Are you trying to decide between a Chequered or a Brat Style seat for your bike? There are advantages and disadvantages to each one. A new Chequered seat for your motorbike not only modifies your bike’s look radically, but it also changes your riding experience with its nicely curved, comfortable shape.
A Brat Style seat will be more advantageous when you have a passenger riding along with you frequently. Some riders just love all the extra room, whether there is an extra passenger or not. With all the available options, however, it is important to figure out what you want before you jump in and buy something. Based on your riding habits and personal style, there are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Is your bike stored inside or outside? Do you ride in bad weather?
- Can your feet touch the ground while you sit on a stock seat?
- Do you frequently ride with passengers?
- Do you need a wide, deep seat or do you prefer narrow seats?
- Are you making a statement of style or are you looking for comfort and functionality?
Remember, it can be exciting to look great as you test the maximum limits of your bike on the road. When testing your bike’s endurance, you could be spending hour after hour on the bike saddle with a day-after sore backside to provide it. When you don’t feel comfortable as you ride, the culprit could be the seat. Find a stylish seat that looks great at the same time. This will depend on your body type as well as how long your legs are.
Chequered or Brat Style Seats? Let’s Take a Look At The Options
When you are selecting a new seat for your bike, there are a few guidelines to consider. First of all, before jumping in and making a final decision, you will need to know how wide and how long your subframe is. If you don’t know this measurement, the seat you finally select is not going to fit on your machine. It is also a good idea to know what sort of seat stitch you prefer. For Cafe Racers, for instance, there are two common types of stitches. These include Diamond stitching on the bottom and the tuck-n-roll on the top.
Motorbike Seat Anatomy
There are a few universally important components to all motorcycle seats. One is the cover, the cushion or the foam, and the pan or the baseplate.
Molded vinyl is the usual cover for a bike seat. This is stretched and then stapled over the foam pad. This construction gives you the benefit of being waterproof. However, there won’t be a perfect fit over the cushion contours. As a result, there could be bulges or wrinkles. This is yet another great reason for buying a new Chequered or Brat Style seat. The most popular material for construction is suede or leather and then, vinyl comes in a close third place.
Compared to vinyl, leather is more expensive. However, it can be customized and dyed in unlimited ways, included in the Chequered style. Consider where your bike will be stored and what conditions you will be riding in. Leather maintenance is going to be necessary if you opt for a leather seat. This material is both durable and beautiful. As it ages and wears, you will love the way the well-dyed Chequered pattern remains vivid throughout the years.
For most other seats, vinyl is the cover used for motorbike seats. Surprisingly, vinyl can look quite similar to leather without the necessary upkeep. Most vehicles by Mercedes-Benz and BMW now use vinyl in the place of leather. Vinyl can resist the elements better than leather and all you need to do is to wipe it clean after each time you wash your bike.
The seat foam is a motorcycle seat’s most important component. Most likely overlooked, seat foam is not just the foam shape but is the foam within the seat, particularly its overall quality, composition, and characteristics. Experienced seat designers will usually hand-sculpt the initial foam shape for each type of seat and bike style.
With the created foam shape, a mold made of heavy-duty fiberglass is then made so that the shapes can be put into mass-production. Liquid foam solutions are then poured into molds and agents for solidifying the chemicals are added. Within minutes, you have the perfect cushion that fits perfectly into your motorbike seat.
A motorcycle seat design’s foundation is called the baseplate. This is ideally designed for mounting the bike using the same brackets or holes for mounting as the stock seats. Many seats that come as stock are built on cheap baseplates made of plastic. These are not as sturdy as other types of seats.
Seats are either created on a two-piece baseplate or a single baseplate. On the two-piece type, the portion for passengers can be attached for 2-person riding or divided for riding solo. Baseplates made with high quality are used by manufacturers aftermarket and these are made with stronger materials, such as powder-coated steel, marine-grade fiberglass or gel-coated fiberglass.
Brat Seats
One popular choice of motorbike seats is Brat Seats. These offer you more space than a single seat but at the same time, do give a bit of padded comfort from the padded upholstery good for two riders sharing one bike. This type of seat is recognizable by its flatness. Thus, it won’t be very comfortable for your lower back. When two people are riding your motorcycle, then Brat Seats are highly advantageous.
The only disadvantage is that your lower back does not get the same support as Cafe Racer seats because it has no comfortable curves. On the other hand, you can also put a buddy cover on the Brat Seat back to make it a sort of Cafe Racer seat temporarily while you are riding solo. If you are always out riding with someone else, however, then go ahead and stick to the regular Brat Seats. You can also create a unique look with your Brat Seats by sliding the seat front under the bike tank.
Not all of the Brat Seats have this feature. If you want this look, find the ones that do have this feature. Brat seats give you a great look and additional room for riding long hours when you do ride solo. Some riders just prefer having more room all to themselves, Some prefer to ride on the front part of the Brat Seat for the first hour and perhaps scoot back a bit on the second hour to stretch their legs as they ride. The choice really is up to you.
Chequered Seats
Considered a classic, chequered seats give a lot of comfort and durability. They stand the test of time and come in any shade you prefer. The most popular shades for chequered seats include dark brown, black, red and even white. You can match your chequered seats to the overall look of your motorbike.
The stitching on a chequered seat needs to be neat and sturdy. The stitches serve as an aesthetic feature but are practical as well. The reason is that the chequered seats are padded and are not unlike a quilt. This adds comfort particularly when you bike long hours. Also, chequered seats tend to be more supportive of your lower back than any other type.
There are some important features to look out for when selecting a Chequered Seat. For one, there needs to be tight, uniform and evenly-spaced stitches. Pillow-type seats need to have covered buttons and be tufted and secured with not just two but four cords for additional durability. Under the seat, the bottom edges attached to the base plate needs to be hemmed. Heavy-duty stitching should be used on every seam. On the other hand, these can also have double-stitching for strength.
Consider Chequered Cafe Racer Seats
A good option for any motorbike is a Chequered Cafe Racer Seats. This seat style is quite easily recognizable by the seat back’s hump. You get a great look from a Chequered Cafe Racer Seat and the best part is that when you ride with a passenger, there will be room for both of you. These seat kinds can be either totally or just partially covered by various fabrics or even leather. The benefit of having a seat that is partially covered is that it is possible to spray the back part in a contrasting or complementary color. Also, it is easier to mount your bike when you have partially covered seats.
You can easily mount the polyester to the frame when you take the upholstery off. Next, on the polyester, you can then mount your upholstery. A seat that is covered completely tends to outshine the rest of the bike. However, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder so if you like the way things look, then it is your prerogative. Remember, no matter what bike seat you do end up getting, durability is a very important factor. It is highly recommended that you find a durable version of whatever you decide on to enjoy for years to come.
