Changed My Mind About The Seat...

[crotchrocket]

So I was under the impression the standard 1200GSA Seat was comfy....... a weekend in Wales has changed my mind... It's definitely more comfy for a trip than the Rallye seat but I definitely would like a comfort version. I tried my airhawk on it, but felt very disconnected from the bike and couldn't stop sliding into the tank. If anyone has a BMW, Touratech, Wunderlich etc. please give me a shout! off to Europe for 2 weeks in a couple of weeks time.

 

[glenn2926]

So I was under the impression the standard 1200GSA Seat was comfy....... a weekend in Wales has changed my mind... It's definitely more comfy for a trip than the Rallye seat but I definitely would like a comfort version. I tried my airhawk on it, but felt very disconnected from the bike and couldn't stop sliding into the tank. If anyone has a BMW, Touratech, Wunderlich etc. please give me a shout! off to Europe for 2 weeks in a couple of weeks time.

Have you tried putting the seat in the high position at the front and low position at the rear? This makes a huge difference to the riding position.

 

[Nick Marshall]

What seat have you got. There are several different types and heights.

Have you tried a Cool Cover?

 

[crotchrocket]

I was about to ask about a Cool Cover actually! It's a 2018 GSA, with what I believe is the standard seat.

 

[crotchrocket]

Have you tried putting the seat in the high position at the front and low position at the rear? This makes a huge difference to the riding position.

To be honest, the seat in low is about as high as i'd like to be! It's more the pressure points on my backside! bit of background, my left leg doesn't really work, so it's difficult to relieve pressure.

 

[glenn2926]

I was about to ask about a Cool Cover actually! It's a 2018 GSA, with what I believe is the standard seat.

I have a cool cover on my Triumph Tiger Rally Pro. I was struggling with longer 500-600 mile days getting numb bum. Since fitting the cool cover there is a big improvement. A lot of the numb bum type problems do seem to disappear with more saddle time. As in the more I ride the longer it is before I get numb bum. The cool cover makes a big difference when riding in the rain. Because it lifts me off the seat by around 6-8 mm I’m not sat in a puddle of water and therefore stay much drier.

 

[DJ123]

Another one for the Cool cover.

I have a standard GS seat which i found fine for a few hours. But, the Cool cover makes it all day comfort with no pressure points. And it's handy in all weathers, for either passing a breeze when it's hot or stop you sitting in a puddle when it's raining.

 

[Traffic893]

I have a cool cover and it works really well.
However, weird as it sounds, when I’m riding wearing textiles I could be in the seat for well over an hour no issues.
When I wear my Kevlar lined jeans about 45mins in I get the ass ache, even with cool cover. I stand up flex a bit and carry on.

 

[Oldrat]

So I was under the impression the standard 1200GSA Seat was comfy....... a weekend in Wales has changed my mind... It's definitely more comfy for a trip than the Rallye seat but I definitely would like a comfort version. I tried my airhawk on it, but felt very disconnected from the bike and couldn't stop sliding into the tank. If anyone has a BMW, Touratech, Wunderlich etc. please give me a shout! off to Europe for 2 weeks in a couple of weeks time.

The idea of an airhawk is to have just enough air in it to fill the gaps of your backside that don’t touch the seat. ie hardly any in it at all. It certainly shouldn’t feel disconnected at all but it would if over inflated.

I wonder if it was inflated a bit too much?

Meanwhile, as much as I liked my air hawk, I much prefer my long haired sheepy cover, it’s all day comfy.

 

[Khulu]

I use a cool cover too which works great in the heat but if the bike is left out in the rain you can't wipe the seat dry! (Sorry, nothing to do with comfort).

 

[Khulu]

off to Europe for 2 weeks in a couple of weeks time.

Me too! See you there.

 

[PapaHayd]

Sheep skin can’t beat em

Premium Quality Genuine Half Sheepskin - Seat Pad

Genuine small sheepskin piece perfect as a seat pad or pet bed, Quality sheepskins available at Lambland with free UK delivery

www.lambland.co.uk

 

[Buttertub]

I've just bought a cool cover and had it on for a few weeks. I'd definitely day it improves comfort as it seems to spread the load with what look like some kind of internal coiled spring system.
The thing to bear in mind though is I've found it noticeably increases the effective seat height if getting your feet down is an issue. Firstly, while the spring system appears soft when pushed with your hand etc when the load is spread from actually sitting mine doesn't compress that much. Secondly, the cover itself makes the seat wider which also affects getting your feet planted. Difficult to measure but I'd estimate mine seems to have added at least 10mm plus to getting your feet down.
Mines from the uk cool covers website so it might be different from other versions out there which may impact things differently. Overall though so far I'd say it does improve comfort from my time on it so far, which is what I really wanted.

 

[Pukmeister]

FWIW I have replaced every BMW seat I've ever had with a Sargent aftermarket seat, which is like concrete in comparison to the stock jelly BMW seat but after an hour you are still supported by the Sargent foam plus it has a cutout relief for the Coccyx to relieve pressure on the base of the spine. The squidgy BMW foam will have you in a poor anatomical position with less support and pain increasing by the hour, its an instrument of fucking torture IMHO and BMW should do much better rather than offer to sell a "comfort" seat to the buyer at added cost. (The seats should be "comfort" by design as standard !) It also promotes a rounding of the lower back that will see you gradually sliding towards the fuel tank. Tweaking the seat to high front/low rear whilst being a work around will not correct the poor posture/support problem.

I have a history of lower back troubles going back to my youth (almost paralysed myself in a gymnastic accident at 16) so I need to be in the correct position to alleviate pressure from the base of my spinal column. Working daily on my lower back muscular chain and core muscles such as indoor rowing and resistance training works wonders for correcting my posture. Being "bike fit" before attempting a big tour can be a game changer.

I have a 29" inseam and the Sargent seat base is wider than the OE seat pad for better support, the disadvantage being I can't get as much of my foot on the floor without shifting an arse cheek to one side when stopped. Its a small price to pay and is no real inconvenience, if I had a 30"+ inseam it wouldn't be an issue. Having ridden GSA's since the 1150 model I pretty much have the hang of it and I guess I have a Sargent shaped arse, as they say on TV......other brands of aftermarket seat are available.

 

[Deleted account 260111001]

I love the Wunderlich seat that I have installed on my GSA, it made a huge difference to my longer rides.