• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Custom Seats

R1100RT

R1100 RT
I am looking at puchasing a custom seat for a 98 R1100RT. I would like your opinions or references on Bill Mayer Saddles.
 
custom saddle

I have had stock, Corbin, Rick Mayer and Sargent saddles and by far and away the Sargent saddles are the best I have had. I do know that Bill Mayer saddles are somewhat different than his brother Ricks but haven't tried one so can't comment on his saddles. Its really personal preference.
 
Check under the Tech forum, then uncer oil heads. There has been a recent discussion on this topic. You'll find good info and several opinions on Rick Mayer, Bill Mayer, and Sargent.
 
rick mayer seats

I've owned or tried most of the popular brands cited above; by far I prefer the Rick Mayer seat; also, I great guy to schmooze with as I did in Lima, last year..wj
 
The seat is very dependent on the rider. If you are stock size I think either Mayer, Sargent,Russell or Corbin are okay, though the Corbin would be my last choice. If you are plus sized the Russell is the best, IMHO. I have a Sargent, Russell and a Corbin. My sons have had Mayers and theyare all pretty similar( different personalities though). But much like everything else in life, comfort, like beauty, is in the seat of the beholder.
 
I'm very pleased with my Rocky (Bill Mayer) saddle for sure. I also highly recommend those Beaded covers

They look kind of dumb and uncomfortable, but in reality they're just great especially on days over 600 miles.
 
I just did (like stopped thirty minutes ago) 600 miles on a Corbin and there is a reason I stopped. Admittedly it was on my VFR, but when I get back home I am ordering a Sargent to match the RT seat.
 
Newstar said:
Check under the Tech forum, then uncer oil heads. There has been a recent discussion on this topic. You'll find good info and several opinions on Rick Mayer, Bill Mayer, and Sargent.

Thanks for the re-direction. Good information, will assist in my purchase decison.
 
I ride an Airhead RS with stock solo seat.

Recently for a friend I rode an R1100RT with Sargeant seat from Washington back to New Mexico.

Everthing hurt exactly the same on the RT as it did on the RS.

It's the rider, not the seat.

Experience shows that if you ride for a week, by the second or third day you've adapted.

Kind of like when you paint your house--after the second or third day your muscles have adapted to this new activity.

Lots of low-mileage bikes out there with custom seats, barbacks, etc., etc.
 
lkchris said:
It's the rider, not the seat.
It may well be the rider in some cases, but I can tell you that it's the seat in many instances as well.

I rode my R65 for a couple years with the stock seat. I rode it a lot more once I changed it for a Mayer Day-Long saddle (the precursor to the Russell seats).

On my R80, I never changed the stock seat. It worked great for me, for over 90k miles. Similarly, I've put 24k miles on my R90S -- really, I'm trying not to pile up the miles on this bike! -- and feel no need at all for a new seat.

My R11RS and my R1150RS both got Rick Mayer seats soon after I purchased them. The stockers were definitely incompatible with my backside. In the meantime, I've put more that a quarter million miles on them.

I test rode an R80G/S for an out of town friend who ended up buying it. After a 15 minute ride, I knew I could never live with that seat, either.

The difference, for me, is that the seats I've kept were firm, flat and broad. The ones I've ditched were narrow and/or squishy.
 
I used to have a 99RT and came to the following conclusions:
1. Stock seat is too hard (how can one seat fit all the different people)
2. Sargent seat is too simular to the Corbin and to the stock seat.... it is still a "mass" production deal
3. The specialty seats like Mayer and Russell are the way to go... custom to you... I mounted a Russell and it was by far the best seat I ever had on a bike, but it was also specially made for me... Get ready to spend the money and get a Russell and you will not regret it....
 
seat

Just returned from a 3 day 1800 mile trip on my new Rick Meyer seat. Could'n be happier. The stock seat on my 1200 RT is awful, the new seat just makes you want to keep going.
 
Thanks for your comments. I believe I will be contacting Rick in November and will get ready for a comfortable riding year next spring.
 
77445

I was glad to hear you liked the Sargent. I just ordered one. Tried Bill Mayer but it wasn't any more comfortable for me than the Corbin I have so I sold it. Looking back I wish I had jacked up the front end of the BM. My complaint was that it just had me sitting too much on my crotch and not on my butt.
But after a long trip I have to agree with my wife. The Corbin is just TOO HArd!!!! I had problems with cutting off the circulation to my legs.
 
I had a Rick Mayer seat on my R1100RT and loved it. I got one for my R1200RT and thought it was pretty mediocre. I've sent it back to Rick for adjustment, and I'm hoping... I'll let you know.

One item, though. Rick is three for three with me in terms of promising delivery much earlier than eventually happens. On my R1100RT, I ordered in September, was promised November, then December, delivery. I ultimately got the seat late in February.

For the R1200RT, I ordered in January, was promised delivery in March, then April and received it in May. I returned it after 6000 miles; was promised delivery by the end of August and it's scheduled to arrive September 11.

If my reworked seat is as good as the R1100RT seat (Rick cautions that it may not--he doesn't like the R1200RT seat pan), it'll have been worth waiting for. I sure wish Rick would be more straightforward about delivery dates, though. It's a real irritant.
 
BMW makes wonderful motorcycles. However, except for the K1200LT, its stock seats are not comfortable and haven't been for a long time. I have replaced the stock seats on every BMW motorcycle I have owned starting with a new 1976 R90/6. Every one.

I have tried lots of different aftermarket saddles. My current favorites are those by Rick Mayer. Here they are on my R1200RT (left) and my R1150RT (right). <i>Click on a photo to go to Rick's website.</i>

<a href=http://www.homestead.com/prosites-rmcycle/index.html><img border=1 src=http://bmwdean.home.att.net/rt-saddle.jpg></a> <a href=http://www.homestead.com/prosites-rmcycle/index.html><img border=1 height=250 src=http://bmwmotorcycle.home.att.net/mayertop.jpg></a>
 
In other forums I have heard some pretty bad stuff about rick mayer seats. Enough where I think Russel's are the way to go.
 
I have been very happy with the Sargent on my GS, which I have now had for 3 years. Would buy from them again......
 
emperkin said:
don't know if the link will work, but here is what some fellow BMW riders had to say about Rick Mayer seats

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61912&highlight=rick+mayer
The advrider guys obviously haven't watched Rick Mayer make a seat. I have, twice, and have well over a quarter million miles on his seats.

He uses the stock seat foam as a base, but cuts it off square with the pan. Then he glues blocks of different density foams in place to build up the seat with the properties he wants. He sculpts the final seat form from these blocks. His experience as a nurse has led him to choose some foams used for wheelchairs. It is truely a handmade, custom seat, built just for the purchaser.
 
Back
Top