2009 R1200RT Riding comfort issues

[Tom Stewart]

New to me 2009 R1200RT.I love the bike, but after sometime in the seat I get some pain in my hip flexors....I have tried the following:

1. Purchased the Illium foot rests...this did lower my feet by 1.75 inches, but it also spread my legs further apart which increased the issue. I put the stock pegs back on bike.
2. Raise and lower the seat to test each....did nothing.

If I ride with my rear end in the crack between the driver/passenger seat it does the trick....problem is I am sitting IN THE SPOT WHERE THE HIGHER PASSENGER SEAT AND THE DRIVER SEAT MEET....UNCOMFORTABLE!
I am 6' 1" tall, 250 pounds and have a 32" inseam.
Another other tips that may solve my issue.....I have been stretching for weeks trying to loosen those muscles....no help there either.
Thanks

[bandytales]

New to me 2009 R1200RT.I love the bike, but after sometime in the seat I get some pain in my hip flexors...

Have you considered Bar risers to reduce the angle of trunk to thigh?

[Beagle]

I couldnt live with the stock seat and got a Sargeant rider and pillion. Greater area and more support. Stock seat is great in the showroom but compresses too hard after a short while.

[smileymiley]

I couldnt live with the stock seat and got a Sargeant rider and pillion. Greater area and more support. Stock seat is great in the showroom but compresses too hard after a short while.

+1

[temesvar]

You just may be to close to the handle bars. Try sitting as far back as you can.
If you had a previous bike that you felt more comfortable, check your position
on that bike compared to the RT on this site http://cycle-ergo.com/
Feel in your sizes, bring the other bike in as well, and compare.
Hope this will help. Good luck!

[jbarr]

I too find the seat uncomfortable after about 1 hour of riding and start squirming.  I am planning a really long trip this summer and have been trying different things for comfort.  Not sure if they would help with your specific problem, but I have done the following with varying degrees of success:


1. Installed highway pegs.  This allows me to stretch out my legs occasionally and change the pressure points on my "bottom".  This has done a lot to improve my comfort.  I also have a knee that tends to pain after awhile and this fully addresses that issue as well. My highway pegs were an inexpensive ($100),but effective partial solution to comfort.  I could not do without them now that I have them.
2. Purchased an airhawk inflatable seat pad at https://airhawk.net/product-category/seat-cushions/bike-manufacturer/bmw/. It does help extend the time I can ride before I start squirming...maybe by as much as an hour...but I am not thrilled with the feeling of sitting on an "airbag".  I am much happier when my bottom is firmly attached to the seat.  I will use the airhawk sometimes but prefer to ride without it.  It cost about 120$ CDN which is relatively cheap and helps to an extent with resolving my comfort issues, but I am not a huge fan.
3. Purchased MotoSkiveez underwear. See: https://motoskiveez.com/  I was apprehensive to spend more than $60 on a friggin' pair of underwear.  But as soon as I tried them I was amazed at the improvement in comfort. I am doing a trip of about 17,000 km this summer and will be taking two pairs of these; will keep alternating them and washing the other pair at night.  When I took them out of the package I thought I had been duped/ripped off but I couldn't believe how well they improved my riding comfort.  The Airhawk is pretty well redundant when wearing these.  I would recommend these to any long distance rider.  They take a little getting used to if you have never worn bicycle shorts or other underwear with padding, but you will love them when sitting in the saddle for hours on end.
4. Purchased a sheepskin seat cover from Egli Farms for under 100$.  Can't comment on how well it works since this was a Christmas gift that I haven't used yet.  But I am hoping that the sheepskin in combination with the motoskiveez and my highway pegs will be the answer.


PS - I did look at Sargent seat options and would love to try the seat/backrest comb.  But buying the backrest forces you to buy the pillion as well (backrest attaches to pillion....how convenient for Sargent.  But there is no way in hell I am paying almost $2000 CDN for a replacement seat.


Hope this helps you or other riders who are finding the stock seat "challenging".

[temesvar]

Airhawk helps, but the sheepskin makes a world of difference, at least for me. Cool on summer days, warm in cooler weather.
Can have the Airhawk under it, yet i am happy just with the sheepskin. Purchased at https://alaskaleather.com/products/medi ... in-buttpad
and would not go long distance without it. The only downside of these attachments is they have to be removed when not under supervision, as they
tend to walk away in a hurry!! :shirty:

[jackronner]

Sounds like we're both long-waisted with identical inseams.  I might suggest that you try moving your feet forward on the pegs by placing your heels, rather than your insteps, on the pegs.  I did 10,000 miles this summer, but did not suffer greatly as you did.  You might want to try some of the Ilium highway pegs (under the cylinder heads), but as you said I think they splay your legs apart too much for comfort.  You seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place:  raising your seat might straighten your legs out to relieve the crouch, yet I find that the bike is too tall to make backing up a bit "tippy" in that I can't flat foot the bike for stability and a good ground purchase.  I, too, dislike the ass-crack where the rider and passenger seat seam.  A single seat, one-piece, seat might help both in this regard and in allowing you to scoot back to effectively straighten your legs.  You might be able to raise the seat more by by-passing the seat height adjusters (I removed them entirely to lower the seat even further).  You may be able to jury-rig something to raise the seat.  If you believe that it would help you if you could lean back further, contact me about adding a secondary handle to your bars to allow you another 4-5" of rearward placement.  Below is a copy of another post about problems arising from the height of the bike.  Good luck.


[size=2px]I'm 5'11" but long-waisted, 32" inseam, and can't completely flat-foot it.  Backing up is the real trial;  I've tended to shift my butt on the seat to the appropriate side so that I have at least one foot flat and able to get a reliable purchase on the road.  Here are some other suggestions to lower the seat height from a former post of mine:[/size][size=2px][size=2px][size=2px][size=2px]I've just bought a 2005 R1200RT.  If you, too, find the bike a bit tall and unsteady - can't quite flat-foot it - here are a couple of ideas.  Pls let me know if there are any downsides to them.[/size]I just totally removed the movable height adjusters under the driver's seat.  Lowers the seat about another inch.  Doesn't seem to contact the battery, etc. under the seat.  Even at a long-waisted 5'11", I find that, especially when backing it up a slight incline or rough ground, it's an adventure.  Fix:  popping off the lower anchor of the front pegs' return spring (which tensions the front pegs forward) will allow you to fold them up during such maneuvers (manoeuvres if you're from the UK).  This prevents barked shins and bone bruises from the pegs, and allows a greater range of motion for your legs;  and, since you no longer have to adopt a wider stance to avoid the pegs, a smaller rider can point their legs straight down and take advantage of every inch of inch-seam.  This and the torturous upright position almost dissuaded me from buying the RT, but these fixes help with both problems.  Pass it around if you see someone struggling.[/size]

[guest2383]

I found the stock seat to be very uncomfortable after about an hour so I purchased the BMW "Comfort" seat (also heated) and found it a transformation - it was then all - day comfortable (500+ miles without aches or pain).

What annoys me however, is that BMW (not third party) can provide a comfort seat for a luxury tourer - at a substantial cost I may add.
Shouldn't the stock seat be "comfortable" for a full days riding on this type of machine?
Or perhaps the "Comfort" seat should be provided as the stock seat.

Sorry - rant over! :wonder: :wonder:

[Tom Stewart]

Thank you for all of the suggestions.
The bike came with the Illium handle bar riser. It also moves the bars back about .75".
I'm going to remove the riser and ride along with a seat pad to see if that corrects the issue. Seems that would logically create the comfortable riding position I find when moving my rear back on the stock seat.
I can't imagine paying $1,000 + for a custom seat, but if that is what it takes, so be it....I love the bike. I wasn't looking for this bike, I was looking at the GS and a couple others. After doing some research about the RT Boxer, the deal was too good to pass up. 2009 with 5100 miles for $7,800 usd...I love the way it handled in the test ride. Most of my other bikes have been off road dirt bikes....motocross raced when younger and the last street bike I had was in college and it was my only mode of transport for 3+ years. That was about 40 years ago!
I'll figure this out, but if any more suggestions come my way, I'll be grateful.
Thanks again for your responses.
Happy 2019!
ts

[Brad]

For anyone short in the leg, I have a heated low seat for sale, fits pre watercooled 1200rt ( mine was a 2010 model) £50 plus postage
a.l@bradley02.plus.com

[percy]

I couldnt live with the stock seat and got a Sargeant rider and pillion. Greater area and more support. Stock seat is great in the showroom but compresses too hard after a short while.

+1  but I replaced the standard seat with a second hand Corbin seat.

[jackronner]

Here are some gel seats which might help.  I'v used the GS model on long tours for years, and they're cheap!  The GS folds, with a carrying handle which allows you to secure the pad with a bungie cord, etc.  https://www.amazon.com/gelco-seat-cushi ... %20cushion

[ds99]

2007 R1200RT


5' 11" tall


32" inseam


on long journeys i have to sit as far back in the seat as possible with my heels on the footpegs, otherwise it's uncomfortable in my legs/knees

[Dee Dub]

A thought - others have found this helpful: Try rolling your hips forward so that your coccyx ('tail') is pointing in the direction of the rear licence plate. This may be especially helpful if you remove the bar risers because you will end up closer to the bars. The posture may feel unnatural at first, and it may take a while for the appropriate muscles to strengthen, but if it is a viable solution (and a free solution)...!