Uncomfortable motorcycle seats.
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If (a big if) you have a very good local upholstery shop you could have them carefully remove the OEM cover, replicate and replace the stock foam with firmer foam of same shape and staple the cover back on. It is a long shot but could be an inexpensive route.
Those seats are excellent. Look different but good and work wellI fixed it for you.
From reading and reviews I've read, other manufacturers have better stock seats. It is a design challenge as everyones rear is different but easy enough to find a shape and foam density to make it work for more riders.
Based in your post you would likely enjoy a Russell Day Long seat.
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The US made Russell Day Long seat seems to be highly rated BUT they require the BMW original seat pan to build. As I live in the UK that is not very practical. The time between ordering and receiving would be ages and my bike would be unrideable without the original (uncomfortable) seat in place. Additionally the shipping costs and various taxes would make the purchase unviable hence my interest in the German made Wunderlich seat which has a UK distributor.
Perhaps I should be asking the question “which motorcycle has the most comfortable original equipment seat”?
Perhaps I should be asking the question “which motorcycle has the most comfortable original equipment seat”?
Sure thing, I'll report here but the seat hasn't been even dispatched yet.
No question it’s an expensive proposition.
Two quick thoughts:
As to stock bikes with comfortable stock seats, I’ve found Harleys & Indians to have the best for touring. YMMV
Two quick thoughts:
- Find a used seat on eBay and have it shipped to RDL.
- Find a used RDL seat on eBay. Yes, they are custom designed, but tend to be similar in function as they greatly reduce pressure points.
As to stock bikes with comfortable stock seats, I’ve found Harleys & Indians to have the best for touring. YMMV
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Hey now, who you calling odd?
I like to think of it as ‘rugged’.
Great in cool/cold weather, excellent bit of additional cushion (I have a Corbin known to be hard) but won’t fix a too soft seat.
Phew, a big responsibility lifted from MY shoulders …
Anyway, you just as well should realise that Bosjno’s future experience with HIS Wunderlich seat is no guarantee that it will work for you… but you can return the seat to Wunderlich and get a full refund.
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15 Posts
I find the stock seat on my 09 GSA to be great. I have a Corbin on my RT, came with it, and that is great but it would be terrible for an adventure bike as it's more a wide saddle than a long enduro seat, I wouldn't want that Corbin on my GSA.
Read reviews of each of these companies, some guys/gals claim X or Y brand is the best in the world while others can't stand them for a couple hours and take them off their bikes.
I've found seating positioning is critical. Change the aspect of your hips and move around to relieve and change pressure points, change your lean and back angle too. You will have to do this even with the most comfortable saddle for long stretches. I also found that riding long distances, don't take long breaks, your butt will get used to not sitting and not like it getting back on the bike again.
I've done long hours in the saddle, my biggest or longest was a bit over 2300 miles in 50 hours. The best solution I've found is to keep telling yourself it's just your A$$ that hurts and you are riding a motorcycle enjoying life and forget about your bum and be happy.
Read reviews of each of these companies, some guys/gals claim X or Y brand is the best in the world while others can't stand them for a couple hours and take them off their bikes.
I've found seating positioning is critical. Change the aspect of your hips and move around to relieve and change pressure points, change your lean and back angle too. You will have to do this even with the most comfortable saddle for long stretches. I also found that riding long distances, don't take long breaks, your butt will get used to not sitting and not like it getting back on the bike again.
I've done long hours in the saddle, my biggest or longest was a bit over 2300 miles in 50 hours. The best solution I've found is to keep telling yourself it's just your A$$ that hurts and you are riding a motorcycle enjoying life and forget about your bum and be happy.
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I had the guys at Mean City Cycles mod the stock seat on my Suzuki V-strom. The layered memory foam in it and it helped a lot with back to back all day rides. I’m planning to have them see what they can do for my recently purchased 2016 GSA seat. I’m using an air hawk I had already for another bike at the moment. The foam mean city uses is so awesome I asked where they got it and pulled the drivers seat out of my old truck and removed the upholstery and put in a couple layers of different densities. Mean city asked my weight and some questions about seating then did a great job. It’s a lot less than an aftermarket seat. As for the other issue I got some wicking boxer briefs at Costco and if needed anti-monkey butt powder helps too. MCC Home of the best motorcycle seat modifications.
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245 Posts
I've had different types of seats on different bikes. Stock RT seat is great. Stock RS seat is great. Stock GS seat kinda sucks. I put a Corbin seat on a 2002 K1200RS once. I hated that platform. I had it professionally re-done. I bought a Sargent for my 2005 GS and it was the best seat I've ever had. I put another Sargent on my R1200GSA (LC) and I don't like it that much. It does not fit my butt like the old one did. I get a little sore on longer rides.
Re-upholstery is a good bet because it is a” repair” and not something new, so no VAT. the ticket is to do as Krons suggested and make sure they use layers of different medical grade foams. Generally, the dense stuff gets overlain with softer stuff, but let there be no mystery, the stock saddles are all one soft block of foam and soft is not our friend, the bulk of the foam needs to be denser so that it doesn’t get too deformed by long hours in the saddle.
Personally, I find the BMW grippy vinyl is terribly grabby and it teams up with the soft foam to pinch those tuberosities. The best solution to that problem that I found was to use a 3-D mesh seat cover from Amazon (<$20) and it even improved the softness of the foam.
Lastly, some of the problems us older guys experience has to do with our hamstrings and sciatic nerves getting shorter and tighter. PT helps and so does careful stretching.
Personally, I find the BMW grippy vinyl is terribly grabby and it teams up with the soft foam to pinch those tuberosities. The best solution to that problem that I found was to use a 3-D mesh seat cover from Amazon (<$20) and it even improved the softness of the foam.
Lastly, some of the problems us older guys experience has to do with our hamstrings and sciatic nerves getting shorter and tighter. PT helps and so does careful stretching.
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It's my belief that your comfort for a long day in the saddle is as much (maybe more) dependent on your physical conditioning than what you're sitting on. You have to develop the attitude that motorcycling is an athletic endeavor in which your core strength is important. The more I work on my own physical fitness the more comfortable I am on the bike for long hours. In support of my belief on this, I'm sure we've all noticed that a few hours on the expressway is much more tiring than a few hours on a twisty road. Wind and noise is a contributor to fatigue on the expressway but I think more so you're just sitting there not very engaged with the bike droning out miles. On a twisty road you are forced to be more athletically engaged with the bike as you move your weight around in the saddle and on the pegs (if you're doing it right) and for me personally, I'm much fresher after a day in the mountains than I am after a day putting miles behind me on the slab.
There's no doubt that buying even the most expensive seats is easier than having a habit of maintaining your core fitness level but there's only so much you can do to make sitting astride a motorcycle more comfortable if you are just a blob payload for the bike vs actively engaged in the ride. Please don't misunderstand me - I'm not calling anyone out as "blobs" but just throwing out something to think about if your goal is to really enjoy the epic travel these motorcycles can enable.
There's no doubt that buying even the most expensive seats is easier than having a habit of maintaining your core fitness level but there's only so much you can do to make sitting astride a motorcycle more comfortable if you are just a blob payload for the bike vs actively engaged in the ride. Please don't misunderstand me - I'm not calling anyone out as "blobs" but just throwing out something to think about if your goal is to really enjoy the epic travel these motorcycles can enable.
A Honda Goldwing has the most comfortable seat. I purchased a Goldwing as a means to keep riding while I was going through some medical crap, as I would not have thought to buy one for any other reason. I could not look down below straight ahead. The Goldwing and the Harley were the only two that I could ride in that manner. The Goldwing impressed me in more ways than I imagined.
2006 R1200GS, 2007 R1200GS. 2005 R1200GS, 2009 R1200GS, 2009 R1200GSA, 2005 R1200GS, 2006 R1200GS, 2
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Problem for me the RDL seat is so wide when I come to a stop and put my feet this is how my legs felt.
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I don't care how comfy it might be once saddled I could not tolerate the bow legs. In all honesty for the few miles I tried it I was not wow'ed in the compfort department. I was really hoping that I once settled in I would see rainbows and fireworks and hear harp music playing as the sun beamed down on me. But it didn't.
If the OP wants a custom RDL the easy thing to do is buy a OEM seat in the states have the seller ship it to RDL. Then when its done have Russel ship it across the pond. No loss of riding time while his seat is in the Atlantic just order and wait for it to arrive.
I don't care how comfy it might be once saddled I could not tolerate the bow legs. In all honesty for the few miles I tried it I was not wow'ed in the compfort department. I was really hoping that I once settled in I would see rainbows and fireworks and hear harp music playing as the sun beamed down on me. But it didn't.
If the OP wants a custom RDL the easy thing to do is buy a OEM seat in the states have the seller ship it to RDL. Then when its done have Russel ship it across the pond. No loss of riding time while his seat is in the Atlantic just order and wait for it to arrive.
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10 Posts
I have a 2021 Rallye 1250GS. I am 67 years old and with the stock seat I find it comfortable for 1,000km days. The only addition is a lambs wool cover. I think posture, body weight and overall health have a big impact.
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I have come to the conclusion that arses are like finger prints - no two are the same. Buying an aftermarket seat is an expensive lottery. What seat is comfortable for one rider is agony for another.
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Golden words!!!! I went from Rally to stock low to Corbin to sargent normal and finally to sargent low!!!
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