Question on Russell seats

[Larry33319]

I just received my new Day Long seat. It is very comfortable right out of the box. The question I have is fairly simple. Due to the wing design I can no longer put both feet flat on the ground. Is it just me or is this common? On the stock seat I could place my feet about 90% flat on the ground, now I either have to lean to one side and put that foot on the ground or rock the bike back and forth on my toes. I am thinking about Kuba Links to lower it a bit. Has anyone else experianced this? I guess I should have deducted an inch from my inseam when I ordered it.

 

[Ignacio]

I guess I should have deducted an inch from my inseam when I ordered it.

Bingo.

I would talk to Russell and if you provided the correct information, still can't put your feet down as you expected, ask them to adjust the saddle Part of a having a custom saddle may require adjustment to get it right.....and in their notes IIRC. Also, realize that you may sacrifice a bit of the shape that helps supports your ischium in favor of not risking a tipover at a stoplight.

 

[Fred W]

One of the "tricks" is to slide forward onto the less wide part of the saddle when coming to a stop. This gives your stubby lil' legs a straighter shot to terra firma.

Have you tried that yet?

 

[Bounce]

One of the "tricks" is to slide forward onto the less wide part of the saddle when coming to a stop. This gives your stubby lil' legs a straighter shot to terra firma.
Have you tried that yet?

+1

 

[S76]

Even slid forward I can only touch on tiptoes with mine. But I just did over 6K miles in 10 days with no soreness at all. Factory seat was painfull after two hours.

You'll get used to it. Plus it will settle a little making it somewhat easier. Then you'll love it.

 

[Bigbeavk]

They would not reduce the wing size for me and told me up front that it WILL be higher than stock. Unless I did not want the Day Long model. Slide forward and get used to it. I have a 29 inseam and have no problem as long as I park smart and back it out of the garage before getting on.

Take the black rubber bumpers off the bottom and try some thicker soles for your boots. Other than that it's dogbone time. Someday I will get a stock front and use it occasionally.

Enjoy and try to get some miles on it to break it in before going further.

 

[Larry33319]

Thanks for all the advice. At 5'11" tall with a 32" inseam I did not think I had stubby legs. LOL But I have tried sliding forward and standing up at lights. It is the best seat I have sat on so I WILL get used to it. At a stop is the only complaint I have about it. Outside of that, it is all everyone says and then some. I will be taking a short 1500 mile ride thru Va, Md, Pa, Watkins Glen, NY, Niagra Falls, Cleveland, Columbus and back to Va in 2 weeks so I am definitely planning on enjoying the ride.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Big-D]

I've got 3500 miles on my Russell now and still can't touch flat footed yet. I'm 6'4 and I ordered the additional springs to accommodate my (slight) weight increase, which could make a difference in my inability to touch flatfooted. But that is fine with me, because the comfort is real nice. I would never had enjoyed a 800 mile ride on my stock seat in one day. My FJR is just so much more enjoyable now to ride. I feel like I have the complete package now with my Russell seat, my Rifle windshield and my Michelin CT.

 

[meosborn]

I'm 6' 1" with a 32" inseam. I've never noticed any problem with the height. Now I think I need to go back out and check. I even ordered my Wilburs with a +1" ride height so I would guess that my FJR is a bit higher than some.

edit: Oh yeah, I've got a Russell Day Long as well. IT IS AWESOME!!! I just did a 3200 mile trip (including my first SS1000 that I still need to mail in) and it was worth it's weight in gold (slight overstatement, please don't bill me for the difference).

 

[Bounce]

flat footing a bike is over rated. you don't muscle a 600+ pound bike around anyway; finesse it and know the balance point. how comfortable a bike is at zero mph is irrelevant.

 

[Fred W]

I'd have to agree with that. I can flatfoot my FJR no problem, even with the Russell seat, but I know it wouldn't really bother me if I couldn't. I've owned other bikes that I could not and it wasn't a big deal.

This past weekend we had a group ride with 10 riders. Interestingly there was a conspicuous absence of AEs, but that's another discussion.

There were a couple of riders who I noted were tiptoeing it when stopped. Notably, HerFJR is not a big lady, and she hosses her '05 FJR around, no problemo, as those of you that have ridden with (or should I say behind) her can attest.

It's more a matter of confidence and experience than merely size.

Oh geeze, was that a ripe setup...

 

[Blind Squirrel]

One of the "tricks" is to slide forward onto the less wide part of the saddle when coming to a stop. This gives your stubby lil' legs a straighter shot to terra firma.
Have you tried that yet?

+1

+2

It becomes second nature after a short time. Flat footing becomes important to me on some of the sloped roads that have stop lights around here.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Get them nuts up on the tank, and you find your feet touching the floor!

You have the endorsement of blind squirrel :thumbsup:

 

[BikerGeek99]

Thanks for all the advice. At 5'11" tall with a 32" inseam I did not think I had stubby legs. LOL But I have tried sliding forward and standing up at lights. It is the best seat I have sat on so I WILL get used to it. At a stop is the only complaint I have about it. Outside of that, it is all everyone says and then some. I will be taking a short 1500 mile ride thru Va, Md, Pa, Watkins Glen, NY, Niagra Falls, Cleveland, Columbus and back to Va in 2 weeks so I am definitely planning on enjoying the ride.
Thanks again for the advice.

Lemme know when you're coming through town. If I'm able, let's meet up.

 

[TheZsdad]

Get them nuts up on the tank, and you find your feet touching the floor!

You have the endorsement of blind squirrel :thumbsup:

Normally I'd agree with your statement. But as one that also just received a russell seat

it does not help me reach the ground to slide forward due to the fact that the nose of the

seat is built up. Although the nose is narrower by request due to a 29" inseam the rise

of the nose has me on my tip toes. I'm dealing with it but not happy about it. Russell

builds lots of seats for different bikes. The pics I sent them clearly showed I was already on the balls

of my feet and I spent a good 20 minutes by phone discussing my concerns with one of there seat builders.

At this point I would not recommend a daylong to someone already on the balls of there feet with the oem seat.

Certainly there are those that can deal with the issue and I may be one of them, I just don't know yet.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Get them nuts up on the tank, and you find your feet touching the floor!

You have the endorsement of blind squirrel :thumbsup:

Normally I'd agree with your statement. But as one that also just received a russell seat

it does not help me reach the ground to slide forward due to the fact that the nose of the

seat is built up. Although the nose is narrower by request due to a 29" inseam the rise

of the nose has me on my tip toes. I'm dealing with it but not happy about it. Russell

builds lots of seats for different bikes. The pics I sent them clearly showed I was already on the balls

of my feet and I spent a good 20 minutes by phone discussing my concerns with one of there seat builders.

At this point I would not recommend a daylong to someone already on the balls of there feet with the oem seat.

Certainly there are those that can deal with the issue and I may be one of them, I just don't know yet.

I can see your point, but the OP has the same 32" inseam I do, and sliding forward gets my feet flat on the floor.

Other factors: seat build, as well as suspension set up and weight.

 

[GreyGoose]

and now you see the reason why corbin still gets alot of business. the day long with raise the seat height 1.5 to 2 inches (and thats a quote from russell after my inquiry conerning my 29inch inseam). theres no doubt that there the most comfortable seat around, but there only for those who are inseam un-challenged. I'm ok with the being on the balls of my feet, but tip toes is a whole different matter. The corbin get you down closer to the ground (even though its a little wider than stock. Its hard like most corbins and much better than stock. Its certainly no russell day long though. I always felt as though a seat looks better in an upright position vs. a seat laying on the ground after the bike fell over on me. Then again, the wings on the russell could be good holding points to try and get yourself up off the ground.

GreyGoose

 

[ScottyUSN]

I like the look of the Corbin better than my Russell on the FJR. The Corbin has better lines.

IMHO: Those wings ain't pretty! But they are functional (If your legs are long enough)

 

[slowpoke]

Break the seat in.