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Need a comfortable Passenger seat

Kutter

New member
Trying to get my wife to to loosen up & ride on my R1150RT. Her main complaint in the past (besides being scared of crashing) is that her butt gets sore. What are my options for a comfortable passenger seat? If I end up with a better seat in the deal that is OK but I think the stock seat is fairly comfortable anyway. I know the passenger seat is fairly minimal though and know that it will be a problem for her. I won't tolerate a 900 lb Gold Wing where I know she could have a plush seat with arm rests & drink holder. I'd like to make the journey out to Billings this summer from my home in PA and I would like her to join me. She agreed to make a shorter journey with me but I'd like to get the seat issue squared away in advance. Come on, someone has had to make progress in this area. HELP!
 
No help coming from me. For my K, I put a Corbin seat on it that certainly brings no discomfort to me while riding long days. She didn't like it. For the R1100RT, I bought a Russell Day Long seat, hoping that she'd find that to be more comfortable. Apparently not. :banghead

My wife also has a fear of crashing. Maybe the uncomfortable statement is really saying, they just can't overcome their fear of riding. :dunno

Good luck. :)
 
My Bride rides on a Corbin heated saddle. She says its quite comfy for her. We ride long days....up to twelve hours at times. The heat can make all the difference
 
I've got a Sargent on my 1100RT that seems pretty good. It came with the bike, but the previous owner, who took very good care of the bike, said it was a huge improvement over the stock one. Just a suggestion, but the lambswool covers look like they would be good. I sympathize with you. I have given some serious thought to getting a Wing, simply for the top of the line passenger comfort they would offer my wife. But as nice as they are, the 900+ pounds, plus a few things like non-removable luggage, a lot of gadgetry, etc always bring me back to the BMW. At heart, I often feel that BMWs, maybe most motorcycles (besides the Wing) are for the most part one person machines. Taking a passenger will, in many cases, unfortunately always be somewhat of a compromise for them.
 
RickMayor seat?

Anybody own a RickMayor custom seat? What do you think about it? Looks rather nice considering the costs of the aftermarket seats.
 
I've owned Sargents as well as a Rick Mayer and even a Corbin saddle and the only one I have ever found that is both very well made and ultra comfortable is a Russell Day Long. in fact i just today received the new Russell made for my '93 R1100RSL. Also, have a Russell on my '04 R1150RT. Absolutely the worst made saddle I have ever had the misfortune to own was the Corbin which was on my '81 R100RT. The Corbin I had was very heavy, hard like a rock and narrow. The Russell saddles are a bit more expensive than the others with the RSL saddle costing $685. Russell builds saddles on your seat pan and it can take several months before you can ride your bike (2 months for RSL) but it is well worth the wait. Oh, and your passenger will thank you.

Going for a ride tomorrow.:thumb
 
I would go with Corbin but need to save to drop 1100 bucks. I think I might get some good seats for less elsewhere.

The Corbin on my K100RT is great!

My R1100RT came with a Corbin which was too wide for my short inseam, and very, very hard. I would doubt that a pillion would find that Corbin to be an improvement over the stock seat.

Whatever you decide upon, keep checking the Flea Market, Craig's List, EBay etc. These seats often come up used at a decent price.
 
Before you lay out more than the price of a leather sofa for a motorcycle seat give the Airhawk seat cushions a try. I have had many custom seats over the years and none of them were really that great. It is not the seats that are the issue, it is my anatomy. I cannot sit anywhere for very long without getting uncomfy. My Airhawk R has been a butt saver. It took us a few rides to get them just right, but we can go from fill up to fill up if need be. Neither wifey or me would part with them.
 
Before you lay out more than the price of a leather sofa for a motorcycle seat give the Airhawk seat cushions a try. I have had many custom seats over the years and none of them were really that great. It is not the seats that are the issue, it is my anatomy. I cannot sit anywhere for very long without getting uncomfy. My Airhawk R has been a butt saver. It took us a few rides to get them just right, but we can go from fill up to fill up if need be. Neither wifey or me would part with them.

Yea, I have an air hawk on my Honda CBR-250RA ; it helps. I'm getting to think s Russell day Long saddle would be my best bet for a nice comfy seat for my wife & I.
 
Ordered my RDL saddle

Sent them my order. 3 pay checks this month gives me the extra I need for the dual saddles they will build on my pans. They will inform me of a production date and I'll need to send my seats to them by that date. Should be sometime in Feb. a month or 2 or 3 before winter is over.
 
What color and style did you choose? This should definitely solve her complaint about a sore butt. Not sure if it helps much with her fear of crashing though but maybe she will be so comfortable she won't think about that as much! I suggest you get the rain cover too. I like using it to protect my investment from the elements.
 
What color and style did you choose? This should definitely solve her complaint about a sore butt. Not sure if it helps much with her fear of crashing though but maybe she will be so comfortable she won't think about that as much! I suggest you get the rain cover too. I like using it to protect my investment from the elements.

I did an all black with leather inserts in rectangular pattern full height. I got the cover too. I'm debating whether or not to get the heat on just the passenger seat but I don't see her riding with me on anything but warm weather (& I don't like heat on my butt.)
 
One thing that I really like on my K's Corbin is that it is covered with vinyl. With the leather Russell, I always need to cover it at night to protect it from the dew. The Russell I like, but I am not a big fan of the large and loose fitting cover that they sold me.

A friend with a Sargent seat has Corbin covers for it. Both the rider's and passenger's seat each have their own snug cover. That's something that I will looking into this season for my Russell.
 
Like my DayLong

Have had three Russell DayLong saddles on various bikes. Have one ordered for my new-to-me R1100RT. Gives me gas stop to gas stop comfort. I went with the all vinyl as well so I didn't need to think about keeping it out of the weather. I did pick up a back-pack cover at a camping store (REI, Cabellas, Bass Pros) and it helps keep the morning dew off for less than $20.
 
Cover ordered, but...

Most of the time my R1150RT spends the night in my garage; no cover needed. When I travel, I'll need it when I'm camping or even at a motel I won't have a garage, but I will carry a cover for the whole bike. It is better to have a cover and not need it than to need it & not have it. I'm a good boy scout.
 
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