I don't care for the Russell either (I know that many, many FJR and other riders swear by them). I don't like the feeling of sitting up so high; I've seen others describe that with a Russell you are sitting "on" the bike versus "in" the bike.
I have a Sargent that I like and consider good by my tastes on one bike and a Laam that I consider very good on the other. The Laam is the best that I have found so far for my comfort and likes. My Laam was custom built for me and after riding a bit, I found it made me slid into the tank very slightly - I called Seth Laam and he asked me to ship it back, he raised the front slightly in a one day turn around and sent it back with no charges. Many miles later, I still love it.
My buddy also has two FJRs. He had a Russell built and then did the "drive in"to Russell to get it adjusted as it just didn't work. It is much better but still not as great for him and he uses a different seat for around town. He also has a Rick Mayer that came with a used FJR and it doesn't work for him either (nor me, I tried it). This particular seat puts the rider right on the tank; I think it could work for someone that has a very small butt and likes to be right on the tank. My buddy made contact to try to get it adjusted but the cost was nearly the amount of fresh built Laam. Further, Mr. Mayer suggested to my buddy that maybe the FJR was the wrong bike for him. Wrong; the bike is great, just not that seat.
It is personal preference of course. If you can try a Russell or a Laam from someone that has one, you'll get a sense of what they are like; they work for many folks.
