Russell Day Long

[OhioWinger]

I tried the Corbin and it did not work for us on the Trophy, Corbin seats were great on three other bikes but not this one. We actually tried breaking it in for 8k miles, no go.


My first impression of the RDL is very good, first ride was much better than the Corbin.
The build quality is excellent, only negative so far is ground reach is a little longer. I am on my balls of my feet.

Here are a couple of pics...

[tdragger]

Same here.  The seat is wonderful but the reach to the ground can be a challenge.  I need to take some pics of mine.

[cropbiker]

Yes... I would agree.... I have the RDL and even on its lower setting I have to scootch right to the front to be able to flat foot on the ground. The wings on the seat edges force you to keep your legs wider apart.... But it is worth it for the extra comfort and time you can spend in the saddle

[Gar]

Originally Posted by tdragger

Same here.  The seat is wonderful but the reach to the ground can be a challenge.  I need to take some pics of mine.

tdragger, Can you post a pic or two of yours? Is it the same style? Is it leather or something else? I'm thinking my best bet is to go with leather.

[tdragger]

Here are a couple of pics of my RDL.  Covered in Slate Sunbrella fabric with medium gray vinyl sides.

[azccj]

Originally Posted by Gar

tdragger, Can you post a pic or two of yours? Is it the same style? Is it leather or something else? I'm thinking my best bet is to go with leather.

I've had Russell make seats both with vinyl and leather. I can tell you the vinyl ones still look like new after a few years and the leather one I had made didn't look so good after a year. Also leather has defects in it which can show in the finished seat. Russell sends along a paper with the seat that states leather is a natural product that has defects, or at least they did when they made my leather seat. 

My Russell build date is in October and my seat is being covered in vinyl.

[Gar]

Thanks to both tdragger and azccj  , I see that the style can vary quite a bit even for the same bike. I had previously heard that a few people weren't happy with the leather for the exact same reason as azccj states. I'm now considering the benefits of the "sunbrella" stuff vs vinyl. I'd think the sunbrella stuff would help keep you in place better (i.e. more grip) than the vinyl. On the other hand, the vinyl would make it easier to slide forward when coming to a stop so you can get your feet down.  Tough decision. Can anyone else here weigh-in on their thoughts? The RDL seats are very expensive (especially with the crappy exchange rate  ) so I'm only going to get one shot at this. Thanks.

[RPDATA]

OK so I've owned both, the vinyl and now the sunbrella. I sold the vinyl to get a heated version which was definitely the right decision. I find the sunbrella keeps you from sliding and definitely not an issue moving a bit when coming to a stop. I would do it again for sure. I do Ride in jeans on occasion and even much less sliding with them on. The only negative is its the least waterproof option of the three. If the seat gets a really good soaking it will take same time to dry.

So I ordered the sunbrella in all black with backrest and both seats heated. No regrets. Rode 12hr days and could have ridden 10 more. Initially you will hate the wings but give it 2000kms perhaps a little more and you'll settle in to a very comfy pocket.

Rob