Got the RDL back from Russell today. I had to send it back for some adjustment. The passenger pillion was completely redone. The first version left a gap of 1-1/2" between the rider and passenger seat. The folks at Russell were scratching their heads on that one. They were surprised as I was. They tell me that this sort of thing practically never happens. I have no reason to doubt them - particularly given their reputation. I didn't think anything of it. I figured there was a 50-50 chance that some kind of adjustment would be needed. Russell immediately sent me a shipping label. Turn around was reasonable. No shipping cost on my side. Great customer service on the phone. Only down side was the additional wait. Meh... Nothing to complain about as far as I'm concerned.
One other adjustment I had them do... They had me put some miles on the seat the first time I received it. The seat was fantastically comfortable with one exception. How it cut across my left hamstring caused some minor numbness to develop in that thigh. This is not an uncommon problem for me. Many seats I've tried on various bikes cause some sort of problem on my left side. The Mustang seat I tried prior to the RDL did the same thing (but the numbness was much worse in that case). I had to look close but I can see the change they made to the seat to relieve that situation. I'll know tomorrow if it takes care of the problem. If so, based on my experience so far, this will be by far the most comfortable seat that I've ever experienced.
The seat surface is made relatively level. Most other bikes slant back somewhat inline with the frame angle. This leveling of the RDL kind of reminds me of how a police seat looks/orients a rider. It raises you vertically for sure. Relationship to the windscreen changes - in my case for the better. The stock windshield was a tad too tall for me (I prefer looking over the shield). With the RDL the stock shield is perfect in terms of height. I'm 5"7" with a 30" inseam. Many reviews I've read complained that the "wings" causes problems with flat footing. I have no such problem. When I lower my legs to the ground, my pelvis sort of just naturally rolls forward and all is good. One other thing about the raised orientation - I like it better. I feel like I have more control over the bike.
One thing I'll stipulate... If your priority is a "sexy" looking seat, well this might not be the seat for you. How this seat looks on the bike is not a priority for me. Comfort/performance is what I'm after here. I suspect this seat is going to knock it out of the park in this regard. If so, it will not surprise given RDL's reputation. The seat itself is nice looking and well made.
More commentary/observations/pictures will likely be forthcoming.
Took it out for a ride today... Probably in the neighborhood of 3 hours or so. Took a break at the half-way point. Really didn't need the break. I was feeling fine. But the turn around point was a HD dealer. There was as lot of activity, so I said what the hell and stopped to check it out.
The discomfort problems on my left side seem the have been taken care of. Russell's guarantee has a break-in period of 500-1000 miles. I got some miles to go before that break-in period is complete. Regardless, I'd probably already give the seat an "A" grade for comfort. I suspect when this seat breaks in, it will indeed be a day long seat (maybe an "A+"). We'll see. But, if today was any indication, prospects are good.
I'm really digging how this seat positions me on the bike. Everything just feels better and right. The bike feels like it handles better. The reach and angle to the controls feel better. The relationship to the windscreen is much better. The only thing I might say that's a draw is the feet down position. I wouldn't say it's better or worse than on the stock seat. It's just different.
So far I'm really impressed with the RDL.
Tomorrow I'm going to take the wife out and see how she likes her new perch. I suspect she is really going to appreciate the improvement of this unit compared to the passenger pillions she's tried so far.
Sorry, but I really don't like the look of the "crotch notch".
Well that thought had crossed my mind when I started giving RDLs serious consideration. I actually put my initial order in without the backrest option (which would have came without a "crotch notch" on the passenger pillion). However, as time went along, the notch became less of a thing and I began to think to myself that I might regret not having the drivers backrest as an option. So, eventually I changed my order and included it. One upside, the rider backrest is simple/easy to install and is - along with it's receiver - pretty stoutly built. I don't ever see it presenting any kind of problem in terms of usage or wear. As to the notch - I don't really notice it in person. As noted before, if your priority is for it to look "sexy" then this is probably not the solution for you. In the end - asses (and crotches for that matter) don't have eyes and don't give a damn how "sexy" a seat looks. But they will definitely let you know about it if they find a seat uncomfortable. Depends on what one's priorities are. Being able to do distance and time without pain/with some measure of comfort is at the top of my list.
Took the wife out for a couple of hours today. She was real pleased with the passenger pillion. No discomfort issues like she's experienced with every other passenger seat she has tried. She wasn't begging for a break within an hour of departure. When we did stop for gas, she said she would have had no problem going longer. I was concerned that the thickness of the passenger pillion would have made the sissy bar pad too low. Nope. She said it was perfect. For her... So far so good.
For me. Still at an A for comfort I think. Couldn't tell for sure, but I was thinking while riding today that my position/how the seat felt was slightly different with the wife on back. I don't know if I wasn't seated as deep into the seat or what. On the upside - usually, after taking a long enough ride, I can feel where a seat has been bothering me for some time while sitting in my chair. As I sit here in my chair tonight (and type), my butt feels fine. For me... So far so good.
Looks better with the rider back rest in place. Quite the road sofa. Good to hear it's comfortable.
I'm using an H-D circulator seat pad and a circulator back rest pad on the tour pack which aren't exactly going to win any awards for great looks. Now with a Mustang Tour seat that fits the seat pad and me a little better.
10-11-2019, 07:57 PM
Russell Day Long seat on a 2018 Heritage
