Lowering Kit

[tonyff]

I've had my 2004 for a couple of years now and I continue to struggle with the height. I have a 29" inseam. Has anyone had experience with lowering kits of any sort?

[Buckster]

I don't know about a lowering kit, but BMW makes a "low" seat that was an option on these bikes. Watch the buy, sell, and trade topics often or ebay and you'll probably find one.

[challey]

Buckster said:

. . . BMW makes a "low" seat that was an option on these bikes

I'm pretty sure that the "low" seat is the Sasquatch of BMW options: Often talked about and occasionally claimed to have been seen but with no firm evidence of its exsistance. From what I've been able to determine, the only seating option is a high seat with the standard seat (i. e., the one provided on the sotck factory bike) being the "low" seat.

I also have a 29" inseam and so tried to find a way to get the seat closer to the ground. You may recall that a number of years ago, Patrick from CA posted extensively on this subject. He concluded that the solution was not to not only lower the seat but also to narrow it - he believed that a big part of the problem was that the stock seat splayed your legs out and so used up valuable inseam real estate on the way to contact with the pavement. His solution was to narrow the stock seat and remove the rubber mounts under the seat.

I've never gotten around to narrowing my seat but I did remove the rubber mounts. By my measurements, this lowered things by about 3/8" however, since I wrapped the bare metal posts with a few turns of friction tape, my net is probably only about 1/4". So a small improvement but at very low (essentially zero) cost.

Charlie

[NoRRmad]

I have a low seat. Looks real to me...

[tonyff]

Good options. Thanks guys. Now that you mention it, I did remember seeing something about shaving the rubber mounts from posts of days pasts. I "had" the low seat, but found it to be so uncomfortable on long rides that I have gone out and gotten a more cushy one. Yes, I know. It makes my height problem worse, but I made the choice for comfort while riding. Lately, I have been doing more stop and go which makes me notice the height issue more. THEN... I was on the BMW site and I see that part of the marketing focus is to fit the bike to the rider, not the other way around. That got me thinking that there may now be options that were not available before. I may still go with the seat mount option. I'm too much of a coward to narrow my seat. Hey, that thing was expensive.

Long story longer....thanks for your feedback. It has been awhile since I have been on the site and I still do appreciate the views and experiences of those found on these pages.

Tony

[NoRRmad]

My low seat seems to have about three-quarters of an inch of padding, which doesn't make for a particularly cushy ride. I added an Airhawk seat pad, which, properly adjusted, doesn't add to the height; it just "fills in the gaps" of cushioning, evening out the pressure points. That's been my solution.

[bikermeow]

An old trick I learnt from a mech (or was it a trick that I learnt from an old mech) is to change the tyres to lower profile if such tyres exist.

[sweatmark]

Here's the lowest R1150R Roadster I've seen:



The bike has aftermarket shortened suspension front and rear, and the seat is a one-off custom with much of the base carved away along the contours of the subframe and side panels. The owner is an accomplished woman rider who appears to have no problem keeping up with her husband on R1200GS and riding companions. The tailbag is home to the family dog.
Wish I had taken a side-view shot, as you would see just how little seat remains above the base and subframe.

[tonyff]

Nice pic. I just checked into what it would cost to lower the suspension. $689.00 will gain me up to an inch and $985.00 will get me up to 1.2 inches. Ouch. I think I will shave the seat mount and just leave it at that. Maybe I will get some big soled boots and paint my face up like Gene Simons with Kiss.

As a side note, if you order a new R1200R you have the option of choosing a lower seat with no additional cost. This drops the height from 31.5 inches to 30.3 inches. For an additional $499.00, you can choose the low suspension kit which will take you to 29.5 inches.



Thanks again,

Tony