Russell Seat Colors

[Pale Rider 07]

In planning for an eventual upgrade to my seating, I have been considering a Russell seat. While going through the pricing, I realized that I could save a good amount of money by only having the rider seat done. My wife does not travel long distances with me and I typically would use the passenger seat for strapping an additional bag to the bike. So my question is this. Does Russell has a color that closely matches the OEM seat color? I'm not sure how much difference there is between Gens when it comes to the seat color, however mine is an 07. If it's not too far off, I could live with that. A function over form kinda thing.

 

[dsmack]

It will match very well, based on what I observed a year ago when I stopped by Russell for my ride-in appointment. They do a lot of driver only seats, so this is not a new problem for them...

Are you getting leather for the seating surface, or all vinyl? The leather matches the vinyl very well as to color, but there is a difference in the grain texture of the leather vs vinyl.

I chose to get the leather seating surface with vinyl sides, after talking with the manager at Russell. He pointed out that the vinyl will show less creasing and wear at the front of the saddle where the thigh tends to compress it, especially if you slide forward at stops due to being inseam challenged such as I.

I have about 4K miles on the seat now, and it has broken in very nicely. I wouldn't trade it :yahoo:

Quality goods, with excellent stitching and installation. You won't be disappointed!

Don

 

[Pale Rider 07]

It will match very well, based on what I observed a year ago when I stopped by Russell for my ride-in appointment. They do a lot of driver only seats, so this is not a new problem for them...

Are you getting leather for the seating surface, or all vinyl? The leather matches the vinyl very well as to color, but there is a difference in the grain texture of the leather vs vinyl.

I chose to get the leather seating surface with vinyl sides, after talking with the manager at Russell. He pointed out that the vinyl will show less creasing and wear at the front of the saddle where the thigh tends to compress it, especially if you slide forward at stops due to being inseam challenged such as I.

I have about 4K miles on the seat now, and it has broken in very nicely. I wouldn't trade it :yahoo:

Quality goods, with excellent stitching and installation. You won't be disappointed!

Don

Thanks for the reply Don! I was thinking of going all vinyl. I ride most every day and that means the seat gets wet most days during the summer here. Thought the vinyl would stand up better to the weather over time. I guess I could always go the route of using a seat cover if I used any leather. I know the leather would be a better choice from the standpoint of comfort. I had my stock seat done by Spencer, which gives me a range of about 400-500 miles before the serious aches and pains. I want to be able to extend that range though and it seems like the Russell is the ticket for that.

 

[dsmack]

You can't beat the Russell for extended days in the saddle. I've done a number of 700 - 800 mile days now, and seat comfort is no longer the limiting factor for me. :yahoo:

You will be happy with the Russell, I'm sure. The more information you give them going in to the transaction, the better the end result will be. Get a friend to take a number of photos of you on the bike in your normal seating position. Make sure you are not "posing", but sitting as you will when riding. They use those pics to place the seat "pocket" in the correct position for you.

I would suggest that if you are thinking about any other changes, such as the addition of handlebar risers, that you do them before getting the seat done, rather than vice-versa.

I'd bet that if you have questions about the color match, you could call them and arrange for a sample swatch of the seat material be sent to you for your approval. They have replaced many stock seats though, so I'm confident they have one on hand in the shop to use for closest color and texture match.

Let us know how your new seat works out for you.

Don

 

[dustyrains]

Or you could go the other direction and pick a color and pattern that you like, and have the passenger seat simply re-covered to match the riders seat.

 

[Pale Rider 07]

Or you could go the other direction and pick a color and pattern that you like, and have the passenger seat simply re-covered to match the riders seat.

That's a nice looking setup...thanks for posting the pic!

 

[Gramps]

Thought the vinyl would stand up better to the weather over time. I guess I could always go the route of using a seat cover if I used any leather. I know the leather would be a better choice from the standpoint of comfort.

I'm not 100% sure about their leather seats, but I know my vinyl one is NOT waterproof & the waterproof cover is an optional item. Aside from that Russells are the best choice.

 

[dsmack]

That is different from my recent experience with my Russell seats.

My son and I took a week long trip down through SW Washington, thru OR and into CA for the tasty twisty bits to be found there. Unfortunately, we had more rainy days that fair, so rode quite a bit in really wet conditions. During the entire trip, I did not notice any problem with the seat absorbing any water, and the only real precaution I took was covering the seats at night with a large plastic garbage bag.

I have treated my seats with a product called "Passier Lederbalsam" which is about the consistency of petroleum jelly, and just gets thoroughly rubbed into the seat surfaces and buffed off, about once a month. Water beads up on the seat nicely, and wipes off with just the swipe of a hand before riding.

I've looked closely to see if I could find any evidence of water penetrating at the sewed seams, but found water beaded at the stitching points just like on the rest of the cover. I was never able to feel any dampness, nor did I have wet pants that I could tell... I will admit to wearing a pair of water resistant overpants with a liner, but my "seat" never got wet.

The "Lederbalsam" was recommended to me by the nice lady at the local tack shop that specializes in fine saddles and tack for the local horsey crowd. It does not make the leather (nor vinyl) slippery. You might want to look into it, as I suspect it is widely distributed to tack shops across the country. A 500 ml tin cost $16.00 and should last for years based on usage so far!

Don

 

[Big-D]

I love my Russell seat in leather. I have an '08 FJR that is black and the black leather matches very well.

Seriously though, I did not buy the rain cover because like anything, if you take reasonable care, the leather will be fine. I wash my bike at self-serve car washes where my leather seat gets wet. I dry it off first after exiting and no harm of any kind has my Russel suffered. Its very comfortable, whereas I can ride all day (hence: Russell Day Long) without succumbing to a sore *** from sitting all day. Money well spent.

 

[Bearly Flying]

I remember Bustanut wasn't too happy with the color match when he ordered that fuchsia and lavender set.

But then He's kinda funny that way....