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Old 12th August 2024, 18:56   #1
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DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X

SEAT SLOPE CORRECTION DIY FOR SCRAMBLER 400X

Since the day of test ride, I was not very convinced with the seat profile of the Scrambler 400X. I had difficulty finding a sweet spot. The seat has a prominent forward slope which slowly and gradually pushed the rider forward, creating stretch points on the contact patch. Its not just me, many other riders have voiced similar complain as per various youtube video reviews. There is an OEM accessory "quilted" seat available from Triumph but at over 8K, its very expensive for trail. Also when I sat on one at the showroom, it did not feel much different from the stock.

A single seat design cannot fit everyone as riders come in various shapes, sizes and weight. In fact, most of the bikes I have owned, there has been some form of seat modification gone into it to personalise it to my riding. Only exception being the BMW 310GS on which I did not find any reason to complain or make any changes.

I have been to many seat modification shops including the famous (or infamous?) Raos of Bangalore. Its difficult to get the ideal seat at one sitting as the modification needs to be validated over a period of time. Most of the seat modification shops do not have a lot of time to spend on customers requirement and try and push what they think may work. Also, many a times, the rider does not clearly know how to define what he wants and all this leads to the final result which is not satisfactory. Hence whenever feasible, I try and attempt some simple seat modifications myself. Its not very difficult, does not require special tools or skill set. With some basic practice and time at hand, anyone should be able to attempt it. Worst scenario, we can always carry the seat to a shop and get it fixed. Sharing a pictorial representation of the seat slope correction on the scrambler which I attempted last Saturday.

TOOLS REQUIRED:
* Screwdriver and plier to remove the stapler
* Hacksaw blade to rough cut the foam
* File/rasp (handmade using a bottle cap) to finish the foam
* Stapler gun (manual) and hard staples (prefebly stainless steel ones)
* Foam sheet of 1/2 inch and some rubber solution (in case required)

TIME: 4 hours

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-01.jpg

Remove the seat from the bike. Its a fairly simple operation but requires removal of pillion seat first using the key. This exposes the two allen bolts which secures the rider seat.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-02.jpg

Carefully pry open the staples using a screwdriver and pull them out using a plier.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-03.jpg

Make sure to collect all the staple pins and dispose them carefully. They are hard and can easily prick the skin.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-04.jpg

Pull out the seat cover to expose the foam underneath it.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-05.jpg

The foam is wrapped in a thin plastic sheet, just like how a masala dosa comes packed. This would surely help protect the foam from water when exposed to rain/bike wash, etc.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-06.jpg

But the seat cover also has a thin layer of foam which is used to create the horizontal band pattern. This foam gets totally wet as the water ingresses from the stitch points all around. My bike was exposed to rain couple of days back, but the water ingress was still present and the seat cover was wet from inside.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-07.jpg

We can see the wetness seeped around the seat plate as well. This is an issue that should be looked at and rectified by the manufacturer.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-08.jpg

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-09.jpg

Marking on the foam and trying to identify the areas to remove material to reduce the slope.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-10.jpg

Rough cutting of the foam material. The intent was to remove material from the rear side of rider seat and match the transition towards the front.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-11.jpg

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-12.jpg

Finishing the foam and the contours.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-13.jpg

Trial on the bike. This is a critical feedback step which helps identify whether the intended thoughts are working as desired or not.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-14.jpg

Identifying the areas which requires additional material removal.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-15.jpg

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-16.jpg

Reworking on the form and trying on the bike again to make sure the results are positive and satisfactory.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-17.jpg

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-18.jpg

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-19.jpg

Cutting and pasting another thin later of foam all over helps with additional padding. It is important to have an idea of the foam thickness available to play with, as removing excess material means the seat pan can be felt at places.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-20.jpg

Taping inside of the stitching seam in hope to reduce the water ingress. For some reason, the tape does not stick very well to the seat cover material. I tried duct tape, clear tape and also the brown packing tape.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-21.jpg

Fitting back the seat cover and stapling it in place.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-22.jpg

And the modified seat is ready to be installed on the bike.

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-23.jpg

That is the end result. Time well spent.


DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X-24.jpg

Comparison of the old seat profile with the new one. The camera angles are not identical so may not given true picture but in actual, there is good amount of difference.

CONCLUSION:
I am very happy with the overall initial impression. The feeling of sliding forward is greatly reduced and seating feels much more planted. Will have to try it over longer ride and see how it fares.

Last edited by Axe77 : 14th August 2024 at 09:14. Reason: Minor clean up edits.
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Old 13th August 2024, 09:36   #2
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Re: Triumph Scrambler 400 X Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post
I am very happy with the overall initial impression. The feeling of sliding forward is greatly reduced and seating feels much more planted. Will have to try it over longer ride and see how it fares.
That's a great DIY job you've pulled off
A good seat maker will take feedback and offer a test ride before putting the cover back. But places which are over crowded don't have time for this.

Did you make the grinding tool (tin with holes) yourself or got it from a cobbler?

Conclusion: If riders know what they want then modifying the stock seat is the best option and is lighter to the pocket too!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

Last edited by surjaonwheelz : 13th August 2024 at 09:52.
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Old 13th August 2024, 13:14   #3
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Re: Triumph Scrambler 400 X Review

Quote:
That's a great DIY job you've pulled off
I felt confident to attempt this as DIY as the requirement "to reduce the seat forward slope" was clear and felt simple. But when we get into more complex shapes and major modifications which warrents making of a new seat cover, it gets difficult to try at home.

Quote:
Did you make the grinding tool (tin with holes) yourself or got it from a cobbler?
I did make it but not this time. I have had it for a few years now.
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Old 13th August 2024, 13:52   #4
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Re: Triumph Scrambler 400 X Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post
SEAT SLOPE CORRECTION DIY FOR SCRAMBLER 400X

CONCLUSION:
I am very happy with the overall initial impression. The feeling of sliding forward is greatly reduced and seating feels much more planted. Will have to try it over longer ride and see how it fares.
Great job bro. Very impressed with your workmanship! You've essentially now got a hammock saddle. Will that not impede your ability to slide front and back and sort of fix you in place?

Cheers, Doc
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Old 15th August 2024, 11:21   #5
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Re: DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X

DIY | Seat Slope Correction for Triumph Scrambler 400 X - Posts moved to a new thread
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