Saddles with 'wings'

[RT_Jim]

I'm looking for a new saddle - stock just doesn't quite cut it. During my research, I noticed that some saddles have 'wings' and I'm curious as to how that impacts your riding.

 

Based on discussions about riding techniques, you're suppose to shift your rear to help with your cornering. But if the saddle has wings, it could effect your ability to shift.

 

So the question to the experts: can you ride/corner as well with a saddle with wings?

 

 

[Alan D]

yep. The wings are near the back of the seat for long distance comfort. In the twisties, just slide forward a little and you can slide your torso towards the mirror on the inside of the turn.

I have a sargent, fits me fine, Rode 2 saddesore 1000 on a Sargent.

[loboheritage]

I have a Russell. Very comfortable, BUT.....

I am short. My Russell was build off my RT

low seat. However, it has still compromised

my leg reach to the ground. It wasn't great

to start with and is considerably worse with

this seat. One foot down is ok, but getting

both feet down (as in backing out of a parking

space) requires that I really concentrate. The

wings really make the seat great.....except for

the compromised leg reach.

[270]

Best investment I ever made was a Russell. I am 6'4 with horrible knees left over from the days of basketball when shorts were short and socks were long. Anyway, I added nearly two inches of height to my saddle.

 

I cannot flat foot both feet, and can only tip toe with both feet. Being able to put both feet down just isn't neccesary in my opinion. If you tip toe with both, that's all you need.

 

Oh, on shifting weight...yes, you can do that, but it is somewhat limited. Again, I don't think you'll ever need to lean that far off. You can still easily transfer enough weight to make it turn.

[RedHot]

A friend of mine said the "wings" kind of cupped your tushy, giving you a sort of secure feeling in the seat. He said he felt more solid and could really enjoy the twisties even more.

 

I don't think you would go wrong with a Russel Day Long.

 

Just my .02 - I'm NOT an expert like you asked for but I'm a girl so you'll get my opinion anyway.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Just my .02 - I'm NOT an expert like you asked for but I'm a girl and one of the guys so you'll get my opinion anyway.

corrected

[Lineareagle]

Wings on a Day Long are kinda handy. You just shift more weight to the wing in cornering.

I'm too old to hang off so it works for me.

 

[flat_twin]

Jim,

I've had Russell saddles on just about every BMW so far. They're so much better than the stock seat. That little bit of extra support under your hips really makes a difference. At 5'11" and 31" inseam, I never have a problem with the "wings". The Mrs. has the same saddle on her K75.

I'm just north of Columbus. PM me if you'd like to come up try one out. You'd have your choice of three BMWs with Russell saddles.

[RT_Jim]

Opinions are always good. Doesn't mean I'll always listen to them.... especially from a 'girl' but I like opinions!

 

;-)

 

 

[RT_Jim]

Mark -

Sounds like the Russell is the saddle of choice so I may take you up on your offer to check out a bike with one on it.

 

Did you get the heated option?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Jim

 

[flat_twin]

email sent

[outpost22]

I don't have a large rear end (at least according to my wife), but find the Russell "wings" very comfortable. They don't interfere much with moving around on the seat. Definitely a good seat choice.

[BeemerLover]

I'm another happy Russell owner.

 

Heated seat.... If yours is already heated they will remove the heat element and reinstall it for you. If I remember correctly they do this for free.

 

 

[bmwdave152]

I've had my Russell for seven years now. Still happy.

[ednowicki]

Jim,

 

I got a RDL about 4,000 miles ago. Here is my experience:

 

- The wings make the RDL feel more like a bench then a saddle. The benefit to this is improved rider comfort. The downside is limited lateral movement, so if you are used to sliding L or R in the twisties, it's not as easy.

 

- If I'm in the seat for more than 400 miles the back side of my legs, just below my butt, start to get irritated, I believe it's from the edge of the 'bench'.

 

- I've gone a 1,000 mile day and a 650 mile day with the RDL. My legs will start to cramp, and like I said the back of my upper legs get irritated, but that's it. I would NOT feel this good with my stock seat.

 

- I got the backrest and think it's great. It's a little awkward getting on/off the bike with the backrest but it's worth it. Also, with the backrest in place, the pillion has a bit less room, so I remove it when I'm riding 2 up.

 

- I got the heated seat and it puts out a fair amount of warmth. It's a bit overkill if your wearing a heated pants liner but sure is nice if your not.

 

Without a doubt, my RDL improves my long-distance comfort but (right now) I would prefer the stock saddle in the twisties.

[rickmoen]

+1 on what ednowicki said. I have a set of Elf highway pegs on my RT and with my feet on those pegs and back up to the Russell back rest, stretching out like this gives a great change in seating position that allows many more miles per day. This position is for long, boring, slab riding, however. Not the best for windy or heavy traffic conditions.

[krussell]

Jim,

 

 

- If I'm in the seat for more than 400 miles the back side of my legs, just below my butt, start to get irritated, I believe it's from the edge of the 'bench'.

 

Russell may be able to fix this for you if you can do without the seat. The adjustment period is something like 8 months, not sure when you bought it. Sounds like there is a bit too much foam on the front edges. They expect this to wear in over the first 1k or so, maybe your didn't or they over did it.

 

 

[ednowicki]

Kevin,

 

I got the seat used from here.

 

The seat was like-new when I got it. I've put 4k miles on it. It has the heavy duty suspension. I'm 6'2" 215lbs.

 

Do you think I should use it a bit more and see what happens or get it altered now.

 

Thanks.

 

[krussell]

Ed,

 

There are likely fit differences between you and the original rider that are contributing to what you are feeling in the back of your legs. I'm on my third Russell, combined total of nearly 40k miles, and I have not had the issue you describe except for the first couple of hundred miles after leaving their shop with a brand new saddle. I'd give the a call and see what they say. They have nailed each of my saddles, I've not needed an adjustment.

 

 

[FLrider]

Well, my stock seats got shipped off to Russell today. We'll see.

 

I bought a low driver seat from the classifieds and am sending that in to Russell. While I could touch on the balls of my feet with the stock standard seat, in the low position, I was afraid the Russell would make it too high. I have a 34" inseam.

 

 

[Eric S]

I got in on the k-bike.com group buy and mine is off to them in January. Looking forward to the upgrade!

[Indy Dave]

Well, my stock seats got shipped off to Russell today. We'll see.

 

I bought a low driver seat from the classifieds and am sending that in to Russell. While I could touch on the balls of my feet with the stock standard seat, in the low position, I was afraid the Russell would make it too high. I have a 34" inseam.

 

 

It does not matter which seat you sent to Russell - the pan is the same. The factory 'low' seat just has less filling. My RDL was made on the 'low seat'. I normally used the factory seat in the 'high' position; with the Russell I can still do that, but on anything other then 'ideal' footing (oil, uneven surface, etc) I'm concerned. Low position is hard on my bad hips. However, I have a 32 inseam, so I think you'll be fine!

[FLrider]

Well, my stock seats got shipped off to Russell today. We'll see.

 

I bought a low driver seat from the classifieds and am sending that in to Russell. While I could touch on the balls of my feet with the stock standard seat, in the low position, I was afraid the Russell would make it too high. I have a 34" inseam.

 

 

It does not matter which seat you sent to Russell - the pan is the same. The factory 'low' seat just has less filling.

 

I learn something new every day! I didn't know that the only difference was in padding. I thought maybe the adjustment rod was seated differently or, as you suggested, the pan was different.

 

I assume they remove all the padding and start from scratch. Looking forward to getting the new seat back. Thanks for the explanation.

[realshelby]

In fact they don't remove all the stock foam and start over. The forward part of the seat is retained at least. I have had mine apart a couple times and you can see the stock foam they build off of. I had a stock seat that I had cut down and reshaped the foam on and wanted to send it to them to make into a RDL. They hinted that they did not like to work on cut up seats but would look at it. I found another to send.

[RT_Jim]

Sounds like most of you that ordered a Russell saddle sent a 'second' saddle (not the saddle that came with the bike) or you at least purchased a second saddle instead of sending YOUR saddle.

 

I've heard from a couple people that when you sell your bike, sell it with a stock saddle and sell the Russell by itself. I've seen used saddles for about $300 (for both front and back) so that would mean I'd need to get at least $300 for my used Russell to make it worth doing.

 

Is that the reason you have the second saddle?

 

I'm very close to ordering my saddle and just want to make sure I'm ready and have all my items figured out.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Jim

 

[Indy Dave]

Sounds like most of you that ordered a Russell saddle sent a 'second' saddle (not the saddle that came with the bike) or you at least purchased a second saddle instead of sending YOUR saddle.

 

I've heard from a couple people that when you sell your bike, sell it with a stock saddle and sell the Russell by itself. I've seen used saddles for about $300 (for both front and back) so that would mean I'd need to get at least $300 for my used Russell to make it worth doing.

 

Is that the reason you have the second saddle?

 

I'm very close to ordering my saddle and just want to make sure I'm ready and have all my items figured out.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Jim

 

Jim - my bike came with both the 'normal' and low seat. I sent the 'low' seat to Russell so I could still ride while the new seat was being made. When I ordered from Russell, they said it would make no difference which seat I sent in as far as height was concerned.

 

When I got the seat back, I still used the stock seat for around town as I liked the footing better and it was less hassle stopping and starting and getting off and on. (I need to send my RDL back to have the wings moved back some, which should help this issue). Remember, your seating position will be different with the RDL and you will need to make some minor adjustments to your riding style for stopping / starting. [FYI - I saw a used Sargent seat on here and bought it and love it - I have been using it for all my riding, not needing to switch for around town to the stock seat.]

 

As for resale, that's up to you. Some sell their bikes with the seat because it adds value and sets it apart, others sell the seat outright or because they found something they liked better.

 

dave

[FLrider]

Sounds like most of you that ordered a Russell saddle sent a 'second' saddle (not the saddle that came with the bike) or you at least purchased a second saddle instead of sending YOUR saddle.

 

I've heard from a couple people that when you sell your bike, sell it with a stock saddle and sell the Russell by itself. I've seen used saddles for about $300 (for both front and back) so that would mean I'd need to get at least $300 for my used Russell to make it worth doing.

 

Is that the reason you have the second saddle?

 

I'm very close to ordering my saddle and just want to make sure I'm ready and have all my items figured out.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Jim

 

In my case, I bought two used seats primarily because I didn't want NOT having the stock seats. Some people may NOT want the Russell seat. I didn't want it to hurt the resale of the bike if I ever sold it.

 

I figure I can always sell the Russell separately and recover some of my costs. It's not an economically smart move.

 

 

I've seen a lot of seats for sale in classifieds including this forums classified. Often Corbin, Sargent and others. Rarely Russell. When they come up, they sell immediately.

 

Hope that answers your question.

[Indy Dave]

I believe in general, all aftermarket seats sell in short order. Seems like there have been more Corbin lately. But buying a used saddle helps take the sting out of a new one that turns out you don't like, so less risk and less $$ make them go quickly.

 

The reason I choose the RDL was because of their return and modification policy - that was the deciding factor for me.

 

When a used Sargent came up, I jumped on it right away. It gave me a chance to compare the RDL vs Sargent and if nothing else, having bought it used, I could get my $$ right back out of the Sargent if I didn't like it. As it turns out, so far I favor the Sargent, and I think it blends with the lines of the RT better.

 

As had been said many times, there are several good saddle makers - perhaps even one local to you.

 

YMMV

 

 

[Starfighter]

I had Cee Bailey do my RTP seat....because they have so much experience doing CHP seats.......

Yes, they added "wings."

Best $$ I've ever spent...

..and unlike some other custom seat makers, they listened and responded to my wants/needs.

[fatbob]

Jim:

five of the bikes listed below have Russell seats, they are the best for comfort.

Bob