change my mind all over again!
How do you like the gel? And how'd you decide between leather and vinyl? I've never had gel before, and I usually lean towards leather as it shows its own patina. But vinyl is more durable, wears better, handles the sun better, and its cheaper too.
Ugh...decisions decisions!
I feel your pain right now with deciding on colors, materials, stitch patters, etc. I'm trying to put together a Solo and SportTour for a Road Glide. It's so hard and every time I feel like I have it figured out, I see something else and change my mind all over again!
How do you like the gel? And how'd you decide between leather and vinyl? I've never had gel before, and I usually lean towards leather as it shows its own patina. But vinyl is more durable, wears better, handles the sun better, and its cheaper too.
Ugh...decisions decisions!
Chad,
I have both a C&C Solo & SportsTouring Saddle. Both are vinyl, No gel, No stitching.
JMHO, Gel gets hot in summer, cold in winter. Stitching allow more point of entrance of water. Both my C&C saddles are vinyl, no gel or stitching, and well over 11 years old.
And you would never know it.
YB
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,006
Likes: 1,240
From: On the Front Range, CO
Haha, Yes I know exactly what you are going through. My suggestion is to just go with your gut on what you feel will look right but I'd be happy to add a few more details of what led me to my choices. I tend to be very detailed when making a decision on these kinds of things so I spent a lot of time combing through my options. Given the money I spent on my bike, and the amount I was going to put towards a custom seat, I felt the added time was worth it. I am not going to say the seat was cheap, but for the custom options and all of the adders I got, it was a good price. Also, If you just went super basic and wanted the seat more for a better feel than all the added extra looks, their standard option is very reasonably priced
- I was first looking at the seats that have the passenger seat added on (2-up) but I saw a lot of pictures of people with the detachable pavilion. C&C said that the pavilion is essentially the same padding as the 2-up seats but it has the added benefit of taking off the pavilion for a different look with the solo seat. The detachable pavilions also have a few different sizes to choose from where I am pretty sure the 2-ups only have the associated size with the different design. I changed my mind from the sport touring to the wide solo with pavilion to give me more options but to but honest, I like the look of the seat so much that I never remove the pavilion. I think it actually looks just as good or better with it on. So if I were to do it again, I would probably go with the sport tour, or even the larger tour special which has a little more padding for the wife.
Also, I ended up going with the wide solo after reading a lot of reviews on here and figured it wouldn't be bad to have the extra width. The one thing I noticed with the seat when I first put it on is that it did not have the same side support that the stock seat had. I felt like I wasn't "stuck" in the seat as much. I am 6'4" and about 245lbs so i'm a big guy but don't have a huge *** haha. I could see the wide solo being better for a more wide set person. I cannot say for sure, but I now wonder if the standard solo seat would have provided a little more side support by being more narrow so I would ask C&C about this when you talk with them. That being said, now that I have ridden on the seat a lot more, I have no issues with it and don't feel as loose in the seat as when I first made the change.
- It's hard to say if the gel makes a big difference because I don't have a non gel seat to compare it to. However, I can tell it's in there and the seat is super comfortable. I haven't been on any 6+ hour rides but the 4 hours I did the other day gave me no issues. I have heard about the concerns with cold and heat. I can tell you it has been extremely cold here and the seat has not bothered me. The 140km/h (85 mph) wind was colder than my seat would ever feel so I didn't notice it even if it was cold. The heat, I can't speak to and it doesn't get as hot here as it does in the lower states but I always figured if it was a problem, i would just buy a pack of cheap white towels from costco and throw one over the seat when I park in the sun while on a ride.
Also, the wife who has a sportster 883 says the back pavilion is just as, if not more comfortable than her own seat and she has lower back issues.
- I was originally going to go with leather but C&C suggested against it. From my research, the only reason I figured leather would be better was because it is a little cooler. I live in a rainy area so they said leather would eventually show wear and would need constant care compared to the vinyl. The vinyl also has way more options for texture and colour. The BMW carbon fiber is obviously not a great comparison but the perforated vinyl is similar to leather and I think it's a great quality.
- I really liked the carbon fiber look but they have a few different variations. I believe they have a flat, gloss, BMW, and rugged. I didn't think the flat had as much pop as the others so I was leaning to the gloss or rugged. I think noticed the gloss on another vivid black bike in one of their facebook photos and thought it was too similar to the gloss of the bike so it didn't give a good enough contrast to the bike (which i think is important in the seat). I was going towards the rugged sine I was worried the vinyl would be too slick and need some added grip but C&C assured me that they are all grippy. I ended up landing on the BMW as it was cleaner, wasn't AS black as the gloss, and had a nice look. The perforated leather accents gave a nice contrast which seemed to be a popular choice based on other seats I saw.
- For the piping, I saw a lot of people had matched the piping texture to the seat or accent strip itself. C&C also recommended this as it was guaranteed to match. However, I actually went with just the standard black vinyl since I felt it gave a cleaner line around the edges and I'm glad I did. If I had a bike that had some actual colour accents on it, I would have definitely added a matching vinyl coloured piping as well as stitching.
- I was thinking of going with white stitching but ended up with the "shark" colour since white might look dirty and stand out a little too much. The shark almost looks white but is more of a super light silvery grey.
Hopefully all these points can help you make a decision more quickly
cheers
- I was first looking at the seats that have the passenger seat added on (2-up) but I saw a lot of pictures of people with the detachable pavilion. C&C said that the pavilion is essentially the same padding as the 2-up seats but it has the added benefit of taking off the pavilion for a different look with the solo seat. The detachable pavilions also have a few different sizes to choose from where I am pretty sure the 2-ups only have the associated size with the different design. I changed my mind from the sport touring to the wide solo with pavilion to give me more options but to but honest, I like the look of the seat so much that I never remove the pavilion. I think it actually looks just as good or better with it on. So if I were to do it again, I would probably go with the sport tour, or even the larger tour special which has a little more padding for the wife.
Also, I ended up going with the wide solo after reading a lot of reviews on here and figured it wouldn't be bad to have the extra width. The one thing I noticed with the seat when I first put it on is that it did not have the same side support that the stock seat had. I felt like I wasn't "stuck" in the seat as much. I am 6'4" and about 245lbs so i'm a big guy but don't have a huge *** haha. I could see the wide solo being better for a more wide set person. I cannot say for sure, but I now wonder if the standard solo seat would have provided a little more side support by being more narrow so I would ask C&C about this when you talk with them. That being said, now that I have ridden on the seat a lot more, I have no issues with it and don't feel as loose in the seat as when I first made the change.
- It's hard to say if the gel makes a big difference because I don't have a non gel seat to compare it to. However, I can tell it's in there and the seat is super comfortable. I haven't been on any 6+ hour rides but the 4 hours I did the other day gave me no issues. I have heard about the concerns with cold and heat. I can tell you it has been extremely cold here and the seat has not bothered me. The 140km/h (85 mph) wind was colder than my seat would ever feel so I didn't notice it even if it was cold. The heat, I can't speak to and it doesn't get as hot here as it does in the lower states but I always figured if it was a problem, i would just buy a pack of cheap white towels from costco and throw one over the seat when I park in the sun while on a ride.
Also, the wife who has a sportster 883 says the back pavilion is just as, if not more comfortable than her own seat and she has lower back issues.
- I was originally going to go with leather but C&C suggested against it. From my research, the only reason I figured leather would be better was because it is a little cooler. I live in a rainy area so they said leather would eventually show wear and would need constant care compared to the vinyl. The vinyl also has way more options for texture and colour. The BMW carbon fiber is obviously not a great comparison but the perforated vinyl is similar to leather and I think it's a great quality.
- I really liked the carbon fiber look but they have a few different variations. I believe they have a flat, gloss, BMW, and rugged. I didn't think the flat had as much pop as the others so I was leaning to the gloss or rugged. I think noticed the gloss on another vivid black bike in one of their facebook photos and thought it was too similar to the gloss of the bike so it didn't give a good enough contrast to the bike (which i think is important in the seat). I was going towards the rugged sine I was worried the vinyl would be too slick and need some added grip but C&C assured me that they are all grippy. I ended up landing on the BMW as it was cleaner, wasn't AS black as the gloss, and had a nice look. The perforated leather accents gave a nice contrast which seemed to be a popular choice based on other seats I saw.
- For the piping, I saw a lot of people had matched the piping texture to the seat or accent strip itself. C&C also recommended this as it was guaranteed to match. However, I actually went with just the standard black vinyl since I felt it gave a cleaner line around the edges and I'm glad I did. If I had a bike that had some actual colour accents on it, I would have definitely added a matching vinyl coloured piping as well as stitching.
- I was thinking of going with white stitching but ended up with the "shark" colour since white might look dirty and stand out a little too much. The shark almost looks white but is more of a super light silvery grey.
Hopefully all these points can help you make a decision more quickly
cheers
Your response, combined with scouring the C&C website for more time that I should admit, looking at their FB page (even though I don't FB), and spending a few minutes admiring the bike my vision became clear and I put in my order today with Shad.
With the COVID response, things are 3-4 weeks out as it is, but in Colorado we're expecting snow this week anyway. I also have a rear fender that is at the painter (COVID has delayed the paint shipment) along with some other goodies, which has me at a stand still.
Chad,
I have both a C&C Solo & SportsTouring Saddle. Both are vinyl, No gel, No stitching.
JMHO, Gel gets hot in summer, cold in winter. Stitching allow more point of entrance of water. Both my C&C saddles are vinyl, no gel or stitching, and well over 11 years old.
And you would never know it.
YB
I have both a C&C Solo & SportsTouring Saddle. Both are vinyl, No gel, No stitching.
JMHO, Gel gets hot in summer, cold in winter. Stitching allow more point of entrance of water. Both my C&C saddles are vinyl, no gel or stitching, and well over 11 years old.
And you would never know it.
YB
My other bikes both have solo seats that still look good and I have a SportTour that I should consider recovering. It's almost 10 years old as well could use a refresh; admittedly I got it right after I purchased my 2010 and at the time I wasn't very seasoned with proper leather care. None of them have gel or backrests, but on this new order, I opted for both. When we ride, it's usually all day, many times 300-400 miles. Figured both would be a welcomed addition.
Man, I'm getting anxious for Spring!
Thread Starter
|
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 100
Likes: 57
From: BC
Thanks for the detailed reply. It helped me with making my choices.
Your response, combined with scouring the C&C website for more time that I should admit, looking at their FB page (even though I don't FB), and spending a few minutes admiring the bike my vision became clear and I put in my order today with Shad.
With the COVID response, things are 3-4 weeks out as it is, but in Colorado we're expecting snow this week anyway. I also have a rear fender that is at the painter (COVID has delayed the paint shipment) along with some other goodies, which has me at a stand still.
Thanks Paul - glad to hear that the vinyl has held up well for you. It's especially reassuring since this time I decided to go 100% vinyl for all materials. The stitching pattern I chose isn't extravagant, and I limited my materials to just two different textures so as to not busy things up.
My other bikes both have solo seats that still look good and I have a SportTour that I should consider recovering. It's almost 10 years old as well could use a refresh; admittedly I got it right after I purchased my 2010 and at the time I wasn't very seasoned with proper leather care. None of them have gel or backrests, but on this new order, I opted for both. When we ride, it's usually all day, many times 300-400 miles. Figured both would be a welcomed addition.
Man, I'm getting anxious for Spring!
Your response, combined with scouring the C&C website for more time that I should admit, looking at their FB page (even though I don't FB), and spending a few minutes admiring the bike my vision became clear and I put in my order today with Shad.
With the COVID response, things are 3-4 weeks out as it is, but in Colorado we're expecting snow this week anyway. I also have a rear fender that is at the painter (COVID has delayed the paint shipment) along with some other goodies, which has me at a stand still.
Thanks Paul - glad to hear that the vinyl has held up well for you. It's especially reassuring since this time I decided to go 100% vinyl for all materials. The stitching pattern I chose isn't extravagant, and I limited my materials to just two different textures so as to not busy things up.
My other bikes both have solo seats that still look good and I have a SportTour that I should consider recovering. It's almost 10 years old as well could use a refresh; admittedly I got it right after I purchased my 2010 and at the time I wasn't very seasoned with proper leather care. None of them have gel or backrests, but on this new order, I opted for both. When we ride, it's usually all day, many times 300-400 miles. Figured both would be a welcomed addition.
Man, I'm getting anxious for Spring!
Glad to hear I could help! I originally never thought of using facebook myself but I find that having multiple visual examples is the best way to make the right choice and they have a lot of photos on their. I've actually started using facebook and even instagram to help find examples of other mods i'm interesting in doing like the new handlebars I'm looking at getting.
Yes, C&C also mentioned the stitching can potentially be an issue in the rain. Although I live in one of the rainiest parts of the Canada, I don't ride too much in the rain and don't park it in the rain. I also figured, it I do, i can look at getting some sort of waterproof cover to throw over top when needed.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 12,499
Likes: 7,511
From: Edmond, OK
How are the touring seats from C&C? I have a C&C on my FXSTS and it looks awesome, but I would in no way consider it an all day in the saddle seat. I would love to have something similar for my FLHR but I need it to be at least 8 hour comfortable. Have diamond stitching on my softail but thinking maybe some sort of perforated leather for the touring.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 313
Likes: 51
From: Georgia
C&C Solo Seats: how is the lumbar support?
Rather than start a new thread, would ask here. Would also like to know how the lumbar support feels/works. With the stock street glide seat, I would like just a little more back to the seat (actually, I seem to slide forward just enough to not be able to use what is there). Mustang tour seats seem to have a good bit of the lumbar, and look like they have a cockpit-feel. I do not have a dealer that carries these very close to me. Caveat: not sure I want a backrest on, not all the time anyway.
