My seat is killing me........1150RT

[cris nitro]

I have owned my 2005 1150RT for 2 years now and every time I go for a trip 2 days or longer, my rear end hurts for days after. Anything after 2 days makes it almost too painful to ride and put my feet down at a stop. I've been riding bikes now for 40 years and never had anything so uncomfortable as this.

I have 3 seats for the bike, stock, BMW Comfort seat and a Bill Mayer that I bought off this site. They all feel different, but hurt my butt after 2 days. I raised the front of the seat mount 3/8", but that only made my butt hurt in a different place.

I love the bike too much get rid of it, but after every weekend trip, I swear it's gone, and then a week later the love is back.

So I've made up my mind to spend some money and get a comfortable seat. Or have my Mayer seat redone for me. I have read great things about the RDL, but I barely tip toe as it is and the wings scare me.

 

Opinions and advice, please, what would you do?

 

Cris

[Willie]

Sit on a sheep... baaahhhhh

 

You can even ride there to get one... Sheepskin

[Kathy R]

I had the same problem with the stock seat on my 02 1150RT. Rode it to Hollister CA and had Corbin make me a seat using a visual of me on the seat as the template for shaving the nose. I have a 30" inseam and a size 6 mans boot. I could tippy toe both feet at the same time after that Corbin came aboard. The comfort was good for as many hours as I could ride (up to 1000 miles in 24 hours) and beyond I am sure. The tippy toeing was something I learned to work around. After just riding across the country on the Vstrom DL650 WEE I can tell you there is hardly a finer road machine for travel than that 1150RT.

 

You can always get a stock custom Corbin and shave the foam yourself.

 

Best of luck.

[Big_Gray]

5/16" shims under the front of the seat and a sheepskin did it for me on the rear end comfort. Now if I could just do something about my knees. Then again perhaps it is just because my knees bother me so much that I don't notice the seat.

[cris nitro]

I have a sheepskin and while it helps great in the summer keeping my bottom drier and is a little more comfortable, I still get the pain over days.

I have not tried an Airhawk, but I think that would put me a little too high off the ground.

What I am trying to get my arms around is sending my seat somewhere to be reshaped/padded, whatever, without actually meeting them so they can have a "visual" of me. I can't make it to Cali. or somewhere else far away. I am hoping/praying that I will be happy with the results, because if I'm not, I will have to seriously consider selling the bike. And I don't want to!

[me&mybmw]

I have an 02 RT bought in Sept last year, rode 5000km in 60 days be fore snow, my ass was killing me! Bike came with box o goodies and I tried most, I put on the bar extenders, about 3/4" back and up. Made a world of difference,also use "Master Yodas Riding Position". I believe that it is a combination of both rider and bike,a pair of good "civil war" style boots added to the change, all positive. Keep trying...I do love my RT.

[cris nitro]

I tried the bar backs, they put more weight on my butt which increased discomfort. What has helped are Saraha highway pegs, allowing different seating positions.

[Skywagon]

I tried my original BMW seat, bought seat jacks, borrowed BMW low seat, bought Cee Bailey seat, and finally bought a Russell Day Long seat. They all sucked except The Russell seat. The Russell works pretty good but will certainly add height to your seat. The Russells main contribution is the width and carving the foam in the back of the seat so you sit more level.

 

One of the things you can try on the cheap is padded bicycle shorts or padded overpants. My First Gear Pants or padded bicycle shorts really make a difference for me.

 

As far as the seat, I would go someplace and have them make it for you. Take your BMW seat to a really good upholstery shop in your area, check out the different types of foam, and have them make it to deal with your pain points.

 

Another possible option is to contact www.Oregonaero.com I had them build seats for my airplane and they are the cats meow. It made long trips a real pleasure. They advertise making motorcycle seats but I have never seen one. They are expensive, but good.

 

Just my .02 Hope you find what you are looking for..you're right..the bike is wonderful, the seat sucks.

[awagnon]

Seat comfort is so subjective and individual, it probably doesn't matter what others' experience is. However, I've tried the stock BMW seat (too narrow), BMW "comfort seat" (OK), Sargent seat (no better than the comfort seat), Air Hawk (I slid all over the place), and sheep skin (OK). Ended up with the BMW comfort seat and sheep skin as the best combination, plus the Master Yoda Seating technique. For me, bar backs helped a little, plus 3/8 jacks under the front seat supports. Wearing padded mesh or solid riding pants helps a lot. Plus, being an old geezer, I stop and stretch a lot. YMMV

[jsmith]

I have an 06 RT with the stock seat. As the previous poster said, it's very subjective. I've tried the Alaska Sheepskin and found it did very little. Well, not true. It did soak up an enormous amount of water when it rained. I switched to the BeadRider last year and it's great. Rode 12,000 km across the country and back, in 3 weeks last summer and no problems. Plus, if you ever get monkey butt when it's really hot, it takes care of that too.

 

Jim

[longjohn]

Go to bill mayers site and follow his instructions. Mail in your seat and when you get it back you will be happy. I rode up to his place in ojai a couple of weeks ago for a ride-in fitting. Boy am I a happy rider now!!

[sgendler]

Don't discount the value of Ibuprofen on a long day, either. I find that if I start taking it BEFORE the pain sets in, it can dramatically extend the distance between butt breaks, but that distance will still get shorter over the course of a day. Probably any anti-inflammatory painkiller would work - naproxen sodium or ibuprofen.

 

Like you, I have never found any seat actually comfortable - there is no "day long" saddle that lives up to its name for me. I think that's just down to anatomical differences from person to person. Sheepskin definitely adds to any seat for me, so I just get the best seat I can find and then use sheepskin on long rides. I can do 1000 mile days, but there's no getting around the fact that everything beyond 5-600 miles is an exercise in endurance and not actually enjoyable. I really envy people who can be comfortable over long distances. It is real work for me.

 

One thing's for sure - the stock saddle on an R1100RT or R1150RT is an affront to butts everywhere. That thing is sheer f'ing torture, and I've only ever heard of a tiny few who would disagree with that statement. I bet most of them weigh less than 150 pounds.

[Dietrich]

I can relate. Nearly gave up biking because of sore butt syndrom. In my case it is primarily caused by an easily inflamed tailbone. It gets so sore that I can't lift my leg back up after coming to a stop. The answer was a modified seat with a dimple in the area of the tailbone to take the pressure away. I had a Russel seat made and talked to the technician about the issue and they also manufactured the seat so that less pressure rests on the tailbone. Same as you, I now tippy toe pretty badly but rather do that than have a butt that hurts. I ride a GS with a lowered supension, but with the Russel I am back up nearly 1 1/2 inches. Currently I am having the stock seat of my Guzzi Norge modified the same way. Not sure if your problem is similar to mine, if so, I hope this helps.

[Linz]

I'm a happy Corbin owner. They're hard but supportive. I can do 6-8 straight hours without a break other than fuel stops whereas, with the stock plank, I was gone in less than two.

 

My main issue is sliding forward. I have no idea why. I've jacked the front of the seat even with the Corbin but I slide. I don't slide when wearing leather so I think my First Gear pants are a touch slippery. My Aerostich is the same.

 

I'm about to add a custom black fitted sheepskin to the rider's seat just to stop the slide and to add some softness.

 

On the stock seat, with jacks and a sheepskin, my manhood was jammed against the tank constantly. You'd think that BMW would look at all of the aftermarket stuff and design something better for the price eh?

 

Linz

[Lmar]

I had to replace my OEM seat. It was painful. In 38 years of riding I have never experience a seat that was so uncomfortable.

 

I purchased a Sargent and have made 1000km days without any problems.

[realshelby]

Cris, I have an '04 RT. I have ridden on the stock seat, modified stock seat, two completely different Corbins ( both similar in the way the felt ), a seat I build myself ( still the most comfortable for all day ) and (3), yes 3 Russell Day longs. The first one was really good. But it was the wrong color and I sent it back for a complete do-over. That one was not as comfortable as Russell was using the harder foam then. Got rid of it. I recently bought another one from a member here. Completely different feel. What might benefit you from this is that this may be the easiest seat to touch the grouond on of all I have used. Must have been made for someone vertically challenged. I can just barely flat foot it in the high position. It is very good for longer rides. I know it stirs up controversy, but simply put the wider and deeper the seating area is the better for long rides. The "wings" work. The Russell design excells here. Call them and see what they can do for you.

[longjohn]

I think BMW doesn't alter their stock seat design because folks can sit on them in the show room, and then take a test ride and think to themselves "well my feet reach the ground just fine and the seat seems comfortable enough.". Bottom line is sales.

[Mighty Manfred]

My Corbin is a bit hard, but the seam running across it is what wears me out. I could not bring myself to buy an AirHawk, but I found this alternative for about $60 that adds very little height and made that seam disappear. I can ride 600 miles and feel very good at the end of the day.

 

http://www.allynair.com/Eagle-seat.html

[4wheeldog]

I have an 06 RT with the stock seat. As the previous poster said, it's very subjective. I've tried the Alaska Sheepskin and found it did very little. Well, not true. It did soak up an enormous amount of water when it rained. I switched to the BeadRider last year and it's great. Rode 12,000 km across the country and back, in 3 weeks last summer and no problems. Plus, if you ever get monkey butt when it's really hot, it takes care of that too.

 

Jim

 

+1. I made up a beaded seat cover (From one intended for a car) for my R1150RT when I was halfway through a 7000+ mile coast to coast trip. I have used it ever since, almost 8 years. Nice part is, you only have to move 1/2" to get a whole new surface to sit on.

[Mighty Manfred]

I have a beaded seat "cushion" to work very well on soft seats; no so good on firm ones.

[Burt]

I've tried several seats. The most comfortable by far was the Russell.

[tallman]

My Corbin is a bit hard, but the seam running across it is what wears me out. I could not bring myself to buy an AirHawk, but I found this alternative for about $60 that adds very little height and made that seam disappear. I can ride 600 miles and feel very good at the end of the day.

 

http://www.allynair.com/Eagle-seat.html

 

Which is why this is such a subjective topic.

MCN just panned that product giving the nod to one of the competitors.

Bottom line, if it works for someone that is a sol;ution, for them.

Best wishes.

[Mighty Manfred]

Which is why this is such a subjective topic.

MCN just panned that product giving the nod to one of the competitors.

Bottom line, if it works for someone that is a sol;ution, for them.

Best wishes.

 

What product did MCN pan? Corbin, AirHawk, Eagle Air?

[cris nitro]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. It absolutely kills me that I have had over 50 bikes over the years including 5 BMW's, two Harley's, and the bike I lusted over was a Baritiz Blue 1150RT. So when I finally got it and put in my first 2 day trip, I was pissed that the seat was so uncomfortable. Yes, I read about seat pain on the RT's online here, but thought all these guys are a bunch of old wussies and I would be fine. Wrongo. Amazing that the best sport touring bike on the road(my opinion), has a seat so uncomfortable that I want to throw it off a cliff after a long day.

Anyway, I have decided to send my Bill Mayer seat back to them to have them work their magic. I am hoping it comes back like I expect and get to keep the bike many years.

[Rotor]

Sargent Seat. With regard to my 2004 1150RT, best seat I ever planted my a** on. They have a money back guarantee if you don't like it. I'm betting you love it. Didn't care for the Sargent on my 1200RT because of the design change for the new model. But the 1150 - great seat!!

[Jeff in VA]

I had the same problem when I had an R1150RT. I think BMW seats are not comfortable anyway, and that one was the worst. 2 or 3 hours was enough to make me miserable. I replaced it with a Sargent seat and loved it (so much that a Sargent seat was one of the first changes I made to my R1200RT). It was truly amazing how much more I enjoyed the bike with the new seat.

[DiggerJim]

Anyway, I have decided to send my Bill Mayer seat back to them to have them work their magic. I am hoping it comes back like I expect and get to keep the bike many years.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but the foam only ones (like Mayer's - which I love btw) are only good up to about a 200-220lb rider. Above 200 you really need springs like Russell uses. If you're a big guy Bill may not be able to tweak the seat enough for you.

[cris nitro]

Anyway, I have decided to send my Bill Mayer seat back to them to have them work their magic. I am hoping it comes back like I expect and get to keep the bike many years.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but the foam only ones (like Mayer's - which I love btw) are only good up to about a 200-220lb rider. Above 200 you really need springs like Russell uses. If you're a big guy Bill may not be able to tweak the seat enough for you.

 

Well I am 190. so the foam should work, but thanks for mentioning that.

[Boffin]

I have just got home from 9 days of riding 8-10 hour days. My custom seat with gelpads had split after 6 years of use, so I re-fitted the stock "comfort" seat, but jacked up the front with a stack of three washers under each bolt. I took 400mg of prophylactic ibuprofen each morning and lunch-break. I had no discomfort at all for the 9-days, but had a little difficulty reaching the ground - I have a 28inch inseam and weigh about 240lb.

 

The bottom line is that we are all different and all need different solutions. I will not be going back to my custom seat as it is less comfortable than my stock seat.

 

 

Andy

[JamesW]

Just get yourself a Russell Day Long and go for a ride. I got rid of the Corbin saddle on my R100RT. The thing was very heavy and hard like a rock. Replaced it with a Sargent replica saddle. The Russell is on my '04 1150RT also in biarritz blue.

[longjohn]

Just got back from Torrey and my new seat was fantastic. A couple of 500 mile days in there and while I can't say there was no discomfort, a little shifting around and it quickly dissipates. 500 mile days were not possible with the stock seat.