Lowered R12R?

[marykayejn]

Hi all, I've been lurking for a bit . . . bought a "lowered" 2009 R1200R last month. I'm not really that picky about bike color, but the local shops just had the boring (IMHO) black or white, so I ordered a blue one from a shop in California. My problem is that the lowered bike I sat on before purchasing was lower than the one I received. When the VIN is run, it says it's lowered and the seat is apparently a low seat. I'm stumped with what to do now. I'm pretty sure it's NOT lowered. The seat height is approx 30.5" and, according to my manual, that's the height of the unlowered bike with the low seat. A lowered bike with a low seat should be 29.5" . . . any ideas?

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

[mtl-R12R]

If the VIN is saying low with a low seat you can presume that it is.

The differance in height may have to do with how the dealer had set up the suspension on the bike that you sat on at the dealership.

If the preload was at its weakest position compared to what you might have it set to now, it may account for the differance.

Curious to know what you find.

Howard

[TT RDHS]

I'm a little unclear on this...
Have you purchased this new bike? Or is it still on the showroom floor?
If the bike that they brought in for you is not correct, you would be under no obligation to purchase it.

[marykayejn]

Preload was the first thing we adjusted. It's as low as it can go and so is the damping.

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

[marykayejn]

Oh bike is purchased. And I love it! Except for the fact that it's too tall. I've dropped it once already. The main reason I ordered it was because it was factory lowered. I have a 28" inseam and have been riding for 20+ years and wanted a bike with ABS that I would have to lower so much that I'd have to worry about ground clearance.

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

[Mollygrubber]

If you're still unhappy after pursuing the obvious avenues, I guess your choices are:

1) Live with it

2) Sell it - my wife just bought an F650GS, pretty nice bike!

3) I know a tiny woman who had Ohlins shorten a set of shocks to fit her legs ($$$$$)

4) have your saddle customized! Fun and practical!

I have been pointed towards Rich's by several people (he is near Seattle, just moved his shop and now has an overnight guest apartment and free camping - road trip!)

www.richscustomseats.com

I hope you can solve your issue, it really is a great bike.

Good luck, keep us informed...

Peter

[marykayejn]

Good points, but the reason I posted was that I'm looking for solutions other than living with it or selling it. I love the bike, just don't want to drop it again.

And yes, Rich is great! He made a seat for me for a Triumph Legend. When it wasn't quite right, I went back up and he made it right. He does a fantastic job and I'd recommend him to anyone.

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

[Dauntless]

Verify that it is lowered by looking at the shocks. They should say "low" on them. Also make sure you have a low seat. Show us a picture and we can tell you if it's actually a low seat.

[marykayejn]

Checked out the shocks. Yep, they say LOW. Makes no sense. Here's a picture of my seat (hope I did it right):

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187 ... 0RSeat.jpg

[Mollygrubber]

Looks like a low seat to me... are you sure your legs didn't shrink?

Not trying to be flippant, just trying to lighten your black mood - just ignore me...

[marykayejn]

Good god! I can't afford to shrink! Being short is so unfair! But, thanks, I appreciate the chuckles. I guess the good thing is that I know it can be lower, just don't know how.

[marykayejn]

Just talked to the dealer up in Seattle. Apparently, there are three seats available. The stock low one, a low comfort and high comfort. And, no way to tell which I have other than to compare. Anybody have a seat out there that looks different than mine? Could you post a pic? Thanks!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187 ... 0RSeat.jpg

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

[bobw]

Congrats on the new R!

Sorry I can't be of any help on a low seat photo, but is there any way to check with the shop that had the one you sat on? They may still have it and/or could tell you which seat was on it. Is it possible the first bike was a demo with some miles on it? I know the foam is very firm on these bikes, but they will settle a bit as will the suspension.

Can you wear boots with a thicker sole, make sure tires are at the low end of the pressure range and carry a 400 pound Gorilla on back to help compress things to a better height?!

I believe someone here will be able to ID your current seat, but you would think a dealer could easily verify it too. Best of luck with getting a speedy solution.

Cheers and Safe Travels!

[marykayejn]

Thanks bobw. The Seattle shop is where I sat on the low bike and he said it was the stock low seat. That's when he said there were actually three seats out there. I'm thinking I may have the low comfort seat rather than the stock.

I've tried all your suggestions over the years except the gorilla. Not sure where I can find one that's available. . . my husbands not that hairy and only about 225, but that might help . . . my boots are Daytona with an elevated insole. If anyone's looking for good boots, I definitely recommend them.

[waynemathews]

Thanks bobw. The Seattle shop is where I sat on the low bike and he said it was the stock low seat. That's when he said there were actually three seats out there. I'm thinking I may have the low comfort seat rather than the stock.

Comfort is part of BMWs nomenclature for their seats. You have the low (comfort) seat.

[crewzzn88]

Just wondering, how tall are you? I'm considering a R1200R with low suspension and low seat. From most of my reading they even fiddle with the telelever thing in front when you order the low suspension.

[Motorcycle_Girl]

Just talked to the dealer up in Seattle. Apparently, there are three seats available. The stock low one, a low comfort and high comfort. And, no way to tell which I have other than to compare. Anybody have a seat out there that looks different than mine? Could you post a pic? Thanks!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w187 ... 0RSeat.jpg

Mary Kaye
Sheridan, Oregon

I have the low seat on my R1200R but the regular suspension..a pic of my bike is in the calendar thread (Blue bike in ffront of a church) You can see what my seat looks like...

[mikes]

Hi All, I'm another first time poster. I have been lurking around for the past three years and this my first post. I have a R12R that I purchased new in 07 and before that I had a R1150R for about five years. Anyway I have looked into lowering both bikes and had mixed results. On my R1150R I put Ohlings (lowered about 20MM) with a low seat. This set up was great but very expensive. ON the R12R I went for a set of Wilbers lowered 40MM with the factory lower set. For me the bike hight is perfect. FYI I'm just on 5'7 at 80kgs. The wilbers went on okay with no problems. Build quality is faultless and the colour springs looks great! However nothing is ever that simple. Gave Wilbers my weight and a rough guide on stuff that I carry on the bike. So they had a pretty good spec on the load and riding style. So what about the ride qty first up? Well - bloody harsh. Felt like I have no suspension at all. It was difficult to try and work out setting using Wilbers instructions but in the end got it all sorted. The local distributor and Wilbers were terrific and nothing was a problem. The bike now rides and handles pretty nice. I must admit its a more solid ride that factory ESA shock set up. I really don't have any issues regarding ground clearance. I have also modified the centerstand with no big problems. Would I do it again? probably not but having said that I have learnt the hard way and next time around it would be far easier sorting out the bike. Also before I even thought about doing another lowering job I would have a look at the factory lower suspension / set option. While I was at the dealers the other day I checked out a R1200GS with factory lowerd option. I really was very surprised at how managable the seat height was. BTW 2 - my bike seat high is now just under 750MM.

[deilenberger]

Hi All, I'm another first time poster. I have been lurking around for the past three years and this my first post.

Cool to un-lurk!

Also before I even thought about doing another lowering job I would have a look at the factory lower suspension / set option. While I was at the dealers the other day I checked out a R1200GS with factory lowerd option. I really was very surprised at how managable the seat height was. BTW 2 - my bike seat high is now just under 750MM.

I did look into what the factory did on their lowered suspension. The factory lowered suspension does decrease the travel of the suspension by the amount the bike is lowered (which I believe is roughly 25mm.) That will make the suspension feel harsher since they must then use stiffer springs to avoid the suspension bottoming out.

AFAIK - Wilbers used/uses the same technique - a shorter shock with less travel. So did HyperPro as the shocks were delivered from the factory. Klaus Hueneke (HyperPro importer and a good friend) and I worked on my lowered suspension (~15mm-20mm) and ended up redesigning the shorter shock so despite it being shorter, it provides travel equal to the standard shock. We put these shocks on the bike with no springs on them, so we could fully compress them and check for any clearance problems for the suspension when fully compressed. We found that even with the Illemberger hugger on - there were no conflicts, so the springs went on and the shocks went on the bike. The improvement in harshness was immediately evident to me vs the way the shocks had come from HyperPro.

There is still a trade-off in this (no free lunch rule) - probably the reason both BMW and Wilbers and HyperPro were willing to sacrifice suspension travel to lower the bike was they may have been afraid of "touch-down" on cornering. Things might tend to contact the road sooner if you maintain the stock travel when lowering the bike, since the frame of the bike now can get closer to the road. For me - that isn't an issue. I'm a 5/10ths rider on a fast day.. my peg feelers are still virgins. It wouldn't work well for someone like ChiTown (Joe) probably..