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Quick Look by webBikeWorld Staff

The Triboseat seat cover gets its name from the science of tribology, which is "a study that deals with the design, friction, wear, and lubrication of interacting surfaces in relative motion" according to Merriam Webster's dictionary.

I first heard the word used during a demonstration of a new type of plastic piano key overlay that was designed to replace ivory. 

Apparently, ivory has some specific qualities that transmitted a certain feel to pianists and the pores in the material absorbed some of the moisture from the fingers, keeping the keys dry.

It was supposedly a big deal to come up with a non-natural replacement and the tribologists played, if you'll pardon the pun, a huge role.

Anyway, the Triboseat is a special type of motorcycle seat cover that's designed to keep the pillion, or passenger, from slip slidin' away.  There's a Triboseat cover also available for the rider and the company has a huge selection of fitted Triboseat seat covers for a variety of motorcycle makes and models.

The best part about it is that the pillion version shown here only costs £9.99.  Of course, U.S. customers would have to pay shipping and the mercenary exchange rate due to the current weak dollar, but nevertheless, the price still ends up at a fairly reasonable level.

The custom-fitted Triboseats still must be installed on the bike, and that's where it can get a bit tricky.  The seat cover shown here is fitted to Chris B.'s Yamaha FJR1300.  The rear half of the seat on this particular motorcycle is easily removed, but the Triboseat must be tied in place underneath the seat.  The FJR doesn't have a really good location for the string, so it's kind of a compromise, but the seat cover does stay on once installed.

The Triboseat material is similar to some of the fuel tank protection material we've seen that can be fitted underneath a tank bag to protect the paint. 

The product has received some very positive reviews from UK owners, so if your pillion is complaining about slipping back and forth and bonking helmets, you're either not riding smooth enough or you need a Triboseat.