A day at Rick Mayer Cycle

[jess]

I've put about five thousand miles on my R12R so far, and it's a genuinely fantastic bike. My only real complaint (as many of you are painfully aware) is the stock seat. It's severe in the extreme. Part of the problem is that I have the lowered seat, but even allowing for that, it's just not built with any kind of regard to anatomy or comfort.

So I booked an appointment for a custom seat at Rick Mayer Cycle. Yesterday I got up early, put on my warmest layers, and headed out at 7:00am for a ride from Oakland, CA up to Anderson, CA (near Redding). It was an incredibly boring ride. The high speed of Interstate 5 (70mph posted) doesn't make up for the fact that it's a completely uninteresting road.

My appointment was for 1:00pm, but the confirmation message I got encouraged me to get there early if possible. Figuring that I was going to be spending all day at this anyway, I didn't mind the possibility that I would be waiting around, chatting with the other motorcycle guys, swapping dumb stories.

By 10:45am I had made it to Rick's shop, a little building out in the country with a lovely view of snow-peaked mountains. My butt was decidedly sore. I was actually the first one there, as the guy with the 10:00am slot was late. Rick explained that the guy (Ernie) was coming from Reno on an old airhead, and when he said 10:00am he really meant 11:00am, because airheads are slow.

So I pulled my bike into the garage bay and the boys went to work right away. Most of the cutting and sewing was done by Seth (a really nice guy who walked me through all the details) and Rick did all the foam shaping and restructuring.

Sometime along the way, Ernie showed up on his '93 GS, and they pulled him into the bay right next to me.

I chatted with the guys -- all very friendly -- and they let me hang out in the shop and watch them work close-up. I took pictures, natch. Rick also led Ernie and I on a tour of the grounds while Seth buttoned up my seat.

By 12:30, I was done. Done! My appointment hadn't even technically started yet, and they were already finished. I was almost bummed that I didn't get to spend more time swapping dumb stories with grizzled motorcycle guys, but still happy that I would be able to get back home at a reasonable hour.

So I mounted up and headed home on my very comfortable new seat.

The end.

[Gilbert0]

Nice looking R! What top box is that?

[hjsbmw]

Thanks for sharing. I want one of those!

Did they take extensive measurements while you were there? In other words, is it a good idea to get one the long distance way where any personal interaction is not possible?

[jess]

Nice looking R! What top box is that?

That's the vario top case that is meant for the F800GS. It doesn't actually fit on the R12R, but I disliked the "proper" top case enough that I was willing to do some fabrication to get it on there. That, however, is the subject of a future post -- I'm actually in my workshop today welding in some additional bracing on my mounting plate, and some other finishing touches.

And since this is a standard BMW top case, it can be rekeyed to match the ignition key, just like the side cases. I'm pretty stoked that one key opens everything.

[jess]

Did they take extensive measurements while you were there? In other words, is it a good idea to get one the long distance way where any personal interaction is not possible?

They look at you sitting on the bike, and take your height and weight into account. In my case, my arms aren't especially long, so I wanted to do the ride-in service to make sure that I would still be close enough to the bars. In most cases, though, you can send in your seat with photos of you sitting on the bike, plus height and weight, and they can do a pretty good job of working out what to do. Rick says your chances of getting a better fit by riding in are very low if you're relatively normal-sized.

[bmwk100]

It is fascinating to me how individuals can gain the skills to make such quality products with their hands. (Coming from a guy who can barely change a light bulb.) That is a beautiful looking seat. Please report on how it fits.

[jess]

It is fascinating to me how individuals can gain the skills to make such quality products with their hands. (Coming from a guy who can barely change a light bulb.) That is a beautiful looking seat. Please report on how it fits.

Fit on the bike or my butt?

The fit on the bike is good. A tiny bit more fiddly than when it was stock, but since it uses the stock seat pan, this is only a function of the foam stuffing here and there. Much better fit than the Corbin seats I've seen.

As for my butt, I've only had one long ride so far, and that was the return trip from getting the seat made. I was already a bit sore, but it was starting to feel pretty comfy by the time I got home. I'll post an update after I've had some more riding time with it.

[ka5ysy]

Thanks for sharing. I want one of those!

Did they take extensive measurements while you were there? In other words, is it a good idea to get one the long distance way where any personal interaction is not possible?

I ordered one by "remote control" and in accordance with the instructions on the order form, I sent a lot of photos with me and Judy sitting on the bike in riding position, feet down, feet up, one-up and two-up and the result was outstanding ! And, my butt does not hurt anymore



Stock vs. Rick Mayer custom seat:

[jess]

I ordered one by "remote control" and in accordance with the instructions on the order form, I sent a lot of photos with me and Judy sitting on the bike in riding position, feet down, feet up, one-up and two-up and the result was outstanding ! And, my butt does not hurt anymore

Very nice! I was debating getting the pillion seat down as well, but was concerned that it might alter the lines of the bike too much. Yours looks fabulous, and had I seen it in advance I might have gone for the second seat.

[hjsbmw]

Ordered a dual saddle today at $100 off. In case you guys don't know, they have a sale throughout August.

[hjsbmw]

I got my seat a while ago:


It is a big improvement. Getting off for a stretch break still feels good, but I get back on without obvious sore areas. I can leave the AirHawk cushion at home now. I rode alone and with my wife. The longest was a trip to the BRP, around 400 miles. The seat fits more snugly around my butt, pressure is distributed more evenly. Frau wife says she likes it better also but still asks for breaks every hour or two. She no longer pushes me onto the tank, and that is a big plus for me.

For myself, the stock seat became unbearable after about 1-2 hours. With the AirHawk I could ride longer but still developed pressure spots. With enough time this would get bad enough to the point where I no longer could locate where it really hurt. That seems to be no longer an issue, but I can't speak for Iron Butt suitability.

What disappointed me is that I had a start date but didn't get the seat until five and a half weeks later. Email communication during that time was spotty. When the seat arrived I saw immediately that some staples were not seated right. I fixed that myself but had to get a pneumatic stapler first.

I think that anyone who can should do the ride in appointment thing. I am not sure how custom-made a seat is that you order with pics and a description. I am skeptical and it is MHO that they use a default shape, which just happens to be better than the stock seat. Seems to work though, at least for me.