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Quest for the perfect seat

Sam111

Sam111

John M.
We just returned from an 1800 mile trip and my wife and I were wondering if there's really a great seat for an R1100RT. Our bike came with both the stock and Corbin seats, both of which weren't very comfortable on our 68 year old butts. I bought a used Bill Mayer and we were still looking for a place to stop every 45 minutes or so. I've ridden BMW's since the 70's and don't want to consider buying a Goldwing.
I'd appreciate your suggestions.
John Messina
 
Sam111 said:
We just returned from an 1800 mile trip and my wife and I were wondering if there's really a great seat for an R1100RT. Our bike came with both the stock and Corbin seats, both of which weren't very comfortable on our 68 year old butts. I bought a used Bill Mayer and we were still looking for a place to stop every 45 minutes or so. I've ridden BMW's since the 70's and don't want to consider buying a Goldwing.
I'd appreciate your suggestions.
John Messina
Click to expand...


John,

I have used now two Sargent seats on BMW's and find those to be the most comfortable. I currently have one on my "04" R1150R . Butt comfort is fine.... I'm 67 and other things hurt :banghead.......
 
My Bride and I have a Corbin heated seat on our 1100RT and to make it more comfortable we use a sheepskin overlay on the seat. Warmer in the cold weather, cooler when it's hot outside. Oh. And my 61 year old butt loves it
 
mikegalbicka said:
Russell Day Long is as good as it gets IMHO.
Click to expand...

:thumb on this 69 year old butt sitting on my R1100RT :dance

Tried a Sargent, but we were just not a good match on the 1100. :dunno

The 1100 came with a Corbin but didn't seem as comfortable as I would like. With short legs, the wide Corbin made coming in for a landing, always iffy, although the narrow Corbin on my K100RT makes for perfect 800 mile days. What seat works on one bike for one rider does not necessarily work well on another bike or for another rider. We're all different. :D
 
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I also consider Russell to be the gold standard for comfort, but they aren't perfect. If you have a short inseam, reach to the ground can be problematic, and they aren't waterproof. I have a turnkey Sargent Sport saddle on my current Beemer, and have been very pleased with it for fourteen years. It's still as good as new.

Lawrence Carlson
2002 R1150R
2014 Moto Guzzi California 1400 Custom
 
I just put a Sargent seat on my 2016 RT.

BIG difference... very pleased. It's a little wider, so have to use balls of my feet at stops. It feels like it's an inch taller, but it's not. Keep that in mind if you are concerned about reaching the ground.
 
lawrencecarlson said:
I also consider Russell to be the gold standard for comfort, but they aren't perfect. If you have a short inseam, reach to the ground can be problematic, and they aren't waterproof. I have a turnkey Sargent Sport saddle on my current Beemer, and have been very pleased with it for fourteen years. It's still as good as new.

Lawrence Carlson
2002 R1150R
2014 Moto Guzzi California 1400 Custom
Click to expand...

With my Russell, and my 28" inseam, I do have to slide into the gas tank before coming to a stop, and then my feet can comfortably reach the ground. I need to have my leather Russell re-covered and it will be in vinyl. The Russell rain cover is not exactly well fitted. I always cover the leather Russell when it's parked outside overnight, not to mention pulling over to protect it when a storm appears. I've had the vinyl Corbin on the K for many years and it has yet to wear, and it never gets covered. Some say that vinyl is hotter than leather, but I've never had that problem.
 
I have Corbins on my 1986 R80RT and my 1970 Norton Commando and Sargent seats on my 2004 R1150RT and 2006 Ducati ST3s.

For my body (bottom and upper-inner thighs), the Sargent seats work very well.

Never tried a Russell Day Long, so can't comment on it specifically, except to say that from talking with many riders over the years, it appears that each of the aftermarket seats is an improvement over the stock seat for most riders but some are quite happy with the OE seat.

I appears that all f the seats, OE, Sargent, Russell, Mayer have somewhat unique fitment and I've found people who a Corbin is just right for but they don't like the others and visa versa. As, mentioned, Corbins are okay for me but nowhere near as comfortable as the Sargent seats I have. What I'm trying to say is that it appears one can't presume that because one seat is an absolute dream for their friend, that it will also be right or even comfortable for them.
 
For what it is worth, I too have a Sargent on my 1100RT. I like it. It seems very comfortable. I bought the bike used, and can't say how many miles the previous owner put on the seat, but it still looks like new. It's well made. The vinyl covering has a pattern in it which keeps you from slipping around. It's fairly wide at the back, with a slight bolster to rest against. And water doesn't seem to be a problem for it.
That said, if I was to start doing 500 mile days all the time, I might consider a sheepskin, or the air type pad on top just to add an extra layer of comfort.
You might send a PM to a few of the top finishers in the latest mileage contest. I myself would be interested to know what they sit on for 35,000+ miles in a year.
 
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The 04 R1150RT came stock with a wider comfort seat. Ask around and see if you can try it out. Probably find one cheap.
 
jconway607 said:
That said, if I was to start doing 500 mile days all the time, I might consider a sheepskin, or the air type pad on top just to add an extra layer of comfort.
Click to expand...

During the last few years of riding my Bride and I have averaged 4-500 mile days on our road trips. The sheepskin really helps. We found that even when the temps get high that having the extra insulation aids in preventing monkey butt. When we purchased the RT the Corbin seat(s) came with it, so I can't comment on other brands of seats. With that said I might add that my saddle has the Corbin backrest which has been a godsend for my back.
I think jconway607 said it best ; OE, Sargent, Russell, Mayer have somewhat unique fitment and I've found people who a Corbin is just right for but they don't like the others and visa versa. As, mentioned, Corbins are okay for me but nowhere near as comfortable as the Sargent seats I have. What I'm trying to say is that it appears one can't presume that because one seat is an absolute dream for their friend, that it will also be right or even comfortable for them.
 
I have the BMW "comfort" seat on mine. "Comfort" being relative only to the stock seat. I am a big fan of alaskaleathers.com sheepskins. Used them on my last 3 bikes.
 
I found an oem comfort seat on ebay for 35 bucks. Wider with more padding. That plus the spacers that raise the front of the seat make it not too bad. Is still a bit more slippery than I'd like but I've been trying some saddle tite lately.

For this 63 year old butt, it helps alot to stand up on the pegs occasionally.

Esp on my playbike who's seat makes the bmw seat seem like heaven (fj-09)
 
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Sargent "gel"

....very subjective topic....obviously...the Sargent "gel" on Inga is fabulous!!!! Might get it refurbed with heat option....Sargent is very easy to deal with......my $0.02:thumb
 
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