Coleman MadDog GearComfort Ride Seat Protector Black

The blue seat-cover on my old 1987 XL600R is in great shape and looks terrific. But the seat-foam underneath is worn-out, very stiff, and starts making me sore after about 45 minutes of road riding. After about 3-4 hours it becomes absolutely unbearable and I MUST IMMEDIATELY STOP RIDING for the day. So I decided to give this a try as an affordable quick-fix. And it works...mostly. For shorter rides (1-2 hours around town) I still get sore when I'm not wearing my padded MX shorts (A.R.C. Padded Riding Shorts, Rocky Mountian ATV). But this product takes the edge off and it never starts to become unbearable. I just shift around on my seat and that gets me through. I even went for a previously unthinkable ride recently. Portland to Mt. Hood to Hood River and back with lots of exploration and off-road play along the way. 10 hours in the saddle and I made it! A LOT of uncomfortable shifting around as the day wore-on, but while I got quite sore, it never became too much to bear (though it did come very close). I count it a success as guy who doesn't have a wad of money to burn for a hand-crafted custom seat foam replacement on such an old bike. Oh, and I also think it looks pretty good installed. I removed the seat for mounting, then used safety-pins to hold the straps tight. Safety pins are a must. On my bike the rear-most strap was bit difficult because the way the fender and seat interact. Just know that it won't fit perfectly without a bit of tinkering, but it does fit without modification. So like anything else, don't do it when you are pressed for time. If you want a good cover without spending loads of cash, then I highly recommend this cover. It should fit any motorcycle with a dirt-type dished seat. It's a big help. And the price is right. Get it! EDIT: About 1 1/2 years has now past, and I can say that this seat-pad buys me an extra couple hours in the saddle. But used in combination with my padded shorts I can ride all day long, and have now gone on a couple multi-day camping trips. Neither the shorts or the seat-cover by themselves are the solution, it's the two in combination which yield multi-day riding comfort. While it varies I'd say 8-10 hours straight is what this combination buys me in complete comfort. And 10-12 hours gets a bit sore towards the end, but at 40 who wouldn't? It has fadded a bit from black toward grey, but is still mostly black in appearance. It is water resistant on cool damp mornings, but not in Oregon rain. Though it seems to never become waterloged and dries quickly, especially when it gets wet while you're going down the road. It does slide side-to-side, but only about 1/2" of center in in either direction. And only noticed it doing so in the front where the seat is most narrow. I'm mentioning it for your review, but it's never been a problem. I just give it a tug once in a while and it's back in place. I don't even notice myself doing it anymore. But if you have a skinny seat you'll need to put extra effort into getting the straps tight. Over time it has left black marks in my seat-cover, but has not cut into the material. If it starts to look worn out, I'll just buy and new one, and clip it onto the old straps. Still happy. Still recommended.

Fits well and cheap way to be more comfortable

The Suzuki DR650 OEM seat is really bad. Even the alternative gel seat is pretty awful. This Coleman (aka Stearns) seat cover won't transform your seat into an item of luxury, but it does make it much more tolerable. I put this cover over my Suzuki gel seat and the improvement is very noticeable. The gel seat is about 1" lower than the OEM seat. This cover raised my seat height slightly, bringing it closer to the OEM seat. While it does fit both the OEM and gel seats for the DR650, it is not a 100% perfect fit. A previous reviewer mentioned that it took about 5 minutes to install, but it took me closer to 30 minutes of messing around to get it mounted nicely. I'd say that it's about 85% perfect fit. The quick-release buckles on the sides of the cover are what made it difficult to get fitted just right. I really don't like them. This product would be much better if the quick-release buckles were an easily-removed and optional item. If they continue to cause me problems, I may break them off and use bungee cords to hold the cover in place. Overall, this is a really good choice for improving the DR650 on a budget. It's not perfect, but considering that an aftermarket seat costs 15X more, this is a very nice and inexpensive option. If you're doing long-distance riding on your DR650, you should get the aftermarket seat. If you're not doing anything more than 2-hour rides, this seat cover is pretty good.

The MadDog seat protector's main feature may be just that: a seat protector. I don't think it is more comfortable that my seat in a R1200 GSA, which is not comfortable at all for long trips. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age down there, but after a two hour ride on the low seat version for my bike I start hurting. I thought this would remedy the situation but as it turns out it is just as hard. (Reviewed) A few things I did like about this seat cover, and those are: It protects your seat from the bleaching sun It rides cooler given the waffle design I slide better on it than the OEM seat It has long enough straps to attach without removing the seat I cannot attest to the durability yet but it does seem well constructed of sturdy materials. All that being said, if height is of importance to you, be aware this seat cover will raise you up an inch off the ground. Update: I rode on this seat protector for seven hours today. It was mildly hot and not so humid for a Florida day. The seat kept me comfortable during the ride. I never hurt like I used to before using this seat cover. It also remains cooler than the original seat under the sun. I will ride more often and take longer rides now that it has become more enjoyable. Certainly worth the money. I'll raise it to five stars!

I read a lot of forum posts praising this cheap seat topper but none of them mentioned how slippery it is. It's actually kind of dangerously slippery, especially going down really steep terrain, you really move around easily with it on. I guess that would be my biggest complaint. I didn't expect much as far as adding a lot of comfort goes, more to just add some girth and do anything I can to be able to stay in the saddle longer, and that is what it does for me. It adds enough width to make things more comfortable, and it does feel good to be able to move my sore ass to a different position on the bumps, so I'll keep it for now. I'm definitely going to sew up a cover for it from something that isn't slippery. Maybe waxed canvas. Or sheepskin. Oh I have it tied to a yamaha tw200 motorcycle seat, not an atv. I cut off the webbing clips and used some spare shoelaces and fishing knots to attach it. I think it actually looks cool. It's affordable enough to give it a shot and see if it does something for you, if you aren't willing to shell out for a seat concepts seat or something else custom.

I followed the installation instructions found on youtube for cutting off the plastic connectors (caution make sure you cut the plastic buckle and NOT the nylon loop that the buckle runs through!!!) this is a very nice seat cushion/protector that fits the DR-650 nicely and it looks good. Only get this seat protector if you have some good nylon cord or parachute cord (I am retired Army and used OD-Green 550 parachute cord to secure to the bottom of my seat pan. If you want something that is plug and play for the DR-650 this isn't really plug and play, it requires the buckles to be cutoff (you can use tin snips or wire cutters) and some strong nylon cord to secure it to your seat but once you do it looks great and works. I'll post an update after I make the 40 mile round trip to work and comment on the comfort but the look and quality are first rate.

I put this on my 07 V Strom 650 to try to make the seat more tolerable. It fits perfectly and I've ridden several thousand miles with it. The seat still gets uncomfortable but I'm able to last a lot longer with this pad under me. I also sandwiched a few thin slabs of foam rubber between this pad and the seat which did hurt either. It's a few years old now and the sun has faded the once black color to a much lighter shade. There are also some wear marks from the seams of my pant legs rubbing against the side, but it is still hanging tough. Despite the miles it is not torn anywhere and the straps have not started to come loose anywhere. For the money this thing is great. It's been very durable and I'll probably be able to get another couple seasons out of it before having to replace it.

Made a huge difference on my dual sport seat. It added durable padding and comfort to my rear. Went through many rides and held up. Easy to install and didn’t slip off