Triboseat Anti-slip Seat Cover Review

Pete Brissette
by Pete Brissette

File this one under, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

The Triboseat is an exceptionally simple anti-slip seat cover designed primarily for pillion perches. U.K.-based Advanced Seating Technology crafted the rubbery net-like material as an easy-on, easy-off fix to prevent passengers from slipping and sliding on those tiny little pads that many sportbike manufacturers call passenger seats. The product derives its name from tribology, loosely, the study of friction.

Each Triboseat is claimed to be specifically designed for various models of 12 brands of bikes. The Big Four are supported as are Aprilia, BMW, Buell, Cagiva, Ducati, Hyosung, Moto Guzzi and, of course, Triumph. The company’s website lists fitment for five Aprilia models, for example, while no less than 23 different models of BMWs are listed as candidates for a Triboseat.

We procured a Triboseat for a 2008 Yamaha R6 we had in our possession. Installation on our R6 took little more than a few minutes.

Simply remove the seat and grab-strap, if so equipped. Next, starting from the back of the seat, get the Triboseat situated so the net material sits evenly and flat after ensuring the sheathed elastic pull cord is secured under the seat’s edge. With the wider end of the Triboseat facing the front of the bike, pull the cord ends tight, tie them together under the seat, replace the grab-strap, reinstall the seat and you’re done.

Triboseat for a Yamaha R6. First grippy tires, now a grippy seat. You’ll never get rid of that annoying passenger.

The entirety of the Triboseat is black, so it’s easily camouflaged since most seat material is black.

We had it looking good on the R6, but would the Triboseat prove effective? Enter our latest guest tester, Alex Bongart. Though Alex is an accomplished rider, she also makes for a good pillion guinea pig.

After completing our little test circuit replete with normal acceleration, turning and some heavy braking to see if I could make her crash into me, she hopped off the bike and exclaimed, “It works!”

By keeping the passenger from slip-slidin’, the Triboseat helps prevent rider and passenger helmets from clacking together during abrupt throttle inputs or during braking. An added benefit is a fresher and more relaxed passenger. Alex was keen on how she didn’t have to struggle to stay put.

We don’t keep Alex around just for her smiling face. She’s got a good eye for design, and wisely noted that just a couple enhancements could really improve the Triboseat. I agreed with her idea that having small hooks of some sort on the ends of the drawcord might make anchoring the cord under the seat easier and more secure. Another item we thought would be handy is spring-loaded “stoppers.” Found often on just about anything with an elastic drawcord, the stoppers are used to cinch the cord tight in the blink of an eye, eliminating the need to knot the cord. One on each end of the Triboseat’s cord along with the aforementioned hooks would be the business, we think.

Alex and me probably won’t win any industrial design awards or start receiving royalties from Advanced Seating Technology. Nevertheless, the Triboseat works adequately in its current form, and the netting material, despite looking fragile, is surprisingly strong. Attempts to rip it by hand, or pull it apart with our superior mental powers proved futile.

The Triboseat Rider. A universal fit for rider saddles.

Don’t often have passengers, but find that it’s you drifting across the seat, worn shiny from the last 10 Ironbutts you competed in? Maybe it’s time to consider the “Rider,” the universal fit Triboseat. It works in the same manner as the product for passenger seats but is designed to go on the main saddle.

The easiest way to obtain a Triboseat is by visiting http://www.triboseat.com/index.htm. Cost in U.S. dollars for most fitments is $28.84, including shipping and a 17.5% tax. Purchase two Triboseats, and Advanced Seating Technology will knock 10% off shipping. The Rider sells for $31.82, shipped.

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Pete Brissette
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