dbozroz Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 will an aftermarket seat (Sargent) from a 2005 RT fit on a 2014/15 RT? Link to comment
TEWKS Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 No, different seat. Sargent is saying they'll have the new one this spring. If you are willing to wait, get on their preorder list. Supposedly there's a discount if you're on the list. Pat Link to comment
dbozroz Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks for that info .... headed to the Sargent site to get on the preorder list! Link to comment
GuzziGuy Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Corbin is making a great solution, Had one on my Tenere New 14 RT owner,,, Think SPRING! Karl Link to comment
narcosis Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Karl, thanks for pointing out that Corbin had a seat for the '14 RT. I called them today about my two chief concerns and thought I'd share. First I wanted to know if their seat will put me higher as I'm on the balls of my feet at stops now. Their response was that it actually lowers you a bit. He went into great detail but that was my only takeaway. Next I asked if the backrest was adjustable. Answer was the tilt is adjustable but not horizontally (closer/farther). He did say that padding can be added to bring it closer to your back if necessary. This seat may work for me and the attractive part is that it's available NOW. But, I hope that the Sargent seat becomes available before Spring. I think that one will work best for me. I do not want to make another long trip on the stock seat and I've got two trips planned that are coming up soon. Corbin may win out with me just because of availability. Ken Link to comment
Skywagon Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Ive had a Corbin seat before on an airhead. The seat was a little lower when measured at the center of the seat, but it was wider and that ultimately made the reach to the ground, a little further. Check with them and make sure that overall it is shorter not just from center measure. My corbin was well made. It has very little padding and is built more for a firm ride. I adapted to mine pretty quickly and actually liked it. I'm on my second Russell seat and it definitely adds height. More comfortable than my Corbin but added a good two inches. Link to comment
Freedom Outlaw Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 To each his own, I am on my fourth RDL and beyond any shadow of a doubt they are the most comfortable seats I've had. Yep, they do add height and you have to get used to sliding forward at stops. But then again they will adjust them, I've had to send two back. If you've never owned an RDL, you might want to consider one. Surf the net, they are very well liked by most owners. I've got three bikes and two of the have RDL's. Just throwing it out there, Corbin makes a good seat at a lower price but, to me, nothing beats a RDL. There is a reason there is always a backlog to have one built. YMMV Link to comment
narcosis Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Actually, I had my RDL order form filled out, measurements and pictures taken. When I called them, they said the RDL probably wouldn't work for me. That brings me to my current dilemma. Ken Link to comment
Freedom Outlaw Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Actually, I had my RDL order form filled out, measurements and pictures taken. When I called them, they said the RDL probably wouldn't work for me. That brings me to my current dilemma. Ken I was actually addressing that to the original poster, not that it matters in this particular regard. Yup, I'd say based on owning 8 +/- Russell's, if you are looking for something lower, nope, ain't gonna happen with their product. I had a Sargent on the GS, did not like it and sold it to a guy for $.50 on the dollar 3 or 4 months after I bought it. He does not like it either. But again, to each his own, others may swear by a Sargent. If I didn't have a RDL on the GS, there would be a Corbin on it. I have a friend with one on his GS and it is a very nice seat. The Sargent was/is nice too, seemed very well built, just did not fit.. Good luck with whatever you do. I know guys (as you probably do too) that have spent 1K +/- looking for a comfortable seat and they are still "settling" on the seat they are on instead of being happy. Best, Link to comment
gordiet Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Try Ritch's seat in Washington. I had one of his seats on my last 1200 RT because I needed to have it lowered some and he was able to get what I needed to be done. Good people to work with, they will ask you to take pictures with your riding boots on standing next to the bike and also your weight and height and inseam and all that stuff. Sorry I can't seem to find their telephone number it's around here somewhere but I don't know where. They have a website that I'm sure you will be able to easily find. Gt Link to comment
David Langford Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I just got my rdl seat back and installed on my 14 rt and it is definitely higher than I wanted it so I called them and they are going to lower it about an inch which will be real close to stock. The pilot backrest is awesome and fully adjustable and functions well. The workmanship and quality are flawless, the leather high quality and it looks great and fits my butt perfect. I have ridden 150 miles and there is no comparison in comfort and am sending the pilot seat back to be lowered. I have done a lot of customizing to the bike and will post pics when complete Link to comment
Freedom Outlaw Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I just got my rdl seat back and installed on my 14 rt and it is definitely higher than I wanted it so I called them and they are going to lower it about an inch which will be real close to stock. The pilot backrest is awesome and fully adjustable and functions well. The workmanship and quality are flawless, the leather high quality and it looks great and fits my butt perfect. I have ridden 150 miles and there is no comparison in comfort and am sending the pilot seat back to be lowered. I have done a lot of customizing to the bike and will post pics when complete Hello David: I've had a number of RDL seats, love them. I fibbed on the one for the 14 RT and told them I had a 29" inseam instead of a 30", came in perfect. My wife loves her co-pilot seat too. Best, Link to comment
Selden Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I've had a number of RDL seats, love them. I fibbed on the one for the 14 RT and told them I had a 29" inseam instead of a 30", came in perfect. Now, that is a clever strategy! Link to comment
narcosis Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I've had a number of RDL seats, love them. I fibbed on the one for the 14 RT and told them I had a 29" inseam instead of a 30", came in perfect. My wife loves her co-pilot seat too. Okay, now my interest in an RDL is rekindled. I have a 30" inseam. This should work. Link to comment
RTnger Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 The RDL will not work for a 30inch inseam person on a wethead RT according to the sale guy Jay. Link to comment
Freedom Outlaw Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Jay is the guy I talked to. I don't understand how he could say that when he built mine just a few months back and I have a 30 inch inseam. Maybe they've had some complaints, as I said, I fudged when submitting my inseam. I told them 29 inches instead of 30. I am 100% happy with the results Jay had called ME about the electric seat which I of course opted to keep. He said they had had some complaints from customers about the seat getting too hot. I explained to him that was likely a BMW issue as BMW did have a firmware update on the seat adjustment heat settings. Jay seemed quite grateful that little nugget, took the monkey off RDL and put it back on BMW. I had my original seat get too hot and it could not be adjusted down. When they did the shock change, they did the firmware update and -0- problems. Link to comment
BarryBeemer Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Re: the heating issue with RDLs. I might have been the first (or one of the first) 2014 RT seat customers they had. My wife and I did a ride-in appointment and left loving the seat. My wife flew home to Seattle and I headed East on the bike towards Reno. I decided to test out the heating feature and, within a few minutes, the seat was so hot I could barely sit on it. (Even with underwear, jeans, and riding pants on!) I called a few days later and was told they had other customers telling them the same thing. Their first suggestion was to put a resistor in the line to the seat and I told them that was out of the question. When I asked where they placed the heating element, they said "just on top with a light layer of material over it before covering." Shortly after that, they figured out/discovered that supposedly the factory 2014 seat had undergone a design change. In previous years, the mat was on top, but in 2014 it is embedded about an inch into the foam. Russell then told me to send it in at my convenience to have them reposition the heating mat to the proper depth. Then came the BMW service bulletin "technical campaign". When my dealer took care of the dreaded rear shock issue, they accomplished Bulletin #61 002 14(010) This merely involved a quick software update to the heat controller as "BMW Motorrad has ascertained that due to a faulty software release, the seat can overheat and become permanently deformed if the seat heating is left on the highest setting for a lengthy period." Only certain VIN numbers were effected and "vehicles produced as of February 28, 2014 have the correct software release. Even after the software update, I still have the same problem. Still too hot even on the lowest setting, so I'm banking on the fact that Russell still has to "bury" the heating pad. Not sure who Jay is that has been mentioned. My answers from Russell came directly from Chris who was my "seat maker". Glad Freedom Outlaw's seat is good now. Can anyone weigh in on the latest with their heated Russell seat? Thanks! Link to comment
realshelby Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 My RT was built in May 2014. I have a dual Russell seat. I usually run it on the (2) bars setting. I have ridden with it on all day at that setting and it was never too hot. Don't know if I would ever want the 4th or 5th bar, but I will say I use the heated seat on this bike more than any other I have had. I think my Russell was built in November. Link to comment
BarryBeemer Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Thanks, Terry! That's just the kind of info I need. Mine is a dual seat as well and was done in September 2014. Thinking that they started "burying" the heat mat after my install. I'll be talking this over with them on Monday. Any others? Link to comment
RTnger Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I am also curious about another RDL inconsistency. I was told that the seat could not be lowered. One post here claims his/her seat was lowered upon return for adjustment. I am 30" seam and I was told it would not work for me. Another variable to consider for the short legged folks is, even if you can tolerate the tip-toe stance at the stop-sign, the RDL (or any seat) that seat you 2-3 inched higher means: Your arms will be further from the handlebars. That means going right back to the sport riding position that touring guys abhor. I am beginning to think that there must be some challenge to designing a seat for the new wethead RT/s. RDL told me the area on the new bikes were shorter than previous years. Which accounts for RDl telling folks that the underleg area of their seat cannot be shaped such that there is enough room to slide forward on stops (like on previous models) And now Sargent delayed releasing their seat till Summer. That has to point toward complexity in the development. I have sat on a "high" model of the OEM seat and it ain't that bad. In fact, it may turn out to be the last resort for Summer riding. I mistakenly bought the low seat (be glad to sell it or trade it to anyone). I put an Air Hawk and that makes a world of difference. Link to comment
Dave_in_TX Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Which accounts for RDL telling folks that the underleg area of their seat cannot be shaped such that there is enough room to slide forward on stops (like on previous models) I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "previous models" but when I inquired about getting a day-long for my 2007 RT a few years ago, I was also told that seat cannot be shaped such that there is enough room to slide forward on stops. Link to comment
narcosis Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 +1 on the Airhawk. I'm on the road this weekend and in desperation I installed an Airhawk 2 Thursday before leaving Friday morning. A custom seat will happen but the Airhawk was a good stopgap. Link to comment
realshelby Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 There is not as much room on the new RT seat to make a nice narrow front like there was on the Oilhead RT for instance. But this is what most owners don't understand about seats. My Russell sits higher than the stock seat. I told them I wanted it that way. But the actual seating area height is not much different than stock. So, it does NOT actually change the ergonomics in relation to the bars all that much when seated and riding. The fact that it is not nearly as narrow and the edges are not as tapered are why I have to slip forward to "flatfoot" it at stops. When traveling all day I put my seat in the tall position and cannot flat foot it. But the extra comfort for my knees is worth it. I think it is a brainblock when owners just have to flat foot a bike to ride. I don't even slide forward most of the time, as long as the ball of my foot has good contact I am good. Link to comment
Freedom Outlaw Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Really, I can't tell that much difference from the RDL's I'have had built for: Honda ST1300 BMW 2006 RT BMWG650GS BMW R1200RT I Can flat foot my RT at a stop if my wife is not riding with me, ergo the raised suspension setting with her on board (she weighs 115 lbs). Even then it is not like I am on my tip toes else I'd never take her for a ride, I would not take the chance of any significant unbalancing due to a seat with her on board. As I've said before there are a lot of people out there chasing the perfect seat and I have a friend who has about 1k trying to get a seat that "fits". Me, I just cut to the chase any buy a RDL. I've yet to be disappointed though I did have to send the one for the GS back to be trimmed down. RDL's guarantee: Guarantee: Any Custom fitted "Day-Long" Saddle found not to provide satisfactory comfort after the break-in period may be returned for a full refund of the purchase price provided Russell Cycle Products is notified within a 8 month period and allowed at least two chance's to adjust the seat for any condition Russell Cycle Products deems correctable within the 8 month period. Our buy back guarantee is for stock OEM pans only. No after market seats or seats sent without foam will be applied to this part of the warranty. All seat shipments must include stock foam or additional charges will apply! Clearly they stand behind their product. My wife and I were passing through Shasta this summer and I offered to give them a $200.00 upcharge just to let me do a drive in but Kim said they were slammed. They were booking September build dates according to her. I know I am coming across practically as a salesperson for RDL, but out of the four bikes I've had them on, I've never, ever regretted a purchase. I am sure there are a lot of other fine builders out there, this is just My experience with them over the last 10 years or so. YMMV Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.