BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Being relax with your shoulders drop and arms slightly bent. Make sure your grip on the handle bars is like holding a budgie .... not too tight and not to firm.


If you find when riding your head is starting to drop into your shoulders. Sit upright and relax so it feels like your neck is being extended. It means your shoulder have dropped and your arms have relaxed again.


As with other advice given you should find something that helps like raising the seat.

Although i am only 6'0", i had the same pain begin to develop on our long rides a few years back. At the time we began riding late into the year, well below freezing. My girlfriend noticed on an early morning ride that my shoulders seemed more rigid .

Turns out i was tensing back to get out of the sub-zero temps.

I bought some electric gear (with heated collar) and the problem went away. After riding with it on, i noticed that i wasn't having to  pull my shoulders up and together to keep the back of my neck warm like before.

Thanks to everyone for the further input.

I did one of my longer commute runs today - Warrington to Leeds. It's pretty much all Motorway; M6 - M60 - M62. I went North around Manchester on the way there and South-about on the way back due to traffic. Trip time was around 80 minutes each way.

The good news is that I had no problems with my upper back at all. When I arrived my lower back was very stiff but that's something I can deal with (I have slight curvature of the spine so I have to work hard to ensure I am giving enough support to my back with my stomach muscles). I focused on that during the return trip and had no repeat of the problem. In both directions I spent the last 15-20 minutes with increasing discomfort in my thigh muscles but I'm guessing that is them having to do more work than was previously the case and they will just have to get used to it!

So in conclusion I'm pretty pleased as the original issue appears to be resolved and the new issues are ones that I am more comfortable with how to resolve.

Cleverbee wrote: Raise the seat, shift yourself forward towards the tank so that you can grip it with your knees, forearms parallel to the ground. Best riding position and more relaxed.
Give it a try......

what he said...

I've got just under 14,000 miles on my 16 RT.. I am 5'11", 31" inseam and 190 lbs. After break in I raised the seat to the high position. This only raises the front of the seat and I did it to prevent sliding into the tank when breaking.
At around 2,500 miles I went for the Helibars risers. they help! The best thing I found came from a flea market, where I bought a posture brace. It is a combination of shoulder holster type rig and back support. Once adjusted, it pulls your shoulders back to a military like posture. This helps the most.
Give it time, you will find the right combination of gear to alleviate the issue.

Thanks for the advice. To be honest it's not a problem any more, having found an entirely different riding position to the one I used to hold on my GS. Somewhat ironically the problem - for me at least - was that I was trying to maintain too rigid and upright a posture. After consciously working on the "Master Yoda Riding Position" for a few weeks it quickly became second nature and now all is fine.


I still get cramps in my thighs after around 90 minutes of riding, but that has been the case on every bike I have owned since I bought my F800 ST in 2008 and I think that is because I just don't spend enough hours in the saddle to build those muscles up further. (Prior to 2008 I was riding every day and had no problems at all.)