Russell day-long
- Thread starter bigkev
- Start date
ReSTored
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Aside from seat position try an Airhawk.
airhawk.net
Your daily time in the saddle in low and the Airhawk, or other similar knockoffs, offers significantly increased comfort at minimal cost.
Homepage - Airhawk
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airhawk.net
Your daily time in the saddle in low and the Airhawk, or other similar knockoffs, offers significantly increased comfort at minimal cost.
diferg
Dan & Ingrid
In my humble opinion the stock ST 1300 seat is simply cruel. Air Hawk made it worse! after 19 years the Sargent is still just fine for tank to tank.
Ty, does the Sargent seat eliminate the forward slope while sitting, and do they need your seat to make you a seat
Also, is it wider than the stock seat?And is it good for all day riding
The seat does not lean you forward, the distance from your torso to the handlebars does this. A sloped seat will make you feel like you are sliding forward or back, but the lean is you grabbing the handlebars. Before you go custom seat get your riding posture set - a helibar or other brand handlebar spacer will push the bars up and back. Different brands and generations (of helibar spacers) will move the bars more or less than others. Once you get the seating position, and your back right, then go for a custom seat.
Don't forget all butts are different. Some guys here have tried an RDL and gone on to a different seat. The odds are good, however, that if you order a custom seat you will be tickled pink (that may or may not include the color of your fundament). Buying a used seat is hit or miss...best to buy a used seat from someone who is close to your size and weight.
Consider going to an STOC event and trying out other guys' seats.
I had a Sargent seat on my ST. It was quite hard and surprisingly comfortable. My problem w/ it is I'm short and the Sargent's width pushed my legs outward - I was barely tippytoeing the bike at stops. I went back to OEM and had Spenser (now retired) make my seat lower w/ some esoteric foam. That worked for me.
My third and latest seat configuration . Corbin - with sheep skin, cause it was stiff as hell without it. It worked nice for me on my 250 km test ride. I have the RDL - my butt and legs like it better . But the RDL puts me 3 cm ( 1,5") higher on the ST, and of that- further from the handlebars . My back and neck seems to prefer sitting lower with Corbin on longer rides. Sheep skin does wonders.
Good luck !
Good luck !
Thus, from the recent handlebar thread:
https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/buy-a-higher-handlebar-for-st1100.191846/
You don't know where your shoulders will comfortably be located until you get your butt in the right place. Only then can you determine the best location to place your hands for back comfort.
I'm 6'3" and long legged. In the first pic, you can see how thick the RDL seat is, which suits my legs. Only then did I add the taller risers beneath the Helibars to suit my new shoulder placement.
Tall bars do provide for a lot of leverage, and the bars were a bit wobbly. A large washer under each bolt head beneath the upper triple clamp makes them rock solid with no flex.
Larry I hear you. Taller, longer bars might to the trick with my ST and the RDL seat. But then I would also have to exstend throttle and choke cables and wirers . I have 3.5" Rox risers and a handlebars that work better when pulled back than the standard. I'm maxed out - without doing a lot of work (I did have to lengthen the front brake hose to ABS). I also kind of like sitting lower. I wasn't expecting that. Anyways, its not bad with the RDL . The Corbin is hard, but i fixed that. It's a good seat, for me. Never felt the steering was wobbly.
diferg
Dan & Ingrid
No you will have to adjust the front height and rear height of your seat to get rid of the forward slope of the seat. not sure of it being wider than stock seat but I found it to be comfortable enough to not be an issue when I did my Bun Burner Gold ride. plus it has made multiple trips from my home in St Marys GA to Katy Texas ( approx 900 miles / 13 hrs each way) without issue. Also a couple of Cape Fear 1000 rallies and a few Rally the Void. Yes I would say it is good for all day ride
I rerouted my cables, hoses, and wires behind the upper triple clamp, no extensions.
Click on third pic above for a close-up.
ST Gui
240Robert
What are the physics in play with taller bars adding a lot of leverage? There's no fulcrum so I'm not seeing it. Wider bars at the handgrips would make sense. I do see how they could be more comfortable for some. I got enough height and width with a Helibar riser.
sirbike
Site Supporter
I put my Sargent seat one notch higher in front to eliminate slope.
They use their own seat pan.
Wider than stock.
It was way better than stock for all day but still a bother.
I went Russell.
If you find a good used Sargent half the price of new that may be worth the gamble.
Paying full price Sargent vs full price Russell, Russell is probably the better bet.
sirbike
Site Supporter
The fulcrum is the rubber dampers in the upper triple clamp.
The taller handlebars are moving the grips through a longer arc in the vertical plane longitudinal with the bike by way of, simply the longer lever as well as the dampers giving way to increased leverage.
Sounds like I was watching Kevin Cameron videos last night. No where close though.
ST Gui
240Robert
That doesn't make any sense. The rubber dampers are more of a hinge than a fulcrum.
sirbike
Site Supporter
Okay call it a hinge. That’s a better description.
Does it make sense now?
This is not about leverage to steer the wheel.
It’s about increased distance from and additionally increased leverage over the dampers making for handlebars that move around quite a bit more relative to the triple clamp.
Putting in washers with holes bigger than the sleeves in the dampers will hard mount the bars to the triple clamp.
What he said, mostly.
I used a pair of galvanized washers whose holes fit the bolts that screw up into the aftermarket risers, and whose outer diameters are larger than the lip at the bottom of the cylindrical holes in the triple clamp.
Thus, the entire thickness of the triple clamp is clamped between the bottom of each riser and the washer, preventing the flex provided by the rubber bushings normally squeezed into the cylindrical holes.
So, yes, by leverage, I meant the mechanical advantage of the taller (longer) bars which allowed for greater front-to-back movement of the hands. The length probably reduces vibration that bushings absorb.
I used a pair of galvanized washers whose holes fit the bolts that screw up into the aftermarket risers, and whose outer diameters are larger than the lip at the bottom of the cylindrical holes in the triple clamp.
Thus, the entire thickness of the triple clamp is clamped between the bottom of each riser and the washer, preventing the flex provided by the rubber bushings normally squeezed into the cylindrical holes.
So, yes, by leverage, I meant the mechanical advantage of the taller (longer) bars which allowed for greater front-to-back movement of the hands. The length probably reduces vibration that bushings absorb.
ST Gui
240Robert
So "tall bars do provide a lot of leverage" to move the bars back and forth. I get that 'tall' bars would mean greater movement at the grips. I think ascribing leverage/mechanical advantage while in principle may be correct - it's giving it far more credit than is due. That's all.
Does anybody have any experience with the saddlemen stealth seat on the s?T
I have an 1100.
I started with a log (Corbin). Next was a Travelcade by Saddleman. The 1300 Stealth also has a gel insert in it. It gets really warm setting in the sun. That might be nice on a cool day but in Florida, the gel insert is a firm NO. I finally choked down writing a check (this was before internet /credit card use was reliable) and sending a seat to Russell. I've never looked back.
The Stealth by Saddleman is $531 on the ad I saw. That's approaching a Russell, price wise. If your seat is a 2 piece seat, just do the front half. If the 2 cover not matching bothers you, Russell will put a matching cover on the rear seat.
It all comes down to how long you going to ride a 1300 and/or how long will your rides be. My old riding buddy had a 'Wing (1500) and never mentioned the seat. His rides were never more than 100 miles without stopping. One year he decided to join me on a trip to NC. (650 miles). On our meal stop, he ask how much farther? He was an un-happy rider the last couple hundred miles.
I started with a log (Corbin). Next was a Travelcade by Saddleman. The 1300 Stealth also has a gel insert in it. It gets really warm setting in the sun. That might be nice on a cool day but in Florida, the gel insert is a firm NO. I finally choked down writing a check (this was before internet /credit card use was reliable) and sending a seat to Russell. I've never looked back.
The Stealth by Saddleman is $531 on the ad I saw. That's approaching a Russell, price wise. If your seat is a 2 piece seat, just do the front half. If the 2 cover not matching bothers you, Russell will put a matching cover on the rear seat.
It all comes down to how long you going to ride a 1300 and/or how long will your rides be. My old riding buddy had a 'Wing (1500) and never mentioned the seat. His rides were never more than 100 miles without stopping. One year he decided to join me on a trip to NC. (650 miles). On our meal stop, he ask how much farther? He was an un-happy rider the last couple hundred miles.