Dave_in_TX Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 After 115k miles of use on my 07 and 11 RTs, my Bill Mayer seat was in need of recovering and maybe some rework. Bill Mayer wanted over $200 to to replace the top layer of memory foam and recover it. I started searching for alternatives (yes, if I just wanted it recovered, I could probably have found a local upholsterer to do it cheaply). I chanced upon Seth's web site (www.laamseats.com) and liked what I saw. I did some google research and found that except for one report where the poster stated he couldn't tell much difference in comfort between his original seat and his Laam seat, everything I could find was very positive. Other things I liked about Seth was the price ($199 when I first attempted to make contact) and that he was willing to work with aftermarket/modified seats. I submitted the contact form. It was around the Christmas holidays so I didn't expect an immediate response but after two weeks without a response, I decided to call him. Much of the information I gathered indicated that he was much better responding to phone contact than email. He wasn't available whe I called so I left my number and email address. After that, he was very responsive and we traded phone calls and emails. After that, it took me a couple of weeks to decide if I was going to send in my Mayer seat or sell/trade it. Seth though I might make some money off it but I decided that considering the condition of the cover, that was unlikely. When I contacted Seth again, he commented that he had several RT seats available so he would go ahead and use one of those as the base for mine and I could send him my Mayer set later. By then his price had risen to $249 dollars but in a week, I had a new seat and he didn't charge me a deposit for the exchange pan. The seat is a work of art and so far, it seems to be very comfortable. Until I can get a chance to do at least a 500 mile day, I won't know for sure. Based on a couple of 100 mile stints separated by a few hours though. it appears to be better than anything else I've owned. It will be going back for some rework, however. Probably due to some miscommunication, Seth did an excellent job of keeping the nose narrow but unlike the other RT seats I've had, the nose starts to rise immediately where the seat begins to narrow. This isn't a big issue at stops because I usually only put one foot down. It is an issue when I want to straddle the bike with both feet down, when backing up, for instance. Because of that rise, I can't quite flat-foot, and worse, it puts pressure on certain parts of my anatomy. Seth is going to pay the round trip shipping to do this. I won't be returning it for about a month because I probably won't be able arrange any long distance rides before then and I would like to do a "shake down" in case anything else shows up, which I don't really expect. I offered to end Seth my exchange pan before that but he suggested I just wait and send it with the other seat. Bottom line - if you're considering a custom seat, I recommend you check out Seth. BTW, Seth worked for Rick Mayer for several years and I'm sure Rick influenced Seth's seats. Besides the Bill Mayer seat, I've had a Sargent seat and a Spencer (www.greatdaytoride.com) modified seat on my R1200RTs. Seth's seat does the best job of any of them in transferring some of my weight to my thighs therefore reducing the pressure on my "sitting bones". Because it has better support under my thighs, it's also easier on my knees. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 BTW, Seth worked for Rick Mayer for several years and I'm sure Rick influenced Seth's seats. Looking through his gallery I can see the resemblance for sure, looks like very nice work! Pat Link to comment
crawfcj Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 +1 for Seth Laam's work. Two years ago I had him build one, all leather, for my 2011 Concours ABS. It was great quality, and a huge improvement. When I traded in my 2007 RT for a 2012 Rt in November of 2012, I immediately called Seth and had him build a leather seat for my new bike. 13000 miles later and it's still a great seat. I simply would not use anyone else. His high quality work for a price that is half what the others charge is almost hard to believe. But after two seats and a total of 26,000 miles combined use, I have no reservations recommending his product. Link to comment
bmwdavid Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Is the R1200RT considered oversized or regular on his website? Link to comment
Dave_in_TX Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Is the R1200RT considered oversized or regular on his website? regular Link to comment
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