seat ladder

[bhkfjr]

Yeah, I'm on the seat ladder. Trying to upgrade my seating without going to the extreme wing things. Not having much luck. 80k on my bike and still haven't found the right combo for all day comfort. I've tried stock, modified stock, comfort gel, Spencered custom gel, and finally (so far) a Sargent. The Sargent looks killer on the bike but it's killer on my skinny butt also.

I know, I know....I gotta go with a custom made seat from Russell or the Mayer bros. I get that. My question is-- Do these seats allow you to sit them with your feet on the stock pegs and be in a balanced position on the bike. The only way I can tolerate my previous seats is with my feet on the highway pegs which allows me to push back and not be driven toward the tank otherwise. I can go all day in this manner but it grates on me that I can't use the stock pegs for more than a few minutes at a time.

So how about it LD guys. Are you just as comfy feet on stock pegs or are you using the highway pegs as much as I do to keep your butt happy? Seats and seating positions are a huge issue for this bike. Bars up , bars back, seat up, seat down, bar risers, full heli-bars, one size fits all, custom made, ride in, order on-line, get right first time, send back till made right. Sheesh.

Alot of members have favorite seats, nobody hates any seat universally, it's all very subjective depending on ht. wt. inseam. etc. Now that I've tried the options, what actually is the difference with a "custom seat". Specifically, balance -wise, support-wise, pressure on the seatbones etc. Are they really that much more comfortable than what is available off the shelf that I've been really late to the party?

By the way, I'm 5-11, 32" inseam, 31" waiste, heli-bars and wild bill pegs. The heli-bars sit me up and back a little, and wild bill pegs balance my butt back in the seat so I'm not so forward on the tank. I can lean forward or back to take pressure off offending aches but only if feet on highway pegs. I know alot of you guys have been here and come out the other side.

Any thoughts, input, true life experience(!), ,,, all is appreciated.

 

[fjrb0]

Well, I'm 6'2", 33 to 34 inseam, and 54 years old. I have the Russell seat and wild Bill Pegs. The pegs make a huge difference just to be able to change the angle of my hips. But the Russell seat makes all the difference in the world. The pegs I bought first, but after my IBA ride, then bought the seat later. I ride 95-98% of the time with my feet on the pegs, just move my feet forward to the wild Bill pegs to give my legs and hips a break. Get the seat, best money you will spend....

 

[JamesK]

Often the simplest/cheapest solutions are the best, I've not seen you mention whether or not you've tried the Bead Rider on any of you seats. Many, LD guys run the BeadRider on their seats, whatever those seats are, basically the BeadRider at $50 makes ANY custom seat better, it's that simple. It prevents monkey butt, does a great job of eliminating pressure points, gives you good ventilation under you butt in hot weather, prevents you from sitting in a puddle when it's raining, and is really helpful for sliding you butt around in the twisties

 

[Bionic Pelvis]

I'm 6' with a 32" inseam. Like FJRB0, I installed the highway pegs first in an attempt to make the stock seat less painfull. After getting the Russell, I rarely use the highway pegs. I did a ride in appointment for mine because I have broken my back and pelvis, and as a result sit hanging off one side of the seat. They did a spectacular job of crafting the seat asymetrically to avoid any odd pressure points.

The hubby just got his Russell a couple days ago; he is shorter and has a gut, so he specified that he didn't want to be pushed forward into the tank. You can easily see the difference is the sizes and shapes of each of our seats, with his allowing him to slide back farther without creating a longer reach for his short legs, and he is in love with it already.

I did the Iron Butt Rally this year, and when asked I always say that my most important farkle was my seat. I don't think I would have been able to complete the ride without it. For me, it has been worth every penny.

 

[Fred W]

I tried many of the same seats that you did, also a couple of corbins. None of them gave me the all day long butt comfort of the Russell. I do not have highways pegs. I don't like the idea of them. If your feet are stretched out onto highway pegs then none of your weight is on your footpegs. I feel that a much more balanced position is with the balls of your feet on the pegs under your body.

To change my knee position I move from having the balls of my feet on the pegs (95% of the time) to the arches, just occasionally, and I also slide my butt forward and backward occasionally. Just that small amount of angle change can make the difference.

YBMV

 

[dustyrains]

Well, you have made all the classic moves, the ones that a lot of people make before they finally smart up and get the Russell seat. I did the same thing on my '94 Harley. Tried the gel pad. Tried the bead thing. Bought a Mustang after market seat. Finally went and did the Russell ride in. Got my new saddle, but kept my Mustang seat with me till the next day on the road, then threw it into a dumpster behind a motel. The only thing I regretted was all the hours I suffered with my ass on fire, trying everything but the right thing. Learned my lesson well. As soon as I picked up my 06 AE I made another ride in appointment. Wings schmings. How many times do you need to be told? Stop whining, listen to the collective wisdom of your peers, be brave, take the leap and do it. You will not be sorry.

 

[bhkfjr]

Thanks for all the replys so far, even the one about whining. Pretty much what I expected but it's good to be reassured. I think the problem is that the stock seat is actually pretty good right out of the box. All thats needed is just a little improvement and that an aftermarket seat should provide that. None of the seats I tried were any better than the stocker with my feet on the stock pegs but all were better with feet on highway pegs.

It appears that the defining factor in all this is the Russel seat wings. This also seems to leave out the Mayer seats for true all day comfort. They look like they're shaped like the Sargent. Nice looking but they will still roll you toward the tank.

I also think that the Russels are so extreme in appearance that it's that it's a hard choice to go right from stocker to the Russell without doing some intermediate upgrades on the way. You can lead the horse..........

 

[JamesK]

If you're going to go with the Russell Daylong, keep in mind these two points:

1. the wings make it considerably harder to effectively slide your butt around on the seat in the twisties.

2. the Russell raises your seating position about 1.5", if you later add an after market rear shock, say a Penske, it too raises the back of the bike around 1-1.5" so you might not be able to get good footing when stopped.

 

[Lee B.]

My ladder wasn't quiet as long as yours but I did not like the stock seat, used a sheep skin adn that helped, went with the Spencer and that helped a little, then also used a beaded seat cover on the spencer. That was the best for me. I had the highway pegs but by the time I got them on I was used to keeping my feet under me instead of out front like on my mean streak. so, I took them off. I never noticed any butt relief with the highway pegs as you mention.

So, my dilemma: ride my bike on an ass busting seat to do a ride-in, or order a sargent or some other option.

I was close to calling up Mayer when I heard about a friend who found a local shop that did him a seat mod on his dual purpose bike. he rode away a happy camper and not too much lighter in the wallet. I talked with the same shop, gave them some descriptions and measurements from my previous mustang seat Iliked on the mean streak and they gave me agood price and started in on the mod.

We've gone back and forth a couple of times and the driver's is done and the pillion is in the shop yesterday. I expect to get it back Monday or Tuesday. I'll take pictures of the final (already took pix of it along the way) and will post other details once I'm 100% happy. Right now, if they do the pillion adjustment and recover as nice as they did the driver's I'll be 100% happy.

I don't know what a day long measures but I had this small shop make mine 1.5 inches wider on each side and the top of the "wing" is about an inch higher than the middle of the scoop so my bony butt is cradled in the seat so my weight is distributed over a greater area than it was on the stock. They also added a little more padding up near the tank to keep me settled in the cradle when braking. I can still move up as I frequently do. My routine is to move up close to the tank when I hit those "reduced speed zones" sections that slow you down for small towns. Then as I speed up to 55-65 I scoot back to the cradle.

Point of all this is that you might be able to find a local shop that is willing to work with you and take your comments and make you a good seat for less than some other alternatives. It is a risk but any seat is risky. Some of the ride ins I've read about mention that you get a try out. With this small shop, and because I wasn't in a hurry, I was able to ride the first and second "drafts" of the seat work for 200 miles each. This was a major selling point for me. I didn't notice that I wasn't really happy with version one until I had been on it about 90 minutes.

If you want to minimize your risk you have a couple of options that many, many on this BB really like. The seat mod these guys did for me didn't raise the height at all down where my sit bones rest. The only raised part is the wings so that a scooped out cradle is made for my butt. BTW, I'm 6', 170, with 33" inseam. I ride with the seat in the down position but I use driver's peg lowering kit.

Hope this helps or at least adds to your options.

 

[dustyrains]

Are they really that much more comfortable than what is available off the shelf that I've been really late to the party?

Yes, they are. After you have one, all will be clear, i.e. why the "wings" are needed. You will like the comfort so much, any concerns about appearance should disappear unless you are impossibly vain. If you have a "skinny butt" as you mentioned, the wings may be small enough so as to not to offend your sense of style. Have you called Russell and talked with them at length about your concerns? I would guess you have not, by the tenor of your questions. You really should. Yes there are some small (IMHO) drawbacks to get this level of comfort. You may have less sure footing at a stop. Work around it. And you may not be able dangle your ass half way off in twisties, but at least you will feel like riding them when you get there. (Added). The Russell seat has never inhibited me from sliding to place my weight on the inside of a corner. If anything, it feels more secure to me, as I have that "wing" to perch on.

 

[Reaper]

"Day Long" seat. I'm 6'1" w/ 34" inseam, NOASSATALL. I did a 1500/24 IBA ride and NEVER even thought about my butt the whole time. It does have wings, so it's not made to hang off of, but you can ride all day long.

 

[bhkfjr]

Just said goodbye to my Sargent seat today, boxed it up and sent it back. Man, that was a good looking seat. It was so pretty that I actually considered gauging how much suffering I could endure just so I could keep it for garage candy. It looks like I'll be finally be ordering a Russell.

Most of the positive reviews on the Russell (and the Mayers) seem to be seem to be from people who did the ride-ins. I have also read of several customers who had to send theirs back for adjustment for whatever reason. I'd really like to minimize the possibility of having to send mine back so........

If after receiving your Russell seat you had to send it back, what adjustments did you need to make ?

Is there anything I should stress to Russell when ordering mine ?

It would be REALLY cool to hear from the group buy folks who'd care to post re: how their new seat fits them

All replies are greatly appreciated !

 

[Fred W]

If after receiving your Russell seat you had to send it back, what adjustments did you need to make ?Is there anything I should stress to Russell when ordering mine ?

It would be REALLY cool to hear from the group buy folks who'd care to post re: how their new seat fits them

Now that, my friend, is a very astute observation and question. A ride in is clearly the premium option, but for those of us 3000 miles away, not very practical. Yes, I had to send my seat back for an adjustment. My complaint was that, the seat still wanted to slide me forward towards the tank too much. The cure was very easy for them, they just under cut the foam in the rear section of the seat to make a deeper pocket for my derriere to hang onto.

The advantage of moving the butt back is that the pegs then become more under you, rather than behind. This allows you to carry more weight on them. It also keeps you from squashing the boys at every sudden stop, which is a good idea.

When I sent it back, I did give them the option of raising the front nose section to accomplish the same end. Since I am not too short overall seat height is a non-issue. But if you, OTOH, are not 6' or more, and you think that you'd still prefer your butt to be spaced back a bit farther from the tank, you should request that they make a similar pocket by carving out more foam. That way you don't have added seat height at the stop signs.

 

[Wanderer]

If after receiving your Russell seat you had to send it back, what adjustments did you need to make ?Is there anything I should stress to Russell when ordering mine ?

It would be REALLY cool to hear from the group buy folks who'd care to post re: how their new seat fits them

All replies are greatly appreciated !

5'9", 31" inseam 185lbs. No ass.

I had mine done and back shortly before the group buy in September. I had a dual leather made with the half-moon pattern.

Some observations about my seat: Russell did a tremendous job fitting the seat from 3 crappy e-mailed pics. Really. I don't know how they do it. Don't hesitate if you can't ride in. on that note... sit naturally on the bike in the pics. Don't pose. If you slouch, slouch. And don't take the pics sitting where you'd like to sit. Sit as if you are on hour 6 of a marathon slab stretch, where you naturally sit. Also, do not lie about your weight, height or inseam. it's gonna mess up your seat.

When I first got my seat I had several distinct thoughts....

1) OMG that leather smells amazing! God this a beautiful seat.....Damn it's huge....

Put it on the bike:

2) OMG its a fuggin Goldwing...what have I done?!

parked my ass on the seat:

3) Oh. This is nice. It's not a soft as I thought It'd be. Hmm. Ok. just ride. It'll be fine.

300 miles later, first ride:

4)Nice. Not soft but comfy, happy ass. Hard to put my feet down. Kinda Sketchy. the front 'hump' pushes me further back than I wanna be. Not thrilled. Relax. RCP said give it 1500 miles. * this hump is due to the stitching pattern....a different pattern would eliminate this*

3000 miles later:

5) the Break in snuck up on me. fuggin couch now. Feet no longer tippytoe as much (balls of feet) Middle hump flattened down and I sit happy all day.....Sat on dads new Day-long with 15 miles. Oh. Much different....now see where mines broken in and softened up. Now totally impressed.

got about 4500 on it now. probably my favorite non OEM part of my bike. The wife claims she was happy from day one and it gets softer and better every ride. we recently did a

The wings are just something youre gonna have to get used to or lose them and compromise with a little less support. I didn't really like the look at first. Somedays I still am not crazy about it. I still eyeball my Corbin Canyon some days just cause it's sexy but it never comes off the shelf. I decided that if you see it and know what my seat is, you won't mock me. if you don't know what it is, screw you I dont care what you think.

Posting drunk FTW.

 

[KiloWatts]

Wow, 80K is a lot of miles on a seat that's not right.

For me, the stock seat was barely a step up from straddling a railroad tie - only an hour or so before the pain set in. A custom seat was my first upgrade. At 5' 9", 30" inseam, 200 lbs. I could only touch on the balls of my feet, so that ruled out any "wide" seat. Plus, where I live and ride, much of the time is spent shifting butt position for the curves so a seat with "wings" was ruled out.

Went with a Bill Mayer leather seat and pillion, mainly from recommendations and experience of forum members and can now almost flat-foot at stops on the new, lower seat. Sent in pix and info, had the seat made, and it was perfect from the very beginning - no return adjustments needed. Not cheap, but very well worth the cost.

Have over 20K on the seat now and never even think about it, even on 600-700 mile days - a good sign. Have a Heli-clamp and ride on the pegs 100% of the time.

Seats are a very personal upgrade, but FWIW the Bill Mayer worked really well for me. Plus they are really nice folks to deal with and give great service.

 

[rfulcher]

My Russell seat was sent back twice to get it right. After the 2nd refit it felt okay. On short rides or at the start of a long ride I find myself thinking, "Why couldn't they get the seat right?" However the longer I ride the better it feels. The seat starts feeling very good at about 200 miles after that it feels great. When I get further into a long ride I might get uncomfortable but this seems to be more a function of my riding cloths than the seat. At the end of a long ride, say 400+ miles in a day, my arms and back are the limiting factors not the seat.

The Russell seat was one of accessories I value most on long rides.

 

[bhkfjr]

rfulcher

What issues prompted you to send the seat back for adjustment?

 

[fastpappy]

I did the Corbin. Keeps me planted and I don't notice it at all while riding which is a good thing although I have'nt done any serious LD riding.