Daddoz777 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Flew from Washington State a couple weeks ago to Long Beach, California to buy a 2002 R1150RT and ride back home. This is supposed to be one of the best touring bikes you can get but spent about 1,200 miles getting my nards pile-driven into the gas tank (stock seat). Tonight I finally got a chance to take my wife for a short spin and the passenger seat angle is also slanted forward so far she felt like she was sitting on a lazy-boy with a banana-peel seat, slip-slidin' away from the top case backrest. I tried jacking the front bracket but you can only go a few eighths of an inch and that doesn't help the passenger, which is the main reason I wanted a more comfortable bike (for longer trips). I found a couple of Sargent seats for between $500 and $525 but I'm so discouraged I feel I'm about done chasing this imaginary pot of gold and don't want to waste any more money. I thought I would love this bike but right now I hate it for spending so much and having something so uncomfortable. I know I'm a newb and this isn't anything real newsworthy so please don't flame me, but I would welcome your thoughts. Thanks. Link to comment
MT Wallet Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Go to Oilheads and look at the custom seats discussion. I changed the height of the seat height adjustment bracket with a few washers. It made a difference. An uncomfortable seat can definitely wreck the ride. Don't give it up yet. Good advice can be found here. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Thanks...will do. And does anybody know why my "avatar" isn't showing up? I downloaded it and it is smaller than 120x120. I searched and sorry but I'm not coming up with anything. Link to comment
Danny caddyshack Noonan Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 "avatar" File extension type? Also, the seat will work out. BMW is known for building great bikes and crap seats. The Germans must have asses made of rock. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 JPG. I'm a software developer but feel like dunce-boy not being able to get this to work. Link to comment
R & R Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Hang in there 777. The seat can be worked out & it IS worth the effort. Shimming the front bracket 3/8 or so will definitely help. The pillion is another matter. It is a true POS. I mounted a sargent for Renee' & she's a happy girl now. Comfortable & no more sliding into me. Is your seat the "comfort" model? Link to comment
Alfred02 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 My daughter used to fall asleep on the 2004 1150RT, which I believe has the same seats. She never slid forward on them. (different story on the 1200RT. So yours might not have the original standard seats on them? Link to comment
dirtrider Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Morning Daddoz777 As mentioned above, you can try shimming the front of the seat adjuster up a bit as that usually helps the seat comfort (sliding forward thing) for most riders. Raising the seat front helps keep you from continually sliding forward while riding. On the 1150RT you can buy or make some 1/4" shims to go between the seat front adjuster & frame. Raising the front of the seat 1/4" helps most riders a bit & if you can shim it up 3/8" to 1/2" (usually can with some fiddling) that can make it "almost" comfortable for some riders. All you need is to make some shims & get some longer bolts (longer by how much you want to raise the front of the seat) If you are careful & do a little at a time you can also trim just a bit off the seat rear rubber bumpers. See shim picture below to get an idea on what a seat shim looks like. Link to comment
tallman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 No affiliation, heard good things. Rich's custom seats in your neck 'o da woods. Link to comment
elkroeger Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Come on up and have Rich do your seat. I had that exact same problem on my 1100RS. He solved that problem, and made the whole thing incredibly comfortable. At the end of a 6000 mile honeymoon, our asses were ready to turn around and do it again. 5 stars on the fit and finish too. http://www.richscustomseats.com/ Link to comment
tallman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Well at least you have 1st hand experience with them. Link to comment
philbytx Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 The "seat jacks" will work wonders for your boys. Also, check the seat position fitting and ensure that you have ALL the bump stops and rubber bits under the seats HERE!. My missus has ridden thousands of miles on our 2003 RT without a complaint. Link to comment
lkraus Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 JPG. I'm a software developer but feel like dunce-boy not being able to get this to work. I could not get the "upload" option to work either. 100x100 pixels, neither .jpg or .png worked. Finally put it on my Flickr account and linked it. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Many thanks. It felt like I was chasing down a bunch of dusty old threads so all your personal input has been very encouraging. PowersportJunkie has the Sargent seat for just over $500 which seems to make the most sense for me. Link to comment
MT Wallet Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I've got a sagent and I find it just a little too hard for my liking even after I shimmed the seat height adjuster. Before you drop 5 bills try the dang thing out somewhere. My Goldwing seat is softer than the sargent and more comfortable. But then again it is built differently. Find the right seat for you then spend the $$. Just sayin'. Link to comment
MT Wallet Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Just saw a heated Corbin seat in the classifieds. Cheaper. Kmac is partin out a R1100RT. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Avatar fixed. Had to use a hosting service. Can't find the classifieds link though. Am I blind? My nard-mashing session must have affected my vision, too. Link to comment
upflying Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Best motorcycle seat ever invented. Even better with Harley's standard air-ride bladder under the seat. Link to comment
Sweendog Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Every stock motorcycle seat I've ever ridden on has been crap. The Sargent on my '99 RT is comfy as can be though, and I did a do-it-yourself mod on my Silverwing, it to made all the difference in the world. It can be done, and if you don't want to, or can't, spend money on an aftermarket or custom seat, you can modify the stock seat yourself. (Some good info on DIY seats here: http://diymotorcycleseat.com/ ) Link to comment
realshelby Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Happy wife...Happy life! While the Seargent seat will be an improvement for both of you, the passenger comfort is not all that much improved over the stock seat. IMO. I have had several different seats on my RT and without exception the passenger seats built by Russell ( www.day-long.com ) were in a different league for passenger comfort. I consider them the absolute best for the rider as well. That said, I have had 3 different Russells on my RT and until this last one all had some issues I wasn't "comfortable" with after many hours. Different butts will require different shapes, but at the end of the day the seat with the most contact area will probably be most comfy. I recently went on a 2400 mile ride in 5 days. First day 653 miles and my butt was not a factor. No pain, just tired legs and arms! You can get your RT very comfortable for long rides. I was in pain at 100 miles on the stock seat...... Link to comment
kgerry Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 i must be the one off.... i dont mind the stock seat on my 2013 RT at all... i usually ride 2-3 hours at a stretch before i stop for a stretch and gas.... no probs with my boys or butt.... but my feet fall alseep on the pegs and tingle like hell.... Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Once again, thanks everyone for weighing in! I'm considering options, calling shops and keeping my eyes open. I hope and trust no-one will be off'd when I figure out what I'm going to do. I really value everyone's input! Dan Link to comment
RT Russ Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Yet another n00b with a sore butt hey, I was that guy too. my advice would be the Russell Day Long. As in ride all day long and never think about your tender bits. Custom made to your measurements and money back guarantee. Many here recommend them BUTT then again many are happy with Corbin, Seargent and others. Only your BUTT can decide. I have the DayLong on my 02 RT and a Corbin on my R1100S (had the BMW "comfort" model then a Corbin on the RT before the DayLong) and wish I could be as comfortable on the R1100S! So.....have you asked the "which oil and what tires should I use" questions yet? Get yourself a new seat and ride the heck out of that RT, you'll love it then. Russ Link to comment
Quinn Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 The guy at the pro shop told me to get some golf tees. He said that if you put your balls on them, you can drive farther. ----- Link to comment
MT Wallet Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 That one takes the cake! Funny. Link to comment
Jeff in VA Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I had an R1150RT years ago and had the same problem. THe forward tilt is the problem. It is easy to fix and it is amazing how much changing the tilt of the seat helps. Once you stop having the numbnuts issue, it is a great bike. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have no experience with Rich's Custom Seats, but I've heard good things, and if you can do a ride-in appointment, that is absolutely the way to go. Everybody's butt is different. I've got Bill Mayer Saddles on both of my bikes. I did a ride-in on the V-Strom, and the RT came with one from the previous owner that luckily seems to work for me (it can't be too bad. I've ridden about 57,000 miles on it). But the ride-in was awesome. Get the seat built, test ride it, make adjustments, test again, until you like it. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Ha ha ha -- yuk it up, fellas! Ok, I get it now; so that's the initiation for noobs on this forum. Everybody's gotta drive a thousand miles or so making peanut butter then he's one of the boys, eh? I mean, just look at Bill's picture laughin' it up! Other than the Vienna boys choir, I never heard of a club before made up of a bunch of eunuchs!!! Link to comment
Huzband Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The guy at the pro shop told me to get some golf tees. He said that if you put your balls on them, you can drive farther. ----- Quoted for posterity. Very bad news Link to comment
racer7 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I use Sargents on a couple bikes but you need to have a Sargent butt- they are pretty hard and don't soften all that much even with a lot of miles; Like any other seat, they are a personal thing. If you're trying to solve specific problems and happen to have a good custom seat guy nearby I'd strongly suggest the custom version...He'll fit you on a drive in and make any needed adjustments if the finished item needs it... Als, if you slide forward- are you leaning forward? Maybe you need bar backs? Link to comment
Simmo Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Did you get your seat sorted ? Bit late I know, but I've just bought a 1150rt and was getting the sliding forward thing. Solved it with my Airhawk 2, now fantastic comfort all day long. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 I've got a solution in the works. I should have is sorted by the weekend and I'll post an update. Glad you found peace in your hawk! Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 One of our very own forum members graciously contacted me and sold me a Sargent last week. The wife and I finaly had a chance to put a few miles in the saddle and she says it is very comfortable. Plus my own heineken is also resting peacefuly. Mission accomplished!!! Thanks again for all your help. Dan Link to comment
AndyS Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Hi Dan Did you make any jack up spacers for your seat? How did it go. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Hey, Andy. No I didn't do the spacers. I tried it with the original seat but wasn't able to gain much height in the front before starting the chafe the seat into painted parts. I just used four little nuts (no pun intended, but it's pretty funny, I think) under the bracket. Since I got the Sargent seat I took the nuts out and I really don't even want to think about raising it any higher because the Sarg is even taller than the original and I'm only 5' 7". Overall, I'm very happy with the Sargent and just as important Renee is too. Sorry so long in responding, I haven't been watching the thread. db Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 BMW = Break My Walnuts? LOL!!! Link to comment
Malthound Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Another approach that I haven't seen mentioned here is one recommended to me by Rick Mayer, who does custom seats in northern Cal and has had 4 RTs over the years. He told me to raise the front seat adjustment to the second notch, and remove the second step of the rear support with a Dremel tool. This moves the seat back while still tilting up the front. The rear seat tongue then slips into the upper slot of the front seat as it would in the lowest setting. Worst case, if you hate it, it'll cost about 50 bucks to replace the rear supports. It may be worth trying. FWIW, Rick did a fantastic job on my seat as well. I will say that removing the step is kind of a PITA, as the plastic tends to melt with the Dremel and the end result is pretty ugly, and some tweaking may be in order to remove any wobble due to inconsistent depth, but so far that has worked the best for me out of everything tried. Link to comment
Daddoz777 Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 That's a good and interesting suggestion and one I hadn't heard yet. Link to comment
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