For those of us that enjoy getting out on the road for extended trips the issue of a comfortable seat can come up time and again. Even with the likes of a Mustang or Corbin, a long day in the saddle can leave you with a tired backside and on hot days you may find yourself somewhat, um, damp… Introducing the SADDLEBUM SaddleBlankets, a new premium sheepskin product to make your day on the road a lot more comfortable.
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OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS
Review remains posted for historical content
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Product Information
- Ease of Installation: 10/10
- Installation Time: Mere moments
- Mechanical Aptitude Required: Beginner
- Tools Required: None
- Quality of Instructions: Excellent
- Quality of Product: Excellent
- Supplied by: SADDLEBUM
- Reviewed by: RoadStarMagazine.com (this review is subject to the following disclaimer)
Product Overview
Even with the most comfortable seat for the Road Star, you can still find yourself wishing for an extra bit of padding on a long ride. In addition to that, the type of material the seat is made of sometimes doesn’t let your nether regions breathe as well as they could. Call it what you will, monkey butt, crotch rot or just plain ole damp pants, it’s uncomfortable. One thing people have tried is sheepskin covers for the seats, but they are usually a fiddly affair involving straps and loops plus having to remove the seat from the bike for installation. In addition to that, half the time it just doesn’t look right, almost as if it was an afterthought, and we sure can’t have that on our Road Stars! The SADDLEBUM SaddleBlankets solve all of those problems and they look great on your bike too!
Product Quality
The quality of the sheepskin is superb and SADDLEBUM has used the finest medical grade sheepskin all the way from New Zealand (and those guys know their sheep, wink wink, nudge nudge). All the different versions of the SaddleBlankets have been designed specifically for each model seat, so whether you have the stocker, a Mustang (including a hole for driver’s backrests) or a Corbin you can be assured that you will get the right one for your model. A lot of time and care has obviously gone into the construction of the SaddleBlankets and you can see that this is a professionally made product, not something that has just been cobbled together.
Appearance
One of the best things about the SaddleBlankets is that once they are on your bike they look like they are part of the seat! Despite the fact that they only rest on top of the seat, its appearance blends so well that you would almost swear it came from the factory that way. As you can see by the picture, Mustang owners with studded seats still get to show off the studs in all their shiny-pretty glory too. Sheepskin covers aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, in part due to the looks, but to be honest I doubt you could have a better looking cover than these.
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OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS
Review remains posted for historical content
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Functionality
As mentioned earlier, the covers merely sit on top of the seat, they are not strapped in place and neither does the cover extend down under the seat. The secret to this success is the non slip material that SADDLEBUM uses under the cover and with the weight of your body on top of it they aren’t going anywhere! I have ridden my bike very hard through some tight twisty ranges and although I move my body a lot, for aggressive cornering, the SaddleBlanket never hinted at slipping around under me, heck it didn’t even budge. Fortunately I received the SaddleBlankets just prior to a weekend overnighter covering some 500+ miles, so I rode the first day of the trip with the SaddleBlanket on, and the second day with it off (mainly because it was POURING rain!). On the first day of the trip I never felt a moment of discomfort and I finished the run feeling fresher than I ever have. On the second day without the SaddleBlanket I could really feel the bones in my backside where they contacted with the seat and it certainly wasn’t as plush as the first day. Don’t get me wrong, my Mustang is VERY 
comfortable and I wouldn’t be without it, but with the SaddleBlanket it just added to the overall comfort level I experienced. Oh and even if the SaddleBlankets did happen to get wet, it wouldn’t matter as you can just hang them out to dry later. Sheep get wet too ya know .
As to the pillion, unfortunately my wife Jenni wasn’t able to join me on the overnighter, but we did go out for a two hour run specifically for this review. Jenni agrees with me that the Mustang seat can’t be beat, but as anyone who has a regular pillion knows the foot peg position puts the pillion’s knees quite high, in turn transferring a lot of the person’s weight right back onto their bottom. Even with the Mustang Jenni still gets a little achy due to this positioning, but with the SaddleBlanket on her seat the discomfort she normally feels in her *cough* butt bones, has been lessoned to a considerable degree. Like me, Jenni felt no hint of the SaddleBlanket moving underneath her even while flicking the bike through some corners and she does love the easy installation. Jenni honestly believes that the pillion cover is well worth it and she also thinks it could really help out a pillion passenger still suffering on the stock seat. She is still at me to get her a set of pillion floorboards though I have to admit
Installation Process
The installation for the SaddleBlankets is ludicrously simple. For the driver all you need to do is to hook the leading edge of the cover under the front of your seat (does not require seat removal, even with a tank bra) and then lay it back over the seat, and that’s it! For the pillion just position it squarely on top of the seat and you are done! Now because there are no straps holding the covers in place I would put in my only words of warning here. Do NOT ride the bike leaving the pillion cover on without a pillion rider, I think you would lose the cover before you got to the end of the block. Also I would advise against leaving the SaddleBlankets on if you have the bike parked and there is a very strong wind blowing, as it may be possible that the wind could get under the edge of the covers enough to blow them off and all over the car park. Lastly it is not something I would leave on the bike if you aren’t going to be around, say overnight in a Hotel. Even though they look like part of the seat, if someone got wise to it, YOINK! But even with that said, I think they are very minor problems as it literally only takes seconds to remove the covers yourself and they stuff quite easily into saddlebags anyway.
Concluding Opinion
The SADDLEBUM SaddleBlankets start at $89US for just the driver’s seat and $129US for a stock driver and pillion seat package. While the price may be a little higher than what you have seen for sheepskin covers before, make no mistake in that you are buying a premium product that is made perfectly for your seat. Personally I would have NO hesitation in recommending the SADDLEBUM SaddleBlankets to anyone looking to top off the comfort level for their bike, particularly if you ride in areas of high temperatures and/or you are still using the stock seats. Be sure to visit the SADDLEBUM Website for more information.
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OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS/OUT OF BUSINESS
Review remains posted for historical content
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RoadStarMagazine.com