Validating a motorcycle comfort product takes time. Like any product that attracts the interest of Nova Moto, it first goes through an assembly test phase, then on the road.
After about 1,500 km of local riding, with maximum journeys of 200 km, it was important to do a long-term test. The main aim is to be able to position itself as a well-informed user to ensure accurate, fair, experienced customer information.
Assembly test
Winter is a good time for this kind of work. Here, it’s quite simple in theory, it’s a matter of removing the original seat cover and replacing it with the Tappezzeria Italia cover. In practice, a minimum of dexterity is required. The difficulty of realization will be specified on Nova Moto Le Shop in order to avoid any misunderstanding.
This saddle cover includes either :
- a memory foam for comfort (this is the innovation!)
- areas with high grip materials for more racing versions.
Please find here below the disassembly process of the original green saddle cover and the reassembly with the Tappezzeria cover. Its multicolor and multi-material finish offers beyond the increased comfort, a much more appealing design!
Road Test
The context: road trip from 11 to 22 April 2019
The machine: Z1000 2016 unmodified
Location: Barr – Granada (Spain) and back: 70 % motorways, 30 % mixed, even small mountain roads in Spain and Provence
Driver profile: 50 years old, 1.73 / 69 kg – you know everything!
An important point to consider: the Kawasaki Z1000 is not a touring bike. It’s my bike, the one I chose out of a desire for aesthetics and character.
On this bike, I have 2 references: the original comfort, and the improved comfort with the use of the Airhawk inflatable seat cushion. The original saddle, combined with the dryness of the fork which is reflected in the handlebars, is just physically demanding. After 100 kilometers after my purchase, I reused the Airhawk, it has never left my bike since.
Giving up the Airhawk for this test was motivated by the meeting in Milan (Eicma fair) with this company passionate about technology and aesthetics.
And also to meet the demand for more attractive comfort solutions on the part of Nova Moto’s customers. It’s true that the Airhawk cushion ist not the most beautiful accessorie on a motorcycle.
So this is not the bike you should have been careful with, but – a little – the driver! The test was not done on the whole trip, 4,468 km in 9 days of riding. It took place over the first 2 days of driving: 1,320 km. And on the last length of the return trip, 748 km. So a total of 2068 km, over 4 days.
So what?
Memory foam: explanation
The Tapezzeria saddle cover is totally innovative because it is equipped with a memory foam, comparable to that used for mattresses.
What exactly is it about? This foam, usually made of polyurethane, was developed by NASA in the 1960s to provide more comfort for its astronauts. It reacts to body temperature and not only to weight, and thus allows a perfect adaptation to the morphology of each person.
Advantages: this foam, beyond perfect adaptation, offers a support balanced between firmness and softness of contact. By evacuating pressure points, not only does it push back the limits of tiredness, but it also protects the body from lumbago and cervical pain, filtering out road imperfections.
Conclusion: validated product!
And this is exactly the feeling perceived when riding with the Z so equipped: the contact of the seat is very pleasant, the imperfections (always present) are filtered and become acceptable, thus limiting fatigue on a long trip. And the good test is to be able to get back on the machine and realign the same distance the next day. The machine is significantly smoother than the original fitting.
In addition, this high quality product ensures a beautiful finish to your bike! The product is totally convincing, over the 3,500 km of the whole testing. The supplier too, the exchanges made since EICMA (Milan Motor Show) allow to confirm a nice reactivity. Which is also a key point.
Small bypass on the way back via the Mont Ventoux.
Customer Service
Tappezzeria Italia is a company based in Sicily that does meticulous work by hand. Composed of a dozen people in production, it offers a good reactivity and offers delivery within a week. Each cover is tailor-made: colours, brand logos, motorcycle model logos.
I was also able to test this reactivity because …when we met at Eicma, there was no development done for my Z1000 memory comfort cover. It was developed and delivered mid-December, 3 weeks after the show! This is the 0 model that I had the pleasure to test!
To treat the pilot 😉
Nova Moto readers know it, transparency is a fundamental value for me. So, I want to specify here that the objective of this trip was to test several products, including these comfort seat covers, and also to enjoy the road. In short, it was not a question of taking the slightest risk, as I was already prone to lumbago. So I left with my « backup » in the bag.
Simply adding the essential tool for long trips -or older riders ;)- the inflatable comfort cushion with Airhawk technology, distributed for 4 years now by Nova Moto. Slightly inflated, this accessory ensures the transfer of a light air flow between the cells that compose it, and thus avoids any point of support. The result is an absorption of shocks and vibrations, and no discomfort to the seat, even on a long day of riding. This is also the solution to make a lively and stiff suspension motorcycle viable. Well, there’s still the dryness at the fork… No risk of falling asleep, that’s for sure!
Conclusion
Even if the test was not carried out on the whole trip as explained above, this wonderful comfort seat cover is definitely adopted for me! A real motivation to dismantle my Blaze SW Motech saddlebags, which are very practical, to enjoy the animal shape of my bike.
Text and pictures: Isabelle Maillet
