• 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?

Who has an aftermarket seat? 2013 R1200RT

Do you have/use an aftermarket seat?

  • NO: I'm using the stock seat

    Votes: 37 27.8%
  • YES: I have an aftermarket seat

    Votes: 96 72.2%

  • Total voters
    133
Every butt is different. I can last about an hour on beads. I hated the Airhawk so much I sent it back for a refund.

Had a Corbin on my Ultra Limited, and it was nothing short of amazing for all-day rides. Had a Sargent on my RT, and it was an improvement over stock, but still got painful after 5 hours or so. I got a Touratech/Kahedo "High" seat for the Adventure and haven't looked back. I've Iron Butted with it a couple of times, and can't complain about it at all (though it's not as comfortable as the Ultra/Corbin combination). A Russell might be ultimately more comfortable over the long haul, but they look ridiculous on GS/As, and they severely limit how you move around on the bike in off-road or aggressive riding situations.
 
+1 on the Russell. I've had Corbins and a Rick Mayer. Not bad but not great. The Russell is a huge upgrade, IMO. Dramatically reduced pressure points and monkey-butt. Much better support for the butt and thighs. Depending on your inseam and seat height, the Russell might make the ground 'further' away - sweep of the thigh support area means your legs are a little bit higher.

Best endorsement: my wife and I did Boston to Skyline Drive in one day, in 90+ heat and late-summer humidity. We were hot and tired and ready for a shower, but neither of us spent the day twitching in the saddle, trying to alleviate the monkey-butt.
 
Randy,

Per: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?46055 - I've added year/model to your thread title. As you may know - seats for other models aren't generally interchangeable on BMWs - at least on Hexheads. GS seat won't fit. ST seat won't fit. R seat won't fit. It may help you get some more specific info having this info in the thread title. Might even be someone near you - if you've put that info in your sig - who might let you try out their custom/aftermarket seat.
 
Randy

After you've tried the beads - and if they didn't work for you (on my bikes they turned several large areas of pain into thousands of small areas of pain.. net gain - nil) you may want to try one of the air-cushions.

I've had RDL on 3 bikes, BMW "Comfort" seats on two, and Sargent on two. None of them were all day seats for me. Some were an improvement over stock seats, but not "the answer" - one memorable one was simply awful.

I've since taken to riding with a Freedom-Air cushion (AirHawk is another popular brand.) These allow me to ride all day without crippling pain. Some people don't find them effect or like the feel.. I suspect because they've over-inflated them. When they are inflated correctly, your butt pointy parts should just touch the actual seat. The air will support the rest of your butt, taking most of your weight off the painful bits. Less air also remove any floating feeling. This also minimizes any height increase the cushion causes.

The manufacturers tell you this - but they really should put a warning in 48 point lettering, on a sticker on the cushion. It should say:
"Let some air out dummy if it isn't comfortable"..

Works well for me - cost is WAY less then a custom seat, it is transferable from bike to bike, has good resale value if you don't like it. Mine is a Freedom-Air sport-bike one. They make several sizes as does Airhawk. I found smaller works better for me (I have a smallish bony butt.) I like the Freedom-Air since it has a cutout for the "boys" and has two chambers separated down the length of the cushion, this eliminates any side-to-side air transfer (something I found disconcerting about the AirHawk.) I'm going on 85k+ miles with it now and on the 2nd bike, and can't see riding without it.

YMMV - and probably will.
 
Before investing big bucks in a custom seat (the popular brands will all improve comfort whichever you end up with), I'd highly recommend trying a set of beads from Beadrider http://www.beadrider.com/ . The Iron Butt camp has reached the same conclusion. Think about what what might hurt the most while riding a 1,000 miles. The topic of an uncomfortable butt will never be an issue when riding with beads.

+1 great product!
 
Seat Poll

I have a Russel Day Long and I had one on my last bike a 1150 GS..Can now drive as long as I want on the new seat.
 
on my 2010 RT I started with a Bill Mayer with a Bak Up backrest, but have settled on a Corbin with backrest. Very satisfied, now.

SW
 
Being a poor man & running stock seats on both my BMW`s , i have a question to the O P . When you ride , what kind of riding gear do you use ? The reason i ask , is if you ride with jeans with rear pockets, you are going to get butt pain after awhile. I found that using under armer with riding pants , i can ride alot longer that way than with jeans on. During the chilly month`s i wear the under armer with athletic sweats under my over pants & have less pain for a distance.

Just a thought :scratch
 
Being a poor man & running stock seats on both my BMW`s , i have a question to the O P . When you ride , what kind of riding gear do you use ? The reason i ask , is if you ride with jeans with rear pockets, you are going to get butt pain after awhile. I found that using under armer with riding pants , i can ride alot longer that way than with jeans on. During the chilly month`s i wear the under armer with athletic sweats under my over pants & have less pain for a distance.

I do indeed notice a difference in discomfort with the stock seat when wearing just jeans versus my Aerostitch so that's a good thought. Still, I'd hate to have to always change underwear just to do riding, the stock seat simply shouldn't be that uncomfortable. I'm still waiting for the Sargent I have on order and have my fingers crossed. I've had a Sargent before and remember that I was quite pleased with it.
 
good morning, I rode my 2005 R 1200 GS to Rick Mayer's in Nor Cal. my stock seat was unrideable, after Rick worked it over, I have over 81,000 smiling miles. I would highly recommend a visit. however the very best thing I ever put on my bike was a Beadrider seat cover.
 
I'm using the factory low comfort seat and very happy with it. Actually I was satisfied with the stock seat but the comfort seat seems more comfortable, especially with two-up. There's good deals on these seats on eBay.

It's amazing how many different opinions there are on things like seats, oil and tires, to name a few.
 
Sargent Low seat

A seat thread is like an oil thread. Everyone has there opinions. I being a vertical challenge, or inseam intolerant rider I decided to go with a Sargent low seat since I had great results on my G650GS, Boy, two different animals. The Sargent seat being wider in the seat and the sharp piping edges caused so much discomfort on the inside of my thighs while sitting in stop and go traffic my legs actually went to sleep.I actually felt that I had less leg reach then I had with the stock seat.I returned my seat and am waiting on my partial refund less return shipping !!!
 
russell day long, leather seating surface. personally i found a used corbin to get me by til i could get the russell made since it requires the stock seat. the corbin was an improvement but.....well.....
 
after market seats 2012 R1200RT

I was going to get a after market seat. The dealer told me to put some miles on the bike before I make that decision. I have over 8000 on it now. I have had no problems with it.
 
Back
Top