Bitwell's New Challenger Seat (2006+ Dyna)

[SINTAX]

Last week, Biltwell finally released their Challenger Seat for 2006+ Dyna’s. They make two versions, the smooth (below) and a tuck and roll (coming to me on Friday). I’m hoping these photos of my '06 Street Bob will prove useful for those Dyna owners interested in the seat, as both the Biltwell and Lowbrow site don’t show a mounted photo.

[rus]

kinda confused by the super angular design.
nothing on a dyna has harsh angles, this seat totally doesnt flow with anything.

[SINTAX]

Yes, it is full of sharp lines, which is a bit odd. It is pretty comfortable though - way more than a LePera Bare Bones.

[imfromwisconsin]

kinda confused by the super angular design.
nothing on a dyna has harsh angles, this seat totally doesnt flow with anything.

I actually like that it breaks up the lines overall; I think it flows from the tank into the seat nicely.

I do think it looks kind of odd with that rear fender though...maybe if it was longer or shorter; not a fan of the pipes either as I think that's playing a role in it not meshing well. But it's not my bike, so wtf do I care? Nice seat though.

[SINTAX]

I actually like that it breaks up the lines overall; I think it flows from the tank into the seat nicely.

I do think it looks kind of odd with that rear fender though...maybe if it was longer or shorter; not a fan of the pipes either as I think that's playing a role in it not meshing well. But it's not my bike, so wtf do I care? Nice seat though.

It's a build in progress. I'm waiting on some pipes from Sik Pipes to arrive...

[rus]

i'd been following the thread on this for over a year now and was super excited for this to come out.... i know its their product and they can do whatever they want, just seems strange to go in this direction. doesnt match anything else they're doing. if it was going on that yamaha bolt, i'd understand, but a dyna? even a 'club style' dyna, totally doesnt fit at all. round out the edges and it's golden. why make something that looks like it came from a nasa design from the 80's?

[Jesse13]

I like it better then my stock seat . But nothing for a 04 FXDL ?

[Jesse13]

Last week, Biltwell finally released their Challenger Seat for 2006+ Dyna’s. They make two versions, the smooth (below) and a tuck and roll (coming to me on Friday). I’m hoping these photos of my '06 Street Bob will prove useful for those Dyna owners interested in the seat, as both the Biltwell and Lowbrow site don’t show a mounted photo.

Man I think the smaller tank look's pretty good . I've been thinking of doing the same to my Dyna . I just didn't no what it would look like with such a wide back bone . Not to shabby.

I am bummed that seat won't fit my 04 fxd tho. Been waiting a year on it too.

[ThePete]

Pre '06 model soon?

[Billdozer2]

I'm stoked to see this seat on a customer bike. It is angular for sure. There are a bunch of swoopy, round seats out there if that's what someone is looking for. This seat is way narrower sitting atop the frame rails compared to stock or aftermarket seats. The idea was to make one that had plenty of support so you don't feel like you are sliding off the back under power but to be minimal in size with a simple shape, exposing some back bone and frame rail in the process. There are plenty of hard lines on Dynas so we did it like this 'cause we thought it looked neat.

Edit: here's a couple pics on my dad's mostly stock Street Bob for comparison.

[OlDirtyTrousers]

No hard line on a bike with a square swingarm - what? That seat looks killer on that bike!
Syntax - what the story on that tank?

[Nosebleed]

Why make something that looks like it came from a nasa design from the 80's?

Anyone else catch the irony there? It was subtle but I have to point it out...NASA...80's...Challenger? No? Ok, moving on...

I dig it. SIN is a buddy of mine and I'll probably be seeing this seat at the bar in about 2 hours so I can't wait. It is more square than what I would have expected but I think it's mostly the transition from the flat to the support area being so sudden. If that was more tapered it would be pretty similar to Biltwell's 86-03 Sporty seat in a lot of ways.

Jolly good show, fellas. Best of luck with it and congrats on the new product.

ODT, I can answer the tank question: Cory Hebert at MainDrive Cycles in Dallas (Lucas, TX) made that tank by hand. He is a high level Wizard and can make nearly anything that you can dream up...if you have the gold pieces! Cory is a CC member and super cool guy. His website is www.maindrivecycle.com, or google him.

[Badassjamie]

First off, that bike is not a good example of how it's going to look on a Dyna. That frisco sporter tank had to be modded for FI to work on that bike.
Dynas have one piece fat bob tanks and the tank alone will drastically change the look.

If they rounded off the edge, you have a lepera copy. I think it looks good on this bike and will look great on a regular tank dyna. Wish I had it when I had my street bob, and good to hear it's comfy.

[Helwade]

Further re: angles (or perceived lack of them) on '06 up Dyna…

Look directly below the Challenger seat on subject bike. Note the square-edged, highly angular oil bag/battery box assembly. To my eye this seat flows nicely into the rear fender and follows the lines of the square swing arm and aforementioned square battery bag/box combo nicely.

As Bill stated, we tried to trim down and sharpen up the look of what can be a pretty bloated bike with the shape of the foam and the stitching pattern on this seat. If bulbous, bouncy and bloated is what you're going for there are plenty of choices out there. We're gunning for lean and clean, and I think this seat nails it.

BTW, try to imagine this seat on a club style Dyna with 10" tall risers or a super-tall T-Bar.

Bingo!

Love,

Harold

[rus]

when i look at it, i see a rounded headlight, rounded tank, perfectly flat area, rounded fender.
yes, the battery box is squarish, but even the edges are rounded off, and that's one small element. add a fairing as most 'club style' bikes have, and it seems even more out of place to me.

when the R&D thread was going on it was stated that the intention was to create something similar to a bare bones, but more bolstered so it held you in better and more comfortable so you could ride all day. to say 'If bulbous, bouncy and bloated is what you're going for there are plenty of choices out there.' completely misses the point. i'm not looking for any of those things, i'm looking for simple and comfortable. this seat very well may technically fit both categories, but from my stylistic perspective, it looks a bit off. again though, just my opinion.

im not slamming you guys or claiming its shit, just sharing my impression of it. as a company, i'd think that intelligently explained opinions of all perspective might be valued. i trust you knew that some folks wouldnt be feeling it, so this isnt some shocking revelation. also, you should understand that when you develop a product on a site like this, amongst people that genuinely care about both your success and the products your making, things will wind up being a bit personal. you feel (justified or not) as if you're somewhat part of the process, just like friends in the garage drinking beers arguing over which bars look better.