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1,200 mile review of the new RDL
It’s not like the internet is short on glowing reviews about Russell Day Long seats, but after a decade of hemming and hawing over the cost benefit analysis, I finally got one, so here mine is added to the list.
If you don’t want to read the lengthier impressions, I can sum up with the following sentence:
I will never own another cruiser or tourer without working an RDL into my total purchase price so that I can be on it from day one. It’s that good.
The ride and the bike feel dramatically better and more accessible in almost every possible way. The first 2 days I had the seat on I rode about 700 miles through the 3 sisters run in Texas, which by the way is really beautiful and worth doing if you’re ever in the area. I got off the bike after those two days feeling almost exactly as I did before I got on the bike, save for a little windburn on my face. With most seats, I’ve found that I can manage a day’s ride and the various aches and pains that come with it, but that takes some doing, and some recovery. With the Russell, there are literally no aches and pains to manage. I haven't been on another seat that even comes close.
One of the biggest concerns I had about getting the Russell, besides the price, was whether or not it would sit me up too high on the bike. For one, I prefer to sit in the bike, not on it. And two, I was really concerned that I would be too high to enjoy my Mad5tad wind pocket. I made the request to Jay to make the seat as low as possible while retaining the signature comfort, and frankly, they nailed it. I don’t feel too high, I feel like I’m in the bike, and the wind is still fantastic even in a half helmet. The riding was great before, but is now unbelievably blissful. In slow speed maneuvering, I can slouch against the backrest and let the bike fall into as tight a turn as I want. It finally truly feels like cruising, which is something that was really hard to accomplish on my 2014 Valkyrie, and has been a little bit of a challenge on the F6B, due to the rider position. If I keep against the backrest, I can really crack the throttle at a light and the backrest takes all the acceleration, and any deceleration in a slow shift or if I let off the throttle doesn’t have me sliding forward in the seat or needing to brace with my arms, so there is exponentially less fatigue in my wrists and shoulders. At highway speeds and sitting upright, just a slight lean forward shifts the balance so dramatically that it makes the bike even easier to maneuver than before, while the wings and the springs continue to allow me to support my weight on my femurs, rather than my sitbones or worse, jamming up into my spine. Because the seat allows my body to use its own suspension system so well, it has had the very positive effect of making the F6B suspension seem much more compliant than it did with either the stock seat or the mustang. The B has a glorious drivetrain. For me, this seat is the thing that has given the drivetrain the ability to remain at centerstage, where it belongs. It allows me to stay in tune with the riding and the bike rather than on any distractions or discomfort.
I know many have an issue with the aesthetic of the seat, but in this configuration and on this bike, I think it looks great. I’m biased partly by how damn comfortable and exciting it is to sit on and ride. But I also think the lines of the seat work well with the lines of the bike. Besides making a beautiful seat, it is amazing how well the pocket fits my dimensions, given the fact they did it based solely on pictures and measurements. A big thank you to Jay and the craftsmen at RDL. I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.
Jason
