maximo Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 About a month ago I did a ride in to Seth Laam Saddles and had a custom saddle fitted. I’ve had it long enough where I can give a decent report. First, the ride in experience was super easy and kinda fun. Seth has a nice waiting area for you to kick back while you wait. He’s also a great conversationalist, so I spent a fair bit of time inside the shop with him while he worked and we talked. The three hours it took flew by. The customizing process was interactive. He had me sit on the bike on the stock saddle, we talked about riding position, riding styles, etc. He got real friendly with the chalk as he traced my bum and made all sorts of markings. Once that part was done he got to work, taking apart the stock saddle and slowly building up the layers of the new saddle. It was fascinating to watch, to see it all come together. When it was mostly done I sat on it to fine tune it. We made it so that the saddle in low position would be just slightly higher than the stock saddle low position, but there was room to have it the same, or even lower. We made the nose of the saddle narrow to allow me to slide forward at stops and let my feet get good purchase on the ground. We also made the tilt of the saddle such that I can ride without sliding forward, which is keeping the boys very happy. I only had the front saddle customized, but opted to have the pillion re-covered to match. I found out that the re-covering is more than just swapping covers. He actually carved it a little bit and added a layer of foam on it to give it some depth that looks good with the new saddle. I had my wife try it out, and while it’s not the same as having the pillion customized, she did say it was a marked improvement over stock. So that was a little bonus. The riding experience has been terrific. The saddle is the right combination of firm and cushy, and it cradles my bum in a perfect way to avoid any pressure points or sharp edges. I can go tank to tank without any problem. I paid a bit over $400. I’m giving the experience and the product two enthusiastic thumbs up. https://i.postimg.cc/XqQFrZS6/IMG-20180920-133944928-HDR.jpg' alt='IMG-20180920-133944928-HDR.jpg'> ’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09. Bold = current Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gomer Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Looks good but the gap between the seat and the tank looks huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximo Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 Yeah, it's as big as it looks. He told me ahead of time that it would, that the way he does his saddles results in that gap. So it wasn't a surprise to me, and after a while I no longer see it. ’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09. Bold = current Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acesand8s Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Looks comfy. Wish I could find someone who would do a similar ride in style fitting here in Southern California. All these aftermarket pre-made seats really focus on the rear of the seat. I guess that is OK for most people, but I personally ride more forward and really hug the tank with my legs. I could really use a seat more tailored to that type of riding versus a seat where there is more width and padding in the rear of the seat versus the front. Redding, CA is just too far north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximo Posted October 29, 2018 Author Share Posted October 29, 2018 I’m trying to think of what that saddle would look like…. The front of it would need to eliminate the raised nose, which means the back of the saddle would have to be scooped out a bit to prevent you from always sliding forward? But maybe you want to be on the nose of the saddle all the time…. Interesting to design such a saddle. Yeah, you’d definitely want to go visit someone who knows what they’re doing. There’s gotta be someone in SoCal, right? Or maybe it’s the motorcycle Gods who are telling you to plan for a slog up I-5, get the saddle, then hit Highway 36 to the coast and ride Highway 1 all the way down… ’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09. Bold = current Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acesand8s Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 But maybe you want to be on the nose of the saddle all the time…. Interesting to design such a saddle. Pretty much. It's how I've always rode. I prefer to scoot closer to the tank rather than sit back so I can hug the tank with more than just my knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Or maybe it’s the motorcycle Gods who are telling you to plan for a slog up I-5, get the saddle, then hit Highway 36 to the coast and ride Highway 1 all the way down… Do it. Hwy 36 is just unreal! '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted October 29, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted October 29, 2018 Or maybe it’s the motorcycle Gods who are telling you to plan for a slog up I-5, get the saddle, then hit Highway 36 to the coast and ride Highway 1 all the way down… Do it. Hwy 36 is just unreal! I agree, I came down from Washington to ride that area this Summer, we rode 36/299/3/96/101 and 199. Very nice riding, well worth the trip, even though Redding/Red Bluff area was 113 degrees! ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfriz Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Hey my neck of the Woods!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Hey my neck of the Woods!!!Where are you at? '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximo Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 Yeah, the number of incredible roads in this neck of the woods is almost unfair... *btw, I'm in Chico. ’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09. Bold = current Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfriz Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Hey my neck of the Woods!!!Where are you at?Redding !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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