Guillaume
Member
Alright, after quite a bit of thoughts, I went forward with the Top Sellerie Deluxe Seat. Here is my review of the seat from choosing it to riding it. Click on any picture to see them in a larger size (sorry for the poor quality, iPhone camera was the best option at the time).
TS = Top Sellerie
Rider:
I am 6”2 and 193lbs. I have only been riding since the beginning of March and put 6,000 miles on the FZ8 since I started (it’s my first bike). I commute every day on a busy but not “trafficky” freeway for 15 miles and then 4 miles of busy side streets (this is each way). I sometimes go on canyon roads on the weekends or weeknights, have never been to a track and rode many times with passengers of various height and size (none bigger than me).
Ordering:
Even though Top Sellerie website isn’t the most user friendly, I enjoyed being able to personalize the seats. You can pick a few base designs, all sorts of materials and colors for the leather parts, piping and threading (both for the seat or for your personal words on the seat). You can also order some samples (1€ each) to check their materials and colors; the cost is deducted from your future order.
After reviewing a few materials, I went forward with a simple design. All black with their main material (SEL003) and gold threads. No logos, inscriptions or special design. One of the issues I was trying to fix was that the passenger seat was too far from my butt, making passengers sit right on the front part of the passenger seat. Pretty uncomfortable for long rides. I ordered the Type 1 deluxe seat, short (to reduce the gap) and raised (I have long legs, therefore less bend at my knees) version with both rider and passenger seat gelled. I don’t need the heated seat option but both can have it. I had them provide the seat pan because I didn’t want to be stuck without a seat. You can send your own seat pan to have them use it, or you can buy the seat and send your OE seat at a later time.
The seat was 322€, -12€ for the sample + 69.72€ for shipping for a total of 379.72€ (a steep $482.40 at the time of transaction, at the time of this thread, it would’ve been $457.98 which is not a negligible difference!).
I placed my order on 6/20/2012 and didn’t hear back until they shipped it on 7/11/2012 (3 weeks later). It was delivered on 7/17/2012, almost a month after my order.
Receiving and opening:
The oversized box arrived, filled with shredded foam (probably recycled from their operations) which is a little messy but the seats were very well protected, in their own sealed plastic bags and protected with cardboard. Both seats had extra material loosely stapled to protect the friction points in shipping. My first impression was that the quality of the seat itself, its threading and materials are outstanding but the seat pan they use is nowhere close to OE quality.
The passenger seat came with 2 hooking straps installed underneath (instead of the 4 on the OE seat). The OE rubber strap will not fit on my custom passenger seat, which I fine because I never use it.
OE seats:
TS seats:
Installing:
Removing the OE seats is straight forward so I won’t cover this. Installing the custom seat is straight forward on the paper but much more challenging than I expected.
They require you to re-use the rubber grommets from the OE assembly for both the rider and passenger seats. The seat pan is so bad that I had to re-drill one of the holes for the grommets to even fit. A few of the grommets are barely in there because the thickness of the seat pan is uneven, making it impossible to secure the grommets. I don’t have a picture illustrating this but you’ll know what I’m talking about as soon as you remove them. I don’t intend on removing the rider seat too often so it’s not much of an issue. The grommets fit fine in the passenger seat. Tip: use a T-handle to push them in.
Hole to be re-drilled:
Once the hardware is swapped, you have to fit the rider seat on the unit; this was the challenging part. The seat has more material in the front and rear so I actually needed someone’s help to slide it on and make sure the two rear tabs cleared the fender. I also needed my friends help to push the seat forward so that the screw wholes lined up. Once installed, it’s not moving. The passenger seat wasn’t much easier, at least for the first install. I had to bend the hooks in a little bit as they were too wide to fit in their slots. Again, there is more material making it tougher to install the seat. I found that pressing down on the front to make sure the hooks get under their bar and pushing hard forward against the rider seat was the best way to install the passenger seat. Without this, I have trouble getting the lock into its housing. Removing the seat takes the same effort, inverted obviously. I need to press on the seat to even turn the key. With habit, this becomes less and less of an issue. It is due to the seat design, the choices I made in the customization and the aftermarket fit quality.
My biggest issue is that there is a gap on the side of the passenger seat and water will get in there if parked and it rains. I noticed that the OE passenger seat also had a gap in the same spot, but 1mm while the one with the Top Sellerie seat is 6mm. I’ve had the bike parked in rain with the OE seat and it’s never been an issue, I have no idea with the custom seat yet.
Gap under passenger seat: (the black area right between the seat and the foam on the fender is what I am talking about)
Visual impressions:
To make it short, I like it. You can see it here compared to an OE FZ8:
The seat is a little chunky, or chubby, but that’s what I chose (indirectly). It’s also much heavier than the OE option. I have had many compliments on the material and quality of the seat.
TS puts their own branding embossed on the rear end of the passenger seat and at the front of the rider seat. It’s pretty discrete.
The gap is noticeable if you know what to look for, and being your bike… well… you know what to look for. I’ve been fine with it so far. Check out the additional pictures in the following post since there’s a limit of 10 per posts.
Riding impressions:
The rider seat is very comfortable (remember I have the gelled option). The shape is a little more round compared to the flat OE seat but much more plushier. With this short version, my butt falls right in. I am against the tank but not pressed and against the rear edge, again, not pressed. I feel much more secure with the bike. I have little experience with other options but I think this fit is close to perfect (remember I’m tall and slender). The seat sits a little higher by just over an inch, which means that my legs are less bent. I can still touch the ground without an issue but have had shorter people tippy toe on it. The fabric is grippy enough for my taste. The seat is comfortable, more than OE, though I have to admit I wasn’t “wowed” by it compared to OE. I was much more impressed by the fit and secure feeling. I have not ridden more than my commute on it yet, 19 miles of freeway and side streets and it’s been very comfortable. But then again, I didn’t have an issue with the OE seat either. I need to take it on longer rides and report about that.
As for the passengers, which was one of the main reasons I went for this seat, I have heard no complaints. The 2 passengers that have ridden on it so far were about 5”8 and athletic and 5”4 and slender. Both had never ridden passengers on any bike before so couldn’t compare directly. They told me they were very comfortable the entire time, thanks to the edge at the end of the rider seat which makes a seamless transition with the passenger seat.
Early conclusion:
Despite the high cost, delivery delay and questionable fit/seat pan quality, I really enjoy the seat. The workmanship for the part of the seat that is showing is impeccable, the rest is hidden and not often used (I won’t be taking the rider seat off often). The passenger seat installation and removal takes some getting used to and a little effort but nothing insurmountable. The riding position and the secure feeling is great for my build. The rider comfort is better than OE, though not impressively plushy, which is probably a good thing after all. The passenger comfort is unquestionably much better than OE.
I would recommend this seat to anyone who can afford it as long as the issues I mentioned above aren’t deal breakers for you.
Update #1:
Top Sellerie was very apologetic about the issue and told me that their seat pan was probably defective. They sent me a UPS return label so I will be returning the passenger seat at no cost and they told me they'd install it on an OE pan. I'm not worried about the rider seat pan being aftermarket. So far I love the whole seat except for the fit issue.
I'll update this again when I received the replacement, which could take a while.
I hope you enjoyed the long read and that it helped in choosing (or not), Top Sellerie for your next seat. Please comment on anything here, give your opinion or ask more information about the seat (in case this lengthy essay wasn’t long enough).
TS = Top Sellerie
Rider:
I am 6”2 and 193lbs. I have only been riding since the beginning of March and put 6,000 miles on the FZ8 since I started (it’s my first bike). I commute every day on a busy but not “trafficky” freeway for 15 miles and then 4 miles of busy side streets (this is each way). I sometimes go on canyon roads on the weekends or weeknights, have never been to a track and rode many times with passengers of various height and size (none bigger than me).
Ordering:
Even though Top Sellerie website isn’t the most user friendly, I enjoyed being able to personalize the seats. You can pick a few base designs, all sorts of materials and colors for the leather parts, piping and threading (both for the seat or for your personal words on the seat). You can also order some samples (1€ each) to check their materials and colors; the cost is deducted from your future order.
After reviewing a few materials, I went forward with a simple design. All black with their main material (SEL003) and gold threads. No logos, inscriptions or special design. One of the issues I was trying to fix was that the passenger seat was too far from my butt, making passengers sit right on the front part of the passenger seat. Pretty uncomfortable for long rides. I ordered the Type 1 deluxe seat, short (to reduce the gap) and raised (I have long legs, therefore less bend at my knees) version with both rider and passenger seat gelled. I don’t need the heated seat option but both can have it. I had them provide the seat pan because I didn’t want to be stuck without a seat. You can send your own seat pan to have them use it, or you can buy the seat and send your OE seat at a later time.
The seat was 322€, -12€ for the sample + 69.72€ for shipping for a total of 379.72€ (a steep $482.40 at the time of transaction, at the time of this thread, it would’ve been $457.98 which is not a negligible difference!).
I placed my order on 6/20/2012 and didn’t hear back until they shipped it on 7/11/2012 (3 weeks later). It was delivered on 7/17/2012, almost a month after my order.
Receiving and opening:
The oversized box arrived, filled with shredded foam (probably recycled from their operations) which is a little messy but the seats were very well protected, in their own sealed plastic bags and protected with cardboard. Both seats had extra material loosely stapled to protect the friction points in shipping. My first impression was that the quality of the seat itself, its threading and materials are outstanding but the seat pan they use is nowhere close to OE quality.
The passenger seat came with 2 hooking straps installed underneath (instead of the 4 on the OE seat). The OE rubber strap will not fit on my custom passenger seat, which I fine because I never use it.
OE seats:
TS seats:
Installing:
Removing the OE seats is straight forward so I won’t cover this. Installing the custom seat is straight forward on the paper but much more challenging than I expected.
They require you to re-use the rubber grommets from the OE assembly for both the rider and passenger seats. The seat pan is so bad that I had to re-drill one of the holes for the grommets to even fit. A few of the grommets are barely in there because the thickness of the seat pan is uneven, making it impossible to secure the grommets. I don’t have a picture illustrating this but you’ll know what I’m talking about as soon as you remove them. I don’t intend on removing the rider seat too often so it’s not much of an issue. The grommets fit fine in the passenger seat. Tip: use a T-handle to push them in.
Hole to be re-drilled:
Once the hardware is swapped, you have to fit the rider seat on the unit; this was the challenging part. The seat has more material in the front and rear so I actually needed someone’s help to slide it on and make sure the two rear tabs cleared the fender. I also needed my friends help to push the seat forward so that the screw wholes lined up. Once installed, it’s not moving. The passenger seat wasn’t much easier, at least for the first install. I had to bend the hooks in a little bit as they were too wide to fit in their slots. Again, there is more material making it tougher to install the seat. I found that pressing down on the front to make sure the hooks get under their bar and pushing hard forward against the rider seat was the best way to install the passenger seat. Without this, I have trouble getting the lock into its housing. Removing the seat takes the same effort, inverted obviously. I need to press on the seat to even turn the key. With habit, this becomes less and less of an issue. It is due to the seat design, the choices I made in the customization and the aftermarket fit quality.
My biggest issue is that there is a gap on the side of the passenger seat and water will get in there if parked and it rains. I noticed that the OE passenger seat also had a gap in the same spot, but 1mm while the one with the Top Sellerie seat is 6mm. I’ve had the bike parked in rain with the OE seat and it’s never been an issue, I have no idea with the custom seat yet.
Gap under passenger seat: (the black area right between the seat and the foam on the fender is what I am talking about)
Visual impressions:
To make it short, I like it. You can see it here compared to an OE FZ8:
The seat is a little chunky, or chubby, but that’s what I chose (indirectly). It’s also much heavier than the OE option. I have had many compliments on the material and quality of the seat.
TS puts their own branding embossed on the rear end of the passenger seat and at the front of the rider seat. It’s pretty discrete.
The gap is noticeable if you know what to look for, and being your bike… well… you know what to look for. I’ve been fine with it so far. Check out the additional pictures in the following post since there’s a limit of 10 per posts.
Riding impressions:
The rider seat is very comfortable (remember I have the gelled option). The shape is a little more round compared to the flat OE seat but much more plushier. With this short version, my butt falls right in. I am against the tank but not pressed and against the rear edge, again, not pressed. I feel much more secure with the bike. I have little experience with other options but I think this fit is close to perfect (remember I’m tall and slender). The seat sits a little higher by just over an inch, which means that my legs are less bent. I can still touch the ground without an issue but have had shorter people tippy toe on it. The fabric is grippy enough for my taste. The seat is comfortable, more than OE, though I have to admit I wasn’t “wowed” by it compared to OE. I was much more impressed by the fit and secure feeling. I have not ridden more than my commute on it yet, 19 miles of freeway and side streets and it’s been very comfortable. But then again, I didn’t have an issue with the OE seat either. I need to take it on longer rides and report about that.
As for the passengers, which was one of the main reasons I went for this seat, I have heard no complaints. The 2 passengers that have ridden on it so far were about 5”8 and athletic and 5”4 and slender. Both had never ridden passengers on any bike before so couldn’t compare directly. They told me they were very comfortable the entire time, thanks to the edge at the end of the rider seat which makes a seamless transition with the passenger seat.
Early conclusion:
Despite the high cost, delivery delay and questionable fit/seat pan quality, I really enjoy the seat. The workmanship for the part of the seat that is showing is impeccable, the rest is hidden and not often used (I won’t be taking the rider seat off often). The passenger seat installation and removal takes some getting used to and a little effort but nothing insurmountable. The riding position and the secure feeling is great for my build. The rider comfort is better than OE, though not impressively plushy, which is probably a good thing after all. The passenger comfort is unquestionably much better than OE.
I would recommend this seat to anyone who can afford it as long as the issues I mentioned above aren’t deal breakers for you.
Update #1:
Top Sellerie was very apologetic about the issue and told me that their seat pan was probably defective. They sent me a UPS return label so I will be returning the passenger seat at no cost and they told me they'd install it on an OE pan. I'm not worried about the rider seat pan being aftermarket. So far I love the whole seat except for the fit issue.
I'll update this again when I received the replacement, which could take a while.
I hope you enjoyed the long read and that it helped in choosing (or not), Top Sellerie for your next seat. Please comment on anything here, give your opinion or ask more information about the seat (in case this lengthy essay wasn’t long enough).
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