Big problem with Russell seat

[gsozz]

Might be just me but, I just got my Russell seat and put it on the bike. When i accellerate I slide back about 4-5 inches and when I decellerate I slide foreward about 4-5 inches into the tank. This is very unstable and unsafe. I took the seat off and returned to the Corbin which seats me in a very stable pocket. Does anyone else have this issue with their Russell day long seats. Is this to be expected with a new Rusell?

Should i return the seat for a rebuild or is this a break in problem?

help needed,

Greg

 

[Murph]

If it's just you that is moving (and not the seat), then the issue may just be a matter of break in. I recall my Russell being quite slippery when I first used it. I can't imagine riding without it now, though.

 

[kurt]

No idea, but I call dibs if you sell it!

 

[ROBSMST]

Mine did that when new and it went away. When I clean it gets a little slippery.

I would recommend you work it with a cloth to get as much of the chemical (if any) on it off if it. Also, go for a 250 mile ride one way on a straight highway. Turn around and come back. At 500 miles it should be broken in and formed to you. The better form will keep you from slipping.

 

[twistedcricket]

There's a thousand mile break-in period (should be noted on the paper that arrived with your seat) I know mine was slippery at first. I can't really remember when I stopped noticing how slick it was. You didn't treat it with Armor-All or any other cleaner, correct?

I hate to be a skeptic, but are you really sliding 4-5 inches?? Or is that the "sense" you get when accelerating/stopping?? Did you get both seats done or just the riders? If you are sliding around that much, might be time to call Russel and see what they suggest. They'll make it right.

 

[monk69]

This sounds pretty easy to figure out.

Look at it from the side,if it comes to a curved v/u shape near the middle,and rises enough to stop movement fore/aft,then it could be slick leather dressing that will wear off.

If it isn't shaped properly,it's not going to change.In that case,send it back with a note to shape the middle so you stay put.

 

[jet mechanic]

It is a break in issue.

Mine was the same way at first.

After a couple of months of riding I did finally settle into a happy ( and very comfortable) spot on the seat .

 

[FatNakedGuy]

Bro, I got a big fat ass and it's planted solid in the seat. Maybe you just need to eat more pizza and Pepsi.

 

[dragonchef]

Russell is great about making adjustments, but will not touch it until you put 1K on it. After that, give em a call, & Heather will let you speak to the person that built your seat. Explain what u need done, and send it back for the work. I used masking tape to mark the adjustments, and it came back perfect....

 

[spalkin]

Lets see, right now in Texas the temps are around 36° so you might be wearing insulated riding pants (very slick). I'd say give it some time, maybe try a short ride in some different pants.

Just my 2

 

[ROBSMST]

If you can't ride due to weather put a TV in your garage, pop the bike on the centerstand and sit and watch some football! Couple of Sundays should be equivalent to .5K to 1K miles.

 

[Fred W]

Drink a bunch of cheap beer and then take that thing for a ride. Don't hold back the farts. That is the true secret to Russell break-in that nobody is talking about...

 

[git-r-dan]

previous post

There might not be enough foam to sink down into. After making a few trips on the last rebuild, it's starting to feel a little better and not as hard as that first seat. The problem that is happening now is that there is not enough padding in the front to keep me from sliding foward. I slide foward on the downshifts every time. It seems to be putting pressure on the arms trying to hold myself back while riding distances. One more rebuild should do it. I know for a fact that the first seat was not a "day long".

:beach: git-r-dan

 

[Fred W]

Might be just me but, I just got my Russell seat and put it on the bike. When i accellerate I slide back about 4-5 inches and when I decellerate I slide foreward about 4-5 inches into the tank. This is very unstable and unsafe. I took the seat off and returned to the Corbin which seats me in a very stable pocket. Does anyone else have this issue with their Russell day long seats. Is this to be expected with a new Rusell? Should i return the seat for a rebuild or is this a break in problem?

help needed,

Greg

Now that DPF is over for the week, I'll tell you that I actually had a similar concern with my Russell when I first received it. My assessment was that the seat was canted too much forward, not that the seat surface was too slippery.

I did send mine back (after I rode it several hundred miles) and asked that they scoop more foam out of the back of the seat to give me a deeper cradle away from the tank. It has worked out perfectly for me.

Here's the seat as I received it:

And here's the seat after they scooped out more foam in the back. You can clearly see in the 2 photos where they removed foam. Note that the "nose" section of the seat is now higher in relationship to the rear part of the bucket where you actually sit.

I would not be overly worried about having enough foam to still be comfortable. The comfort of the seat is in matching the required shape of your derriere. When the pressure of your weight is spread evenly across your entire butt surface, there are no pinch points to lose blood flow and cause butt ache.

One more point. By shaving the rear section of the seat it most definitely did not help me reach the ground easier. That's because the wings on the sides are still the same height, so when you are back in the bucket your legs have to go across them to reach the ground. I'm 6'2 so that is not a problem for me.

When a shorter person orders a seat and tells Russell they want it low as possible, I believe that what they do is to lower the front section of the seat to allow you to slide forward and then reach the ground at a stop. This may exacerbate the sliding forward problem by making the seat cant forward more than ever.

 

[spalkin]

If you can't ride due to weather put a TV in your garage, pop the bike on the centerstand and sit and watch some football! Couple of Sundays should be equivalent to .5K to 1K miles.

It's settled. This is how I'm going to watch the OSU/Michigan game today. Plus, I'll take Fred's advice and drink lots of beer, too! :yahoo:

 

[tripntx]

Just received my Russell seats a week ago, vinyl sides, leather on top. They were slippery at first. Conditioned them last night with Lexol leather conditioner (found at O'Reilly auto parts), did 80 mile ride this morning with First Gear overpants on, was somewhat slippery. Wore blue jeans this afternoon, they didn't slip at all.

 

[gsozz]

THANKS FOR THE REPLIES ALL. MY CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN RESTORED. I WILL TRY THE "SIT ON IT WHILE DRINKING CHEAP BEER AND FARTING" METHOD OF BREAK-IN. SOUNDS LIKE FUN....GARAGE DOOR WILL BE KEPT OPEN FOR THIS ACTIVITY.

GREG