Driver's Seat section longer than others - what gives? Fix?

[grizmt]

Hey y'all,
I've got a new to us 2013 RT SE and am having an issue with the stock seat. The driver seat section length is too long making the passenger seat section very small and forcing "the boss, aka her highness, aka her majesty" (wife) to sit on top the built in backrest. Needless to say this makes me very,very unhappy as I've got to hear about it in none too happy terms.

We took our first 40 mile breakfast ride yesterday and "the boss" started out on our RT but rode home on our friends Limited because her seat was better for passengers.

Our friend has a '12 RT Limited with a seat that looks stock but has a shorter driver section and bigger passenger section. I'm trying to figure out what I need to rectify the situation and hopefully not spending buckets of $$$ while I still have a (mostly) happy wife/happy life.

 

[IGETAROUND]

Check with Laam Seats; he'll do right by you at half the price of an RDL.

Al in Kazoo

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hey y'all,
I've got a new to us 2013 RT SE and am having an issue with the stock seat. The driver seat section length is too long making the passenger seat section very small and forcing "the boss, aka her highness, aka her majesty" (wife) to sit on top the built in backrest. Needless to say this makes me very,very unhappy as I've got to hear about it in none too happy terms.

We took our first 40 mile breakfast ride yesterday and "the boss" started out on our RT but rode home on our friends Limited because her seat was better for passengers.

Our friend has a '12 RT Limited with a seat that looks stock but has a shorter driver section and bigger passenger section. I'm trying to figure out what I need to rectify the situation and hopefully not spending buckets of $$$ while I still have a (mostly) happy wife/happy life.

I'm sorry but I can't even p[icture someone sitting on the Top of the pass. backrest ... The rear trunk is BRP limited to 20 lbs. - I'm surprised it didn't break ..... good news is larger or differently configured seats are avilable, however they are costly ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

Hey y'all,
I've got a new to us 2013 RT SE and am having an issue with the stock seat. The driver seat section length is too long making the passenger seat section very small and forcing "the boss, aka her highness, aka her majesty" (wife) to sit on top the built in backrest. Needless to say this makes me very,very unhappy as I've got to hear about it in none too happy terms.

We took our first 40 mile breakfast ride yesterday and "the boss" started out on our RT but rode home on our friends Limited because her seat was better for passengers.

Our friend has a '12 RT Limited with a seat that looks stock but has a shorter driver section and bigger passenger section. I'm trying to figure out what I need to rectify the situation and hopefully not spending buckets of $$$ while I still have a (mostly) happy wife/happy life.

It sounds awfully much like your 2012 RT SE5 has the 'Optional Comfort Seat' (that extends the rider's section back by an extra 2 inches & gives the driver more leg room) while your friend's RT Ltd has the 'Standard' comfort seat (that leaves those 2 inches in the pillion passenger's rear seat section) . Yeah, some of BRP's documentation/brochures did use the word 'comfort' in the name/to describe both seats, but the 'Optional Comfort Seat' takes 2" away from the pillion passenger's seat & gives it to the rider... :dontknow: . You can usually tell the difference by the length of the 'hump' that forms the rider's lumbar support, the standard seat has a hump that's about 190 mm long (just short of 8 inches from the front of the hump to the rear seam of the hump) while 'Optional Comfort Seat' has a hump that's only 140 mm long (just short of 6 inches for the same measurement) :thumbup:

There's probably quite a few owners here on the Forum who will have removed their standard seat & replaced it, either with the 'Optional Comfort Seat' or with an aftermarket seat more to their liking, so maybe if you post a Trade: or WTB: advert in the 'For sale by owner' section of the Forum you'll be able to get in touch with someone nearby who's prepared to swap with you or sell you their almost unused take-off seat that's been taking up room at their place ever since they installed their 'more comfortable for the rider' seat. :dontknow: . But I'd suggest you WILL want to try & find someone fairly near to you, where you can readily travel yourself to pick it up, cos the freight to send these seats anywhere isn't all that cheap! :shocked: .

Those freight costs can be shockingly expensive if you're not in the same country, or if you were interested I'd willingly do a deal with you for the Tan coloured 'take-off' standard seat that came off my 2013 RT Ltd seat back in the day here in Oz...

 

[grizmt]

Thanks all! I'd thought it maybe is the "tall" seat? Anyway, I'll check into the for sale section and see if someone wants a trade. Worse case, the Laam seats look nice.

 

[grizmt]

I'm sorry but I can't even p[icture someone sitting on the Top of the pass. backrest ... The rear trunk is BRP limited to 20 lbs. - I'm surprised it didn't break ..... good news is larger or differently configured seats are avilable, however they are costly ..... Mike :thumbup:

I think you mis-understood and I wasn't clear enough. She's sitting on the drivers lumbar support which is a good 4 inches behind where I comfortably sit

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I think you mis-understood and I wasn't clear enough. She's sitting on the drivers lumbar support which is a good 4 inches behind where I comfortably sit

Yes I did :roflblack: ..... Glad I mis-understood ..... Too bad you live so far from me, I have a New RT seat " a take-off ", however as Peter said - shipping would be prohibitively expensive ...... Mike :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

Another card on the pile for "comfort seat." The comfort seats had more space for the driver and relegated the passenger to 2nd class.

I have changed out the OEM seats on six out of seven Spyders. Linda was happy with the seat on her 2020 F3L.

All my OEM seats were sold and one given away. When I was in AK, shipping a seat anywhere in the lower 48 (packaged properly), was between $175 to $225.

Shipped one seat from AR to NV (an F3 seat) and that was about $85.

 

[Mazo EMS2]

Yup, I think you have an after market or comfort seat meant for the longer-legged drivers out there. I would think you should be able to find someone to trade ya that for stock.

 

[grizmt]

I found out

Stopped by my local Can Am dealer yesterday, turns out it is NOT a BRP seat. It's a custom seat, unknown who made it. It looks nice but in my situation that doesn't cut it.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Stopped by my local Can Am dealer yesterday, turns out it is NOT a BRP seat. It's a custom seat, unknown who made it. It looks nice but in my situation that doesn't cut it.

Interesting to hear, but if you want/need a different seat to keep the Wife happy, the answer for you is still the same....

Either buy a new OEM Standard seat; buy an a/mkt seat made to YOUR measurements (& probably at least as expensive if not more so than a new OEM Standard seat ); or see if someone out there has a standard OEM seat they've taken off their 2010-2019 Spyder RT that they are willing to trade/sell with/to you. hyea:

To achieve any of those latter 2 ends, you could post a TRADE: or WTB: advert in the 'For Sale by Owner' section of the Forum & likely (possibly?? Maybe?? :dontknow: ) get a response in due course; or you could just hope that eventually someone (besides me, waaayyy over here in Oz ) who has such a 'take-off' seat reads this thread & contacts you to see if you're interested in Trading/purchasing theirs... . Me, I'd be posting that advert in the 'For Sale by Owner' section sooner rather than later... :lecturef_smilie: . After all, as they say... Happy Wife, Happy Life - you just gotta keep your pillion passenger happy! :thumbup:

Over to you! :cheers: