BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

So I'm staring down a long (to me; I know some of you call 1600 miles "the weekend") tour in late August from Boston, Mass to the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec. Having spent a little over 2500 miles now getting to know the bike, there are a few things I'm planning to upgrade in the rider comfort area, but looking at the cost and the time I have to do it before I leave I'm thinking I may only be able to justify one purchase this year.


With that said, I'm looking for opinions from those much more knowledgeable than I: of the items below, if you could only choose one, which would you go with? This is for a '14 R1200RT.

• Replace the stock saddle with the Corbin dual saddle (with the back rest) - after a couple hours my rear end starts to hurt, a few more and my back starts to hate me, I'm hoping this will help. I've heard good things about the Sargent seats too, but I had a Corbin on a previous bike and loved it.
• Add a set of front engine bars & highway pegs - I'm looking at the Wunderlich offerings.
• Replace the stock windshield with a Wunderlich touring screen - I've heard from a number of RT riders locally (I love when I stop in any little downtown and someone invariably comes up to chat) that these windshields do a great job keeping the wind from hitting their shoulders, and that it makes a noticeable difference?)
• Or, option the fourth, suck it up and do it all in one shot, I can thank you when I'm done with the tour?

Interested to hear what folks think!

You didn't sate how old you are or how many miles you plan in a day?

I am comfortable enough with my OEM seat. However, if your seat is a pain as you state it is I would change that as it will become more and more of a distraction and take your mind and attention off the things you should be focusing on i.e. Your's and your passenger safety.


If you are exceptionally tall both the highway pegs and the taller windscreen will be useful to you on a long run, otherwise the highway pegs an unnecessary expense. I have front and rear protection bars, which give me peace of mind.


After forking out all that money on a new bike I would suck it up and base any changes based on valuable data i.e your experience and input of a 1600 mile journey. It would be a bummer if you paid out on an unnecessary item and all through the journey you wished you had done something different.


Hope it helps and enjoy your trip wish I was coming.

Touring screen - definitely.

I'm with you on the seat , I also get a sore arse after just a few hours in the saddle , I had a Corbin on my Suzuki boulevard & could do 600 to 800klms in a day & my butt & lower back where fine so I would def go the seat

I know this might not be everyone's cup of tea as a solution to seating comfort, but I'd tend to agree, a lot of time the OEM stuff is ok, but I've found the riding experience can be affected by the type of underwear used. The elasticated seams on some products can be really abrasive.


A solution I adopt on long trips, from my love of cycling too, is to wear a pair of Lycra gel pad shorts. These are light weight and breathable and will wash out and dry quickly.....for the uninitiated these are worn without underpants! Sorry to be so direct about it!

Mark05.  Your not wrong..  My take on this is, never wear cotton in warm weather under any type of riding trousers. The cotton holds dampness resulting in you being welded to the seat.  For some reason I find this is most uncomfortably if I have Gortex on. My solution is silk or Rayon.  Anything shiny seems to work.  This type of underwear is best purchased a few days after valentines Day in your local supermarket.  They always seem to have a good selection of dubiously decorated boxer shorts in very shiny material at knock down prices. 

+1 on Mark05RT take on cycling Lycra as a cyclist myself on long runs I will wear them normal joolies anything will do.