Anyone Interested in a Russell Day Long Group Buy?

[moralem]

Originally Posted by redjay

How far would it have got over the Christmas holiday if they had shipped it today at noon ?

It would have been pretty quick with second day air......just saying they could be a bit more customer friendly.

[Chuck35]

I sent CC info with the order form. They never called. I saw the charge when they shipped and got a tracking update a day later.

[fammdw]

Originally Posted by moralem

It would have been pretty quick with second day air......just saying they could be a bit more customer friendly.

Really?

[crazygene49]

Originally Posted by fammdw

Really?

He only joined the forum to get in on the group buy, doesn't even ride a Kawasaki. I think if you gave him a million dollars, he would complain because it was all in one dollar bills.

[moralem]

Ok, let me modify my statement, they could be more consistent in the level of customer service they deliver. And I should have made arrangements for them to have my card information up front and let them know I wanted the second day air. I guess I assumed too much in that there would be multiple info exchanges along the work flow algorithm. I guess I, would not call a customer one hour before I close shop for a week basically saying you have 59 minutes from the delivery of this message if you want your seat shipped now. Or how about an email as well for some redundancy. I know they are a small business and they produce a great product and do hit homeruns with customers......maybe I am just too anxious to get to riding and had hoped to make a run to our Big Bend region, which if you have not been to duing the fall and winter months should be on one of your must do rides. It is not the end of the world so I will get over it.

[moralem]

Originally Posted by crazygene49

He only joined the forum to get in on the group buy, doesn't even ride a Kawasaki. I think if you gave him a million dollars, he would complain because it was all in one dollar bills.

Of course I joined the forum to get in on the group purchase but, there were a number of us that did. I am not being critical of the forum, but commenting on my perceptions of RDL's customer service. And I don't recall the group buy limited to metric riders or specific brands. I appreciate the work Mike did to make it happen and have thanked him publicly in this forum and even solicited others from my BMW forum to join in. I also appreciate that RDL accepted our group purchase, but, they didn't do this simply out of the kindness of their hearts. It was a business decision and one that was made taking into consideration what the market and voice of the consumer (us) was telling them we wanted. Once they accepted the terms, at a discount granted, that does not meanwe should get discounted quality or service. I still am paying a purchase fee that includes a nice margin for RDL and expect certain levels of service. I guess that is why in business we all have SLA's , service level agreements, to stipulate what the vendor will do and what the customer must do.........I assumed too much and should have clarified more in the front end and I will take that million even in dimes.

[crazygene49]

I know you're disappointed because you haven't gotten your seat yet. They did try to contact you as soon as it was done, but unfortunately you were not available. I just don't think you should be knocking RDL.

By the way, I'm not knocking what you ride. I have friend that owns one and enjoys it.

[fammdw]

Moralem:

I truly understand your desire to get your seat. In this respect, you are no different than the other 124 people that ordered a seat via this group buy.

What troubles me is that you have been critical of the process the entire way. First there was the wait involved in RDL committing, then there was the ordering process and now the delivery. Your idea of customer service does not line up with what most of us consider reasonable.

If I would have been in charge at RDL Friday afternoon, an hour before closing when you seat came off the assembly line, I would not have even bothered to reach out to you for credit card info. I would have cleaned up shop and prepared for my holiday break. You would have heard from me when we opened back up.

I commend them for at least making the overture to contact you to get your seat shipped in the eleventh hour - before Christmas for God's sake.

Please... just take a chill pill and be thankful that you will soon be receiving the industry standard of excellence in motorcycle saddles. At a highly discounted rate to boot!

Easy my friend....

Originally Posted by moralem

Of course I joined the forum to get in on the group purchase but, there were a number of us that did. I am not being critical of the forum, but commenting on my perceptions of RDL's customer service. And I don't recall the group buy limited to metric riders or specific brands. I appreciate the work Mike did to make it happen and have thanked him publicly in this forum and even solicited others from my BMW forum to join in. I also appreciate that RDL accepted our group purchase, but, they didn't do this simply out of the kindness of their hearts. It was a business decision and one that was made taking into consideration what the market and voice of the consumer (us) was telling them we wanted. Once they accepted the terms, at a discount granted, that does not meanwe should get discounted quality or service. I still am paying a purchase fee that includes a nice margin for RDL and expect certain levels of service. I guess that is why in business we all have SLA's , service level agreements, to stipulate what the vendor will do and what the customer must do.........I assumed too much and should have clarified more in the front end and I will take that million even in dimes.

[moralem]

I am not knocking them. I come from a service industry so I see things from a very biased point of view when it comes customer service, just a point of view that's all and as you pointed out a huge self pity party. But I can wait......

[jandreu]

OK, getting ready to ship my seats to RDL for a late Jan. production date and as always am second guessing myself.

2007 1600 red/silver. I do not do long rides living on Maui and am getting the RDL mostly for my wife as a passenger. She just can't get comfy on either the stock or Mustang seat's I have. As for me I'm OK on the Mustang but would not mind being more comfortable. When thinking about my questions below keep in mind I'm not after a 6 hour saddle, while we do spend 6 hour's on the bike on a day there is rarely a time when we do not stop every hour or so for other reasons [small island] so some modifications for me as the driver to handle stop and go traffic better would not be an issue. Really just want the wife to be happy.

I'm ordering all vinyl, Graphite color, basket weave with half moon stitching. Driver, passenger and passenger backrest to be recovered.

My questions are;
1 - looking at the RDL site there are several pic's of Vulcan's and I can't tell exactly what the finished product will look like. In some pic's it looks like there is a middle section on the drivers seat forming the back of the seat. You can see it clearly on fammdw's photo's of his 1700. I know it's still all one piece. I'm wondering if the 1600 seat has this same look?

2 - The Graphite color- I am thinking it will go well with the Titanium Silver on my bike and not be as "black" as the all black vinyl looks. Any comments on this?

3 - The basket weave pattern - can't decide on this. Anyone with a RDL seat that went with the basket weave please post a pic. I know fammdw's first photo shows it and that's why I'm thinking about it but would like to see it on the Nomad seat if possible. Hoping it will help with the Monkey Butt on vinyl issue.

4 - A lot of folks comment on the wings and how it affects the ability to flat foot when stopped. Some say it's an issue, some say you get use to it. Currently, with the stock seat, I can flat foot and still have a slight bend in my knees. I can straddle the bike and stand up with about an inch of clearance from the seat. Any comments on if I will still be able to flat foot the bike with the RDL? Should I request a modification to the wings to make them a little shorter?

5 - The wife sits very high on the passenger seat. She's a full head above me and complains about the wind buffeting. Anybody have any experience with RDL trying to lower the passenger seat while still maintaining the comfort? Remember the passenger seat comfort is the main issue here!

Thanks all for your time and replies and lets see some photo's from folks that have gotten their seats back!

[redjay]

You are worrying way too much. Your wife will still be in the wind with the Daylong. If you can flatfoot with the Mustang you should be able to flatfoot on the Daylong. Go with the black vinyl. If you wife is over 180 lbs go with the extra suspension in the rear seat. My wife enjoyed the Daylong seats on our Nomad, so much so that we are getting them for the Voyager.


Hope that helps.

[fammdw]

I don't think you are going to be able to tell much of a difference in the feel of the basket weave vs. the regular surface as far as comfort goes. Vinyl is vinyl... It's a matter of preference in the look. On my FJR the basket weave is what I thought would look best. I personally wouldn't want it on the cruiser though. That's just me though.

As for seat height, they will do the best they can based on what you tell them and what they have to work with. The pillion is going to sit high on a 1600 Nomad. That's just the nature of the machine. The driver's seat is so low slung on that bike that the passenger is naturally higher up on that fender. If you can flat foot the stock seat with knee bend, you will probably flat foot with the RDL. I wouldn't have them chop the wings on it. It's what makes their seat so damn comfortable. Trust me... It will be so much better than what you are used to, that you wouldn't care if you could only get one leg on the ground at a stop. This of course, will not be the case.

I posted my pics of my Voyager on the other Vulcan forum. There was a guy over there that posted a picture of his Classic with the RDL in graphite grey. That would give you an idea of what your bike would look like in that color. To me it doesn't match the titanium paint close enough and clashes a bit. Again... That's just to me.

Here's the link:

http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=32044

Mike

Originally Posted by jandreu

OK, getting ready to ship my seats to RDL for a late Jan. production date and as always am second guessing myself.

2007 1600 red/silver. I do not do long rides living on Maui and am getting the RDL mostly for my wife as a passenger. She just can't get comfy on either the stock or Mustang seat's I have. As for me I'm OK on the Mustang but would not mind being more comfortable. When thinking about my questions below keep in mind I'm not after a 6 hour saddle, while we do spend 6 hour's on the bike on a day there is rarely a time when we do not stop every hour or so for other reasons [small island] so some modifications for me as the driver to handle stop and go traffic better would not be an issue. Really just want the wife to be happy.

I'm ordering all vinyl, Graphite color, basket weave with half moon stitching. Driver, passenger and passenger backrest to be recovered.

My questions are;
1 - looking at the RDL site there are several pic's of Vulcan's and I can't tell exactly what the finished product will look like. In some pic's it looks like there is a middle section on the drivers seat forming the back of the seat. You can see it clearly on fammdw's photo's of his 1700. I know it's still all one piece. I'm wondering if the 1600 seat has this same look?

2 - The Graphite color- I am thinking it will go well with the Titanium Silver on my bike and not be as "black" as the all black vinyl looks. Any comments on this?

3 - The basket weave pattern - can't decide on this. Anyone with a RDL seat that went with the basket weave please post a pic. I know fammdw's first photo shows it and that's why I'm thinking about it but would like to see it on the Nomad seat if possible. Hoping it will help with the Monkey Butt on vinyl issue.

4 - A lot of folks comment on the wings and how it affects the ability to flat foot when stopped. Some say it's an issue, some say you get use to it. Currently, with the stock seat, I can flat foot and still have a slight bend in my knees. I can straddle the bike and stand up with about an inch of clearance from the seat. Any comments on if I will still be able to flat foot the bike with the RDL? Should I request a modification to the wings to make them a little shorter?

5 - The wife sits very high on the passenger seat. She's a full head above me and complains about the wind buffeting. Anybody have any experience with RDL trying to lower the passenger seat while still maintaining the comfort? Remember the passenger seat comfort is the main issue here!

Thanks all for your time and replies and lets see some photo's from folks that have gotten their seats back!

[fammdw]

Just looked at the color charts on the RDL site. Looks like the graphite color you are looking at is quite a bit darker than the grey on the picture of the guy's Classic.

It might look good to go two-tone with the black and graphite. Definitely be different anyway... Instantly recognized as a custom seat.

[jandreu]

Thanks for the info Mike, looked at the link but did not see a photo of a Classic other than the avatar on the last post. Too small to see.

You make a point about the basket weave, that's why I was hoping someone else might have gotten it on their Nomad and could post a pic. I know a couple guys asked about it.

So still wondering about the look of the finished seat.

[jandreu]

Just went back and looked at the link again, I see the bike now and I must say that's an ugly seat. That's a much lighter shade of grey and it's one piece.

I realy need to see someones Nomad completed seat.....