R1200rt Seat Height

[Kaybee40]

The "standard" seat on my new (June 2007) 1200 is about an inch higher than the published specification. BMW UK have so far not replied to my letters apart from suggesting that the problem should be referred to my dealer. My dealer says he has no way of reducing the height. With my short legs the extra inch is critical but the "low" seat option, if supplied to the published specification, would be too low. Many of the replacement seat suppliers indicate that the overall seat height will not be lowered and it may be wider than OEM which will not help. But then my current seat may be over stuffed with a foam thickness estimated at about four inches. So I am considering a replacement rear suspension unit, about an inch shorter than the OEM. This might also produce a better ride by reducing the "wallowing" I experienced over the country roads in Scotland during the Scottish Rally.

Experiences of other riders would be welcome, particularly in the choice of rear suspension supplier.

Keith
Cheshire
UK

[yqc99]

Hi Keith
Im about 5ft 9 and have just bought a 07 RT, I got the low seat option
but after a while Iv put it on the high setting now, I still tippy toe a bit
but find the riding position better ....

Now hears the strange thing,, I live in Heswall on the main Pen's Rd
small world hey... must bump in to one another sooner or later
let us Know if you want to R/V

whats even stranger is Im Keith to :confused:

mrkc@btinternet.com

[motoguy128]

Have the BMW dealer swap it out for the short seat. Also make sure the ESA or manaul preload is set correctly for the load. Your dealer should help you wiht this as well.

If all else fails, aftermarket shocks can be purchased ot lower the bike. You'll give up some ground clearance for cornering, but imrpove hte hanlding due ot the better quality shocks. You will need to have the side stand and center stand shortened as well.

Try to low seat first. You should not have to pay for it if your seat is in new condition. A good dealer, seeing your short inseam, should have offrered to swap it out. Unfortuantely many dealers care more about money than good customer service.

[Kaybee40]

Yes - small world. We are on Liverpool Road near The Grange Country Club. Just returned from 1000 mile tour in Scotland and managed to survive with the "standard" seat in "low" position. I understand that the low seat option is achieved by reducing the thickness of padding - my standard seat has 100mm padding. Bit p****d off with BMW selling me a motorcycle which is not to their own specification. For £11,000 I expect better. Not too pleased with BMW direction all round - more "bling" than practical design.

[Kaybee40]

Thanks - hadn't thought about effect on side and centre stand. Not sure that the limitation in lean angle will bother me too much. Not too pleased with BMW at the moment - £11,000 ($22,000) for a bike which isn't to their own published specification. BMW, with horizontally opposed cylinders, realy doesn't need to have such a tall bike. Will probably try low seat or have my standard seat modified. Apparently the low seat option is achieved with a lower thickness of padding.

[yqc99]

Hi Keith
I think I know where you mean,,, you could always try my
low seat see how you got on..
I understand what you say about being disappointed with BMW
dealers are you with southport SS ?
Drop us an e-mail if you want to try my seat

Keith....

[RonKMiller]

The "standard" seat on my new (June 2007) 1200 is about an inch higher than the published specification. BMW UK have so far not replied to my letters apart from suggesting that the problem should be referred to my dealer. My dealer says he has no way of reducing the height. With my short legs the extra inch is critical but the "low" seat option, if supplied to the published specification, would be too low. Many of the replacement seat suppliers indicate that the overall seat height will not be lowered and it may be wider than OEM which will not help. But then my current seat may be over stuffed with a foam thickness estimated at about four inches. So I am considering a replacement rear suspension unit, about an inch shorter than the OEM. This might also produce a better ride by reducing the "wallowing" I experienced over the country roads in Scotland during the Scottish Rally.

Experiences of other riders would be welcome, particularly in the choice of rear suspension supplier.

Keith
Cheshire
UK

We can make a seat exactly the way you want it... and I think you'll find our military specification visco elastic foam (versus the dirt cheap commodity polyurethane foam in your stock seat) will allow for a HUGE improvement in ride quality and comfort. ;)

[donkes]

I lowered my bike an inch and love it. Did it w after market shocks and not a single problem.

[ridesmith]

Anyone have a KonTour seat on their RT and care to comment on it? Never heard of them before.

[Gizmo]

Are you running your seat on the high or low setting on the bike?

Since you have the standard seat, you can take it to an upholsterer and get it trimmed. My guess is that if you ask around, there is a shop in your area that regularly does this type of thing. They can substitute gel for foam, different density foam, shave the edges to give you more direct contact with the ground, etc.

My low seat is the same seat as my husband's standard, but with fewer inches of foam, and I believe different density foam.

[Kaybee40]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did try to simulate the effect of reducing the rear suspension unit. It didn't make much difference to the side stand operation but placing a 1 inch board under the centre stand made it very difficult to raise the bike onto the stand. However I guess taking an inch off the rear suspension probably only lowers the centre stand mounting point by about half an inch. That to be tried when I find a suitable board.
Still annoyed that BMW publish a specification which is significantly wrong. BMW keep replying to my questions but each time with a different manager. We are now at the position where the dealer will measure the seat height. Being a chartered professional engineer seems to hold no sway with them.

[Tom_K]

Still annoyed that BMW publish a specification which is significantly wrong.

My 2006RT manual states: "Details ... in this booklet may differ from the motorcycle's actual specification as purchased."

One such detail is the wet weight of 620~630 pounds measured by U.S. motorcycle magazines. Even allowing for a 30 lb. difference when removing the panniers, it's a far cry from BMW's claim of 571 lbs. Or the spec of a 1.1 gallon fuel reserve when most of us report nearly 2.5 gallons according to the BC.

Do these inconsistencies seriously detract from the enjoyment of the motorcycle?
Tom

[axamax]

I had a test ride on the 1200RT when they were launched. I was very impressed with it in general. BUT the dealer put the low seat on it for me for the test ride. It was bad enough to obscure all the good points of the bike. How BMW can legally sell that as a seat for a touring bike I'll never know.
My1150RT had the low seat, which was ok for up to 100 miles (not good enough). I then ordered a Rick Mayer seat, best money I spent on a bike. It did however raise the seat height over that of the low seat slightly.


You may find that once the bike is run in (15,000-20,000 miles) the suspension will settle enough to make the difference.

[switz]

I put Ohlin shocks on before delivery and the ride has been great from the get go without ESA. I coupled that with a Rick Mayer seat modification for the low seat and I am a happy camper.

As my feet are far from flat footed, I plan all parking exercises to finish with the bike aimed up hill as I lack the traction and leg strength to back pedal up hill. In that respect, I miss the reverse gear that is on my GoldWing!

YMMV

[knight88]

I had the same issue, got a custom sargent seat with thinner sides (went down a inch) and boots with a thick sole(another inch gained). I can flat foot it now but found out being able to flat foot the bike is not all that important to riding which I thought it was. Looked at dropping the bike down with shocks but didn't want to lose any clearance, I already scrape my pegs on turns :D

[brianbeemer]

I'm still trying to figure out how to raise the seats on my bikes. With a Corbin seat in the highest setting on my 1100 I can stand up and have the bike rest between my legs easily. On my 1200 I am flat-footed both sides on the high setting - although for that bike I do have a Sargeant seat I have yet to fit and try. The problem with this is that my legs are too tightly bent for normal riding and get tired too quickly - you can tell it's me riding down the road as I sometimes have my legs stretched out on top of the cylinders!

My inseam is only 32", and add an inch for the boot thick soles, so how short are all you guys??????

[Aether]

My inseam is only 32", and add an inch for the boot thick soles, so how short are all you guys??????

I'm 5'9", but my inseam is 30". Low seat/lowest setting for me. However I do have the Suburban lowering pegs to reduce the stress on my knees from keeping them bent so much due to the lower seat height.

-A

[mcrider2]

New Member here,

I'm all of 5' 4.5" after I wake up first thing in the morning with a 27" inseam.

Do I have a problem reaching the ground - you bet. But I compensate in other ways.

I just recently had Rick Mayer modify my seat and I am extremely satisfied with what he did. But I will have to say it didn't do a whole lot for me being able to flat foot my RT.

I am intersted in lowering my bike but need more information on that subject. Such as cost, any adverse effects, and who do you order the parts from.

Rich

[amarider]

I believe A&S has lowered a RT and a GS, they might be a good place to get some information.
Also I beleive Ohlins have an option for lowered shocks at Minus 1 inch.