Thinking about Sargent seat for R12RT

[Richard G]

I see Sargent seats are now available for the R12RT.

When I asked here before about seat company's, their name came up quite often. Is anyone here thinking of trying them?

I have never used one of their seats yet.

The design looks similar to the Corbin, but with some underseat features.

Does anyone know if there are any significant construction differences between them? Should I choose one over the other?

I dont think I would go wrong with either one.

 

All suggestions welcome.

 

Thanks Rich

[onedae]

My experience with Sargent has been mixed. While the seat I had on my 1150RT was well made and looked great, it was not much better than stock as to comfort. Also the plastic pan they used was very flexible and moved around a bit - the Company said that was normal but I did not like it. I have a Corbin on my 1200RT and I am very happy with it but I had it custom made at the factory in my presence and was able to tweak it to my satisfaction. Many people have problems with Corbin and their typical mail-order operation and poor customer follow-up service. If I could not ride in to Corbin, I would not buy from them. Sargent on the other hand is a very customer service oriented company and will always take the seat back if you don't like it. So there is much less downside with Sargent.

[matanuska]

I just put a brand new Sargent on my K1200RS and I couldn't be more satisfied.

 

Comfort: The difference is Night and Day, I can easily spend hours on the Sargent (though the K12RS had a notoriously uncomfortable factory seat).

Workmanship: First rate! There is some difference between seat construction with the Sargent and other seats. The fabric isn't glued down and "floats" about an 1/8" over the foam in some places. Read the FAQ on their website for more details.

Storage: The underseat compartment is almost twice the size as stock. I can actually store useful stuff there now!

Appearance: I got the "CarbonFX" material. Looks really sharp and I don't slide forward when I hit the brakes. The tri-color detail at the front adds a nice accent as well.

Service: the website stated a three week lead time for delivery. The box was on my doorstep in six days. From what I've heard, you'll have the exact opposite experience with Corbin!

 

Of course I have a different seat model so your results may vary, but you should get the general idea!

 

Regards

Derek

[KTM Doug]

I have one on order. Should be here next week. If I remember, I'll let you know my first impressions.

[Dewster2]

I bought a Corbin seat in Daytona for my '05 RT and love it. It is head and shoulders (pun unintended) above the stock seat. I am 6'2" 320lbs. It says on the instructions to give the seat about 1000 miles to break in, after 1500 I am well satisfied. It is a little wider than standard seat, if you have problem reaching ground, the seat will not help that problem. I bought both seats and backrest in black. Just my 4 cents worth.

[drharveys]

Just received my Sargent seat for my R1150RS. Custom colors & trim -- looks great! It involved a fair number of e-mails back and forth, but the end result is what I wanted. Have just sat on it in the garage so far, but it feels much more comfortable than the stock brick. My wife likes the seating position, not as leaned forward for her. Today the forecast is better, so I should get some miles on it this afternoon. Full report and photos to follow...

[Burt]

I had a Sargent on the '04 RT I had. I thought it was comfortable until I took a longer ride on it. I put in about 750 miles on it one day, and after about 500 miles the backs of my thighs got very sore spots on them where the seat hit them. By the end of the day I could barely stand to sit on it. I tried moving around and changing my seating position, but nothing seemed to help.

[Highway41]

Sergents recovered/refoamed my seat shortly after purchase. It is pretty firm but so much better than the stocker, especially with a sheepskin. Give Rudi or Bill a call and talk it thru; they do good work and will modify it to your specs.

My SO gave me a Russell for Christmas and rode it on a six day trip. Comfy but not much more than the Sergents and with a 30" inseam I just couldn't get enough toes to the ground. Retired it to the closet.

Had two Corbins in the 90s on the XLCH and FXD and loved 'em. Bought one for the K12 but it was unadjustable, would slide side to side in turns, and was not the best workmanship. Sat well though.

PS - I'm not associated with Sergents but the RT in the pic on their site is mine; it was the mule for the new seat.

[ldracer]

The Corbin is too bloody hard. It is also too slick. It takes too much effort to hold on in the twisties, especially with a pillion.I think rider weight may have something to do with it. I only weigh 160 lbs wet. My theory is bigger folks may not find it as hard. On some bike I love it. It was great on my SV1000, but I replaced it with a Sargent on my 97 RT.

[Pictou]

I had a Corbin on one of my bikes (a VFR) and a Sargent on another (also a VFR). I liked the Sargent better because it was a lot lighter. The Corbin seat weighed a ton. I don't think there was a significant difference in the comfort level between the two. Both were more comfortable than the stock seat but not hugely so.

 

The best seat I had was on my 1150RT - it was custom seat made by Rick Meyer. I may get him to rebuld my seats for me next winter when the bike is laid up for a few months.

[Rusty1945]

I have one on order. Should be here next week. If I remember, I'll let you know my first impressions.

 

Me too; I ordered the low version. Will also try to give some initial impressions.

 

Rusty

(height challenged)

[Dennis_n1kcl]

Corbin uses a fiberglass pan Sargent uses a plastic pan similar to oem. I picked up the low version of Sargent's seat last week. Mine is in Griptex and though it isn't taller than the oem, it does feel that way when standing. It's also harder but on the other hand much cooler on your rear. The only problem I have is do to the extra width of the seat. It's just a little harder for me to get the leverage I need to put the bike on the center stand. I have a couple crude pics on the link below. I only have abt a hundred miles on the seat, but it feels like it's gonna be a keeper. Also: you can mix and match the R1200RT Sargent saddle with your oem, as it's interchangeable with passenger/rider or visa/versa.

[bimmers]

I got my Sargent for the 1200RT today and it looks great. I took it for a spin in the n-hood so can't say too much yet but seems supportive. It does with its width make it a little harder to touch ground but no problem. It fit perfectly in place.

I pre registered, got a letter and placed one phone call and in a week the seat was here.

Hope to get some more time in it over the weekend but so far satisfied.

I had a good experience with one on my 1150R before.

 

[drharveys]

Yes! It's comfortable and looks great!! Even has my wife sitting a bit more upright, so my back is happier!

 

 

[Richard G]

Thanks for the help, everyone!

 

It looks like I will be giving Sargent a call tomorrow to order my seats.

I want the Carbon FX and red welt to match the red RT.

I really wanted a complete seat as I want to keep my originals intact.

The seats on the RS look great, color matching and shape.

I am interested to see how my SO likes the pillion seat.

It looks a lot flatter, almost concave, than the sloped stock seat.

A few times she slid into me when hard braking.

 

I will post pix when I get them.

 

Rich

[bimmers]

280 miles later:

A great seat beats original anytime. A little wide when standing still but I will get used to it. Seems also like the windshield needs to be higher for same protection. Was warm enough to enjoy breeze though.

So far really happy and no numbness whatsoever even if we only had one short break. Total hours in seat 5 3/4 up on GA curves with fear for LEO so we rode very nicely.

Just order the seat.

[Rusty1945]

I got my Sargent for the 1200RT today and it looks great. I took it for a spin in the n-hood so can't say too much yet but seems supportive. It does with its width make it a little harder to touch ground but no problem.

My low version arrived today and, and, and, drat - it's just as "high" as the stock BMW seat so I'm sending it back. It looks like I'll just have to go with the BMW low seat; I KNOW that will get my feet more firmly on the ground.

 

Rusty

[dave_albany]

I feel like i can't decide. All else being equal Sargent ? due to customer serivce and return policy - right?

 

So how do i decide?

Dave in albany

 

[Richard G]

I ordered the seats and they should be here later this week.

 

Rusty, I am surprised the low seat is that high as Sargents website shows their regular height seat as 1/4" lower than BMW stock seat.

Maybe they sent you a regular height seat by mistake? Just a thought.

Their chart does show quite a bit of leeway on the heights though.

 

Rich

[Krwzn]

"My low version arrived today and, and, and, drat - it's just as "high" as the stock BMW seat so I'm sending it back. It looks like I'll just have to go with the BMW low seat; I KNOW that will get my feet more firmly on the ground.

 

Rusty "

 

Rusty, Richard, I had the exact same experience. I have an 05 RT with the Low BMW seat, in the low position. I can't flat foot, but I am comfortable maneuvering.

 

I ordered the Sargent low version, it came in a week, and looked great, and felt very comfortable (sat on it on the center stand)!

 

Then I tried to back the bike out of the garage and my husband had to push me out, because I could only get my toes on the ground. The issue is not the height of the seat, it's the width. The seat is wider and the wings that support your butt, also make it harder to reach the ground.

 

The seat is more comfortable than the low stocker, but I am not sure it is enough of a difference to have this reach issue.

 

Bottom line, I am in week 2 of my 30 day trial period. I am thinking I may send it back, due to the reach issue. Next weekend I am going to give it one more try, then decide.

 

Lynne

[Rusty1945]

Rusty, Richard, I had the exact same experience. I have an 05 RT with the Low BMW seat, in the low position. I can't flat foot, but I am comfortable maneuvering.

 

I ordered the Sargent low version, it came in a week, and looked great, and felt very comfortable (sat on it on the center stand)!

 

Then I tried to back the bike out of the garage and my husband had to push me out, because I could only get my toes on the ground. The issue is not the height of the seat, it's the width. The seat is wider and the wings that support your butt, also make it harder to reach the ground. Lynne

Exactly - even the front part of the seat is wider than the stock BMW seat. Plus when I tried to stay all the way to the front to get the best reach to the ground, the "wings" were digging into my thighs and butt. Just not a good solution for me. I now have the BMW low seat and can flat foot with it.

[Richard G]

Rusty and Lynne,

Thanks for the heads up. I am using the BMW regular height seat now, so I ordered the regular seat from Sargent.

I hope it fits me well and doesnt cause the same problems.

We shall see.

 

Rich

[RoadJunkie]

Hummm...I'm currently using the stock seat in the low position so, based on the discussions here, I ordered the sergant low seat because I feel I can use the high postion if necessary. Seat should be here in next couple of days, so I'll keep you posted.