Russell Day Long - How important is weight?

[deagle]

So I go 285. Found a used Russell Day Long made for a 220 lb rider. How big of a deal is this difference?

Man the new ones are expensive.

Thanks.

 

[El Toro]

I think the break point for the extra heavy duty suspension is 245. So if the seat was built for a 220 pound rider, it might be strained for a 285 pound rider. Once the seat has the extra heavy duty suspension, I'm not sure what more they would do aside from larger wings to accommodate the larger butt.

FWIW, I used to get the Russells. They're really great seats, and they really make the bike more comfortable for a bigger person.

I still have a heavy duty Russell for my Rocket III Touring, but I've taken it off. It was built when I was much larger, and so the suspension was the heavy duty type.

I noticed that I was having some grip issues with the R3T, and I was getting ready to trade it. My hands just didn't seem to fall onto the grips like they used to, and the angle was exacerbating some other hand problems I was having.

I took the Russell seat off as I was getting ready to trade the bike and remounted the stock seat. The hand problems went away.

The heavy duty suspension, being sat on by a much lighter person, tipped me forward, and changed the angle between my hands and the trips. This surprised me, but it was a real effect.

When you have Russell build you a seat, they take quite a few measurements, and they want a couple of photos. I've had a lot of Russell seats, all custom built for me, and every one of them has been excellent. In this most recent case, the seat was excellent when I was at the weight I was when I had it built. It was not so great after I'd gotten back to a more normal size.

So ... I think that to get the best performance from a Russell, it's probably worthwhile to have them build it specifically for you, unless your build is very close to that of the person for whom the seat was originally built.

 

[wheatonFJR]

It will be better than stock, but not good enuf. Too much weight difference...weight difference is everything.

 

[BkerChuck]

I think the above makes a lot of sense. If you were within a few pounds it might work okay but as much as I hate to be that guy, I think you're just a bit too far removed.

You'd be better off having it made to fit you.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I called Russell to find the history on a used seat that I bought and was told they normally use the heavy spring when the rider's weight is above 230 but the foam is the same. The spring supports the rider's weight on the side pieces under the thighs and rationale is that the spring has to have some flex for the seat to work properly but not too much flex. I am the opposite of you, about 220 with a seat that was made for a 280lb rider. It feels a bit too firm on my thighs when I first start riding but pretty good after a half hour and any discomfort on my thighs can be relived by sliding forward slightly and transferring the pressure points. When I compare my seat to other RDLs, it feels like my foam is a lot firmer in spite of Russell's statement that they use the same foam in all the seats....and I don't think the spring size is going to matter very much if you are riding on good roads because flex probably will not be an issue but like buying anything that is custom built for one rider, its a roll of dice if its going to be a good fit for the next rider.

I prefer my Laam seat for day rides and shorter overnight trips but the RDL is definitely designed to go the distance if that is what you are looking for.