rabbibgr wrote:Will be purchasing a "11 R1200R this week. I plan to use it for 200-300 mile day trips and some cross country trips. For reference, I have been doing this type of riding on my V-Strom 650. My questions relate to seat and windshield. The stock low seat felt good, but I'm not sure for long distances. I am considering a Parabellum scout because I love the way it looks. My major concern is to eliminate buffeting. Am I on the right track? I also will be using bar backs as I am 5'8 with a 29" inseam.
I'm between 5'8" and 5'9" with an inseam between 31" and 32". I previously had an 09 with a stock seat and recently replaced it with a 2011.
I found the stock seat on the 09 unbearable for more than 90 minues. A lot of other people did also and that's why there used to be a lot of discussion on this board of solutions to the problem of the seat. A solution to the problem of the stock seat was once inconvenient and perilous because most solutions involve sending the OEM seat to a seat fabricator who would then recover it and return it. Motorcycle seats recovering for the R1200R is a cottage industry and on a relatively low volume bike such as the R12R you are buying a pig in a poke when you send your seat off to be recovered. First you were without a bike for a while and second you couldn't be certain what you would get back since you generally couldn't see and compare seats offered by different vendors before making a decision. The uncertainty led to a lot of discussion of the topic as people talked about the problem because we wouldn't pull the trigger on a solution.
It's my impression and I could be wrong that the discussions about the seat have dropped by half or more. Why? BMW introduced a "comfort saddle" last summer which is actually pretty comfortable. I think a lot who were on the fence about which seat fabricator to choose to rework their stock seat just bought the OEM comfort saddle for about $550 and now there's not much to talk about.
I recently bought a 2011 and the comfort saddle was installed on the bike when I bought it. I don't think I've ever seen the "sticker" for my new bike with the options listed but when the dealer read the options off to me he didn't include the comfort saddle on the list of options. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the comfort saddle is now the stock saddle although the 2011 on the BMW website has the old stock saddle and not the comfort saddle installed.
The first thing I checked when I saw the new bike in the showroom was that the comfort saddle was installed. There was no way on earth I was going to take delivery of the new bike without the comfort saddle so I could pay $550 for the only decent saddle BMW makes for the bike. I would have taken delivery of the new bike with no saddle and an understanding that a comfort saddle was on its way to me at no additional charge. I would have taken my old stock saddle out of the closet to install on the new bike so I could ride until the comfort saddle arrived.
So when you say the bike includes the "low stock seat" I wonder what that means. It might mean the stock seat that was the only option before the comfort saddle and it might mean the stock seat today which might be the comfort saddle. I bet you didn't realize that the words "stock seat" were so ambiguous. How do you tell the difference between the comfot saddle and its predecessor, the seat of torture? I can think of four ways.
The passenger grab strap - The old stock saddle had the grab strap while the comfort saddle does not have a grab strap. This the the distinguishing characteristic you can pick out from 25 feet.
The part number which you will probably need for another purpose I will discuss shortly.
The finish on the vinyl - The comfort saddle has a leather-look, pebble grain finish while the old stock saddle has a sort of woven finish. The best way I can describe the woven finish is that it is like someone took some smooth vinyl and heated it just a bit until it was soft and then pressed a very fine nylon net into the surface of the vinyl. The seat has a raised grid pattern with squares about 2mm to 4mm in size as I recall but I could be off.
Ride it - If the seat is bearable after 2 hours, it's pretty unlikely that it is the old stock saddle.
Divots - The old stock saddle had little wedges cut out of the sides where the riders thighs hit the seat.
If I showed anyone at my dealership a stock saddle or a comfort saddle I would be surprised if they could tell me which one it was by sight. For that reason, I would take the seat off, check the part number and determine which one it really is. Not to distinguish between stock and comfort, the passenger grab strap will tell you that, but to determine seat height.
Seat height - The old stock saddle came in three heights and the normal height was 800 mm as I recall while the low was 30mm shorter and the tall was 30mm or 35mm taller. The comfort saddle comes in two heights. The stated height of the low comfort saddle as I recall is also 800 mm. The normal 800mm stock saddle was fine for me so I ordered the 800mm low comfort saddle which has the same stated seat height. I immediately returned the low comfort saddle because it felt too low when I was on the bike. I think the heights are both 800mm as advertised but I think the 800mm comfort saddle had more padding or other differences that caused the seat to compress to a lower height than the stock seat of the same measured height.
I have no aversion to tip-toeing the bike and no real desire to be flat-footed. The bike holds my weight, my toes are enough to keep me balanced so why flat foot? I have a longer inseam than you so a seat that is the right height for me may be too tall for you.
Bar backs are a fairly common modification discussed here but I've never wanted them. On the contrary, I often wish for rear sets with lower bars farther forward. I'm just worried about the tank interfering with the bars. Since we are practically the same height and I have a longer inseam you probably have a longer torso so I would think the position of the bars would be fine for you since it would be less of a stretch. However, it's a matter of comfort and personal preference so only you can make that decision.
Windshields - Never had one on my 09 and thought about getting a parabellum scout or a wunderlich trophy and never got around to it. I'm not sure but I think you can order the trophy in body colors but you must have the scout painted. Also, the scout may be intended for multiple bikes but can be fitted to the R1200R whereas the trophy is r12r specific. Of course any aftermarket products currently available and designed specifically for the R1200R were designed for the pre-2011 R1200R. It's the same bike but there are quite a few differences in the parts involved including new guages and various things around the front headlight. Don't be surprised if issues arise as a result.
I'm not a windshield fan and based on the discussions here, more people complain about the problems induced by windshields than the problems caused by not having them. My 2011 came with the sport shield which is about as big a windshield as I want. It increases the wind noise versus going naked. I took it off and sent it to be painted the same color as the bike. Riding 300 miles without the protection of a windscreen hasn't been a problem for me and I will never want for a windscreen if I never try one so I'm going to avoid such temptations.
Off topic and overheard recently at a dingle party for avid discussion board followers and contributors:
New member: Some weather we're having?
Long-tme members 1 through 484: We've covered that. Check the minutes of our previous meetings.
Nonetheless, there's an encyclopedia of discussion on seats and bar backs if you care to search and read it all.
) and like my barbacks. You could try it out and if you feel you need them, its always an option. To be honest, have not ridden my bike without them.