SHAD Comfort Seat

[Chris]

I honestly don't remember it exact problem now. It could have been firmness, or a lack thereof; maybe the shape, or even something else. I clearly remember the pain though....

If anything I found the stock seat was too soft, lack of support meant serious pain building up on rides of more than an hour or so. I got a Shad seat which is much firmer and in the long run more comfortable as a result. A side effect is that I now feel the engine vibes through the seat - nothing unpleasant but the stock seat was so soft it muffled them out completely

 

[sbpapa01]

Hey Folks,

Just received the SHAD Comfort seat for my NC700, the new model without embroidery logo..... Yes, I ordered this beginning of March based on the information provided by SHAD USA that these would be available beginning of March. I have to say contrary to another post here that I was in touch with them by phone about my order and was given an update as to my order status..... sure, the updates were not what I/we all wanted to hear but from speaking to the guys at SHAD, I could sense some serious frustration on their end about this also.....
Reading all the posts on this forum prompted me to call the factory in Spain and figure out the real deal with these suckers, they confirmed that, yes the production had been pushed back several times as SHAD US had told me....It’s frustrating to see dates being pushed back, however after confirming factory info, I figured, heck just wait for the good news. And good news it is, I received my seat and love it!! No logo on pass seat is a great improvement looks wise, the seat is nicely designed and from what I can see very well made. I am now no longer sliding forward on my NC!!!! Yahoooo...The seat helps for a more upright position, alleviating pain in my back (and rear end!), basically giving me a much better riding position. Comfort is a HUGE improvement....SO, conclusion? I will give them 4.5 Stars and the only half point is from the delay in delivery....But hey, come on, these folks have been straight with me, so let’s give them a break and go out and ride!!! Welcome Spring 2014! See you on the road, somewhere....

 

[Porko]

Great to hear. Mine should be here Monday. Been a while but had a feeling it was out of Shad USA hands and a supply problem from the factory. Looking forward to trying it and hopefully I can take out the seat raise mod I installed which helped but not enough for the longer grinds.Ride safe.

 

[Hyperborea]

Great to hear. Mine should be here Monday. Been a while but had a feeling it was out of Shad USA hands and a supply problem from the factory. Looking forward to trying it and hopefully I can take out the seat raise mod I installed which helped but not enough for the longer grinds.Ride safe.

Sure, I can understand a supply problem. What I can't understand is creating shipping tickets nearly 2 months before the products ships. Why no communication before hand? Why not a simple couple of line email that gave us an update and let us know what was going on? The quality of customer service is not in having or not having factory problems. It's in how you deal with factory problems.

 

[670cc]

Well since my a Sargent seat is going back for a refund, I'm moving on to the next prospect. I ordered a Shad this morning. By the end of the day it was marked as picked up by UPS. Sounds too good to be true, but I hope it is true. I'd have it in time for SGT!

 

[mkmclm]

Just received my Shad seat today. It took about 1/2 to install. It looks great! I do have the problem where you have to push down on the rear seat to unlock it. I don't see this as a big deal. I'm sure over time the foam will soften and it won't be an issue. Going for a test ride tomorrow. I will post my thoughts.

 

[pismocycleguy]

Good Luck on the Shad

Well since my a Sargent seat is going back for a refund, I'm moving on to the next prospect. I ordered a Shad this morning. By the end of the day it was marked as picked up by UPS. Sounds too good to be true, but I hope it is true. I'd have it in time for SGT!

Greg,
Good luck with the Shad. I hope it works out for you. You're getting close to running out of new suppliers of NC700 seats?

 

[dog]

Well since my a Sargent seat is going back for a refund, I'm moving on to the next prospect. I ordered a Shad this morning. By the end of the day it was marked as picked up by UPS. Sounds too good to be true, but I hope it is true. I'd have it in time for SGT!

Nah, SHAD has never got it too wrong once it shows as picked up in the UPS system -- you'll have SOMETHING for sure in a few days. My first shipment arrived with the wrong colored rear seat, but they eventually fixed that too.

 

[dog]

I do have the problem where you have to push down on the rear seat to unlock it. I don't see this as a big deal. I'm sure over time the foam will soften and it won't be an issue.

I was in the first group to get the SHAD seats, but I still can't pop the rear seat up like the OEM did. That really doesn't bother me at all -- I just hold downward pressure on it and then turn the key to release it. The "end" result is sooooo much better than OEM!

 

[mkmclm]

Just finished a 110 mile ride after installing my Shad seat. I am very impressed with the seat. My bum still was sore after the ride, but I did not have any painful pressure points on my bum like I did with my oem seat. I like the non-slide material the seat is made out of. I do not slide forward like I did before. Another thing I thought of towards the end of my ride was I did not want to get off the bike. I wanted to keep riding. I did not find that was the case with the oem seat. I could only ride short distances before I wanted to stop and get off the bike. I think since I am new to this bike and new to this type of riding position my bum will be sore until I start going on longer rides and breaking in the seat. Overall I really like the seat and am glad I waited the two months for it!!!

 

[L18flyboy]

Ordered mine in early March, and they have been good about keeping me informed about the status. It should arrive tomorrow, though i fear finding the dreaded UPS signature required tag on my door which will add a day to journey. I've been doing some 2 up riding with my passenger using a gel kayak seat pad on the stock seat. I'm hopeful that this will be a big enough improvement that she won't need the gel pad anymore. Planning a ride on Sunday, so we'll find out soon.

 

[670cc]

Greg,
Good luck with the Shad. I hope it works out for you. You're getting close to running out of new suppliers of NC700 seats?

Ok, the non-embroidered Shad arrived today, three days after I ordered it. Looks and fit are great. Feels good, really gooooood. This might be the One!

In 11 days from now I will have ridden about 2000 miles on the Shad, so the judge (or the buttocks) will have reached a verdict, at which time it will be read to the court.

 

[670cc]

Put about 100 miles on the Shad so far. It is the keeper. After trying stock, Seat Concepts, and Sargent, I was able to form a pretty good picture of how the seat NEEDED to be built. I put the Shad on and it was exactly that.

The Shad overcame the problems I reported back to Sargent. The cover is less slippery, the fit is tighter at the front (no squeaking), I can install the bolts, there is no problem accommodating aftermarket luggage hardware, and the seat shape is fully contoured without sharp edges or ridges.

The basic cover on the Shad looks to be the quality of the DTX option on the Sargent. The Shad has a softer pillow top feel but below that is supportive foam. Like the Sargent, but unlike Seat Concepts, the seat height of the Shad is the same as stock. It looks a little taller on the bike , but you sink into a bit more. The Shad has a flatter base at the rear like the Sargent. The center rear hump feel of the stock seat is absent.

All these comments refer only to the front seat. I have not installed the rear seat as I am using Dale's rack at the moment. The Shad front seat interfaces very well to Dale's rack. There is a 1/8" necessary gap between the Shad seat and the rack. It looks great. The gap was larger when using the stock seat.

I'd give the Shad a 9 out of 10 rating. I ding it only because there is still a hint of forward slope. I think Honda is to blame for the slope. The forward slant of the frame in the seat area would make a slope-less seat a challenge for any seat maker.

I would have purchased the Shad long ago but I had to wait for them to realized the embroidery thing was not for everyone. As always with seats, they are personal accessories and what fits me may not fit you.

 

[Hyperborea]

My Shad seat arrived last week but I had no time to install it until yesterday. Went in without much problem. I transferred over all the rubber bumpers but that seems like a bit of a cheap thing to have to do. The front seat fits fine. The rear seat fits "ok" but it does have some issues with opening and closing. Also, when opened the rear seat compresses against the stock Honda top case.

The bolt holes in the back of the front seat are not like the rubber cushioned close tolerance holes on the stock seat but instead are very large ovals. Also, the bolts from the rear seat to the tilting mount are kind of sloppy unlike the fixed bolts on the stock rear seat. I guess these loose bolts and large bolt holes are to allow for larger manufacturing tolerances than the stock Honda seat.

When I first put in the rear seat it wouldn't even close correctly because the loose bolts caused the U-shaped brackets on the front of the rear seat to miss the slots to lock into. I had to loosen the seat and crank it clockwise within the slop of the bolts on the seat and then re-tighten them while holding it cranked. After doing that I can open the rear seat without needing to press down first like some have reported. Maybe those of you needing to do that might want to check how well the seat lines up with the locking slots.

I haven't had a chance to test it out other than sitting on it in the garage. It seems more comfy than stock but that's the only one I have to compare it against. I wanted to take it out for a ride this weekend but I've been pretty badly under the weather with a really nasty cold. I should be out commuting on it tomorrow.

 

[Porko]

Both my front and back went on real easy, fits like a glove and rear opens with light down pressure which is good it will wear in, nice seams, like the no slip. Still cold and wet these parts so I do not have enough use to give a final ranking but so far so good. Ride safe

 

[bri222]

Are there any current discount codes offered for the shade seat?

 

[670cc]

For your enjoyment, here's a photo of the Shad front seat paired with Dale's holy rack with a RotopaX mounted to it. It all fits so well.

 

[pismocycleguy]

Greg,
Is the Shad seat as wide, or wider than the stock NC700X seat?
It looks great.
Glad it worked out for you.

 

[pismocycleguy]

Are there any current discount codes offered for the shade seat?

They are still offering a 10% discount on new orders. Just ask for the password when you want to order.

 

[670cc]

Greg,
Is the Shad seat as wide, or wider than the stock NC700X seat?
It looks great.
Glad it worked out for you.

The Shad is the same width as the stock seat. The Sargent is a little wider than stock and can/may have the fit issues with the passenger grab rails. Although the Shad looks taller/thicker, it does not cause any change to the leg reach to the ground. Here's some photographic comparisons between Shad and stock front seats. What I like best is they got rid of those dang ridges and rounded it off. I see Seat Concepts, Sargent (to a lesser degree), and the stock seats have sharp edges/ridges, where Corbin and Shad are a rounded contour.