BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Anyone willing to share their comments after riding on a Bill Mayer saddle atop their R1200R?

I love mine. I got the leather seat and am very happy with it. Worth every penny.

Mark

Mine's good too. A million times better than the original torture device.

I bought my '07 R12R last year with a Bill Mayer already on it. I love it. Very comfortable.

I had my stock saddle rebuilt by Bill Mayer in January but hadn't had an opportunity to do more than 100-200 miles at a time until last month. Just got back from a 2500 mile trip up the coast to Portland; lots of twisties on highways 1 and 101 plus one 400 mile slab slog on I5 from SF to LA on the last day (had to get back). Maybe because I had been on the saddle for a few months and gotten used to it I didn't really notice the difference at first. But a couple of days into the trip it occurred to me that I wasn't hurting. No need to get off and walk/stretch/bend etc. as before the rebuild. That, to me, is impressive.

Because the Mayer shop is in Ojai, relatively nearby, I did the ride-in. The process took about 4 hours including time for a test ride on the new foam before the cover was applied. I got the waffle pattern vinyl on the rider seat with smooth vinyl on the pillion. The saddle is a bit wider than stock but I can still put both feet down when stopped (32" inseam). Now that the temperatures are up I use an Alaska Leather sheepskin cover to avoid swamp-ass. Strangely, that combination is less comfortable than the saddle alone.

This saddle, together with my bar backs and Parabellum Scout fairing, have transformed my R into a very comfortable long-distance sport tourer with the emphasis on sport. Love it.

I had a Bill Mayer saddle on my previous R1150R and now on my R1200R so have a total of 7 years and approximately 64,000 miles on recent models, with about 12,000 miles on the newest one. My first Bill Mayer saddle was actually built be Bill Sr. and was a Day Long, built for me in the early 1970s. So you could say I am a longstanding, satisfied customer. A custom, made-to-fit Bill Mayer saddle is unsurpassed for comfort. The style is understated and simple, which melds well with BMW motorcycles. As already mentioned, they are so subtle that you forget about them. Day after day on tour, no numb butt. Priceless.

In addition to making a first class saddle, you should also know about Bill Mayor's after sales support. Last year after receiving my new BMS saddle there was a problem. I live in Florida. I contacted the company to let them know that all was not well. Within 24 hours Rocky (Bill Mayer Jr.) called me to discuss the situation. He was on holiday and out of the country at the time, but no matter. He quickly diagnosed the problem and told me to return the saddle ASAP. The saddle was adjusted (the fit wasn't right) and shipped back the same day it arrived. No charge for the adjustment or for the shipping (note: coast to coast shipping is not cheap). That is exemplary customer service.

There is no question that there are many options for aftermarket saddles out there and I haven't tried them all. Of the ones I have tried, though, BMS is the best. Recommended without reservations, especially the leather version which is noticeably more comfortable in hot South Florida.

Bill

They had a booth set up at the Laguna Seca MotoGP last weekend (great race, got to talk to Wayne Rainey!!), and seeing as I am interested, I sat on their 'demo' BMW, a R1200GS.

Wow, compared to the (admittedly somewhat different) stock seat. No numb-butt, although 25 seconds probably isn't enough time for a valid opinion...