Does anyone NOT like their Russell Day-Long seat? 60 day ride coming this fall.

[Redfish Hunter]

My 2 cents worth:

Seth Laam used to build Day Long seats as an employee. His customer service is the best of any product of any type I ever bought. Period. He is so genuinely nice that you want to spend your money with him.

The Laam craftsmanship is excellent, the seat is beautiful to look at. It is leaps and bounds ahead of stock and mass produced aftermarket seats in terms of comfort. I love my Laam Custom and for the type of riding I do, this is the best seat I have ever had. The quality vs. $$$ is excellent. A fantastic "bang for your buck".

HOWEVER! If I were going to order a seat to ride the IBR, I would not hesitate. I would buy a Russell. For all day, not getting off until the fuel cell is empty comfort, the Russell is the most comfortable. I would also agree with those who have said that money is no object when your comfort is at stake.

I am struggling with this decision myself right now. Dad needs a custom seat and we are debating the pros and cons. The Laam is fine. The Russell is... more comfortable.

 

[Geezer]

Getting back to the question in the title, yes I do remember reading comments on this forum over the years from people who did not like their Russell day long seat, at first. Some had to go back for adjustments, and they all need to be broken in at first. A Russell will generally increase the distance you have to reach to put your feet on the ground. And it will cause you to put some of your weight on the top of your thighs, which can be uncomfortable until you get used to it.

 

[Fred W]

Seems to me that all of the people who did not like the Russell seat either:

1) tried someone else's.

2) bought someone else's used

3) bought one custom made and did not ride it far enough to get it broken in and get used to the difference

4) #3 and did not send it back for a needed adjustment after breaking in.

5) are vertically challenged and couldn't use it without dropping the pig. Not a knock on comfort.

Anyone not like one outside of the above?

 

[MCRIDER007]

Seems to me that all of the people who did not like the Russell seat either:1) tried someone else's.

2) bought someone else's used

3) bought one custom made and did not ride it far enough to get it broken in and get used to the difference

4) #3 and did not send it back for a needed adjustment after breaking in.

5) are vertically challenged and couldn't use it without dropping the pig. Not a knock on comfort.

Anyone not like one outside of the above?

Yes! I'm cheap, its ugly, and nobody I know that has one trusts my riding enough that they will let me test ride theirs.

 

[Geezer]

Seems to me that all of the people who did not like the Russell seat either:

1) tried someone else's.

2) bought someone else's used

3) bought one custom made and did not ride it far enough to get it broken in and get used to the difference

4) #3 and did not send it back for a needed adjustment after breaking in.

5) are vertically challenged and couldn't use it without dropping the pig. Not a knock on comfort.

Anyone not like one outside of the above?

Yes! I'm cheap, its ugly, and nobody I know that has one trusts my riding enough that they will let me test ride theirs.

Show up at NAFO or EOM and I'll let you try mine.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Seems to me that all of the people who did not like the Russell seat either:

1) tried someone else's.

2) bought someone else's used

3) bought one custom made and did not ride it far enough to get it broken in and get used to the difference

4) #3 and did not send it back for a needed adjustment after breaking in.

5) are vertically challenged and couldn't use it without dropping the pig. Not a knock on comfort.

Anyone not like one outside of the above?

Yes! I'm cheap, its ugly, and nobody I know that has one trusts my riding enough that they will let me test ride theirs.

Show up at NAFO or EOM and I'll let you try mine. unk:

Hey....thanks for the offer. The next time NAFO is on the left coast I will look you up!

 

[flars]

The question is why would anyone NOT like a RDL? Easy answer: when I first got my BMW R1150RT, it had RDL on it. I hated it. I did a 3 hour ride, and couldn't wait to get off of it. It created a lot of pressure on the back of my thighs halfway between my knees and tushie and I was almost in agony. I had to continually lift my thighs off the seat to get relief. Plus it made the reach to the ground too long (because it splays your knees out when you just reach down with your feet; I didn't feel comfortable/safe coming to a stop because I couldn't get a good feel for the ground. I immediately bought a used BMW comfort seat. Much better as far as the reach to the ground: I felt much safer coming to a stop. Unfortunately, my ass hurt so bad after just 30 minutes that I wanted off the bike asap. So I went back to the RDL, trying to see if I could get used to the pressure on the back of the thighs.

The answer is 'yes'. It took a while to get used to the seat, but now I can ride tank to tank to tank to tank without any discomfort. Do I notice the pressure on the back of my thighs? Yes, sorta...but only when I actually think about it. Do I still feel uncomfortable because of the reach to the ground? Yes, but I try to slide forward on the seat when stopping, and that helps a lot because you can get your legs closer together.

I only have about 45,000 miles on the RDL on the RT, so I am still not sure whether I will keep it. But my gut tells me I will.

BTW - I have a Bill Mayer on the FJR. It is better than stock by far. But it is not an RDL. I notice my butt A LOT after about four hours. And my wife complains every time we ride the FJR: "I wish you could get a Russell for this bike".

 

[Fred W]

Seems to me that all of the people who did not like the Russell seat either:

1) tried someone else's.

2) bought someone else's used

3) bought one custom made and did not ride it far enough to get it broken in and get used to the difference

4) #3 and did not send it back for a needed adjustment after breaking in.

5) are vertically challenged and couldn't use it without dropping the pig. Not a knock on comfort.

Anyone not like one outside of the above?

Yes! I'm cheap, its ugly, and nobody I know that has one trusts my riding enough that they will let me test ride theirs.

Show up at NAFO or EOM and I'll let you try mine.

Hey....thanks for the offer. The next time NAFO is on the left coast I will look you up!

It's on the center (north) coast this year.

But seriously, that might not tell you anything anyway. I know that you two guys definitely aren't built to the same dimensions. And a custom seat built to someone else's butt can be as bad as a stock seat. Plus to appreciate the seat you'd really have to ride on it 4-500 miles and then you get that "Ah-ha!"

The question is why would anyone NOT like a RDL? Easy answer: when I first got my BMW R1150RT, it had RDL on it. I hated it. I did a 3 hour ride, and couldn't wait to get off of it. It created a lot of pressure on the back of my thighs halfway between my knees and tushie and I was almost in agony. I had to continually lift my thighs off the seat to get relief. Plus it made the reach to the ground too long (because it splays your knees out when you just reach down with your feet; I didn't feel comfortable/safe coming to a stop because I couldn't get a good feel for the ground. I immediately bought a used BMW comfort seat. Much better as far as the reach to the ground: I felt much safer coming to a stop. Unfortunately, my ass hurt so bad after just 30 minutes that I wanted off the bike asap. So I went back to the RDL, trying to see if I could get used to the pressure on the back of the thighs.The answer is 'yes'. It took a while to get used to the seat, but now I can ride tank to tank to tank to tank without any discomfort. Do I notice the pressure on the back of my thighs? Yes, sorta...but only when I actually think about it. Do I still feel uncomfortable because of the reach to the ground? Yes, but I try to slide forward on the seat when stopping, and that helps a lot because you can get your legs closer together.

I only have about 45,000 miles on the RDL on the RT, so I am still not sure whether I will keep it. But my gut tells me I will.

BTW - I have a Bill Mayer on the FJR. It is better than stock by far. But it is not an RDL. I notice my butt A LOT after about four hours. And my wife complains every time we ride the FJR: "I wish you could get a Russell for this bike".

Interesting story.

You might consider having the seat adjusted for your own dimensions and ride style / position. Since it was built for someone else, it may not be all that it could, and even if you are shaped the same as the PO (height, weight etc.) you may not have the same body positions which matters almost as much.

 

[HYCLE]

Does anyone know if the RDL seat's leaf spring is the patented, not foam, difference?

I ordered mine with the heavy duty spring for my fat body. I have worn the stitching off at the front edge of the wing from hanging off the seat from time to time.

I guess six years and 60K miles is ok since I never clean the leather, ride in rain and snow or leave it outside in 100 degree temps. I think I will send it in to be rebuilt or maybe do another ride in since I weigh 60 lbs less now. Good luck in finding the right seat for your cost and comfort level.

 

[FJRMGM]

One man's great saddle is another man's torture rack.

Having sad that I put a Russell day long on my '05 five years ago and its all been good for me and the pillion. Ride all day long and never think once about the saddle.

 

[bikerskier]

Sure appreciative of all the input here. I am 6' 2" and 205 lbs and MA is 5'8 and 130 lbs, so I hoping for a pretty good fitting since we are pretty normal sized.

 

[jscasteel]

Sure appreciative of all the input here. I am 6' 2" and 205 lbs and MA is 5'8 and 130 lbs, so I hoping for a pretty good fitting since we are pretty normal sized.

6'2" and 205 is not "pretty normal sized".

I will be starting my LD riding when I get my FJR in a couple of months. I have been depending on the IBA for a lot of advice. That is one of the main reasons I chose an FJR. Likewise, the RDL is very popular among the IBA riders. And the RDL shop is only about 2000 miles away from my house in Texas, so I have decided to bite the bullet on the expense involved and do a ride-in.

 

[Chuck35]

And the RDL shop is only about 2000 miles away from my house in Texas, so I have decided to bite the bullet on the expense involved and do a ride-in.

LOL at only 2000 miles. I hope you get along with the stock seat better than I did. That's a long way to ride on a sore butt.