BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I want to replace the seat on my '12 R12R. As there are no ride-in custom seat makers anywhere near me, I was considering Rich's custom seats in Wa. Supposedly, you send him a few photos of yourself sitting on your bike a couple of different ways, and he makes you a "kinda" custom seat. I saw a couple of places that do the same (seat from photos)

I'm wondering if anyone here has done such a thing, and how it came out.

mchad wrote:I want to replace the seat on my '12 R12R. As there are no ride-in custom seat makers anywhere near me, I was considering Rich's custom seats in Wa. Supposedly, you send him a few photos of yourself sitting on your bike a couple of different ways, and he makes you a "kinda" custom seat. I saw a couple of places that do the same (seat from photos)

I'm wondering if anyone here has done such a thing, and how it came out.

I got a Rick Mayer through the mail. It took a long time with that particular outfit until I had it back. I think to remember 4-6 weeks. The seat is good and an improvement, but I don't believe it is truly custom, simply because it can't be just following a photo. Like you, I don't have anyone in the area where I could have done the ride in option, but I would have preferred that over the 'phone, photo, and mail method'.

I bought a Russell for my R1200R that way. Took photos, added some description about my desired riding position, my weight, height, etc. And they sent me back a seat that works for me all day, easy. I did it in November hand had the seat back four weeks later (it'll take more now).

The bike had a Bill Mayer seat when I got it. It's a really nice seat and I think works great with the stock forward riding position of the R. But I have 3.5" risers on my R and like to sit upright, which is where the Russell shines. No seat like it.

Here's my post re: Rich's, and yes I still love it.viewtopic.php?f=20&t=21596&p=191109#p191109 A couple others on here have since had it done as well I believe

I'm a Rich's fan, too, but I had mine done in person.

Bill Mayer has made a few saddles for me this way and they are wonderful. Once I had to return mine for an adjustment and that was a PITA, but the saddle works or he'll make it right. Bill Mayer gives you a date for the saddle to be made and it is up to you to get your stock saddle to him for that date. He builds the saddle on the day scheduled and returns it the same way it was sent per your instructions. I used UPS Blue and had my saddle back in Florida in under a week. Bill's dad is the guy who started the whole custom saddle business. He sold his company to Russell, and Bill Jr. (nickname Rocky) is the best in the business. As in no one makes a better saddle than Bill Mayer, not even brother Rick, and certainly not Russell.

Bill Stevenson wrote:As in no one makes a better saddle than Bill Mayer, not even brother Rick, and certainly not Russell.

I have both a Bill Mayer and a Russell for my R and I have to say my opinion differs greatly. Nothing wrong with the Bill Mayer but the Russell is, for me, much, much better.

Very interesting that you prefer the Russell. Bill Mayer makes my saddles extra firm for me, which I strongly prefer. The Russell is much softer, I sink in more if you will, and that results in a sore back after an all day toot. I have owned a couple of Russells over the years and that is why I don't care for them as much. What is it about the Russell that you find superior?

Regards,

Bill

My Bill Mayer is firm too, actually. But only slightly firmer than my Russell. I don't sink in it very much.

But the bottom line for me is, with the Russell, I can ride and ride and my butt never has an issue. Ever.

The Bill Mayer is comfortable, but not that comfortable. It does look great though. Much better than the Russell.

I think the only other win for the Russell over the Bill Mayer is, because I have a 3.5" riser on my bars, I sit more upright. The Bill Mayer is perfectly positioned for the default riding position of the R. But sitting upright like I do, I slide forward on it.

I think you nailed the difference. I sit in what you call the default position, meaning a slightly forward lean. Actually my saddle is built up a couple of inches to give me more leg room so I lean forward a bit more than would be the case with the stock saddle height. I agree with you that the Russell, with the unusual shape, offers good support for a more upright riding position. My first custom saddle, bought from Bill Mayer Sr. when he owned the company before selling to Russell, was the best investment in comfort that could be made back around 1971 or 1972.

Regards,

Bill

One other thing that I forgot to mention. If you are sliding forward on your saddle, it means that the saddle is not shaped in a neutral position for you. If you call Rocky Mayer and tell him that you are having this trouble, he can make an adjustment to your saddle to fix it.

Regards,

Bill

i just got my Corbin saddle 2 weeks ago.
http://www.corbin.com/bmw/bmwr12r7.shtml

I find it much better than the stock BMW saddle. I have done a few trips around home (120 miles) and find it great. Even the wife like it better than the stock one.
I am going on a 4000km (2485Mile) trip in April over 6 days, so I will find out how good it is.

regards
Stan

Picture of the Corbin saddle on my bike.

I have had many seats over the years, primarily from Corbin since they are 30 miles away.

I am of the belief that to have a truly custom seat you need to be fitted at the manufacturer's shop. The Corbins worked for me because when I rode out of the shop it fit my bony butt like hands cradling it. The material did break in after time but I never noticed when since the fit was right from the beginning. Ever notice how comfortable a "tractor seat" is even without any padding?

I find it truly hard to have a seat made from photos. I had a Bill Mayer seat and it certainly did not work when made from my photos and it was only marginally better when I rode in to have it modified. He was not terribly receptive to my comments and he said he had to make it a certain way - it just never worked for me. I ended up with another Corbin on that bike R1200GS.

I ordered a Sargent seat based primarily on the posts here on this site. It was a great leap of faith. I followed the many recommendations posted here and called Sargent to order a seat. I spoke to a gentleman over the phone and he told me how to fill out the forms and he told me about the seat. It is really not a custom fit, per se, but it appeared to be custom covered in one of a couple heights (low and stock). You send in your base and they custom cover it using their faom and materials but I did not get the idea that they do any real special sculpting for you the individual. I ordered my seat and crossed my fingers. I received a fantastic seat. Quality construction and it works really well for me.

If you can manage to get a custom fitting into a trip it would really pay for itself in getting it right the first time. Then if you do have problems you can send it back to the shop for minor tweaking when you get back.

YMMV

I know everyone is different, so I'm not saying what worked for me will work for everyone. But I had my Russell made with just the order form (photos, etc.) and it works great for me. Maybe it's not "truly custom", but what I value is how it performs. And it performs great. I have like zero padding on my ass, so I can't be the easiest person to please with a seat. So I don't think it's that the Russell just "fits me" somehow. I think it's simply well designed.

Every one of us has had differing experiences and it is difficult to know who is right. For example, I had Corbin custom fit me for an R80 years ago and that truly custom was never comfortable. I have had custom saddles done with photos by both Bill Mayer Sr (the guy who started it all and whose legacy is now Russell) and by Bill Mayer Jr. with uniformly good results.

Bill

Buying a custom seat mail order is much like buying a made-to-measure suit over the 'phone.

I had a hand-made seat for my Bandit. It looked great but it was no better than stock and, if anything, was less comfortable because the sculpting gave less 'wriggle room'. I replaced that with a Sargent seat. It looks great but doesn't fit as well as the stock seat (or the hand-made seat as that used a standard Suzuki seat pan that I bought from a breaker). Since I only put about 50 miles on that before I trade in the Suzuki, it's difficult to know how that would work out comfort-wise since it hasn't been broken in. I'll trade the bike with the stock seat and sell the Sargent on eBay.

For my new R1200R, I was originally going for the low seat option as I have a 29 inch inseam. In the end, I have ordered the BMW Comfort seat which is even higher than the standard seat. I tried the seat on a Classic in the dealership and found that I could still reach the floor. I'm used to not flat-footing when I put my feet down and I liked the look of the Comfort seat. I'll let you have my thoughts when I take delivery in April.

David

I sent my stock seat all the way across the country to Bill Mayer in Ojai Ca last year when I finally got tired of enduring the discomfort of the stock saddle on my 04 R1150R. He asked for pictures taken with me on the bike in riding position, a picture of the unladen bike, markings on the saddle where the rear of my posterior met with the saddle, and a description of the problems I have with my then current saddle. A few weeks later a very nice looking saddle arrived in basketweave vinyl. It has been a night and day difference. I have not a single complaint about it. Can ride all day, easily. Yes, it was expensive ($500). After a few rides on my new R1200R, I have decided to give him a chance to do the same thing again, only this time in leather. I expect to receive it early next week. Aside from him being able to adjust foam firmness, I don't see how being present during the build would add a whole lot to the end result. If he needs more info, he'll ask you for it. I have not tried any of the other saddlemakers as I really don't need to at this point. I did just order an off the shelf Sargeant for my VFR800 (cheaper and resellable). I hope it is half as good as the Bill Mayer on my 1150R.

I am glad you mentioned leather. I live in South Florida and down here it gets a bit warmish from time to time. The difference between leather and vinyl is quite significant. Leather breathes and vinyl does not. I can ride on my leather covered Bill Mayer saddle all day long. Other bikes with vinyl saddles have me sweating in the nether regions in just a few short minutes. Big, big difference in comfort.

Bill

I've not had any trouble with the vinyl, maybe because it is a basketweave texture and allows some air passage? Looking forward to the leather and it's just classier. Supposed to be here on Tuesday.

slowtorque wrote:I've not had any trouble with the vinyl, maybe because it is a basketweave texture and allows some air passage? Looking forward to the leather and it's just classier. Supposed to be here on Tuesday.

+1, basketweave vinyl works great for me in temps ranging from 25F-110F. Plus, I am not a big cleaner. Having the simple maintenance (none) and relative insensitivity to sun of the vinyl works well for me.

slowtorque wrote:...I don't see how being present during the build would add a whole lot to the end result...

There are videos and pictorials of the ride in process floating around online. I think there was at least one here on this forum 1-2 years or so ago. These reports neatly show the differences in 'custom' treatment you receive.