BMW Seat Technology

83014 said:

I'm sitting here watching a show on CNBC about the BMW car. The story just talked about the design of the seat. A Phd runs the program and has all sorts of diagnostic tools to make the perfect seat. Considering the stock BMW motorcycle seat, I appreciate the irony. It makes me wonder how BMW designs the seat. Are European backsides that different from US types?

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That's an excellent point.

Judging by the number of posts on this forum and others that talk about purchasing aftermarket seats something must be askew with BMW touring bike seats.

I often wonder how a corporation that makes such great auto seats doesnÔÇÖt make a quality motorcycle seat. With the exception of off-road bikes, I've owned a number of different makes and models of motorcycles and I have to say that BMW motorcycle seats rank at or near the bottom of the list, and this from a company that encourages long distance rewards. Back in the 80s and early 90s I had three Harleys that were taken on long distance trips and I never had to replace a seat on any of them.

Sure consumers want a bike that looks good, but looks mean nothing without function. A touring bike needs to be designed to tour.

My thought is that BMW is spending much of its time working on other issues they consider more important, and that if you have the money to buy a BMW you have the money to buy an after market seat.

E.

rickyD said:

The seat on my '06 RT has a rise at the front as do several other models. You've got to kind of shift yourself a little up against that rise. You may have to adjust the family jewels some. Then your weight on the seat is distributed over a larger area of your crotch. Once I discovered this it made a big difference in my ride comfort especially over long distances.

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This is my preferred position in the twisties. It is supportive up there, and makes you feel connected to the bike.

For the slab, I'm a bit further back. I will see how this works out for long rides soon. Who knows, I may find I don't like the seat either.

When I recently bought my K12S, I budgeted for a new seat with heat. However, after a nice four day ride, I found no complaints with the OEM seat and am going to keep it. The seat is great and seriously I can live without butt heat.

The R12GS/A seat is a reminder of how cruel Germans can be.

At 5'6" and a 30" inseam, I ride my GSA with the extra-low seat from the low-suspension R model. I actually have three BMW seats for my bike. The standard, the low model, and the extra low. I've never really ridden it with anything but the extra low. Can't touch the ground with the other two.

I've ridden over 800 miles/day on it and did not really have much of a problem. I do have a set of beads, but I have not put them on in ages. Having said that, I also have a 1977 Honda 750 automatic, still with the original seat. I have ridden that across the country.

Many people ask me how I can tolerate these stock seats, especially the BMW extra low seat. Don't know, but I may try an aftermarket seat some day just for kicks. But I'm in no hurry a most of my trips are less than 500 miles. And that is a piece of cake for me with the seats I have.

Maybe the reason is that I made it a rule back in the 80's, for me anyway, that every 100-150 miles I would stop, get off the bike and grab a drink so as not to become dehydrated. I have kidney issues and must keep lots of water flowing to keep stones from forming. So I really never have a long time in saddle at one time before taking a bit of a break.

The last two bikes I've had before '08RT were Honda ST1100 (sport tourer)and Honda VT1100T (cruiser). Both had uncomfortable seats for me.

I shaved about 1 1/2 inches off the foam seat and replaced it wit about and inch of memory foam and the seats were excellent for 700 mile days.

The stock low seat on the RT is pretty good for a 700 mile day but could be better . The only reason I haven't done the same rebuild is because It's a heated seat and I'm hesitant about tearing into it.

If anyone has experience with rebuilding the RT seat I'd love to have the info. Or if anyone has pics of the RT seat showing the exposed electrics it would help determine just what I'd be getting into

stkmkt1 said:

At 5'6" and a 30" inseam, I ride my GSA with the extra-low seat from the low-suspension R model...

Maybe the reason is that I made it a rule back in the 80's, for me anyway, that every 100-150 miles I would stop, get off the bike and grab a drink so as not to become dehydrated. I have kidney issues and must keep lots of water flowing to keep stones from forming. So I really never have a long time in saddle at one time before taking a bit of a break.

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It seems that a good deal of our problem hehe in th US is that we're a lot heavier nd BMW is building seats for more appropriately sized folks. I count myself in the "Riepe-esqe" range. Sigh

i put 60 miles on my original r1200r seat

the distance to get from the dealer to my house. got a corbin asap.

Seats

I've ridden Suzies, Honda, and Kawasaki bikes over the years and the seat is one of the most often complaints lodged in the forum's there also. So, it would appear that the seat is the one personal item that does not lend itself to one size fits all. Having said that, my new to me and first BMW (2001) k1200rs seat is by far the most comfortable stock seat to fit my German behind in the last 5 years of looking for the ultimate seat fit. I've used the Airhawk, Alaskan Bear cover, rabbit cover from Georgia and the Mustang seat brand, all with varying degrees of success, which is why I moved to the sport touring concept to try and get my weight off my tail bone..... Going on my first 1500 mile next week to West Virginia to visit the Hattfields and McCoy's historical sites so it will be my first test of 8 hour riding in a day.....

oldnslow said:

Face the facts men, seats from the manufacturer are designed for looks, not comfort. The seat is one of the most visible things on a bike.

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I also believe this is correct, which is too bad. Unfortunately they generally seem to be getting worse. But then a R1200R with a R90/6 seat just wouldn't look "dynamic" enough. I wouldn't care what the shape is if they would just make the seats flat and level. For standard, GS, and touring bikes I wish the seat designer was required to ride 3 consecutive 1,000 kilometer days on his design before final approval.

oldnslow said:

Face the facts men, seats from the manufacturer are designed for looks, not comfort. The seat is one of the most visible things on a bike. Can you imagine what the masses would say if the 1000rr came out with a DayLong with optional heavy side springs on it as standard equipment?! Comfort from a seat comes from a wide dish shape with a large area of support. ( I could mow all day on my Farmall SuperC with a METAL seat, but man was it wide and supportive!) Most custom seats are U-G-L-Y! but comfy!

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I am happily here to tell everyone that a really comfortable seat that looks great does in fact exist. My Kontour seat upgrade is great

My zwei pfennig:

This being my first Beemer, I suppose I falsely assumed that the RT was a comfortable touring/sport m/c. The RT is clearly more sport tour than tour sport.

I consider the RT's seat foam to be somewhat comfortable; what is ironic is that the RT's seat is so much softer than all of the German cars I've owned/own. I'd say that my assessment is valid considering I'm speaking of experience here. I've owned every make of every German car... The RT seat is soft! Perhaps too soft???

What gets me is how far forward the seat presses me into the gas tank. I did not expect this. When I test rode the bike I did not notice this, but when I rode my new RT home, it was apparent after about ten minutes or so, that my family jewels were pressing into the gas tank, and I had to adjust my seating position every five minutes.

Lastly, in my quest to find a better aftermarket seat, numerous internet threads mention that the BMW Comfort Seat presses you even further into the gas tank... What to do? Is it the seat frame/adjustment that needs adjusting??? I'll have to inspect this. Outside of this I absolutley love the bike. I just needed some time to wrap my head around the fact that this ain't no H-D touring bike, that I've ridden during the last ten years...

You want another ironic twist? I just traded in my '10 Street Glide for another car. American make/model this time, lol.

In the end, it had come to the point that everytime I went for a ride, I chose the Beemer over the Street Glide.

Cheers,

B

Noch-a-mal Zwo Pfennig

I have discovered a way to make my K1300S seat feel like a sofa allowing me to ride all day long. I consume Advil regularly throughout the ride! I usually can get 200 - 250 miles on the seat without pain relievers but after that I have to get off, stretch and let blood flow to relieve the pain -- though only temporarily.

I started popping Advil in anticipation of a tough day at the track just two weeks ago and then for the four hour ride home thereafter. No issues at any point -- even with BMW's stock seat (which isn't that great)! And it's much cheaper than a Sergeant or a Russell upgrade.

Kent

BenDiem said:

My zwei pfennig:

what is ironic is that the RT's seat is so much softer than all of the German cars I've owned/own. ...

...What gets me is how far forward the seat presses me into the gas tank. I did not expect this.

B

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Good observation regarding BMW's firm comfortable car seats vs their soft, sloped into the tank motorcycle seats. I know a lot of riders on GS's reduce the forward slope by setting the front of the seat in the high position and the rear in the low. It leaves a gap at the tank but it's at least a temporary remedy.

milo said:

I know a lot of riders on GS's reduce the forward slope by setting the front of the seat in the high position and the rear in the low. It leaves a gap at the tank but it's at least a temporary remedy.

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^^^ I'll certainly give that a try. Tks!

True short story

I rode for several months after acquiring the bike, and the stock seat was just fine. One day's ride was even 500 miles in 9 hours. My legs were tired but the seat was fine. Not great, but yes, good enough. Normal rides were easy.
Over the next year, the seat became unbearable. There was extreme pressure on my tailbone, and bumps were getting painful.

Then I tried a change: Over the year, I had collected a tire kit, tool kit, and an anonymous book under the pillion seat. The tire kit was sliding forward under the drivers seat. REMOVING THE TIRE KIT SOLVED THE PROBLEM.
My best explanation is that the seat pan is suspended at the front and back on the corners and is designed to flex. The cargo kept the seat from flexing and created a pressure point. It's much better now.

It's a longshot, but check to see that your sotck seat is clear underneath to flex downward!

It's all relative

After coming off H-D's for the last twenty years and making the switch to my used (but not used up) 2007 R1200RT I find the RT's stock seat to be just fine. The Harley stock seats are referred to as hundred mile seats and the first thing I always did with the Harley's was to toss the stock seat and replace it with a Mustang seat. I don't know, maybe the RT's previous owner broke the seat in for me.

This is the crux of the problem

rickyD said:

The seat on my '06 RT has a rise at the front as do several other models. You've got to kind of shift yourself a little up against that rise. You may have to adjust the family jewels some. Then your weight on the seat is distributed over a larger area of your crotch. Once I discovered this it made a big difference in my ride comfort especially over long distances.

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Shifting myself a little up against the rise and distributing the weight over a larger area of my crotch is the source of my discomfort. The seat would be okay if that steep rise was not in the way. Ka5ysy's Kontour seat looks like it got rid of most if the uncomfortable rise.

That Kontour seat is a great idea! But not cheap. If I were to be riding my 94 RS for another five years or more I'd invest in it.

But since I plan to upgrade to a R1200R in the next two years I am in the process of reworking the stock seat set on my RS. I built up the foam and shaped it into bucket seat shapes, using very high grade foam for consistent support. I really need ventilation on my seat to avoid "swamp shorts" (far worse than Monkey Butt), so i designed the seat with a center airflow slot. I'll have pics to post later this week.

I agree, a bead-seat is great for ventilation. It is the only device I have tried that works for me, although I never tried an Airhawk. Guess I just don't like the look and the "add-on" style.

Bead-Seat: effective, and I don't have to speak Pakistani. Good in the rain, real fun with a nylon rainsuit on top of the wood beads! Add on look is so-so.

Gel seat pads: too mushy/wobbly and freakin hot! Ok in the rain.

Sheepskin: nice and soft, but too freakin hot! Rain is a real problem.

Airhawk: probably not bad, allows for air flow (VITAL) but I wonder if it also has the uncertain/unconnected feel to it? Probably good in the rain too.

Leather: I doubt it would help, cause I need airflow under me! Aging issues. Sun/Rain is not good, expensive and ineffective for me, cause I still need airflow, and leather doesn't breathe enough.

Kontour seat: expensive but I have read its very effective. If I were to plan to keep my bike for another five years as my primary ride I'd pay the $700+.

So, being the typical cheapo BMW rider, and with a jones to build things, I attacked my stock seat and made my own design. I should have it on the bike Friday for a test ride. I mounted some 1.25" flex tube under the LH side panel/fuel tank (can't see it at all) with an intake duct at the leading edge of the fairing. The duct will end in the slot of the seat just under my butt. Forced air flow! Pics to follow soon.