mayer saddles

[2010rt]

I am looking to get a new seat for my 2010rt. I think I am down to the main 4. Russell day long, Corbin , Rick or Bill Mayer. I have a Sargent and it is comfortable but is kind of collapsing in the center. A friend of mine has on doing the same thing. I would like to keep my original heated seat for the really cold rides, which is why Corbin is on the list. Now for the question. I have heard a lot of negative comments over the years about one of the Mayer brothers, I just don't remember which one it was. Bad customer service after the sale. Seats were not as good as the other brothers, but again, not sure which one is the bad guy if at all. Thanks for any feedback.


Scott

[jcs7]

I have a 2010 RT and had a Bill Mayer Saddle built last May. I have been very happy with it. My experience was that their customer service was excellent. I also had a saddle made by them for my wife's CanAm Spyder last fall and had a good experience then too. By the way, their pricing is very competitive and last year they had a sale, I believe 20% off, during the entire month of October. Good luck!

Jim

[bikerfish1100]

i have had Rick do my saddles for my 2 current bikes (R11S, F800GS), as well as my sold KLR (wow, that saddle was amazing once he re-did it!). Very pleased with his work, pricing, and his service. He has already redone my R11, after 50,000 miles, no charge. Re-worked my F800 once to correct seating concerns, again no charge.
only knock i have ever heard regarding Rick is that his communications can be "spotty."
Rick typically runs a monthly special (bogo, etc.) every month, especially thru the winter.

[jers99lt]

I was happy with Bill Mayer's work, which is much better than the stock LT seat. It just wasn't the end-all seat that I really wanted. Not good for more than 5-6 hrs for me as I could feel what felt like a 2x4 under me.
I decided to order a Kontour seat and haven't looked back. Great customer service, stays cool in the summer sun, has some airflow as you're riding, you can keep your heated feature and I have forgotten to think about the seat entirely. It's no longer an issue of any kind no matter how long I've been on it. I'm just a very satisfied customer and have no personal interest in the company.

www.kontourseat.com

HTH,
Jer

[Jim Rogers]

Can't please all the people all the time. I have a Rick and am very happy with all aspects of the business relationship. Would I be just as happy with a Bill? Most likely. Didn't they both learn from their father, Bill, Sr?

[Newstar]

I'm on my second Rick Mayer saddle and can't say enough good things. they are a quality, hand made product and I had no trouble whatsoever in my dealings with Rick through email and phone. I'd probably be just as happy if I had gone with Bill.

Sadly, there is plenty of internat chatter about the two but I pay no attention as I'm sure there is probably a private side of the story that doesn' t concern me. I would also point out that whenever one person complains, there are usually thousands more who are satisfied.

Prior to my first purchase, we also looked at Corbin and Sargent. We felt neither were as comfortable or as custom made as Rick or Bill.

[SeabeckS]

I did a ton of research on this forum and couple of others before deciding to ride down to Rick's shop for a custom fit on my R11S. Both of the brothers have had a FEW complaints over the years, but it seemed to me that Rick was possibly a better choice based on his personal experience as an Iron Butt rider. Complaints (about both shops) seems to revolve around mail order business. Delivery can be slow and if the fit isn't right it takes some effort to get things redone to satisfaction. But I've heard from a few riders who got great results with Rick's lifetime guarantee...one guy had a bike with a ton of miles and about 10 years of use, and one of seat seams started giving out. Rather than just repair, Rick recovered the whole seat free of charge.

The Russell seats get spectacular reviews from long distance riders, but I'm not a big fan of the "styling". A tractor seat is probably a good fit on an RT, but on an S it looks sort of goofy. YMMV

I've owned Corbins on a couple of bikes (Ducati 900 SS/SP, Suzuki GS1000S) and they were well made but took a LOT of miles to break in properly. Very stiff foam, but good workmanship.

I also had a Sargent on an R1150R, and it was pretty cushy, but seemed to keep me in one spot. I could move around, but it took a bit of focused effort.

Not sure where you are located, but a big part of the decision might revolve around an ability to visit a shop and have a custom fit. Rick was pretty careful to quiz me about my riding style/needs and assess my position on the bike. Love the seat he built for me...

Good luck!

[t6pilot]

I've had great service from bill Mayer seat is comfortable ordered it over the phone no issues with them
1200gs

[darrylri]

But I've heard from a few riders who got great results with Rick's lifetime guarantee...one guy had a bike with a ton of miles and about 10 years of use, and one of seat seams started giving out. Rather than just repair, Rick recovered the whole seat free of charge.

That sounds like me. I have four bikes with Rick Mayer saddles, and I'm very pleased with them all.

The story above relates to my 1994 R1100RS. The stock seat was unbearable for me after only a couple hours, so I had Rick work his magic on it. In 2002 I bought a new bike and shipped that one, which had about 160,000 miles on it by then, to Germany. (It stays at a friend's place for me to use when I go over each year.)

The next year I noticed that one seam had lost a couple stitches and was starting to open up. When I got home I made an appointment for a new seat with Rick. Before my date came up, I ran into Rick at the Central Cal Beemer Bash rally, where he was offering a 10% discount. I asked him if I could get that 10% discount on the seat I already was booked for. He looked me up and said that mine was a warranty repair, and it would be free.

When I brought him the saddle, he didn't just repair the seam. He completely rebuilt the saddle with new materials and a new cover. The bike now has 212,000 miles on it.

[40427]

I recently bought a Corbin for my AirHead, this is the 3rd and last seat I will buy from Corbin.

It does not fit me properly , they do not return telephone calls, or e mails after the sale. Their customer service has been terrible.
I think it may have something to do with the company being up for sale.

I contacted Sargent , they are making me a seat this week. So far the service has been great.

No experience with Mayer, or Daylong. Both their prices are just too much for me.

[mneblett]

they do not return telephone calls, or e mails after the sale. Their customer service has been terrible.
I think it may have something to do with the company being up for sale.

//EDIT: Corbin -- //

Nope, lousy responsiveness to folks with seat issues is hardly a new thing for them -- I've been reading comments like this about them for many years. I will say that I've read reports that if you are standing in their shop, their service is good. Otherwise, not a pretty picture.

[40427]

I have no complaint with the workmanship or seat build, it just does not fit me .
All I wanted was to return it for modification and I get no response from them after repeated calls and e mails.

I threw in the towel with them. It is listed in the flea market section.

Sent my OEM seat off to Sargent, picking it up on the 7th during a trip to FL.

[henzilla]

Nope, lousy responsiveness to folks with seat issues is hardly a new thing for them -- I've been reading comments like this about them for many years. I will say that I've read reports that if you are standing in their shop, their service is good. Otherwise, not a pretty picture.

Just to be clear..you are talking Corbin in the quoted subject?

Helen had had Rick M build two saddles...one on her R1150R after being measured at the Wisconsin National...then one for her 1100S she sent a pan to rebuild a year or so later. She had to have the 1150 tweaked,but on both seat transactions, she had great service. Very happy ,her words.

[mneblett]

Just to be clear..you are talking Corbin in the quoted subject?

Yep! Thanks for the comment; edited my post to clarify.

[bikerfish1100]

I recently bought a Corbin for my AirHead, this is the 3rd and last seat I will buy from Corbin.

It does not fit me properly , they do not return telephone calls, or e mails after the sale. Their customer service has been terrible.
I think it may have something to do with the company being up for sale.

I contacted Sargent , they are making me a seat this week. So far the service has been great.

No experience with Mayer, or Daylong. Both their prices are just too much for me.

Corbin's customer service, and quality control, has been dodgy (at best) for over 10 years.