New seat for the FJR

[gazza]

Hi to all

Just been looking in the Parts and Accessories dept and i see a mention of seats being a popular farkle for the FJR. It also just so happens that iv'e been for a 4 hour ride and my arse is a tad sore. What iv'e found out on the forum is that there is a multitude of options for replacement seats and i guess you all think yours is the best right??. Well i'm down here in New Zealand so for starters my options are limited i think you would agree. So far i have come up with 3 seat manufacturers Corbin, Sargent and Russell and i think that all will want my my seat base/bases to supply a new one.Correct me if i'm wrong!. Anyway where do you i should start with this keeping in mind that i don't want to turn the FJR into a cruiser or a Goldwing, Just a improvement on the style of seat i have now if you know what i mean.

Regards

Gazza

 

[HotRodZilla]

Neither Corbin nor Sergeant will require your seat-pan. They just send you their version of an off-the-shelf upgrade. Some swear by them, others, not so much.

I rode around on Pinhead's Sergeant for a little more than a week. It was ok, but I donno if I liked it enough to spend the money on it.

Seats are very personal decisions for obvious reasons, but it seems the king of comfort is the Russell. You just have to get past its price and looks.

Good luck.

 

[creekstone]

So far i have come up with 3 seat manufacturers Corbin, Sargent and Russell

You might want to also consider Mayer seats. There are two separate companies: Bill Mayer Saddles (www.billmayersaddles.com) and Rick Mayer Cycle (www.rickmayercycle.com).

Someone correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly...

Bill Mayer developed the Day-Long seat that featured "wings" and a spring suspension. It became the standard for a comfortable LD seat. Bill sold the company which became Russell seats when he realized the same basic suspension benefits could be accomplished with muliple density foam bases. He formed a new company that is run today by his son, Rocky. Rocky's brother Rick is direct competition.

 

[3dogs]

I have a Saddlemen seat for at 2005 FJR that I am interested in selling. Here is a link to the Saddlemen website and the FJR seat. Ping me and let me know if you are interested.

 

[cumberlandjack]

Wish I had my FJR with me a few years ago when I toured the south island on a BMW GS. What a beautiful place! I have a picture of the Cathedral in Christchurch before the earthquake which brings back good memories.

 

[FJRBluesman]

IMO - If you can afford the extra cost, buy a used set of seats (ebay, forum, junk yard, what ever), send the pans to either Bill Mayer, or Russell.

I've owned a few Corbin's on my Duc and Beemer, loved them. Having said that, I'm not pleased with the Corbin Canyon for the Feej, too hard. I sold mine, although I have another (with back rest) that came with my recent Feej purchase, just sitting in my garage. I'll say this about that, it's better than stock; however, I think you'll be far more comfortable in a Mayer or Russell seat for long rides.

Good luck.

 

[gazza]

Wish I had my FJR with me a few years ago when I toured the south island on a BMW GS. What a beautiful place! I have a picture of the Cathedral in Christchurch before the earthquake which brings back good memories.

Hi cumberlandjack

Yes it is a great piece of country and a great place to motorcycle. I did the trip on the FJR last year down the west coast as far south as Milford and then back up through the centre. Some of the scenery down there is breathtaking as you would know.Hoping to get down the for a revisit in February

Regards

Gary

 

[Bounce]

Someone correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly...

Close. Old man Mayer sold his company and had a non-compete for several years. He later started up the newer Mayer company which one of his sons took over and continued what he was doing. Old man Mayer was the first to admit that he couldn't do as good a job with only foam as he could with his original design. His other son broke off and started his own saddle company. One of the 2 sons has a problem with time management and getting product out the door. On LDR one customer who was subjected to the ordeal of getting his paid for product eventually got it, wasn't happy with the result, peeled back the cover and found some "wings" glued to his original saddle and recovered. To say he wasn't happy would be an under statement.

For the life of me I can't remember which is the Mayer boy to avoid.

With all that in mind, I went with Russel (multiple bikes) and haven't ever been disappointed.

 

[Pepperell]

Re: weird looking

After doing an fjr rally the stock seat looks weird...

 

[roger dodger]

Someone correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly...

I believe it was Rocky Mayer that started the Company, sold the 'springs' design to Russell, and left the business to Bill and Rick. BMS.com did a great job on my saddle (no springs) and Rick also has a great product w/ a poorer feedback/reputation for customer service. (drive-ins recommended)

 

[Fred W]

gazza,

A lot depends n what your goals are. In my case, I wanted to be able to ride my bike all day for several vacation days in a row, without experiencing discomfort.

I am probably the poster child for FJR seats. I had tried too many ways (at too much expense) to avoid buying a Russell Day Long seat.

The stock seat is too soft and squishy, which is why it cuts off the circulation and causes hot spots in about an hour or two.

Tried sending that out for a Gel/Memory foam upgrade and that was better but still only about a 4 hour seat

All Corbins are hard as a brick. I had both the one piece and the two piece "modular" seats. Hard is OK if it precisely mirrors your butt. But these are off-the-shelf seats so the likelihood of you being a perfect fit is pretty slim.

The Rick Mayer that I had for a while was OK, but not nearly as supportive nor comfortable as a Russell.

In the end, a Russell was the final answer. I like my Russell so much that when I bought myself a used V-strom DL1000 last year one of the first farkles was to get a Russell made up for it.

Do it. You'll never look at a seat the same again.

 

[yamafitter]

I had the opportunity to ride for a month in New Zealand (2 weeks South Island & two weeks up north). I have a good idea of the roads in New Zealand and the one problem with the classic Russell seat is that it is harder to move around on the bike in all those twisties that New Zealand has to offer. I have the classic Russel Day Long seat and if you are getting aggressive the seat makes it a little difficult to move laterally on the bike.

I believe Russel has a 'Sports' style seat that allows freer movement on the bike. You may want to call Russell and talk to them about your particular needs. I found their sales people very receptive to answering any questions you may have and willing to make sure that you get a seat that works for you.

 

[squeezer]

Someone correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly...

I believe it was Rocky Mayer that started the Company, sold the 'springs' design to Russell, and left the business to Bill and Rick. BMS.com did a great job on my saddle (no springs) and Rick also has a great product w/ a poorer feedback/reputation for customer service. (drive-ins recommended)

Not quite. Bill was the dad. Rocky and Rick are the sons.

For the record, Rick Mayer also keeps FJR seat pans in stock. Instead of living without a saddle, you send him a deposit check. When you get your saddle, you send yours back and he returns your check. That arrangement worked great for me. I've also found it easy to slide laterally in the Rick Mayer saddle.

I've had both Bill and Rick Mayer seats (on different bikes) and loved 'em. Haven't owned a Russell, but that seems to be the gold standard among LD riders.

 

[roger dodger]

Thanks for the correction...

and the website is www.billmayersaddles.com and www.rickmayercycle.com

 

[gazza]

Guys

Thanks for all you great response, much appreciated. I guess firstly i have to consider the type of riding i do and for myself i do the typical 6 hour day ride but at the same time really enjoy getting out amongst the country back roads twisties etc.Here is one of the roads round these parts. https://www.windwand.co.nz/heritagetrail.htm. It really looks like the russell day long is the king of all seats without a doubt but for a compromise which would be the better option.

Regards

Gazza

 

[Fred W]

It really looks like the russell day long is the king of all seats without a doubt but for a compromise which would be the better option.

For a compromise, go with a Sargent Worldsport. It is far better than a Corbin in terms of comfort and you do retain ease of sliding the butt. I have one of these on my VFR and it isn't too bad. Since it is an "off the shelf" seat, it also allows you to keep your stock seat pans. You might need them some day for if (when?) you decide that you want to go all the way and get Russelized.

 

[Bounce]

Corbin, Sargent, and others that aren't built to your measurements, are still off-the-shelf and (IMNSHO) too much of a compromise. If you're spending that kind of cash, go ahead and get a real custom seat. Not something that's built from one of a hand full of pre-fabbed templates and covered with the color of your choosing. Swapping one "average rider" design for another may or may not end up fitting you. A custom seat will.

 

[Fred W]

He said that he wanted a compromise.

 

[JR'SFJR]

I am still happy with my Sargent after 50k. It's firm, which I like and it's easy to move around on. At the time, I received a new front pan and chose to slip cover the rear for $39. Can't get by the looks of the wing seats.