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2000 R1100R Seats

MildBill

New member
I purchased a 2000 R1100R and do not like the seat. I haven't had any luck finding replacements from the normal sources like Corbin, etc. Any suggestions appreciated!
 
Until some owners weigh in, try a google site search with this term - "site:forums.bmwmoa.org R1100R Seats" (no quotes). I saw quite a few threads that might make for interesting reading.
 
Saddle

I've had a Corbin saddle for my Pacific Coast and it was better on day one than a fairly good stock saddle. (And they want you to break it in over 12 hours of riding before taking a trip with it. Of course it arrived the day before I was leaving, so I installed it.) I could do 700 miles in a day without a sore butt. They are firm and good. That said, I bought a 97 RT and hated the stock saddle and just put a Sargent saddle on it. I really haven't had a chance to do a long day test. (Still winter here.) But it feels OK. I just want one that lets me ride 600 miles in a day without butt ache. Everyone else who has had a Sargent generally says they do. While I've ridden a lot of miles including in a single day, I haven't had many aftermarket saddles.
 
R1100R seat option

I found the cheapest R1100R seat on eBay/Craigslist/wherever I could ($50) and sent it to Russell Cycle Products. $511 plus the cost of shipping them my seat initially and I have a very comfy seat. They recover the seat pan you send them. I found the website a bit confounding to order through, but one phone call to them and I was good to go. I tried a “Skwoosh mid size fluidized gel pad” on the original seat with moderate success for 4-5 day trips totaling 1000-1500 miles. I bought the Russell in anticipation of riding to Great Falls this year. It has proven a vast improvement so far. And much more palatable at about $700 all in. Bonus, the folks at Russell left a good impression with good customer care.
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In the 80’s and 90’s, the Corbin was peerless in comfort and quality. I used Corbins on a Ducati 900 and a couple of airheads. My last Corbin, was purchased around 1998. That one had poor workmanship, and was actually less comfortable than the BMW a stock seat.

I switched to Sargent for a Moto Guzzi seat, then another for a BMW. I’ve found that the Sargents, have much higher quality, and
Better comfort.
 
I ran a new Corbin on my 2000 R1100R and it worked really well. 650 mile days where no problem. Be careful if you buy a used one as they made them based on the original owners inseam length and weight. So some might fit you better than others. It can be a bit of a crap shoot. I know on other BMW bikes, I've bought used Corbins and just couldn't make them work, even tried modifying some of them to know avail.
 
I had a Russell Day Long saddle custom made for me this last March.
Not Cheap at 775 total but what a seat!
Mine is black leather with small diamonds sewn in, built for my weight and inseam.
Took about 10 hrs to break in.
My wife who can give a rats A$$ about anything moto saw it and commented that it looked very nice!
This was for a 2014 Kawasaki C-14
Nick
 
I must say that when I went looking for a new saddle for my RT, I was’t sure which direction to go either. Having owned Corbin’s previously I was probably leaning in that direction, but I ended up buying a Sargent in the long run. The Sargent seat is absolutely superb. The only thing I do not have that I regret not getting is the heating element. Next time around I’m taking the plunge and getting a heated seat. No ifs and or butts about it. [emoji6]

As somebody else I believe suggested, you may want to consider buying a cheap saddle on eBay, Craigslist or through our MOA Marketplace and then send it off to Sargent to be remade/recovered. Since you’re really only concerned with the condition of the seat pan, the fabric condition isn’t at all important. They will recover an existing Sargent seat for around $100. That would be a more economical way to go.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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