Which seats ?

This might be a NEPRT but i'm looking to change my OEM original seat due to discomfort from both my wife & I on longer rides......i was looking at Corbin, but also noticed there is an OEM Comfort seat...any opinions or recommendations would be appreciated from people who have tried these.

Thanks

Good luck! I've tried Russell Day long- sold it. I've tried Corbin- never use it. I keep going back to the OEM in the high position.

InbeforeNEPRT! WooHoo!!

Bought a heated Corbin last month. I have about 700 on it total with one 500 mile day. Still needs a little breaking in but better than stock IMO...

rbentnail said:

InbeforeNEPRT! WooHoo!!

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Me too... Woo Hoo!

I couldn't stand the OEM seat as it caused me to continuously slide toward the tank and just wasn't comfortable.

Seats are very personal and there are as many opinions as there are rear ends sitting on the seats!

If you search you will find hundreds of posts regarding seats. Many forum members swear by the Russell day-long and I would guess this is the dominant choice of the crowd.

Between my buddy and I we have 4 x FJRs and been through a few seats. He has a Russell and enjoys it for long trips but doesn't care for it around town. It is a different position and I feel like I'm sitting "on" the bike versus "in" the bike. He also had a Corbin and found it very hard and got rid of it - I didn't mind it so much and thought it was OK for comfort and it looked nice. He also has a Mayer seat - we had a couple bad experiences with Mayer; I don't recommend dealing with this guy at all (others have had some issues with his service also).

I have a Sargent seat and a Laam seat on my bikes. I like them both for comfort and looks. Either seat works fine for 300 - 400 mile days for me with good comfort. I really like the design and the service provided by Seth Laam - he makes a quality seat, reasonable price and stands behind his product if adjustment is needed. Laam are custom seats and you have to send him you seat or another used one.

So, IMHO if you want the arm-chair comfort and like the seating position, a Russell is the choice of many. If I was doing it again, I would buy both Laam seats as for about $400 you can have the front and back custom shaped.

If you can find some guys near you to try their seat, it would be a lot more economical that buying the multiple seats my buddy and I have bought.

Good luck!

RDL has started making a seat with an optional variable speed vibrating butt plug, will keep you and your SO happy.

I will second the LAAM, got one for my FJR before I got the new bike by getting a used one until the LAAM came in. That was in the late fall early winter. He was not very busy at the time..... turn around was a week. Got 5000 miles on the new seat and its absolutely perfect for me.

I just bought a new FZ-09 - I found a used road rash seat on ebay and had it sent directly to LAAM. Sent LAAM a contact email from their site to alert them of the seat arriving that day. Got a call from Kaarin a couple hours after contacting them, she was very nice and at this point she stated that she was putting me on the list for July 31st, so 2 weeks out or so from build, then delivery time from California.. Told me to fill out an order form on their site to pin to the seat when it comes in. Done. Can't wait to get the new seat for the FZ, as the stocker is worse then the stock FJR seat.. by miles...

My advice for Anyone looking to do a Laam, if you don't have an extra seat to ride - plan it out a bit better..... Make an order on the internet with their online form before you ship out the seat. They will call you - if you ask she will tell you what day she will be putting you on the schedule, ship the seat out to arrive a couple days ahead of time - then the seat will be built and sent back to you as soon as he finishes.... It would likely turn into a much faster turn around time for you.....

He is a one man show so proper timing is of the essence. Perhaps there might be someone you can borrow a seat from to ride while your getting a custom done.

I too found the OEM seat to be uncomfortable so when a friend offered to trade his OEM "comfort" for my original I agreed. After a few hundred miles I found the "comfort" seat to be no better than the one that came with the bike. In fact I'm looking to trade someone locally straight across to get back to the original one because the "comfort" one is just a little wider than I would like.

My solution was to buy an Air Hawk. While I'm sure it's not as comfortable as a custom made seat, it makes long rides bearable.....my two cents worth!

I bought a used Corbin, that was already broken in.

I've put about 7000 miles on it now and I like it a lot.

FJR2011 said:

This might be a NEPRT but i'm looking to change my OEM original seat due to discomfort from both my wife & I on longer rides......i was looking at Corbin, but also noticed there is an OEM Comfort seat...any opinions or recommendations would be appreciated from people who have tried these.

Click to expand...

As was stated above, seats are a personal thing that depends not just on the relationship between the seat and your butt, but the style and type of riding you do.

If you like to do regular, fast runs on twisty roads then a Russell is unlikely to be your favorite. The "wings" that are integral to the design prevent much of the body movement you will use. On the other hand, if your preference is for long days in the saddle, then doing it again the next day, the Russell is almost peerless.

Among the LD Riders, Russell seems to account for about 80% of all after-market custom seats, with Bill Mayer seats being preferred by some. If your riding rarely sees you going further than around 500 miles a day, the choices are wider, with the seats made by Seth Laam gaining wider acceptance (and they look good).

Corbin seats are very expensive planks of wood. I'm sure there is a guy out there somewhere who finds them comfortable, but most do not.

I bought a used Corbin for my '08 and used that until I got my '15. Seat is great and I was happy to move it to the new bike. All day comfortable for me. I have also had some pretty bad experiences with Corbin customer service over a seat for my Super Tenere.

YMMV.

Rob

Another fan of LAAM seats, have them on my FJR and Tenere. Still have a set of OEM comfort seats that I use occasionally, in fact the SO likes the pillion seat better than hers from LAAM.

Be aware with RDL seats, they will sit you 1-1/2" to 2" higher than stock due to their construction. I received this information straight from them when asking about modifying a used seat (which they were unwilling to do unless I ponied up full build cost). If you're inseam challenged, the reach to the ground with an RDL is unacceptable.

--G

escapefjrtist said:

Be aware with RDL seats, they will sit you 1-1/2" to 2" higher than stock due to their construction. I received this information straight from them when asking about modifying a used seat (which they were unwilling to do unless I ponied up full build cost). If you're inseam challenged, the reach to the ground with an RDL is unacceptable.

--G

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To give this a little context ...

I have a Gen 1 with a Russell seat. I have a 33" in-seam and can easily flat-foot both feet with a slight bend in my knees/ I'm guessing the height wouldn't become an issue for anyone with an inseam of 31 inches.

For the short-arses among us, Russell can help by narrowing the front of the seat some. That would require shifting forwards as you come to a stop, but many riders do manage this okay. With Russell seats it is often the width that causes the problem rather than the seat height.

Hope that helps.

Russell makes a sports seat that is the same height as your stock seat. I have one and it is awesome. 3400 miles to spearfish and back and never an uncomfotable moment. PM me and I will send pics

redneckj said:

Russell makes a sports seat that is the same height as your stock seat. I have one and it is awesome. 3400 miles to spearfish and back and never an uncomfotable moment. PM me and I will send pics

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Might be helpful to the OP to post up a picture, plus I'm interested in what that sport seat looks like from Russel....

Laam seat on mine...the OEM plank and my butt don't get along at all. I can ride all day on the Laam with no discomfort. I've also have a Corbin, sitting on a shelf in the garage gathering spider webs...it was only good when I put an Airhawk pad on top of it. The RDL is also a fine seat, but much more $$$ than the Laam when new.

Not the best pic of the sports seat, but it's all that I have for now.

Just returned from a trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. After the first day of 8hrs in the saddle I was hugging my Laam seat. Didn't realize how good it was until I was sitting in the camp chair sipping a soda and realized my butt didn't hurt! In my mind, you know you've got a good seat when you don't even think about it.

Twigg said:

escapefjrtist said:

Be aware with RDL seats, they will sit you 1-1/2" to 2" higher than stock due to their construction. I received this information straight from them when asking about modifying a used seat (which they were unwilling to do unless I ponied up full build cost). If you're inseam challenged, the reach to the ground with an RDL is unacceptable.
--G

Click to expand...

To give this a little context ...

I have a Gen 1 with a Russell seat. I have a 33" in-seam and can easily flat-foot both feet with a slight bend in my knees/ I'm guessing the height wouldn't become an issue for anyone with an inseam of 31 inches.

For the short-arses among us, Russell can help by narrowing the front of the seat some. That would require shifting forwards as you come to a stop, but many riders do manage this okay. With Russell seats it is often the width that causes the problem rather than the seat height.

Hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Don't need your help with "context", guessing or OPINIONS. By your own previous admission your RDL is tired and worn out so being able to flat-foot with a 33" inseam is meaningless as is guessing a 31" inseam *might* work for folks. And no, it doesn't help...

--G

escapefjrtist said:

Twigg said:

escapefjrtist said:

Be aware with RDL seats, they will sit you 1-1/2" to 2" higher than stock due to their construction. I received this information straight from them when asking about modifying a used seat (which they were unwilling to do unless I ponied up full build cost). If you're inseam challenged, the reach to the ground with an RDL is unacceptable.
--G

Click to expand...

To give this a little context ...

I have a Gen 1 with a Russell seat. I have a 33" in-seam and can easily flat-foot both feet with a slight bend in my knees/ I'm guessing the height wouldn't become an issue for anyone with an inseam of 31 inches.

For the short-arses among us, Russell can help by narrowing the front of the seat some. That would require shifting forwards as you come to a stop, but many riders do manage this okay. With Russell seats it is often the width that causes the problem rather than the seat height.

Hope that helps.

Click to expand...

Don't need your help with "context", guessing or OPINIONS. By your own previous admission your RDL is tired and worn out so being able to flat-foot with a 33" inseam is meaningless as is guessing a 31" inseam *might* work for folks. And no, it doesn't help...

--G

Click to expand...

Are you so ungrateful in every thread, or did you just save it all up for this one?

I ask simply because I have rarely seen such unpleasantry or downright fucking rudeness to someone who spent their time simply trying to help/

Just to add .. My tired, worn out and totally fucking useless Russell covered 15000 miles last month with two riders and zero complaints.