[AZbeemer]

Just bought a new 2012 RT last week and love the bike. Super ride, great handling and I was amazed to see how BMW had improved the bike from my previous boxer. I have one complaint and it's not directed at BMW, although I would have liked them to be the exeption....and that's the seat.

I've owned, Hondas, Suzuki's, Yamaha's and two BMW's and it doesn't seem to matter if you pay $5K or $20K for a bike, the stock seat just suck. I have about 400 miles on the new RT and after about 50 miles my butt just needs to get off the seat. I don't want to spend $500-700 on a Wunderbar, Zuffenmeister or any other aftermarket seat with dual foam etc.. Motorcycle manufacturers spend $$$ on dual cams, larger, lighter valves and triolever, quad shock suspension systems so why can't they spend a few bucks on some decent foam and design a fairly comfy seat.

I realize not everyone's bum is the same but I'm only 5'7" and 170lbs, it isn't rocket science to a decent seat on a luxury touring bike.

 

[GUNTER1100]

All the wonderful mechanical marvels that are in the engine, rear drive, transmission, suspension, electrical etc. will work the same for every owner. Doesn't matter if you are 5'4" & 135 lbs or 6'10" & 300lbs+ they will do the same job. A bit harder to build a seat that will fit everyone. I agree they could use higher quality materials, but they are driven by the bottom line, no pun intended.

 

[beech]

You are not alone. Many people suffer on the stock seat. Feels good in the show room but on the road for awhile and ouch. I found it too soft and used a Touratech for a replacement as I like a firm seat. It is 1/2" wider and kind of cupped but not much. No problems after that. Others like Sargent which are beautiful and there are others. It is an expensive search if not careful. There are threads on this list with plenty of seat talk.

 

[tsperez]

I tried... really tried to like the stock seat on my 2010 RT. After all it is an expensive bike and I also got the heated seats option. But my prior two bikes had Corbin seats.

Long story short, at the 15,000 mile mark I happened upon an almost new Corbin seat on one of the forums. I bought it. I like them. Besides, I like the Corbin Smuggler trunk.

tsp
Blog: www.swriding.blogspot.com

 

[89h98h98h98u8789]

I have a 2011 RT and bought a Russell Day Long back in December/January. This is the 4th Day Long, and have also used a Bill Mayer saddle. By far the Russell is the most comfortable seat, and mine has a back rest that saves my back. Highly recommend them, and love the half moon stitch pattern. Best, Bob

 

[hopz]

This topic has been debated and re-run hundreds of time... but of course you would not know this.

The bottom-line, every time is this. You have basically 3 choices.

1. Buy a seat from the well-known aftermarket vendor- those with the high -priced spreads... Argent, Russell, Corbin. Not everyone is happy with them. Many buy and sell till they either give-up or find happiness.

2. Keep the stock seat and learn how to sit on it... and/or re-train your musculature to fit.

3. Modify your current seat using the skills of a local seat builder at about 1/3 the cost of option 1. This gives you control of the design, and the ability to communicate to the builder exactly what you want/don't want.

These are my seats... built on the OEM seat Pan. Both retain the heat options, both have at least three different foam densities in different places. The rider seat is narrower in the front, and I requested a "pocket" to keep me from shifting too much forward and causing discomfort in the private area. I am 5'6" 150 lbs. I like it a lot. Every town of at least medium size will have at least one seat builder who knows how to do this work.

To find them, go to the local custom Harley shop and ask around. When you get a lead on him, go see him and talk about it. Mention the phrase "different foam densities" and if he does not know what you are talking about- you have the wrong guy.

As I said, the cost will be about one-third the big guys, plus you will always get the ability to try it for a week or two after he has done the job and then have the final "fitting" (changes) to get it right. Plus it will take about one-half the time.

Your choice. Good luck.

 

[ka5ysy]

I put a Kontour seat and Bakup backrest with the Kontour mesh material on mine. Best setup I have ever used . The workmanship on these seats is beautiful and does not detract in any way from the bike. The seat remains comfortable for many hours and the gel adjusts to position as you move. The mesh overlay gives great cooling, works with the seat heaters, wife is happy too. Well worth the money. :dance:

 

[AZbeemer]

Thanks for all the great advice. I went through a similar situation with my FJR and finally broke down and bought the "comfort" seat which was a slight improvement. Still needed to get off at 200 miles but since I had to fuel up it wasn't a problem. I'll check out the other threads on this site about seats.

Other than the seat I'm really impressed with the newest RT engine and suspension, really nice. Well done, BMW.

 

[ken6217]

I'll tell you something more ridiculous than the seat issue (as all people's butt and positioning are different), it's windshields.

It is true that people have different heights, but there should be NO reason why they can't make a good freakin windshield. Even if the height is not correct, the rest of the windshield (width, shape, etc) is not rocket science. How come Z technic, Cee Bailey, etc can get it right?

Ken

 

[JimE]

?.. the rest of the windshield (width, shape, etc) is not rocket science...

Actually it is...or at least aero science. There are a lot of factors involved...height of rider, shape of helmet, length of torso, posture on the bike, passenger or not, trunk or not, looking over the shield or through it. Look at all of the different screen makers, and their different approaches to the problem: flips, vents, bubbles, etc. I know many riders who go through several of them before they find one that works for them.

Read the "about us" pages for most of the vendors, and they will tell you about their aerospace backgrounds or other credentials. It's very complex.

 

[ken6217]

I did not explain it correctly. What I meant is that there are after market companies making windshields. If BMW is not going to take the time to figure out an effective windshield, then go team up with some of the companies that I mentioned and contract them to do it for them.

Obviously, what they putting out on the new bikes are not effective at all.
Ken

 

[twkBMW]

This topic has been debated and re-run hundreds of time... but of course you would not know this.

The bottom-line, every time is this. You have basically 3 choices.

1. Buy a seat from the well-known aftermarket vendor- those with the high -priced spreads... Argent, Russell, Corbin. Not everyone is happy with them. Many buy and sell till they either give-up or find happiness.

2. Keep the stock seat and learn how to sit on it... and/or re-train your musculature to fit.

3. Modify your current seat using the skills of a local seat builder at about 1/3 the cost of option 1. This gives you control of the design, and the ability to communicate to the builder exactly what you want/don't want.

These are my seats... built on the OEM seat Pan. Both retain the heat options, both have at least three different foam densities in different places. The rider seat is narrower in the front, and I requested a "pocket" to keep me from shifting too much forward and causing discomfort in the private area. I am 5'6" 150 lbs. I like it a lot. Every town of at least medium size will have at least one seat builder who knows how to do this work.

To find them, go to the local custom Harley shop and ask around. When you get a lead on him, go see him and talk about it. Mention the phrase "different foam densities" and if he does not know what you are talking about- you have the wrong guy.

As I said, the cost will be about one-third the big guys, plus you will always get the ability to try it for a week or two after he has done the job and then have the final "fitting" (changes) to get it right. Plus it will take about one-half the time.

Your choice. Good luck.

Hopz,

You are nto that far from me. Who did you use to do your work?

Feel free to PM me.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[L_Rudy]

Has anyone tried or had any info or experience with a Cee Bailey seat?

 

[Ponch]

Considering that a custom seat is made for the specific rider and doesn't const any more than some off the shelf seats like sergeant or corbin, I am surprised more people don't go with a custom seat. When I rode cruisers I tried a mustang seat on two different bikes. The last one was a total waste of money, no matter how other riders raved about them. It wasn't much better than stock and I was out $400. My problem is that I am a big guy with insufficient padding. My tailbone hurts after awhile as well as the pelvic bones on the bottom. I've gone 250 miles straight on the RT with a stock seat, whereas my Nomad had me climbing the walls after 70-90 miles with the mustang. The difference is that I can shift around and lift off the seat more easily on the RT.

After putting on 4200 miles in 9 days, 8 of riding last summer, I don't think I will do that again with the the stock seat. It learned me.

 

[BrianV]

+1 on Hopz' approach.

And, since you are in Arizona, you may seriously want to include calling Ron Miller at Kontour in Tucson (pix by Doug above - I don't have the backrest). They are not only a sponsor on this board, but Ron really knows how to make a comfortable seat - especially for hot weather. I've had my Kontour for over 2 years, and wouldn't swap it for all the "tractor seats" on the planet.

Kontour Seats

It's all personal preference, but you need to think about good padding AND cooling in hot southern states like Texas, AZ, FL, SoCal, etc.

-Brian

 

[Ponch]

I'll check them out. I'm moving to AZ, so at least they will be in the same state as I am.

 

[lkchris]

I've owned, Hondas, Suzuki's, Yamaha's and two BMW's and it doesn't seem to matter if you pay $5K or $20K for a bike, the stock seat just suck.

This means it's you and not the seat.

I've gotten along fine with every stock BMW seat I've had, and that's just me, too.

And no matter if I'm sitting straight up/down or leaning in on a sportbike, my hands get sore. Again, it's me, not the bike.

And, only BMW windshield I ever changed was on R100RS--needed a couple inches so I could see under to see clock, i.e., I'm tall, and again it was me and not the windshield.

Of course 1st step to getting the windshield you want is to wear earplugs. It could be said "its' me" if the noise doesn't bother you, but that doesn't mean hearing isn't being damaged by not using earplugs.

The real conundrum to me is how it could be possible that a seat that limits occasionally changing positions could be called comfortable. I'm for sure never going to try it. Wanting to sit for a while on left cheek then for a while on right doesn't equate to bad seat to me.

 

[2wheeljunkie]

I have a 2011 RT and bought a Russell Day Long back in December/January. This is the 4th Day Long, and have also used a Bill Mayer saddle. By far the Russell is the most comfortable seat, and mine has a back rest that saves my back. Highly recommend them, and love the half moon stitch pattern. Best, Bob

If I thought that I could live with the extra height that this seat gives, I would have it in a heart beat. I just don't know if I can deal with the extra height that this seat ends up with. I thought about getting 1/2 " xtra sole put on my boots, that may be the answer. Just difficult to decide on the costs involved in buying this seat without ever having sat on one. I can do 200 miles on the stock seat without wanting to get off, but the last part of those miles aren't as pleasant as they should be, and I know a Russell would solve that. I have also debated off and on getting Ron Miller's seat, but just not sure I like the look of it.

 

[ka5ysy]

I'll check them out. I'm moving to AZ, so at least they will be in the same state as I am.

Ponch... Ron at Kontour makes a specific design seat for big guys that sounds like what you need.

 

[ka5ysy]

I did not explain it correctly. What I meant is that there are after market companies making windshields. If BMW is not going to take the time to figure out an effective windshield, then go team up with some of the companies that I mentioned and contract them to do it for them.

Obviously, what they putting out on the new bikes are not effective at all.
Ken

Actually, I did not really find the stock RT screen on the 2011 as bad as the earlier designs without the wings. Still a bit of buffet, and the screen had to run way up to kill the buffeting, but ok other than looking through the screen too much.

Since I ran with a CalSci screen on my R1200R for 25,000 miles, I ordered the standard height RT version and love it too. With the screen fully down, nice smooth airflow with very little buffet, and great for hot temperature riding. Bumping up the screen about half an inch gives me totally clear air and I am looking about a quarter inch over the screen middle. In case of rain, running the screen fully up makes a nice quiet, dry ride. Nice additional benefit is that the radio is easily heard at all legal speeds, and some not so..

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