The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: rdteeler on January 30, 2016, 07:29:45 AM
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I have a question regarding the saddles on the R 65.I noticed that the seat on my bike which is a factory seat new.I feel pressure. Does any one have a suggestion on what they may have done on there bike that might have had the same issue,I thought about taking it to Cals top shop and let him dremmel out a little material making a little dip in the saddle light my Harley.
Any suggestions are seat types are brands that yall use.
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I'm presuming that you mean you are feeling pressure in your back? With my R/65 I get nagging pain in my lower back if I ride it for over an hour. I've considered that the seat might need rebuilding after 30 years, but I don't think that is the problem. I believe the R65 was made as a commuter rather than a touring bike.
Looking at the seat, it is narrower at the front than it is at the back. I could ride my R75/5 all day when it was going without enduring any pain at all. This is possibly because it's seat is much wider than the R65 seat. I know that it's certainly a lot more comfortable. I looked into getting a wider seat for my R65 a few months back and found that the easiest solution is to buy a single seat from an R90/6. The guy in England who I contacted fitted that seat to an R65 and sent me a picture to prove it. It didn't look too bad actually, even with the exposed rear mudguard. Apparently there were absolutely no modifications to the frame at all. It's bloody expensive to do that unless you can find a cheap R90/6 seat.
A much cheaper option would be to buy a sheepskin and cover the original seat with it. I don't know if that will actually make any difference to the comfort factor, but I know a lot of blokes over here who will swear by it. I'm not gonna go there. I can't go out on the highway lookin' like I'm on a girls bike. LOL
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I can't go out on the highway lookin' like I'm on a girls bike. LOL
Don't you mean "out on the highway on a sheep."? And what's wrong with riding a farm animal, anyways??
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I can't go out on the highway lookin' like I'm on a girls bike. LOL
Don't you mean "out on the highway on a sheep."? And what's wrong with riding a farm animal, anyways??
Matt, Matt, Matt... [smiley=ROTFLMAO.gif]
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My bum starts hurting also after a few hours .
I am going to try the sheep skin thing
If that doesn't work i am going to look into a solo seat also.
Warbucks do you have pictures of the underside that shows how it is mounted.
Max BMW does show a solo seat listed for the R65.
I was wonder about it.
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LOL. Texan humour. I can relate to that. I would consider a cow hide on the tank and spurs on my Baxters; however wearing a pair of Smith and Wessons is out of the question. The cops would lock me up and throw away the key by the time I got down to the corner.
[smiley=cowsleep.gif]
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Well, you could put barbed wire on the seat, then your back wouldn't seem like an issue anymore !!!! ;D
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The place where I enquired about the single seat is http://www.flatracer.com They refer to the seat at a "TIC seat".
Rather than figure out how to post pics here I made a short video depicting a poor old R65 that the guys at the shop had out the back. You can see it at https://youtu.be/KeAX9XAGXj4
I'm not 100% certain if a single seat will actually solve the comfort factor. I'd need to see it before buying into that.
I've tracked down the message that they sent me. Unfortunately there were no pictures on how it was mounted, but they wrote back to me saying;
"We've trial fitted and altered the front hinge and can confirm that the TIC seat does fit correctly on the R65 frame. Please see attached pic."
Max BMW may have the same seat in their shop. Maybe you can even get it's dimensions from there, or ask the guys at flatracer.com.
"Barbed wire on the seat" you say Bob? How very German. Luft Stalag R65. A great enhancement for winning the Rat Bike section at a rally.
[smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]
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Another option would be to look at http://corbin.com/bmw/.
It looks like a quality product, but even more expensive than the R90/6 option. Personally I wouldn't consider fitting one of these to an R65 unless I knew for certain that I could ride it all day if I wanted to.
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Guys, I am going to say something that might offend some.
Just about any stock seat on a BMW of the airhead era was designed to be sat upon all day. It has been my experience that stock BMW seats are infinitely more comfortable than just about any Japanese motorcycle I have ever owned. The onyl thing missing on a stock BMW seat (IMHO) is a means of getting a bit of air under your ass - for this purpose over the years I have used various things, including sheep skins, airhawk inserts (valueless pieces of excrement by the way) etc. Currently I use a Coleman "Comfort Ride (TM) Seat protector, see : http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Comfort-Ride-Seat-Protector/dp/B006JMK7N8 and it is about the best thing I have ever used.
So, if you think the stock BMW seat is inadequate, I suggest the taking of a teaspoon of concrete powder with every main meal in order to "harden the F**k up".
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I find that having a harder seat that allows for moving around and some air circulation, and with enough width to support the inner thighs and not just concentrate weight on the 'tail', to work best for racking up 600+ miles days. I've done them on my R65LS, but it is kinda rough - compounded by being 6' 2" on a smallish/short bike... but taking the back twisty roads more than the superslab helps too.
There are some single seat, Germany-sourced (Meyer) seats that are designed to fit airheads that may be worth checking out - I think that they are wider and designed for comfort... a few folks here have used them - not gonna be cheap, tho!
http://www.meyer-bikes.de/index.php?page=gruppe&path=/00000083/00000097
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Thumbs up on the coleman seat cover. The fit is almost perfect and the channels help keep air and blood flowing around your hind quarters all for about $20.00 at wally mart.
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but taking the back twisty roads more than the superslab helps too.
When you're in the twisty stuff you naturally move around more on the seat. Another approach might be to make sure your riding position is not poor form, i.e. slouching, too close / too far from the bars, knees at a good angle, etc. Riding a motorcycle does take a few muscles, and each bike's configuration is slightly different so the OP might need some adjustment time to his R65.
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Hello !
Last time I had my saddle to have a new vinyl on it, they guy proposed to exchange part of the foam to put 160 kg Bultex on it. (he cuts a slice on the original thickness, remove it and replace it with the Bultex) he said it will vastly improve my comfort and he was right. the seat is firmer than it was but more comfortable and I can ride longer before complaining too much. Has he has done only the front part of the saddle, now the wife complains earlier than ever...
I know that Bultex is a brand of foam but I do not know what the 160 kg stands for.
So if you have to cover the saddle maybe you can give it a try...
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Before anyone orders a Corbin seat for a R65, you better check with Corbin. A couple of years ago, I wanted to get a Corbin for my R65 (1982 dual shock). I saw a listing for a mono shock R65, but not the earlier ones. I called them, and learned that they no longer made them for the dual shock models. Things may have changed, but check before you place an order.
FWIW, I put a Corbin on my K1300S and love it. It is great for all day riding, and long distance touring.
k_enn
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I was wondering if different foam might help as well. It's easy to find online nowadays, all different types available.
Cant' say for sure Georgesgiralt but that 160 KG number might be the firmness? I can't remember the term but they use weight to measure the firmness of foam, the bigger the number, the firmer the foam. I think it has to do with how much weight it takes to compress the foam by a certain amount.
I noticed when I got the R65 that the seat seemed incredibly more comfortable than most bikes that I have been on (haven't been on any extremely long rides yet, but very noticeable just sitting on it). Not sure if mine is original or not. I'd think that seats would be like mattresses where it's different for everyone - firm might be more comfortable for some, soft for others.