Russell Day-Long saddle

[beastie]

I just found this forum the other day. I have been on the MSN forum for a while. I guess this is pretty new and not that many riders know about it yet. So far I like the format, but it will take some getting use to.

Anyhow, I am 99% decided that I am going to buy a Russell day long seat. I know everybody has their individual preferences and opinions but almost all the feedback I've gotten on the Russell seat has been positive. I have talked to them and, living in Ohio, I have to do it mail-order, but I have a good feeling about it. I hope I am not disappointed. And they do offer a money-back garantee. I hope they are good for it.

I am going for leather surfaces, vinyl sides, rectangle pattern. I will post a review after a while, but I may not get much riding time until spring.

[eddiemack]

I'd be interested in the result. I've been looking at the Corbin 'close' seat. Now that they offer a unheated seat the price is about right. Only thing is that I'm not sure I want a one piece seat. Anyway,.... good luck! So many options,.. so little time!

[lddave]

I received a Russell solo seat in the vinyl with the half moon pattern for my KTM 950 Wednesday.
I do not have butt a little less then 100 miles on it butt it seems to be of the same quality and workmanship plus comfort as the Russell I have on the ST1100.
Russell hads been the best custom seat of all I have tryed over the years , and I rate them in this order
Russell (best)
Mr Ed's Moto ( pretty damn good seat),
Bill Mayer ( when the dad was alive),
Corbin (of which really is not a custom seat),

[Purm1300]

Don,

I ordered a Russell Day long in a vinyl, rectantangle pattern today.
I spoke with Russell today and was told that if you ride with "riding pants" (aerostich, First Gear, etc) all the time, save your money and go with vinyl because you will not notice a difference.

Andy

[Mellow]

Here's the website:

http://www.mredsmoto.com/seats/index.php3

[seiseman]

I have had my Russell (leather) 9 months and 5K miles. Probablythe best farkles I have added.

Seiseman

[Fireball18]

Depends on what seating surface you choose, whether you want just the rider's portion redone or both front and back seats, and if you want a rider's back rest installed. The price would range from around $500.00 to about $900.00 with leather and a back rest. Worth the bux, tho.

[Dave Wicks]

As a new owner of an ST1300 and only 5'7" I dropped the seat to it's lowest most forward position. I noticed it was tipped down in front. Popped the seat off and noticed two rubber rectangles that actually held the back of the front half up about 1 1/2 inches. They slipped off there mount and now the seat sits flat and slightly lower. I can now plant my feet and also don't get that unique pain that you get when you are alwasy sliding forward.

[Pansmiker]

All the saddle makers seem to be Stateside!

Are there any good ones in Europe?


Paul

[Putt]

All the saddle makers seem to be Stateside!

Are there any good ones in Europe?


Paul

Paul,
On one of the boards, there was a thread about a seatmaker in
France, had some pretty good reviews...
Sorry, but I can't remember where I saw the thread..

Putt...

[John Anthony]

I've had a Russell now for about a year, all leater, rectangles, butt warmer. What a difference over the original seat. Good workmanship and the staff were good to work with. Another option would be Rich's out of Seattle. He's done 3 seats for my old lady (she unloads her bikes every six months or so so she doesn't have to change the oil) and he also does good work and stands by it.

[unSTeady]

Paul, there is this firm, just around the corner,
http://www.sargentcycle.co.uk/
that makes quite nice seats. There is a French one as well, but I think
Sargent is better. Have not tried my self though! A bit expensive. :o

[seiseman]

Just wondering...has anyone have personal experience toth the Russell driver's back rest? I know that YMMV will apply but I was just wondering had used one/liked it? I am "thinking" it may be an over the winter add-on or somethig :xmas:?

[Fireball18]

We used to have a BMW R1150RT and had Russell make a seat for it, including the backrest. It's a pretty good backrest with decent adjustability, front/rear, as well as up and down.

[beastie]

I sent my seat to Russell. Rectangle pattern, vinyl sides, leather inserts on the full seat. They say it will be back in 2-3 weeks, like I'll be riding in January in Ohio. I told my wife I was going to mount it on a saw-horse and we can sit on it while we watch TV. ;)

[SteveST1300]

Please give us a review when you get it back. I had been thinking of the Corbin but after reading some stuff from the MSN group I dont think ill go Corbin Russel seems liuke the way to go. Look forward to hearing about your seat.

[Putt]

Hey Skip!!!!

Glad to see you made it over to this board...
Great group over here...


Putt....

[beastie]

I haven't posted anything lately even though I did get my seat back in 21 days. I did post some info on the MSN forum.

The quality is first rate. The seat is beautiful. I have only been able to ride about 60 miles but I think it is going to be great. My wife rode with me and did not even move the whole ride. She usually wiggles around a lot.

It's too cold for me now so I won't be riding.

[STCPO]

Of course I'll be more than happy to verify that Charlie's testing is accurate.

Pete

[Quicksilver]

One of the first things I noticed when I first bought this bike is the d__med stock seat!
After only about 100 miles it felt as if I where sitting one the bare frame! It was much to hard for my skinny butt. On the advise from some nice folks on other forums I set up an appointment to get the seat done.
Living in Reno, I'm about 4 hours from Russels location. They even arranged for a discount at the local motel. By the time I got there I was already in pain..even with hourly rest stops.
The job took the whole day. They started out by having someone hold up the bike for me while I sat on it, and they took measurements. Then they gave me a loaner, stock seat, and told me to check back in a few hours. Twice during the day they did checks with me on the fit. I had them finish it off with a velour top, and vinyl sides. I don't like sitting on a hot seat in the summer, and the velour is also warm in the winter.
And you don't slide around on it much, even with the 'stitches. When they where finally done I was still hurting from the day before, and all the riding I did on the loaner seat that day.
That evening I road all the way home non-stop! It changed the whole way I felt about the bike. I now feel more connected to it, sitting in the bike rather than on top of it.
After the first half hour, my behind quit hurting! After about an hour I couldn't get the smile offa my face. It was that good. And since then it has broken in, and is even better!
It may look a little funky with the "butt wings" and all, but at this level of compfort, who the hell cares! My wife also has the same opinion. Even though she wasn't there for the fitting, I gave them her dimensions, and she says it fits just right.
I cannot recomend Russel high enough. I've since then had them do two other seats on my own, and my freinds other bikes with the same results. Go for It!

[rob.uk]

Paul,

There is a firm just outside London that advertises in the "Pan Clan" newsletter. They do seat rebuilds and several Pan owners in the UK say their seats are excellent. They can do a "King and Queen" seat for the ST1300 which looks very similar to the Bill Meyer saddle. It's also a lot cheaper - about £300 to remake your own seat. I will probably go see them later this month, so I can give you more details after that.

Regards,
Rob

[Bones]

:03biker: Is there anyone besides me who finds the stock seat perfectly comfortable? Is it because I'm 135 pounds?

[beastie]

Well, I thought I'd reply since I started this thread.

I got my seat from Russell in January and like I said, I wouldn't be riding much in Ohio due to the cold and the salt on the roads. We did have one nice day and Swambo and I went out for an hour or so (80 miles) after work. I tried the seat set at low F&R, then mid F & low R. Seemed to work ok for me. She liked it. Escpecially with the new Honda top box. The seat position and box backrest were just right for her. But the weather turned colder :(

Yesterday (in Cincinnati) it got up to 64 and was clear and sunny. :D My son called me at work around 2:00 and said, "Dad, I'm leaving work early and going riding." I said, "I'll see you in 45 minutes," told my co-workers I had a family emergency ;) and bailed.

We rode for few hours. The longer I was in the Russell saddle (and I mean "in") the more I liked it. :clap2: If it gets better as it "breaks in" I know I will love it. And it may just be my imagination, but I love the feel of genuine leather.

I would have loved to do the drive-in approach, but it's just too far for me. Mail order seems to have worked out well, at least as well as I expected. I did lose weight between ordering and now, but along with measurements and pictures, I gave them my target weight.

So - so far so good - make ours a Russell... :) :) :04biker:

P.S. We are riding our beaST to the Honda Hoot in June. We would not have considered riding that far on the stock seat. With the Russell, we are excited. We have registered for 3 of the organized rides: Cumberland Gap, Cherohala Skyway and Norris Dam. On Thursday, we are meeting a group of ST riders at Maryville and riding the Dragon. We may meet up with the eaSToc group at the Iron Horse Campground for lunch. It's hard to believe at 61 years old, I am this excited about spending a week on a motorcycle.

:a13:

[Pansmiker]

Paul,

There is a firm just outside London that advertises in the "Pan Clan" newsletter. They do seat rebuilds and several Pan owners in the UK say their seats are excellent. They can do a "King and Queen" seat for the ST1300 which looks very similar to the Bill Meyer saddle. It's also a lot cheaper - about £300 to remake your own seat. I will probably go see them later this month, so I can give you more details after that.

Regards,
Rob

Rob thanks for that.

Around the beginning of the year I found a French site which makes up a seat on their own base so I ordered one. The delivery was slated as 2 weeks. To date I haven't received it.
I sent a few e-mails which to be fair were answered by return explaining that they had had supply difficulties. The last e-mail promised I would get the seat this week end. I will let you know.

Paul

[ligito]

Beastie: Langlitz Leathers has a bike seat mounted on something similat to a sawhorse, so you can try out the fit of their leathers.

Your idea is not that far out of line.

I considered doing the same, on my last 4 custom seats and leather pants, to break them in.

[beastie]

My beaST spent 7 days in the shop for the recalls. All was/is well. I picked it up Saturday and got in a little riding. Yesterday (Sunday) was nice and sunny so Swambo and I went out for a ride into S.E. Indiana.

I think this Russell Day-Long saddle is going to be the best money I have ever spent on a farkle. The longer I ride, the longer I feel I can ride. As far as Swambo, she didn't move or even wiggle. On the STock seat she was in agony (her words) after an hour or so. I moved if I felt like it, but not because I had to.

I know this seat isn't for everybody, but so far it is for me.

[hig4s]

. . .
Russell (best)
Mr Ed's Moto ( pretty damn good seat),
Bill Mayer ( when the dad was alive),
Corbin (of which really is not a custom seat),


After a little research I found that the patent for the Russell Day-long seat was sold to them by the designer, Bill Mayer II,, the founder of Bill Mayer saddles, which is now run by his son Bill Mayer III. And that Rick Mayer of Rick Mayer Cycles is also the son of Bill Mayer II.

So it appears that the people making custom saddles at Russell, Bill Mayer Saddles, and Rick Mayer Cycles, all learned from the same person.

[GRN]

After a little research I found that the patent for the Russell Day-long seat was sold to them by the designer, Bill Mayer II,, the founder of Bill Mayer saddles, which is now run by his son Bill Mayer III. And that Rick Mayer of Rick Mayer Cycles is also the son of Bill Mayer II.

So it appears that the people making custom saddles at Russell, Bill Mayer Saddles, and Rick Mayer Cycles, all learned from the same person.

More or less true... one brother claims one thing... blah blah, and, neither of the sons can use the spring design patented by Bill II cause he sold it to Russell, and I believe that is the key difference to their appeal.

I have done biz with Rick, and wouldn't do it again.

[CrashTestDanny]

All the saddle makers seem to be Stateside!

Are there any good ones in Europe?


Paul

Bagster.

http://www.bagster.com

One of the guys on here showed his bagster off and I gotta say it was the best looking seat I've seen on an ST.

[CruisingDog]

Bagster.

http://www.bagster.com

One of the guys on here showed his bagster off and I gotta say it was the best looking seat I've seen on an ST.

How comfortable ? Long distance ???

[PLCBithead]

I've had a Russell now for about a year, all leater, rectangles, butt warmer. What a difference over the original seat. Good workmanship and the staff were good to work with. Another option would be Rich's out of Seattle. He's done 3 seats for my old lady (she unloads her bikes every six months or so so she doesn't have to change the oil) and he also does good work and stands by it.

John, now that's funny, I don't care who you are :p: She trades to avoid an oil change?

Do you still like the Russell seat? How difficult was it to hook-up and use the butt warmer?