Bagster Seats

[CB650F]

The main complaint I have about my bike is the seat. It's small, hard, uncomfortable, and very short distance oriented. I got an Air Hawk cushion for it which definitely helps, but it's not enough for 700 miles or more. On a few other forums, Bagster seats get praised as one of the most comfortable upgraded seats for the money. Sure a completely custom built seat would be better, but it would also be expensive!

Does anyone here have a Bagster seat and can offer your oppinion on it for long distance riding?

 

[Pappy35]

Russell single seats are $450 plus shipping. I've tried several different brands to no avail and am expecting my Russell Sport seat in a few days. Give them a call, making comfortable seats is all they do, I'm sure they can help. A little expensive but with their rep, I'm pretty sure it'll be money well spent. For what I've spent trying to get more for less I should have just gone with them first.

 

[CB650F]

Russell seats huh? I'll have to look into them. $450 is a bit on the expensive side, but not too bad. I'm also very familiar with with trying to get more for less, then ending up biting the bullet and getting what I should have in the first place. Thanks!

 

[CB650F]

Just looked at those Russell seats. They make some seriously good looking seats! It looks like an order placed right now will be scheduled for April. A full two month wait is certainly less than ideal, but I'd love to hear back from you when your seat comes in.

 

[Pappy35]

Just looked at those Russell seats. They make some seriously good looking seats! It looks like an order placed right now will be scheduled for April. A full two month wait is certainly less than ideal, but I'd love to hear back from you when your seat comes in.

It shipped today. All the customs will take time to build. I waiting 8 MONTHS to get one of the ones I tried. Two+ months for a Russell is really good actually.

As for Russell, there simply is no other manufacturer that has such a highly devoted customer base. Just go check out any motorcycle forum out there (FJR, BMW RT, BMWMOA, Honda). Google it. Whatever, they are a little more expensive but they are simply the best.

In my case I'm somewhat uncertain only in that I have a short inseam and that introduces all sorts of problems with seats that are comfortable. You can also check out Laam Seats, Terry's Custom, Bill Meyer Saddles, Corbin, and Sargeant. They are all good but Russells seem to get the most consistently high praise and they're just not really all that much more money. They all fall within that $450-$500 range for single saddles. If you take money out of the equation and your legs aren't to stubby, Russells are the way to go.

 

[CB650F]

{snip}
If you take money out of the equation and your legs aren't to stubby, Russells are the way to go.

Eh, that might be an issue. I'm 5'9", but 90% torso. I've got about a 28" inseam. My little CB650F has a 32" seat height so I don't even come close to flat footing it with boots on. The only way I can get both feet touching the ground is if I'm on my toes. Adding another 2" to the seat height would be hard to do.

 

[Pappy35]

Eh, that might be an issue. I'm 5'9", but 90% torso. I've got about a 28" inseam. My little CB650F has a 32" seat height so I don't even come close to flat footing it with boots on. The only way I can get both feet touching the ground is if I'm on my toes. Adding another 2" to the seat height would be hard to do.

My inseam is only 29" so I know what you mean. All custom seats are going to have the same issued due to their width. More seating area = less pressure and pressure and comfort are inversely proportional things. Though, I've learned that even wide seats are always comfortable. It's a terrible conundrum; where to spend the money when you're not made of it? Russell is my last stop. If it doesn't work out I might try an Airhawk.

I have a seat that's good for commuting and, say, 2 hours or so of continuous riding. It won't do as an IB seat because the discomfort progresses to the point, about 5 hours in, that it's just unbearable and thus I end up taking longer and longer breaks for relief. I'm getting the Russell specifically for IB and shorter trips, not for day-to-day use (though I hope it will break in enough to become an everyday seat).

 

[Dann]

Everybody seems to praise the Russell RDL seats. What's been holding me back so far is the 'tractor style ' look of the seat.
I have no doubt that it's comfortable.
I've been using a Kontour seat for years now and very pleased with it. SS1000 are no issue with this seat. It's in the same price range as the RDL
The polar mesh is very effective at keeping the seat cool in hot temps. The drawback is when the temp. drops , it will get cold quicker unless you have a heated seat.
It's also pretty good at shedding the rain.

I just bought a R1250RT and I'll probably get another Kontour if I'm not happy with the OEM seat.

YMMV

 

[ScottAL]

I'll go with comfort over looks any day. I've just returned from a 5,400 mile, 6 day round trip for a ride in appointment to buy my second Russell Day Long saddle. This one for my new 2019 Honda Gold Wing. The ride home was so much better than the ride out. UPS would have been cheaper but nowhere near as much fun. I had a RDL on my last few Harleys and absolutely loved them.

 

[Dann]

I agree, but for me the Kontour seat has both comfort and looks. (There is also no extra cost to keep the heated elements) That's why I'm hesitant at spending that kind of money on something that I'm not sure will be an improvement.

YMMV

 

[Pappy35]

Unfortunately, as my experience proves, there's just no way to know for sure which seat will work for you. It's a roll of the dice. I'm hoping that the volume of positives tilt the odds more in my favor.

PS - Form over function? It's a seat designed for comfort, a not a fashion statement.

 

[Dann]

PS - Form over function? It's a seat designed for comfort, a not a fashion statement.

Again I agree with you but I'm not against having both if possible. So far, this is what I've been getting with the Kontour

YMMV

 

[Pappy35]

Well, here's my new Russell Sport Seat. Very nice!

 

[CB650F]

Well, that certainly is a good looking seat. I'm impressed. How's the ride? Comfortable enough for an all day ride?

 

[Lisa]

Russell also does ride in appointments so you can try it out before they finish it.

 

[Dann]

Well, here's my new Russell Sport Seat. Very nice! View attachment 4821 View attachment 4822

Nice seat. Is it the same price as the regular one?

 

[Pappy35]

Nice seat. Is it the same price as the regular one?

Dan, it was $550 base price. Optional items included in mine were a minor passenger seat redo (not the full on Day Long treatment for $35), and I retained heating in both seats ($50). Shipping was expensive ($59) but I'm 2,200 miles away and it came in a pretty big box. Your cost will be different depending on where you live. As you see it, it was $640 plus shipping.

Well, that certainly is a good looking seat. I'm impressed. How's the ride? Comfortable enough for an all day ride?

Don't know yet. I have the BMW "Comfort" seat on there and it's certainly way better than that. WIth that seat, a couple of hours is good but it gets progressively worse as the day wears on. After 6 hours it just hurts. No way I could an IB ride on that one.


I've only done one short, 10 mile "out and back" so far but that was enough to tell me that it's a dramatic improvement. Ground reach is affected by maybe 1/2"-3/4" but that should settle back down as it wears in.

Seats and comfort are fickle things though so I need to put a thousand miles on it before I make up my mind. Russell will provide up to two tweaks for free (I pay to ship it there and they pay to return it) but you have to ride at least 500 miles first. I also have bar risers and peg lowers and so I can remove them one at a time to see if it helps or hurts. What I was most worried about was ground reach and so I was ecstatic that I could handle the change without too much difficulty. The rest will work itself out.