Finally... My New Russell Day Long Seat

[NoLmtz]

I just received and installed my Russell Day Long seat! It's been a long wait, but it's finally here!!

I placed my order in December, shipped my seat off in early February and just now got it back! But it looks and feels awesome!!

I've only put about 30 miles on it so far, but it's soooo nice! It's like a perfectly molded butt cradle... and it's only suppose to get better with a 500 mile break-in period!

I can't say enough about the quality and expert craftsmanship... I've got an adjustable SmoothSpyder backrest and they took special care to ensure my wife's seat adjustments wouldn't interfere with its ability to rotate forward or back! And then the stitching and finish-out! I spoke with Kim at RDL several times and she was such an incredible help! I ultimately decided to go with vinyl sides (standard) and the Sunbrella fabric covering for the seating area. Didn't do leather because in Texas it's just too hot and I'm about functionality vs perception.

And too make my anticipation that much harder... after I installed the seat... dead battery! So after a few hours of tracking down a new battery and installing it... it was an awesome ending to the day!

I highly recommend Russell Day Long so far... I admit, they are not cheap, but they are perfectly made to you and since I ride my Spyder as my daily commuter, it's worth the investment!! And with their comfort guarantee it's hard to beat!

See you on the road! And I'm definitely looking forward to the road trips to SpyderFest and SpyderQuest this year!!

PS - they definitely pack it in nice and safe on the shipping back!!

[ARtraveler]

Very nice! Those that have gone with the brand always say good things.

[robmorg]

It even LOOKS comfortable! ...as well as being nice to look at.

I'm curious about that backrest though. Since it is so far forward, I assume it is a driver backrest and not a passenger one, right? Does it snap off easily when you want to ride 2-up?

[garb55]

It even LOOKS comfortable! ...as well as being nice to look at.

I'm curious about that backrest though. Since it is so far forward, I assume it is a driver backrest and not a passenger one, right? Does it snap off easily when you want to ride 2-up?

When you ride 2-up the backrest flips to the back and becomes the passenger's backrest

[NoLmtz]

It even LOOKS comfortable! ...as well as being nice to look at.

I'm curious about that backrest though. Since it is so far forward, I assume it is a driver backrest and not a passenger one, right? Does it snap off easily when you want to ride 2-up?

Yeah, the support arms you see rotate backwards and the backrest angles a bit differently and becomes the backrest for the passenger. You can even move the backrest pad up for more upper back support. At that point the driver has no backrest, except the chest of your passenger (preferably female... and always my wife!!!). There's no removing or disconnecting, just slight loosening and tightening with built-in ratchet bolts.

It's made by SmoothSpyder - http://www.smoothspyder.com/backrest/

[Ben Burped]

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you saved a lot of typing. The word "beautiful" doesn't do that seat justice. Thank you for sharing with us.

[snics]

Hey Jon,

Looks really nice and must be comfortable.
im thinking about getting a new seat, but the Russell is out since riding season is just around the corner here.
We can legally ride our bike here in 3 days since we wont require winter tires.
Snow melting fast here.

Talk to you later,

[Trickie Dick]

I'm a firm believer in the Russell seats. I had one on my 08 GS and it was my first mod on my 2012 RT. They are truly day long seats. Plus you can get up in the morning and do it again. I've not had a sore butt using my RDL seat.
I Have their backrest as well. It just slides out to remove. Takes about 3 seconds. Plus it folds forward to allow easier access and egress for the passenger.

[Dudley]

We have had our RDL now since Nov, 2011 with about 40,000 riding miles on it. Best seat I have ever had. It only gets better.
In case you are wondering what it looks like on an RT, go the their site and look at the picture galleries. The silver RT is ours with the RDL installed..

[robmorg]

Yeah, the support arms you see rotate backwards and the backrest angles a bit differently and becomes the backrest for the passenger. You can even move the backrest pad up for more upper back support. At that point the driver has no backrest, except the chest of your passenger (preferably female... and always my wife!!!). There's no removing or disconnecting, just slight loosening and tightening with built-in ratchet bolts.

It's made by SmoothSpyder - http://www.smoothspyder.com/backrest/

What a great idea! Thanks for the explanation and the link. Sounds like you enjoy the backrest in EITHER position.