When we first bought this white 2023 Harley-Davidson Lowrider ST the first thing I wanted to do was to swap out the seat. Not only does the ST come with a solo style seat, the ST’s stock seat also has little to no lower back support. This did not work for me, as well as my wife Maggie, who is way past the “sit on a rolled up towel on the rear fender and you will be fine.” type situation.
So, I ended up talking to the fine folks at Le Pera in North Hollywood, California and they sent out a brand new TailWhip seat with custom white stitching. They even embroidered our V-Twin Visionary logo on it for a fully custom touch. Though the seat we received was for a M8 Softail, Le Pera also has this model seat for Baggers, Dynas, and Sportsters.
Now, I have been doing this testing/reviewing thing for decades now and I have ridden hundreds of OEM and aftermarket seats on Baggers, Softail, FXRs, Dynas and even Choppers, so I have a very large knowledge of what is good and bad when it comes to seating. I also need to explain to you that seats are like other ergonomic products on motorcycles that are indeed very personal. Just like handlebar/riser height and foot control positions, what I like, need, and want are very different from what your body type and riding style dictate.
Le Pera is a family business that has been around for decades. The brand came into popularity in the late 70’s and early 80’s due to them making seats for custom applications and hard tail choppers. Then the FXR and Club Style bikes hit and Le Pera’s Daytona seat was the one to have on your machine. Fast forward to today and Le Pera has a full line of solo and two-up seats, which retain the company’s DNA, but with a whole lot of features today’s rider want and need. LePera also lets it’s custom flag fly. You can virtually combine thousands of colors, styles, stitch patterns, exotic materials, and even gel padding to get the seat you truly want. If you are tall or relatively short Le Pera has options for you as well.
When I received the new TailWhip seat, I first noticed the quality of craftsmanship and that the construction of the seat was very high. All of the panels of the seat lined up and the contrast white on black stitching was arrow-straight. Also the powder coated steel pan was stout, but did not feel too heavy. Even the underside of this seat, which no one ever sees was trimmed with care.
It took about 10 minuets to pull off the stock solo seat, move the mounting hardware on the fender and install the new Tailwhip seat. The profile of the base of the Le Pera seat matched the rear fender and frame well and there was zero issues mounting it to the bike. I liked the overall flow that the TailWhip brought to the bike and my wife loved that there was now a place for her to sit on the bike. Once the seat was on the bike we took a 250 mile ride to give it an initial break-in. I liked the way the seat was sculpted and the added lower back support the TailWhip seat possesses. Le Pera’s “Marathon” foam felt good and offered a comfortable ride, which was a little on the firm side in the beginning, but once my cheeks got used to it, I had zero issues. My wife Maggie was good for about 100 miles before she had to get off and stretch her legs and return some blood flow to her behind.
I have since ridden over 1300 miles on this Le Pera TailWhip seat and I can tell you its one of the better choices for someone wanting a good looking USA-made “performance” style seat with a proper rear seating surface. And mind you that this seat is not meant to be an all-day in the saddle “Iron Butt” type seat at all. But to the contrary, it is very comfortable for multi-hour rides.
I look at seats like this; All seats are not created equal. But if you can go from gas stop to gas stop without feeling like you are being tortured then I feel that is a good quality mid-use seat. And this one fits the bill in an exemplary manner. And, it looks good doing it.
For even more information hit up the fine folks at: www.lepera.com
