Russell Day Long question

[stepbill]

I had a Russell Day Long on my Honda VTX1300 and have one on my F6B. I also own a Mustang seat. I love the fit of the Mustang seat but for long rides I have to have the Russell Day Long. My tailbone starts to hurt if I ride the Mustang over 100 miles in a day. The Day Long spreads your butt cheeks out and you do not feel the pressure but as stated, it does raise you up some. The Mustang makes you feel like your in the bike and the Day Long makes you feel like your on the bike but for comfort in long distance, you can not beat it.

[Verismo]

Jason..........

As mentioned, my seat arrives Tuesday. If you're close to Dallas, or even if not, you're welcome to drop by and check my seat out vs. the stock seat for measurements. If you're in El Paso, it's ONLY a 1300 mile round trip. That's only a $1 a mile if you buy the full monty from Russell. Come check it out.

That's nice of you! I'm down in San Antonio but if I'm ever up that way I may take you up on it.

[Verismo]

Jason........................

My Russell arrives here next Tuesday. I have my stock seat (I sent Russell one I bought off this forum) so I will post photos with measurements with both seats. I'm 5' 11" with a 31" inseam. I had called Russell several times asking how much the seat might be raised with my measurements. We discussed this the other day when they called for credit card payment. He remembered our conversation and told me that it was probably close to 1/2" to 3/4". As taxfree pointed out and others have mentioned, it is designed for you to slide forward a bit to flatfoot when stopping, then slide back "into" the pocket at takeoff. We'll see about this next week. With the wings being higher than the butt pocket, it might be a bit off for an accurate reading on how much the seat is raised up over stock but I have a solution for that in my old feeble brain. I went with all leather, solo seat reworked, backrest, and seat cover.....$1287.00 shipped to Dallas. Seeing that I don't have a back-up butt sitting on a shelf in the garage, I rolled the dice on the Russell, and as taxfree mentioned, so do quite a lot of the Iron Butt pilots. Check out Jehu's pics of his trip to Alaska on his F6BX....his rump was on a Russell, and the roads up there don't remind me of Interstate 40 for some reason. I had a Hartco on my 2004 Wing and it was great compared to the stock seat which Honda still puts on the current Wings. As the old saying goes....You should not scrimp on 2 things....your work boots and a bed, because when your not in your boots, you're in your bed. Riding for over 40 years, it's now 3 things that you shouldn't scrimp on, IMO. I've had the Hartco, Sargents, Ez Berg, Mustangs, Saddlemens, a solo seat off a police Harley,etc. Next week, I'll add a Russell to the mix. Photos are one thing, a happy ass is another. I'll post photos as quickly as possible for your viewing entertainment next week hoping to aid you in your decision. If it arrives Tuesday, pics should be up that night if it's not raining cats and dogs.

Looking forward to the pics and the report!

[Verismo]

As far as the suspension with and without the Russell the shock when hitting a pothole was definitely noticeable as, I guess, being the hind quarters are spread out over a larger, more contoured area as I find myself not bracing as much when hitting one. As far as wind turbulence I have the Baggershield with the adjustable MRA XCREEN so it wasn't that much of an issue, however, after putting on the Russell I did not have to readjust the XCREEN due to increased wind turbulence.

The riding position is inclined in a "pocket", very comfortable, but you have to get used to the idea when coming to a stop of moving forward to flat foot. I am 5'11" with a 32" inseam. Unless you have circus long legs this will be the only way to do it. I purchased the all vinyl with the rain cover as the stitching is the weak link for water penetration. Even though I only ordered the single, driver seat w/backrest and they did slightly beef up and redesign the passenger seat, very generous move.

The overall experience is after 40 years of riding and owning Mustang, Saddlemen and other after market seats there is nothing that comes close to the comfort, sitting position and overall money spent/satisfaction ratio than this seat. It is the first time I wish I had a larger gas tank so I wouldn't have to stop where with all others, including stock, I couldn't wait to get off and give myself relief and a stretch. It isn't any wonder why the Iron Butt guys swear by them.

I did a short video on mine:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hjcwAXq3Uq8

I had already seen your video (s) and I liked them! You should keep those coming.

I noticed that you had the mini boards with comfort drop down mounts. Now that you have the taller Russell, have you noticed the pegs feeling too far away? Also, did you ever find a way to adapt the shifter so you can move the left board to its forward most position?

Jason

[Bill_C]

I put a RDL on my F6B about 400 miles ago. Some initial thoughts and observations.

I went with all vinyl, front re-build only and nothing fancy to keep the price down.

Definitely requires a break-in period which I am still in, so it is applying some pressure on the back-side where before there was none. I'm told that will change, but I've not noticed any softening of the seat yet.

Build quality is excellent, comfort while in the "pocket" is excellent. It also looks good.

Sliding forward at stop signs takes a bit of getting used to, but not a big deal as far as I'm concerned.

It does raise you up about an inch and so does change the riding position. So yes I feel a bit more wind on my helmet and my overall posture changed, also feels different when I grab the bars.

Hope this helps you with your decision making.

[taxfree4]

I had already seen your video (s) and I liked them! You should keep those coming.

I noticed that you had the mini boards with comfort drop down mounts. Now that you have the taller Russell, have you noticed the pegs feeling too far away? Also, did you ever find a way to adapt the shifter so you can move the left board to its forward most position?

Jason

The pegs feel the same, maybe the seat has done its' full compression and as far as the left shifter - no I didn't find anything although they have the heel-toe shifter I heard about some trouble with the force generated on the shifter/warranty so I didn't even bother. Actually, I alternate anyway between the hiway pegs and the boards and its fine. Even when I had the heel-toe shifter on my Harleys I would have to take the heel off because my boot would get stuck inside the space and it wasn't comfortable.

[Drive Jehu]

I'm seriously considering a Russell, and would love some feedback from those who own one and have it mounted on their F6B. I understand that it's a great seat, but I would love to hear some real comments and maybe actual criticisms if there are any.

Did you feel that the suspension was a bit harsh before the Russell? And if so, did you notice the seat improved the feeling from road harshness?

Also, with it raising you up an inch and a half, did you notice this increasing the wind or turbulence to your helmet? (I realize rider height/windshield will play a role here)

I have no complaints about the B. It is a wonderful machine. Sometimes I feel, though, that the suspension almost accommodates sportier riding better than it does plush riding. I've adjusted the pre load both directions, but it still gives me this impression.

So if you feel the same way and own a Russell, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And btw, any other tidbits you think relevant, like rider position, cornering, seat wear, you name it. Thanks!

Jason

My Russell Day Long with backrest has been on for at least 15K. I found their "day long" claims to be true. I recently returned from a month of riding that totaled a bit over 12K miles and I'm very satisfied with my seat. I chose to go with the canvas insert and I'm pleased with the comfort of canvas and how well it breathes. I do need to cover it when it rains and that is the only downside. No seat height issues or other issues.

With the "pocket" to sit on I now sit more in the bike than on it. I'm better connected to the machine and would purchase the same again.

Happy riding to you

[Verismo]

I put a RDL on my F6B about 400 miles ago. Some initial thoughts and observations....

It does raise you up about an inch and so does change the riding position. So yes I feel a bit more wind on my helmet and my overall posture changed, also feels different when I grab the bars.

Hope this helps you with your decision making.

Hey Bill, I found these observations very informative, especially in lieu of the fact the seat is so new to you, and the impressions are so fresh. (Pun intended) Thanks so much for your objective honesty. If you can, please remember to come back to this thread in a couple thousand miles for your report after break in, as I would love to hear your thoughts.

Jason

[Verismo]

My Russell Day Long with backrest has been on for at least 15K. I found their "day long" claims to be true. I recently returned from a month of riding that totaled a bit over 12K miles and I'm very satisfied with my seat. I chose to go with the canvas insert and I'm pleased with the comfort of canvas and how well it breathes. I do need to cover it when it rains and that is the only downside. No seat height issues or other issues.

With the "pocket" to sit on I now sit more in the bike than on it. I'm better connected to the machine and would purchase the same again.

Happy riding to you

Just more evidence that I need to save my pennies and get one!

Jason

[Verismo]

Jason........................

My Russell arrives here next Tuesday. I have my stock seat (I sent Russell one I bought off this forum) so I will post

Hey Walcrow, you should have some miles in the seat by now. How about a report?

Jason