gadget, I cant see any pictures.

 

No pics



Tbroumbmr, I couldn't see any pics, either, so I changed browsers (from Chrome to Firefox) and all OK now.

 

The website that hosts my pics is currently doing some maintenance, so the pics don't seem to be linking.. Hopefully, they'll be back online soon.

"We're having some temporary difficulties. We expect full service to resume shortly. Sorry!"

 

Thanks for posting such detailed comparison photos. When you say the seat is 1" higher, are you sure it's truly higher up, or are you merely judging the reduced ground reach? The wings can impair ground reach without the seat actually lifting you up. Does the windshield appear lower on the Russell vs the stock seat?

 

I'm sitting a bit higher, no doubt, the windshield now is a bit lower than where it was with the stock seat.. I'm thinking around an inch taller.. but I can still reach the ground on both sides, which for me is a novelty after years of being on tippy toe on one foot only on my GS's.

This is my 3rd Russell Day Long seat and the personal fit can't be better. Amazing, since all they have to go by were a bunch of pics I sent them and my height, weight and inseam. I took detailed pics of the grab handles, with and without a seat, and with a passenger hand grabbing it, just to give the seat builder an impression of how close the seat comes to the grab handles. I think he/she did a better job in leaving a gap between the seat and grab handles than the stock seat. I didn't really capture that gap adequately in my pics.

p.s. like a little kid, I went and sat on the RDL seat in the garage while listening to music for half an hour and I fiddled with the backrest adjustment. Can't wait to do an all day ride on it.

 

I find my posture on bikes with an upright seating isn't very good, I tend to slouch and this earns me a sore back by day's end. The Russell Day Long backrest helps alleviate this problem by giving me a comfortable backrest to lean on.

The slouch has to do with the seating surface not rotating the pelvis correctly, which leads to tiring of the back muscles which then have to be employed to straighten the spine. Tired back muscles then lead to a slouch. The back rest helps but mostly masks the cause of the slouch.

Mike Dennis of Oregon Aero was involved in developing the seating for modern Air Force and Navy aircraft, which due to aerial refueling, can have the pilot sitting in the seat for over twelve hours. Here is a video at a trade show, showing how just a different shaped cushion can modify the seated posture, which results in day-long comfort.

I sat through a two hour presentation with a doctor in attendance, where they painstakingly went through how the spine and pelvis should be aligned and rotated, for maximum comfort. Essentially, the seating surface has to have a concave shape with a slight downward slope from the front, and a sharper upslope 3/4 from the rear of the cushion. The result is a rotation of the pelvis which straightens the spine, reducing muscle fatigue and the inherent slouch. This is an impossible shape to reliably produce without stitching on the seating surface, which increases costs. So, most seating manufacturers avoid the shape, opting for the convex shape, which is easier to produce with a stretched surface and glue.

Russell Day-Long reproduces this shape, resulting in a very comfortable seat.

 

Got the pics now thanks

 

Wow, that's a tall passenger position. It almost looks like your son is standing up with a slight knee bend. How will it be with shorter passenger legs?

 

This was custom built for him and I.. based on his height, weight and inseam. For a shorter passenger, the seat may be built differently.

I don't really think he's sitting that much higher than the stock.. when he rode with me on the stock seat, he towered over me, and his head was clearly above mine.

Stock seat:

Russell Day Long:

 

Thanks for the very detailed pictures and info... This looks like my winter project that is once I get my 786.... Looking forward to your updates after some miles, enjoy!!

 

GM, you did a fantastic job presenting the RDL. I am sold. The GTL stock seat is just not as comfortable as my 08 GW and now you have shown a great alternative. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the Pics GM. These are great seats. I'll look forward to the ride report.

 

Thanks for the pictorial - it certainly looks comfortable. I shall be interested to hear how it works out for you.

 

How's the seat? I have a build date of July 15th and I'd like to know what I'm missing.

 

It's great! The seat hear works too. I'm doing a 12 hour day tomorrow, so it will be the longest day in that saddle.. we'll see how it goes, but I'm very confident that it will be as good as my previous RDL seats.

 

Good to hear - can't wait to get mine :gm

 

Impressive, thanks. Questions-- 1) Did you have to specify/custom order the increased clearance around the grab rail? 2) Do you need the lock keyed only because you ordered a new seat for this RDL conversion (i.e., if you send them your stock seat you get your original keyed lock back, right?). 3) What was the turn-around time to produce?

Much obliged

 

Well, 14 hour ride today, 13 hours actually on the bike, and 20 minute lunch, and a few gas stops. I didn't think about the seat... it's neither soft nor plush.. it's quite firm and supportive.. no butt pain.. no monkey butt..

If only my helmet was a day long helmet.. In fact, i had to cut my ride short because of the excruciating pain from the helmet.. I'm going to have to perform some foam trimming if the thinner cheek pads I ordered don't do the trick.




1) I sent pics of the stock seat and told them to note how tight it is there and the seat builder took that into consideration. I actually need to show a better pic that shows how much of a gap the seat builder left.

2) Yes, I bought a new seat because I wanted to keep the stock seat.

3) The seat was built on a Monday and shipped on Thursday, and it arrived a week later. You just have to get a seat build date first and they stuck to it. The closer you are to California, the shorter the shipping time.

 

I know the awnser to #2 is he ordered a spare seat to have the rdl done to it.

 

great news on the seat! how many miles did ya get in?

 

Russell Seat

Thanks....Great review. I have a ride in appointment set us for 8/9/11. I sure hope I have the bike by then.:k16:

 

Russell is rebuilding GT seats for my GTL to give me more leg room. They're very busy building K1600 seats for taller riders. Russell built two other seats for me in the past. They are the best.

 

Plan to order my own--- can you tell me if (appears so) the RDL removeable backrest fits in the topcase? Could I still get one (Schuberth C3 size large) helmet in at the same time?

Thanks

 

Yes, the backrest and the C3 fill it in the top case, if you lay the backrest flat and the C3 on its side.

You have PM.

 

OBTW-- What does your son think of the seating position as regards the OEM topcase backrest. Others have said it is poorly designed, that it forces a passengers' arms into an uncomfortable position with its "armrests". Reason I ask is that I plan to get the RDL seat, and am having the Topcase backrest recovered to match the seat-- I could also have them reshape the OEM backrest at the same time, getting rid of the "armrests". I will likely order my seat exactly as you configured yours-- how should I refer to your order to Russell? (PM me if you don't want that to be public)

Thanks much

 

Im not seeing any pricing on Russels site....I had a RDL on my LT and I need one on my GTL...what did you pay? PM me if you wanna keep it private.

F

 

Look at their cost chart, I believe this one's price code S-4. You then choose solo or dual, and seat material.

 

Here is the pricing chart. You want S-3. An all leather single piece GTL seat will cost $590. A 2-piece GT seat will cost $735. An all leather backrest is $270 (is removable and highly recommended for long trips), retaining the heated seat function is $65 (you'll have to double check this price), and a rain cover is $40.

Vinyl is fine. I just prefer leather, which holds up great. This will be my third RDL seat. 1500 miles one day and 1000 the next in rear-end comfort proved to me that they make a good product. If you get the backrest, make sure you ask for a leather or vinyl "plug" to fill the spot where the backrest goes when not in use.

Give them a call if you have questions at 800-432-9566. Extremely friendly and helpful.

 

It's an S-4 price code, not S-3.. so it's more $$.

 

I called Russel for some info and they said the seat was an S-3 price quote, do I have something mixed up here?

 

I just sent them a message regarding a seat build for my GT.

I'm actually most interested in the back rest option. I never ride with a passenger so the rear seat is actually just taking up space and adding weight.

Hope they can figure out a solution for my needs.

Of course, I won't be sending it to them until the snow again covers this winter wasteland.