seats killing my butt

[steveg]

Anyone else having trouble with the stock seat? It looks beautiful and get alot of compliments on it but this thing is killing me,  I have a bill mayer seat on my R1100RT with over 200000 miles and it's alot better.  Any comment's or suggestions?

[Skywagon]

Comments....BMW seats are not comfortable on long rides.  If you like the Bill Mayer seat, get another one.  If you aren't happy with BM, I think the most comfortable seat you can put on an RT is from Russell Day Long.  I've been riding on them for over 20 years now.  I think others here will say the same.  There are other aftermarket seats, but Russell has worked for me

 

BMW Motorcycle Seat | Gallery | Russell Cycle Products (day-long.com)

 

 

[wbw6cos]

For my '19 RT, I bought a used seat on fleabay (so that I may keep riding) and sent it to http://laamseats.com/ for a build.   He used to work for one of the brothers that did custom seats.   The stock heating element will be transferred over to the new seat, so no worries about that.    Price wise, I guess he would be on par with all the others out there, but I did not do any research;  just word of mouth and a test ride on another seat built for another board member.

 

I like the set-up and did not have any issues during long riding days for the ART's.  The seat was built over-the-phone and I am satisfied with the result.   He does have in-person fitting, if you are in the neighborhood.

[CruisinCruzan]

Butt hurts from your seat, don’t worry, they all do that!

[alexp]

I'm ordering my RDL next week.  Its going to be my second one.  No comparison....

[Ron-M]

I replaced my stock seat with a Seth Laam seat as well.  He does good work.  Another seat manufacturer you might want to check out is Seat Concepts.   I just discovered this company and a friend of mine has their product and is very satisfied.  They go about the seat build a little different and a lot less expensive than other seat builders.   

[TX Mike]

Sargent is a very good choice.

 

https://www.sargentcycle.com/#

 

https://www.sargentcycle.com/Seats-Accessories/Sargent-Seats-BMW-R1200RT-2014/

 

The Performance Plus if you want your seat little more “sticky.”

[longjohn]

RT stock seats are the suck. I went with Bill Mayer on my 05, and on my 18 I went with his worker who opened his own shop. Both are in Ventura and both of their seats were/are outstanding. 

[Daveyator]

I guess I have a sensitive butt. I had BM saddle put on my ‘15 RT and my ‘11 1200R. Both only marginally better than stock. My ‘20 R1250RS I went with Wunderlich. Still just a tad better but definitely better. I really think the only real solution is to ride enough to keep your butt in shape. Kinda like getting used to riding a horse! The Wunderlich looks super good though and is much higher quality than stock.

[West_Coaster]

Anyone know of a seat vendor that offers a driver backrest on their seats? My wife likes to hold onto the seat rest, makes her feel more locked in. She has a hard time reaching the stock side handles.

 

I have RDL seats now, while very comfortable on a long straight journey, I don't like the much higher riding position, and I can't hug the tank when doing a lot of curves. Kind of makes me feel like I'm riding on top of the bike, not part of the bike.

[92Merc]

Bakup should work.

https://bakupusa.com/store/ols/products/r1200rt-water-cool-driver

[garysciascia]

I had a Russell Day Long on my 2017 gtl. Most comfortable seat ever. I started riding in 1981. I've had, Sargents, Corbins and 1 or 2 others i cant remember. Be aware the Day Long has a break in period.

The seat height because of the seats "suspension," you sit a little higher than stock. So if your reach is hurting because you have stubby legs be sure and specify in the instructions or by calling. Very easy to talk to someone and you can send the seat back 3 times for modification before getting a refund. A leather seat with a backrest with the pouch is around $1250. There are cheaper option, like vinyl and no backrest and no seat pouch. Get what you pay for. Going to get one for my 2021 rt soon. Gotta roba bank first!!  Jus kidn to all you FBI guys out there!!

[MichiganBob]

Got a RDL on my RT last year. It's the  most comfortable saddle I have sat on and I started riding bikes in 1968. That being said, there's a lot of choices out the, kind of like oil and tires if you get my drift.

[AviP]

This might be gross but a lot of the butt pain is a consequence of vibrations causing chaffing of butt hair against your underwear seams. I switched to seamless boxers for my long rides and have many 1000-mile days on my R1100RT and too many to count 500-mile days. This was all with the BMW comfort seat. Rather than chasing a better seat, try and identify the details of your specific pain and make a decision from there. 

[MichiganBob]

Maybe this is TMI but on longer rides, I use LD comfort shorts, dash of monkey butt powder and some skin cream. No monkey butt. But perhaps what's ailing you goes beyond irritation and has more to do with the seat ergo's.

[Randyjaco]

The production date for my RDL is in SEPTEMBER  Getting a comfortable seat for my RT has been 6 months of disappointment. I sure hope that the RDL is the solution 

[wbw6cos]

......with that type of thinking, you setting yourself up for failure.   Reminds me of my blood type:  B+

 

It will be more comfortable!!   

[TEWKS]

1 hour ago, wbw6cos said:

It will be more comfortable!!

And if it’s not, unfortunately there’s no place to go from the RDL. It’s kind of known as the holy grail of touring seats. 

[MichiganBob]

It's not that complicated. Anyone who has spent 12 hours a day on an older tractor with a metal seat knows that the seat is relatively comfortable because it's shaped like your behind. Therefore, everything that needs to be supported is supported. Why they make motorcycle seats that are shaped like a log makes no sense unless it's solely for image, style, etc. My bates saddle on my rt75/5 was great -- shaped for a butt as is the RDL on my current ride. Just saying.

[MichiganBob]

That being said, you skinny butt people need more padding than my old fat butt.

[Hosstage]

Get you one of these.

 

[MichiganBob]

Now that's a perfect shape Hosstage. That's what I'm talking about.

[Paul De]

Lots of great advice.  My only comment would be to not put off upgrading from the OEM torture board.  I put off upgrading my R1100 RT seat until the second or third year I had the bike. Finally, my left sciatic nerve went crazy and I literally could not sit on that seat for more than a couple of minutes without it being triggered.  My sciatic nerve has never been the same.  I had no problems once I put a RDL on my Oilhead  When I bought my 2015 Waterhead RT the bike was improved over the Oilhead in every way except the saddles were as bad or worse. I went with a Sargent on the Waterhead and it is pretty darn good saddle allowing for several hours of riding before a break is needed.  Sargent does not quite have the ride quality of the RDL as you might expect with a semi custom VS made for your butt saddle, but both are way better than the stock saddle.  Hell, a stadium cushion is better than the OEM saddle!

[Randyjaco]

I tried the Sargent, and it didn't work for me. It was better than the stock seat, but not that much. To their credit, they stuck to their warranty and after a thousand miles of riding, I sent it back.

[konacyclist]

So I’m sitting here in my hotel room in Redding, CA waiting to get my new Russell Day-Long seats. This will be my second pair of Russell seats. I had them on my 2012 R1200GS Rallye. What a positive experience it is to do a ride-in fitting with same day delivery. Excellent attention to detail and a sincere desire to make you happy with your seat. If you can do a ride-in fitting, you owe to your backside and your significant other’s backside too. The seats are going on my 2022 R1250RT.

 

[TracerBullet]

I wish my legs were long enough to ride this seat. But alas, they are not

[Paul De]

That is the RDL saddle stitch  design I put in my Oilhead.  The original waffle stitch design is just too fugly for my taste.  Great seat.  I have too many miles to do the ride, but with the pic’s weight inseam measurement included with my pans they nailed it anyway.

[Camhead64]

I didn't think I had a problem with the stock seat on my '21RT. Last year I put over 6500 miles to and from the National MOA Rally in Montana with no discomfort at all.  This year after riding to the National in Springfield, I'm still waiting on an appointment to diagnose the worst sciatica pain I've had in 8 years. This year that seat was unbearable most days. After I get a diagnosis and heal up some, I will fit my airhawk from the '11R bike and see if that wont resolve some of the discomfort, I hate the thought of spending hundreds of additional dollars if I don't have to.

[Brodiepunker18]

4 hours ago, NewportCycle said:

 I hate the thought of spending hundreds of additional dollars if I don't have to.

i didn’t want to spend the money to try a different seat either but I did this past month. I couldn’t bear the Sargent seat I had and I tried an oem seat as well which was worse. I had gotten a few recommendations for Bill Mayer seat and so far I’m glad I did. 

 

 It is by far the most comfortable and I’ve only put on a few hundred miles so far.

 

I had to send in my info: height, weight, inseam and also pictures of me on the bike. 
 

[Paul De]

9 hours ago, NewportCycle said:

I didn't think I had a problem with the stock seat on my '21RT. Last year I put over 6500 miles to and from the National MOA Rally in Montana with no discomfort at all.  This year after riding to the National in Springfield, I'm still waiting on an appointment to diagnose the worst sciatica pain I've had in 8 years. This year that seat was unbearable most days. After I get a diagnosis and heal up some, I will fit my airhawk from the '11R bike and see if that wont resolve some of the discomfort, I hate the thought of spending hundreds of additional dollars if I don't have to.

 

That is almost exactly what happened to me. First year I thought the seat was fine until the end of the riding season, then had mild sciatica at times.  It didn't bother me over the off season but from the very first ride the follwing season the issue picked up where it left off.  Stupidly, I waited until the sciatica would start within minutes of sitting on the OEM saddle and it got worse with every minute spent on the OEM saddle.. My butt has not been the same since.   BMW has perfected and optimized almost every facet of the boxer bike, but why they continue to ignore their terrible saddle is beyond me.  It's almost criminal to foist such a crappy saddle on a premium priced motorcycle.

[longjohn]

4 hours ago, Brodiepunker18 said:

i didn’t want to spend the money to try a different seat either but I did this past month. I couldn’t bear the Sargent seat I had and I tried an oem seat as well which was worse. I had gotten a few recommendations for Bill Mayer seat and so far I’m glad I did. 

 

 It is by far the most comfortable and I’ve only put on a few hundred miles so far.

 

I had to send in my info: height, weight, inseam and also pictures of me on the bike. 
 

I concur. I’ve put well over 100k mi on bill mayer seats. 

[Brodiepunker18]

The turnaround was very quick as well. I had it back within a week.

 

 The service is impeccable

[longjohn]

1 hour ago, Brodiepunker18 said:

The turnaround was very quick as well. I had it back within a week.

 

 The service is impeccable

The drive in service is even better!  

[Brodiepunker18]

1 hour ago, longjohn said:

The drive in service is even better!  

I wish I would have been able to do that, either at their shop or at the MOA rally in Missouri this year.

[Camhead64]

Well the results are in, my pain is being caused by piriformis syndrome, thankfully not disk problems.  The piriformis muscle will spasm or get inflamed and cause pressure on the sciatic nerve causing the pain. Hopefully PT will resolve the issue. Dr. not sure that it's the mc seat causing the pain, claims issue caused by poor muscle strength and flexibility.

[Paul De]

Ha,  the Doc told you politely as possible that you have old farhts butt.  I’m sure that is part of my issue too. My 20 year old butt could sit on the wooden bleacher seats for 9 innings watching a baseball game.  That has not been doable for the last few decades.  

[Quasimoto]

Drove down to Russell Day Long in August to have my seats done on the 20 R1250RS. Rode the 426 miles home in complete comfort!