|
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: (Price and Contact links are at the bottom of this page) If we missed something E-mail us at:KonTour Seat
1. The suede surface looks really delicate, do I have to baby it?
Although it looks delicate, KonTour's remarkable suede microfiber top cover is incredibly durable and will wear longer - much longer - than commodity grade vinyl or even high quality leather. KonTour Fabric will take repeated scuffing without marking or staining.
2. How do I clean it?
Brush your seat periodically and gently with a medium bristle brush when it accumulates dirt or dust. Hard brushing is not necessary. If it gets really dirty you can spray it with a gentle stream of water and then blot the nap dry with a towel, followed by a gentle brushing when dry. Water will not hurt the fabric. Do not use high powered spray car washes at close range since they can cut the fabric like a sharp knife!
3. What if I get it wet?
Water will not hurt KonTour Fabric, and your seat is designed to allow water to drain through the top two layers, off the off the waterproofing barrier and onto the ground. To dry your seat after a rainstorm or washing, simply blot the surface with a clean towel or let it sit in the sun. Although your seat has a built in water proofing barrier to keep the foam cores dry, if you leave it out during prolonged rainy periods it may still get soaked. In this case, remove the seat, and stand it vertically on the nose against a wall in a warm, dry area with a fan blowing on it. We recommend using a rain/sun cover (plastic trash bags work great) whenever the seat is left exposed for long periods of time, or during heavy rain when riding. Never store your seat wet or allow it to freeze when wet.
4. Is there a break-in period for my seat?
About 5 to 10 hours maximum as the layers "bed in". You'll immediately feel the seat adjust and conform after sitting on it for about 30 seconds. Initially the seat will feel very firm compared to what you're used to sitting on. This firmness is added support that is needed to enhance long term comfort. Your seat adjusts every time you (or someone else) sits on it. During long rides you'll notice that you won't twitch or move around every 5 minutes like you did on your old seat in an attempt to get comfortable.
5. Why don't you make wider seats?
Wider helps a little, especially for BIG guys to lower psi by off loading weight to adjacent tissue and bone structure - there are drawbacks, of course, since you need to slide forward to get your feet on the ground. Not really a problem for most riders with long legs since it is easy to learn this behavior to the point that it becomes second nature. For many riders this forward shift is awkward since you need to fully commit to another position before coming to a complete stop. For riders that enjoy spirited riding it does take away a lot of the feel that is necessary for feedback from your inner thighs since you are "perched" on the saddle. For most touring riders this is not an issue. In our opinion building a wider seat is a rather inelegant solution. By creating a large, pressure distributing area UNDERNEATH your ischial tuberosities we are able to vector forces in ALL directions simultaneously instead of just forcing them out horizontally. Everybody has a "butt print" which is as individual as a finger print. Our seat literally conforms to your butt print every time you - or anyone else - sits on it. Visco foam flows from high pressure to low pressure. Off loading occurs and comfort increases, without the drawbacks of widening. For heavier riders we construct a "plus" size seat, which involves changing the polyurethane and spherical layers. For "minus" size riders we do the same.
6. What about a taller or lower seat?
We build taller seats AND lowered seats - these are frequent requests. Easy to do. We like to see a rider sitting fully in his seat, feet flat on the pegs with 10 to 30 degrees of knee bend from vertical, depending on the style of bike. Weight should be distributed evenly - 50% between feet, legs and inner thighs - 50% by your butt. Due to the additional time and materials required to construct these seats there will be a small surcharge versus constructing a standard height seat.
7. What about a backrest?
We strongly encourage the use of a good backrest that gives you support in your lower lumbar region. This helps to encourage good posture and allows your spine to maintain an "S" shape. Good posture enhances riding comfort dramatically and also will help to keep you positioned properly on your KonTour Seat. We sell BakUp brand back rests for many brands and models. BakUp is the BEST on the market, bar none.
8. Can you rebuild/re-cover my accessories to match?
We can build passenger seats, trunk rests, arm rests and back rests to KonTour specification. The cumulative effect of having these additional components designed to KonTour specification is impressive and will further enhance comfort. We can also re-cover your components with our perforated fabric, breathable mesh and water proofing/radiant heat barrier to match. Please note that we will remove your old cover and make an exact pattern from it, so it cannot be returned. All custom work is quoted according to the amount of time and materials it will take to complete the job. A good rule of thumb is that a KonTour specification passenger seat is $475.00, trunk rest or backrest $250.00, arm rests $250.00. Re-covers are $350.00, $150.00 and $150.00, respectively. Prices subject to change.
9. How about making a seat deeper for tall riders?
More leg room to relieve a cramped feeling works great, as long as the customer realizes that that it takes away from passenger space. We typically make the seat deeper by reducing the thickness and density of the lumbar bolster. On many bikes making the seat deeper is impossible since you would literally be riding on the rear fender.
10. What about "dishing" a seat?
Dishing looks good on the surface but really often takes away a lot of the thickness of the cushioning elements. Unless the ischial tuberosities (IT's or "sitting bones") are taken care of FIRST, no amount of shaping, sculpting or dishing is going to help. Our seat "dishes" internally, then returns to the natural shape every time you get off your bike. Your IT's are THE source of ALL downstream problems, known as reference pain. Reference pain can manifest to your toes, and up to the base of your skull. Many riders come to us complaining about a back problem, when what they really have is a seat problem!
11. Why don't you just use different densities of "off the shelf", inexpensive, polyurethane foam in your seats - just like everyone else?
Different densities of polyurethane only address one part of the equation - Indentation Force (IF) or "springiness". By combining the best characteristics of polyurethane (IF), visco (damping and ergonomics) and spherical (vibration isolation and energy management) foams you have a composite system that addresses all issues and contributes to what we believe to be the best suspension on the market. The key to this system is selecting the correct densities and thickness for each layer. We built and tested over 20 prototypes before we came up with the correct formula.
12. How long will my seat last?
You will NEVER wear the cover out. If you leave your bike sitting in the sun all the time it will gradually fade along with everything else on your bike. There is not one material we are aware of with the exception of some Acrylics that can take prolonged exposure to intense sun without fading. If you take normal care to cover your bike or park in the shade you will not have fading issues. We spent months exposing the cover fabric to Xenon arc lamp lamp testing and it passed with flying colors. Our cover fabric will outlast cheap Velour nylon fabric by years. For sun exposure there is no contest between polyester and nylon. Our fabric is 100% polyester as is our thread. There is not a nylon component in our seats, anywhere. Indicated useful life of the seat is 10 years.
|
13. Why are your seats so expensive?
* Our seats are six layers that are carefully assembled one at a time. Other manufacturer's seats are two layers - a block of foam and a cover. Our competitors can make a complete seat in 2 hours from start to finish. Kontour seats take 6 hours to fabricate.
* Our fabric retails for $80.00 a yard, sorry, we do not sell it. High quality leather (which you'll never see in a motorcycle seat from ANY of our competitors) retails for $55.00 a yard. Commodity grade leather is about $25.00 a yard. So called "Marine" grade commodity vinyl retails for $7.00 a yard or less, and is exactly what OEM and most aftermarket seat covers are made out of. Neither vinyl OR leather "breathe" compared to perforated microfiber fabric, period. On some seat designs we may need to use in vinyl in some areas to accommodate fit and finish since our fabric does not stretch, but we never use it on contact surfaces. You'll hear a lot from other seat manufacturers about how leather "breathes" - and that is pure and simple hogwash! Leather and vinyl are what is known in the textile industry as water and vapor barriers. Ask for a sample of our fabric and when you receive it breathe through it - literally! If you tried this with a piece of vinyl or leather you would suffocate.
* The visco elastic foam we use retails for $96.00 for a 30" by 72" sheet. Common polyurethane foam, depending on the density, ranges from $5.00 to $13.00 a sheet.
* The 100% polyester thread we use is made by Synthetic Thread Company. Synthetic Thread is the company that supplies thread used in sewing hot air balloons - FAA certificated aircraft. It costs 3 times as much as common thread and has much higher tensile strength for the same gauge because it has more filaments per inch. By using high quality thread we can use a smaller size and more stitches per inch - and compress our seams to the point that they are almost completely flat instead of prominent ridges that you see on most motorcycle seats. Ridges cause pressure points - not good for comfort. Common black thread will fade in sunlight in just a few weeks and turn brown - take a look at your OEM seat! Since our thread is spun from individual base filaments that are black to start with, instead of dyed, it keeps it's color for years.
* We use Monel staples to attach the outer cover to the bottom of your seat. Monel is 66% nickel and 34% copper. It does not rust or corrode, ever. Our competitors use steel staples. Even though this is a component that does not show, it is very important. Steel staples rust really fast, especially in humid climates or if your seat gets wet. This isn't an issue if you ride in Arizona, never in the rain, or never wash your bike. Monel staples cost $28.00 a box - steel costs $4.00 a box.
* Instead of using "off brand" generic glue to assemble your seat that retails for $4.00 a can, we use 3M Foamfast 74 glue - that retails for $15.00 a can. You'll see many of our competitors seats where the vinyl has separated from the foam, leaving a baggy appearance to the top cover after only a few months. Bonding strength of 3M Foamfast 74 is four times that of off brand glues.
14. Why not use a foam mattress topper that I can get at
Walmart or Costco for $100.00 and make my own?
We're all for do it yourself projects, but there are different grades of foam. Anything you can buy at a retail outlet is the lowest grade made.
High quality foams have very specific uses and are highly engineered. The foam components we use are military specification and currently in the space shuttle seats, as lumbar bolsters in helicopters and as headrests in F-16 fighter jets. The common visco elastic foam that you see used in bedding is VERY poor quality as well as being unusable density for seats since it compresses completely in high pressure applications. This force is known as Indentation Force (IF). If the foam selected does not have the correct IF it is worthless. The "Swedish" or Tempur" bedding foam will literally turn into powder within a year if exposed to the harsh enviroment that motorcycle seats endure. Our visco foam comes in dozens of configurations, we select specific characteristics for seating use. Our visco foam has a life of 5 years, is a sacrificial component and can easily be renewed for a nominal fee. Our mesh, spherical foam and water proofing/radiant heat barrier will last indefinitely. They are that good.
15. My seat feels hard on cold days!
During cool/cold weather your seat will initially feel hard when you sit on it. The visco elastic foam responds to pressure and/or heat to conform to your "butt print". It will take a few extra minutes for the foam to fully respond when the temperature drops, you'll also notice it takes longer to rebound to the natural shape of the seat when you get off. If you have heated seats, turning them on high for a minute or two will make the foam respond much faster.
16. My butt still feels warm, what can I do to get even more comfortable?
During hot and humid weather, wearing microfiber underwear is a big help. You can purchase expensive "motorcycle specific" garments for up to $30.00, or generic garments for $5.00 at your favorite discount store. In our experience we have found little difference in the results. The primary reason this works so well is that microfiber does not retain moisture or heat and allows your skin to breathe, and does not bunch up like cotton fibers. Look for garments without seams in critical areas where you contact the seat - those small seams over time create pressure points and hot spots.
17. What is the best method of packing / shipping my components to you?
A quality cardboard box, no foam peanuts PLEASE! - they are ecologically uncool and a pain to deal with! Wads of newspaper are just fine. UPS, Fed Ex Ground and DHL are very competitive.
18. How much does it cost to ship a seat?
Ball park $20.00 each way, anywhere in the US.
19. Is there any other information you need at ordering time?
We need your weight and inseam. Every seat is hand built, one at a time according to several parameters which 75% of riders fit into. The depth of the seat can be adjusted for taller riders but this will intrude into passenger space - especially with a backrest. We build plus and minus specifications according to weight at no extra charge. Our largest customer so far has been 6'6" and 330 lbs. We will NOT build lowered seats since we need a minimum height for the composite to function properly. Our best advice for shorter riders is to modify the seat pan bottom or frame, lower the suspension, or get boots with a taller platform.
20. How do I remove my seats?
They're really pretty easy to take off, and if you get stuck we can help you out on the phone while you're doing it. NEVER cut any electrical wires going to the seat.
21. Do you offer "ride in" appointments?
Absolutely! We have a very comfortable waiting room with TV and magazines that you can hang out in, or play miniature golf or ride go karts next door. Enjoy fine outdoor dining or shopping less then a five minute walk away. Two hotels are within a 10 minute walk. Ride ins are by appointment only.
22. What about retaining OEM seat heating, or adding heat to an existing seat without it?
Not a problem retaining OEM heat - it will function normally. We can add 2 position high/low power heating elements to a seat and use only carbon fiber elements and marine quality switches for $149.00 extra. Not all motorcycle charging systems can handle the extra load of heated seats especially if you are running optional lighting, a heated vest, etc. Check with a knowledgeable motorcycle mechanic to make sure your bike's system can handle an additional 70 watts. If you burn out your alternator we are not responsible!
|
