Holy Crap my A$$ is killing me

[Greenham]

So you guys have gotten me thought almkopst every adaptaion pain since buying my 05' with 13k miles. Handle bar buzz, lights, Sync'ing, windcreens, peg lowewring... The one thing I have been unable to fix is this miserable seat. After reading some good reviews of a small local shop (Mean city Cycles) who did a reworking of the foam for a few guys who loved the outcome I gave them a try... NOPE still sucks BAD. I mean I can't sit on this torture device for more than 45 min before it kills me.

The bike is so dialed in for me now after all the adjustments.... but this seat....

I am really interested in teh Rulle Day Long. I am a big guy at close to #300 and 6 3 tall.... $480 just the front+$45 HD suspention+$80 shipping is a crap ton of money. I'd be willing to take the leap but would be great to hear some resounding YES DO IT from owners who made the leap ahead of me and glad they did OR wish they hadn't

 

[FJRay]

I'm your size and have the Russell. It's the ****. You'll hear lots of the same.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Search for Laam. Lots of folks happy with his work, though it takes a while, but good bang for the buck. I'll likely get mine done come spring time.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Nothing beats a true custom seat. Obviously some are better than others.

The Russell Day Long

The Laam Custom

Doubtless there are other good ones, perhaps other great ones. In the case of butt comfort, you get what you pay for.

The title of your thread had me worried. I was afraid you had been riding with Bustanut Joker and... well, you know.

 

[Poolboytoo]

Russell seat here, worth every cent.

 

[smithpa68]

Russell Day Long. Will be the best money you ever spent on your FJR. I couldn't ride it more than 4 hours before. Now truly. ALL day long. No BS.

 

[sapest]

Russell - +1

ALL DAY, for as many miles as you wish.

-Steve

 

[Greenham]

I'm your size and have the Russell. It's the ****. You'll hear lots of the same.

OK, I'm in.... I have also hear great things about the LAAM seats, but the frustrations in communication and turn around made his seats a non starter for me.

Thanks for all the replies guys.. I looks like a lot of those that replied are IBA riders.... if you are willing to do 1,000 on that seat at one time it, has to be beyond good and easing up to great.

 

[Nanahanman]

Tried all kinds of things on my ST1100 and finally got a Russell Day Long.

5 weeks Toronto to Alaska and back....al good!

Consider the price of the bike, the money spent on farkles and what you get out of riding.

Is the $500 for a good seat really out of line?

Ya...I thought so

 

[Big Sky]

I haven't tried the Russell DL pillion but my wife reports it is superior to the Corbin it replaced and vastly better than the factory perch. The driver's seat is twice as good as the Corbin and three times better than stock. It is ugly, though.

 

[El Toro]

When I weighed in your weight range, the FJR seat really really sucked. I used to always buy a Russell seat, pretty much concurrently with the purchase of the bike... FJRs, Rocket III Tourings, BMW K1600GTL, etc... I needed the Russell, and it was worth every penny of the cost.

I am 100 pounds lighter now. I still use the Russell on the R3T (because it looks good on the R3T and it is quite comfy on that giant land cruiser), but the FJRs are Russell Free, and I have no issues with the seats at all.

FWIW, I remember going through Corbin, Sargent, and maybe one or two others, before settling on the Russells for the FJR. The Russell was the only seat that gave me a comfortable perch.

As an aside ... it was worth dropping the weight because when you take a 100 pounds off the bike, it handles far more like a sport bike, and that 145 hp feels a lot snappier. Riding around with a hundred extra pounds is like riding with a pillion all the time.

Get the Russell seat for now, and then consider taking a year or two (it will take more than a year to permanently drop 100 pounds), and go for the whole "bike and personal improvement."

 

[infrared]

The bike is so dialed in for me now after all the adjustments.... but this seat....I am really interested in teh Rulle Day Long. I am a big guy at close to #300 and 6 3 tall.... $480 just the front+$45 HD suspention+$80 shipping is a crap ton of money.

Greenham,

I got a Russel DL seat. It's great, but I hear you on the cost. What you can do is to go to the Classified forum here (and on other FJR sites as well) and Subscribe. You will get an email for every new post, and in a while, your RDL seat will appear. Buy from a guy near your size, and I think you will be happy. If not, put it back on the Classified Ads, and you should get your money back from your sale. Mine came with heating elements (which I never would have ordered, but it's really nice). I paid about half of the retail price; YMMV. If you buy new, the advantage there is having one free comfort adjustment made to the seat, if needed. Don't let a bad seat turn you off, for the FJR. It's only money . . .

Cheers,

Infrared

 

[yanktar]

I hate to throw cold water on the Russell DL but it you don't go to the factory and have them fit it to you, you may well be disappointed, and for a lot of money. I have one on my other bike and sent it back to them 2x and they STILL didn't get it right! I finally pulled the cover off and started carving with a serrated knife and it's better, far better, but it STILL tends to push me toward the tank.

Those who haven't been happy with the DL always have that complaint--it pushes you into the tank because the backrest portion is too thick and it angles you forward. It isn't nearly as comfortable as it looks.

But that's just me. Lots of people SWEAR by Corbin seats as well, but I suspect they are built by Corbin's local cement factory. So far, with the FJR, my best luck has been with the Australian sheepskin cover (in gray).

 

[lonerider]

If you're not in a hurry to correct this situation, you might consider attending one of the owner's meetings and asking to swap seats with a Russell, Laam, Spencer, Corbin owner for a day. That would give you a better idea of what would suit you.

Seats are a pretty subjective issue, most on here prefer the Russell or Laam but individual physical conditions can make a difference. When I bought my GSX1100G in 2002, I had an ongoing problem with my left knee, injured in a wreck in 1970 and the ACL removed in an operation in 1971. This caused me extreme discomfort with the G's stock seat, so I switched it for a Russell, which I loved for years. In 2010, I went down hard on my right hip in a too close encounter with a kamikaze forest rat. Since that injury, the "wings" of the Russell cause that hip more discomfort than the OEM seat (with a Beadrider) of my FJR. If I were in the market now, I'd be considering something with a different profile just because of this experience.

 

[Intech]

Well, I bought one that was fitted for someone else. Taller, but around the same weight. The only thing that I could say negative about it as far as fit goes is that it sits me higher and I do well to just get the balls of my feet on the ground. Not an issue, though. I will not be without one from here on. Next best addition to my '07 after the GP suspension upgrade. I have the leather heated version and it looks and performs awesome on the 15 now.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Regarding swapping seats... It is a custom seat fitted to you. It doesn't feel plush just sitting on it...you just want a seat that isn't making your *** scream for mercy at day's end. That's when you will discover the beauty of the Russell. You will be on a multi day trip and realize after a couple days that you can ride as long as you need to without your seat being the limiting factor. It will be something else.

Had a beautiful Russell on my Gen1. However, my 13 is higher than my 04, so unfortunately I can't go with the Russell this time.

I will be ordering a Laam and crossing my fingers that I will receive my seat in good time.

 

[blassoff]

I bought a Laam for my 14 (previously owned a Russell on my 05). Honestly, I think I prefer the Russell. At least that's what my "butt memory" is telling me.

I did however think that Seth Laam was excellent through the whole process. I shipped him my seat, he was delayed about two weeks on the production (which I was fine with), and he called me and spent about 20 minutes on the phone talking about what I wanted in a seat. He then called me within 72 hours to tell me that my seat had shipped and when I should expect receipt.

I probably don't have more than 1000 miles on my Laam, although I did a 250 mile day one morning and my tush had no complaints.

Regards the Russell...I miss the freaking ugly wings. That's what made it comfortable for me. NO, the Laam seat isn't for sale. At least not until it's sufficiently broken in.

 

[RaYzerman19]

After having a Corbin, Laam and Russell, I'd say for the heavier guy you want the Russell. I also have an issue with mine similar to yanktar... even though I'm not as happy as I should be, that Russell is still good all day long. I think I"ll have to do a ride-in for them to get it right for me........

 

[El Toro]

I hate to throw cold water on the Russell DL but it you don't go to the factory and have them fit it to you, you may well be disappointed, and for a lot of money. I have one on my other bike and sent it back to them 2x and they STILL didn't get it right! I finally pulled the cover off and started carving with a serrated knife and it's better, far better, but it STILL tends to push me toward the tank.
Those who haven't been happy with the DL always have that complaint--it pushes you into the tank because the backrest portion is too thick and it angles you forward. It isn't nearly as comfortable as it looks.

But that's just me. Lots of people SWEAR by Corbin seats as well, but I suspect they are built by Corbin's local cement factory. So far, with the FJR, my best luck has been with the Australian sheepskin cover (in gray).

My experience has been different. I've had several seats built by Russell based on their mail in measurement sheets and photos. Every one of these has been absolutely wonderful.

I did a ride in appointment and had them build one "while I waited" once. They let me see it and try it at mid day, and I suggested a few changes, which they dutifully incorporated.

Honestly, I think I was better off without the mid day tweaking, which I thought was going to lead to the perfect set. You can't judge a seat based on a short test ride, and my suggestions for improvements were misguided.

I was better off just sending them the measurements and the photographs, and letting them build the seat in their normal way.

FWIW, Russell has changed hands a couple of times, and so the build quality and skill may vary depending on the current crew doing the work. But overall, I've been pretty satisfied with their products over and over again. I trade bikes quite frequently, but I've had one Russell seat that I've used on several Rocket III Tourings, and it has held up well.

Nevertheless, I do stick by my original observation, which was that at a lower weight, the seat quest becomes less important. This was a surprising lesson for me.