Sheepskin vs Step Seat?

I'm looking for opinions on purchasing an Alaska Leather Sheepskin
http://www.alaskaleatheronline.com/servlet/the-17/Dualsport-Full-Saddle-Deluxe/Detail

vs a stepped seat from Wheeling Cycle Supply
http://www.wheelingcyclesupply.com/images/a7r%40qwyh0ngAABYdbsMAAAAL-68046.jpg

Surprisingly the seat is only $35 more than the sheepskin.

I'll definitely be lowering my bike when I get my dirt wheels on my X so having a lower seat to start with seems like a pretty good idea. OTOH I'm worried that the step in the seat will get in the way when I want to move around on the bike and I have no idea how comfortable the seat is. I find the WR saddle to be very good compared to my DR650s seat.

Anyone with experience with one or both of these options?

Thanks,
Hugh

No experience with the step seat. Someone on here tried one, forget the verdict beyond "Yup its lower".

I did have about 7500 miles on the sheepskin pad though before it was stolen along with the bike. It made the seat comfortable (for me) for as long as I could ride in a day, which at last count was ~12 hours or 450+ miles.

Are you going to invest in another sheepskin? You did a writeup I recall on how much you liked it.

Probably. Waiting for a new pair of boots to come in to see if I'll want another pair of their new sheepskin insoles first.

Hugh,

Before you spend money, take a good look at shaving the stock seat yourself. Folks here on the forum have outlined a step-by-step with pictures. You'll get your feet closer to the ground for sure, but you'll be amazed by the increased comfort since you'll be widening the seating area at the same time. Pay special attention to BPG's tip to dish out just a tad for your tailbone. I've done all my work with a beltsander. Takes a little longer but less scary since you don't have to worry about making a mis-whack with a knife. And I agree, the WR seat is a vast improvement over the DR. Lots of used sheepskins come thru the Advrider Fleamarket in case you want to post a Want to Buy.

Yours truly,

Cheap Sarah

(I just realized how much I sound like my dad....)

I've got both... & use both. At the same time on longer rides!

The step seat is a little lower.. no problem sliding back & forth. I can slide forward when in more technical terrain or fast corners, & slide back on long pavement stretches.

Here's the step seat.




here's with the step seat & my sheepskin:


these don't give very good closeups, but they show the general idea of the seats.

Here's a writeup i did on my seat cover mod:
http://ridethoughts.blogspot.com/

But like most of us, i'm always tinkering with things, & am considering modding the step seat some.. I'm thinking of putting a little wider base on it somehow, then replacing the foam & maybe adding some gel in it before re-covering it. I might not get around to it, though.. It works pretty good as is.

scotty

rydnseek wrote:

I always forget you've got a knobbied X, Scotty! And then you post a picture of it--kinda reminds me of the TeeDub 200. Great shots! Can you convince my wife it'd be okay to move to the arid part of the country?

malibu_dan wrote:

I always forget you've got a knobbied X, Scotty! And then you post a picture of it--kinda reminds me of the TeeDub 200. Great shots! Can you convince my wife it'd be okay to move to the arid part of the country?

its funny.. when i got back into riding at the tender age of 51, the tw200 was my first bike. I rumbled all over the dirt trails & roads around here.. just no adventure rides. I probably could have modded it up a bit & taken it on long rides, but i wanted something with suspension & power, so i got a new drz in '06. It served me very well until my 'upgrade' last summer to the wrx.

I was planning on getting a 21" front tire if the 17" knobbies didn't work out.. but they are working fine. I might even like them better in mud & deep sand.

Right now is a good time to buy in Az.. housing is very low & will no doubt begin to go up as more & more people retire or move from the frigid wastelands up north..

That pic is in my neck of the woods in sedona.

scotty

Thanks for the responses.

Rydnseek do you have an opinion on the stepped seat versus the stock seat?

I like the step seat.. it is lower in the front, so you can slide forward & get a little lower for cornering & touching feet to the ground. The back 'step' is ok for sitting on longer bits. It was pretty cheap at wheeling, so i think it was worth it. It's better than stock, but not as good as a full custom seat.

So for those using the alaska sheepskin....What size. Duelsport short or long ?

mordicai wrote:

So for those using the alaska sheepskin....What size. Duelsport short or long ?

I have the dual sport, short, with gel. I don't like it. I think it's the gel I don't like so the sheepskin never got a fair shake.

Hard to explain what I didn't like about the gel. It just didn't feel right.

My review of the Spiral Step Seat. <-- clicky


Quick summary:

Harder on your ass than stock
Narrower than stock
Harder on your ass than stock
Does get your feet closer to ground and pegs than stock
Harder on your ass than stock
Looks better than stock
Harder on your ass than stock
Black
Harder on your ass than stock
Did I mention it's harder on your ass than stock

IMHO: Sheepskin = good on roads, light trails. However, it 'bunches up' on steep downhills and lets you slide around the seat. For a classic ADV run, fine... but coming down Antenna ridge (7 miles steep downhill) it sent me all over the bike, from one side of the seat to another. So, depends on your ride... long distances street (etc), put it on, trails... probably take it off.

TwilightZone wrote:

IMHO: Sheepskin = good on roads, light trails. However, it 'bunches up' on steep downhills and lets you slide around the seat. For a classic ADV run, fine... but coming down Antenna ridge (7 miles steep downhill) it sent me all over the bike, from one side of the seat to another. So, depends on your ride... long distances street (etc), put it on, trails... probably take it off.

Great. Thanks alot. NOW..............Which works better? SHORT OR LONG DUELSPORT ? Screw it. I'm going for a ride and suck up the pain.