Russell Day-Long or Bill Mayer

[TM1918]

I have always been a believer in the stock seat. I have always truly believed that it is not the seat, rather the rider's position that makes the ride comfortable and enduring for long distances.

 

However, I have recently been trying to put down big chunks of mileage without stopping. I have basically been going from fill up to dry before getting off my bike. This has lead me to change my opinion on the stock seat. It just doesn't cut for the long haul. I was wrong and I admit it.

 

So, I am in the market for a new seat.

[TM1918]

I like the wide wings offered by the Russell Day-Long. I also like the looks of the Bill Mayer.

 

I was wondering if anyone knows the history of these two companies. I heard that these two guys are related. Is that true?

 

I need some direction on this if anyone has any tips.

[TM1918]

Im on a 2010 R1200RT BTW.

[bmwdave152]

I've had my Russell since '02 and love it. You can't go wrong with it.

[TM1918]

Would you recommend riding in to have it made? You're in Sac so it's probably what you did. I'd be coming up from Long Beach, CA. I think I would prefer to be able to have it done while I'm at the shop.

[bmwdave152]

It's worth the trip. They are set up for custom made seats. Call to get a reservation.

[elkroeger]

Rich's has what you need.

[LeftCoastMan]

I have a Bill Mayer Saddle. Love it. When I went in to get it made, there were a couple from Fresno with a pair of GS's, a guy on an LT, and me. They really focus on your style of riding, weight, etc. I love my saddle.

 

Besides, Ojai is much close to Long Beach than northern California, and the ride is beautiful. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

[LeftCoastMan]

I like the wide wings offered by the Russell Day-Long. I also like the looks of the Bill Mayer.

 

I was wondering if anyone knows the history of these two companies. I heard that these two guys are related. Is that true?

 

I need some direction on this if anyone has any tips.

 

The father made saddles, sold the company to Russell. Then the father started another saddle making company with his son Bill (or Rocky). Father died, Rocky set up the company in Ojai. Apparently, Rocky's brother, Rick Mayer makes saddles some where in the far northern reaches of California. I get the impression the brothers aren't tight.

 

So, that's the story. The three saddle makers are interrelated, so you get similar stuff.

 

I also like the looks of the Bill Mayer.

[bobbybob]

I recently discovered what makes a seat GOOD or BAD, for me anyway. And it's not as simple as high tech foam or wings. It's the ANGLE. I recently bought a Sargent seat for my R1200GS because the OEM seat constantly slid me towards the tank, and had a huge curvature which just could not be corrected without rebuilding the seat completely. When I installed the Sargent, it felt great sitting in the garage, nice big oversized seating area, no way that was gonna make me slide forward. Wrong. After my first ride, it started hurting my butt after 10 minutes. It felt kinda like the old seat, although it sure didn't look like it a bit. Looking closely at the seat's angle, I could see just a very slight forward inclination. So I changed the adjusters so the rear was still in low position but the front was in high. Bingo. Everything changed--it went from feeling not much better than stock to perfect (for me anyway). I can't imagine another seat feeling any better than this one.

 

So I started playing around with my 07 RT's seat, changing the angle. Same result. Butt burn goes away when level. Even a *slight* change in angle makes a huge difference.

 

Apparently once you start moving and the bike is bumping along, you start gradually scrunching forward and this slow movement really grated on my butt bones, causing butt burn very quickly. It felt like I had been riding for hours after 10 minutes. The foam was not the culprit--deeper padding or wings would not help this at all. The forward movement really isn't perceptible--until you STOP it from occuring. When you do this, the difference is apparent in the first 50 ft.--forget 10 miles.

 

So my advice is to experiment around with seat angle on the OEM before you ditch it. Shaving off the rear bumpers to make it sit lower is one. Raising the front with shims is another. There are several ways to do this--look at the mounting brackets and get creative!

 

Edit: on the RT, note that the angle change needed to make the difference is pretty small. Try the rear bumpers first--remove them and substitute something else that will effect lowering. Or slice some off--if you decide it's not right, washers will replace the height you sliced. My RT seat has a slight curvature to it but still *looks* pretty level--fools the eye. I found I needed to lower the rear of the seat so that portion was level, so the overall effective angle of the seat may even be considered rearward.

 

 

 

 

[johnlt]

I believe Russell is the consensus most comfortable although both Bill and Rick Mayer seats are much better than OEM. I've had several Rick Mayer seats and really like them but his business practices are in question. I've also had a couple Russell seats and they are very comfortable for the long haul but are ugly (IMO). Also, keep in mind that a Russell will result in less foot on the ground due to its width and height.

[SageRider]

Would you recommend riding in to have it made? You're in Sac so it's probably what you did. I'd be coming up from Long Beach, CA. I think I would prefer to be able to have it done while I'm at the shop.

I had my Russell made while still living in Orange County, CA. I did a drive-in.

The agony (ride up) and the ecstasy (ride back) describes the experience pretty well!

Definitely worth it!

 

The only seat I've had where I can come off of a 1300+ mile day with no discomfort whatsoever.

 

As mentioned above, seat angle can keep one from sliding around, but it does not help when one compresses the foam of the stock seat to the point that one's bones are directly impacting the seat pan. This has been the issue on both of my RTs, althought the 1200 stock seat is significantly better than the 1100, at least for my rear!

 

[LeftCoastMan]

I believe Russell is the consensus most comfortable although both Bill and Rick Mayer seats are much better than OEM. I've had several Rick Mayer seats and really like them but his business practices are in question. I've also had a couple Russell seats and they are very comfortable for the long haul but are ugly (IMO). Also, keep in mind that a Russell will result in less foot on the ground due to its width and height.

 

I think that every butt has it's own opinion on a comfortable saddle. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

Seriously, it's clear that you have to guess as to which seat-maker you want to use, but there's sort of a top-5 list. If you can't ride-in, you have to be patient and accurate to get the fit right. For me, I would only do a ride-in appointment, even if it sacrifices a little on the perfection side of things. Bill Mayer is in the LA area, so that simplified the equation for me. I won't ever know if my seat is less perfect than the Russell, but it far exceeds my expectations before getting the new seat, and he was close by.

 

Maybe the Russell is 5 or 10% better than the rest (and we have no evidence that they are), but the ride-in appointment is so much better in getting the saddle right, it might make up for that 5 or 10%.

[Fightingpiper]

I am a pretty big guy 6'3" and 290lbs and I had a Bill Mayer on my 06 RT. Although it was a big improvement over stock I am just too heavy for a foam seat. If I had to do over again I would go with the Russel with the springs in the seat. I did however improve the comfort of my Mayer seat with an REI Sit-Pad. Its the poor mans version of an airhawk.

[BOOCH]

Regarding Rick Mayers business practices,I have an experience to relate. Afew years ago,we did a drive in appointment with Rick and he built us a new rider and passenger seat, which we loved. A year or two later,the seat shrunk and the leather cracked and faded badly. I felt that I was at fault for leaving the seat exposed to the elements and we scheduled another drive in appointment.

 

Rick was horrified at the condition of the seats,and he rebuilt them. When he was finished,he refused to take any money.He said that nothing we did should have caused the seats to deteriorate as they did. He said that had he seen the seat at a rally,he would have removed it and rebuilt it without asking..Steve(BOOCH) Bouche'.

[Jim Miller]

Russell - no contest. I will NEVER buy another seat from Rocky Mayer.

[Rinkydink]

No experience with Mayer but Russell is the "only" way to go...

[RTinNC]

While I have never purchased a seat from BILL Mayer ... I do have a ROCKY Mayer seat on my GS which I am pretty happy with. My personal interaction with Rocky was very positive but the few discussion I had with BILL Mayer and the way I heard him interact with BMW owners at Rallies is what pushed me to do business with Rocky.

[Beemah]

I'm a short heavy set guy who is inseam challenged. I have the low seat-low suspension 2009 R1200RT and just couldn't stand how uncomfortable the stock seat was and I got a Russell Day Long over the winter last year. I've been riding it all season and I'm amazed at how comfortable this saddle is. I'm inseam challenged and this puts me up higher and makes it more difficult for me to manage the bike at lower speeds, but for the level of comfort on the long distance hauls it's worth it and then some. I was impressed with their customer service and I actually got to speak with the guy who built my seat on the phone before he started to share my concerns. The saddle is great, the service is great and well worth the money spent. I got the word about Russell from an Iron Butt Rider in my club that has done the 48 plus, he swears by Russell, I figure if it can take what he does, it must be good and I was right. Good luck with your choice. Don

[RTinNC]

While I have never purchased a seat from BILL Mayer ... I do have a RICK Mayer seat on my GS which I am pretty happy with. My personal interaction with RICK was very positive but the few discussion I had with BILL Mayer and the way I heard him interact with BMW owners at Rallies is what pushed me to do business with Rocky.

 

CORRECTION .... My original post stated ROCKY and should have said RICK .... must be an early morning brain fart. Tried to correct in original post but see that can only be done within 30 min. of post. Sorry for any confusion.

[Selden]

I am a pretty big guy 6'3" and 290lbs and I had a Bill Mayer on my 06 RT. Although it was a big improvement over stock I am just too heavy for a foam seat. If I had to do over again I would go with the Russel with the springs in the seat. I did however improve the comfort of my Mayer seat with an REI Sit-Pad. Its the poor mans version of an airhawk.

When I stopped in Anchorage, I was still looking for ways to improve the comfort of my seat, and since there was an REI about a block from where I was staying, I tried the REI Sit-Pad for about 1 block. I couldn't stand the way it wiggled around under my butt (actually, it was between a sheepskin and the seat). I'm still looking for a source of thin gel pad, maybe 1/4-1/2" thick.

[RTinNC]

I am a pretty big guy 6'3" and 290lbs and I had a Bill Mayer on my 06 RT. Although it was a big improvement over stock I am just too heavy for a foam seat. If I had to do over again I would go with the Russel with the springs in the seat. I did however improve the comfort of my Mayer seat with an REI Sit-Pad. Its the poor mans version of an airhawk.

When I stopped in Anchorage, I was still looking for ways to improve the comfort of my seat, and since there was an REI about a block from where I was staying, I tried the REI Sit-Pad for about 1 block. I couldn't stand the way it wiggled around under my butt (actually, it was between a sheepskin and the seat). I'm still looking for a source of thin gel pad, maybe 1/4-1/2" thick.

 

That is exactly how I felt about the Air Hawk .... and yes I adjusted it way down ... still cold not get past that feeling of wiggling around. I have an Alaska Butt Pad on my RT and love it and it does really help!

[Dave_in_TX]

While I have never purchased a seat from BILL Mayer ... I do have a ROCKY Mayer seat on my GS which I am pretty happy with. My personal interaction with Rocky was very positive but the few discussion I had with BILL Mayer and the way I heard him interact with BMW owners at Rallies is what pushed me to do business with Rocky.

 

I think you may be confusing Rick Mayer and Rocky Mayer. Rocky IS Bill Mayer (jr). If your seat was made by Rocky, it's a Bill Mayer saddle.

[Steve Kolenda]

10 years 165,000 miles on a Russell and buying a 2011 1200RT. First order of business, Russell seats.

[RTinNC]

While I have never purchased a seat from BILL Mayer ... I do have a ROCKY Mayer seat on my GS which I am pretty happy with. My personal interaction with Rocky was very positive but the few discussion I had with BILL Mayer and the way I heard him interact with BMW owners at Rallies is what pushed me to do business with Rocky.

 

I think you may be confusing Rick Mayer and Rocky Mayer. Rocky IS Bill Mayer (jr). If your seat was made by Rocky, it's a Bill Mayer saddle.

 

I stated Rocky and meant Rick .. see my correction above. Sorry.