Modifying for Tall Riders: A Comfort Guide

David Goro

David Goro

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Hello fellow BMW R18 enthusiasts,

My name is David, and I'm reaching out to this community because I believe I’m not the only tall rider here who is passionate about the BMW R18, but struggles a bit with comfort. I stand at over 6ft 3in (1.90m), and while I absolutely love my R18, I do find it challenging to achieve the perfect riding position due to my height.

I started this thread to collect and share ideas, experiences, and potential modifications we can make to our R18s to better suit those of us on the taller side. I'm interested in everything from seat adjustments and handlebar configurations, to foot peg placements and aftermarket parts specifically designed to improve comfort for taller riders.

Have you already made modifications to your BMW R18 to accommodate your height? Do you have tips or insights on parts that have worked well for you? Or are you facing the same issues and looking for advice?

Let’s help each other create the most comfortable riding experience for us tall folks, so that we can fully enjoy the beauty and power of our BMW R18s without discomfort.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and solutions!

Safe riding,

David
 
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Same height as you ... and the 'Great Apes' made all the difference for me ... now I know 'Apehangers' are not everyone's thing ... but they are a must for me ;)
 
At 6'2", the biggest future purchase for me is looking to be a set of taller bars. I don't want apes, but I wouldn't mind something a bit taller like the Roctane bars. I pretty much just need less forward and outward reach and my upper-body comfort will be solved.

The seat is my biggest issue. I've had 3 different seats on my classic. It left the lot with the standard seat. I am borrowing and need to return cross country seat. I'm currently using the weekender.

The weekender is a two piece cross country. It doesn't push you quite as far forward as the cross country seat does, but it comes close. Definitely more comfortable for my ass...at the expense of leg comfort.

I kinda want the fastback seat just to have it. Just like the look for some reason....I just doubt it's comfort for some reason. If I ever find a deal on the day rider model, I will pick it up though. It seems like the winning combination of more comfort and support than stock but less padding and size than the cross country.

Honestly, I just want a more supportive version of the stock seat...a little wider and a littmore foam but without the over-bolstered seatback pushing my seating position forward. If I ever find the motivation, I may just have the stock seat reworked.

Having done the full conversion from floorboards to pegs, I prefer the pegs. Floorboard comfort came at the cost of shift access. I have small feet given my size but made due with heel up-shifting and toe down-shifting. I could barely access the underside of the toe shift for upshifts. I can only imagine the trouble someone with size 12 or larger shoe.
 
KevinQ said:
At 6'2", the biggest future purchase for me is looking to be a set of taller bars. I don't want apes, but I wouldn't mind something a bit taller like the Roctane bars. I pretty much just need less forward and outward reach and my upper-body comfort will be solved.

The seat is my biggest issue. I've had 3 different seats on my classic. It left the lot with the standard seat. I am borrowing and need to return cross country seat. I'm currently using the weekender.

The weekender is a two piece cross country. It doesn't push you quite as far forward as the cross country seat does, but it comes close. Definitely more comfortable for my ass...at the expense of leg comfort.

I kinda want the fastback seat just to have it. Just like the look for some reason....I just doubt it's comfort for some reason. If I ever find a deal on the day rider model, I will pick it up though. It seems like the winning combination of more comfort and support than stock but less padding and size than the cross country.

Honestly, I just want a more supportive version of the stock seat...a little wider and a littmore foam but without the over-bolstered seatback pushing my seating position forward. If I ever find the motivation, I may just have the stock seat reworked.

Having done the full conversion from floorboards to pegs, I prefer the pegs. Floorboard comfort came at the cost of shift access. I have small feet given my size but made due with heel up-shifting and toe down-shifting. I could barely access the underside of the toe shift for upshifts. I can only imagine the trouble someone with size 12 or larger shoe.
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Did you try rotating the shifting lever slightly? Makes a huge difference, takes about 10 minutes...you can definitely create enough room for the biggest feet, and chunkiest boots ...
 
I did. The way the lever and shaft are splined and interlocked either made it too high or low with the floorboards.

It mostly comes down to how much I am bent at the knee and how far back my fee are because of the cylinder location relative to the foot controls when sittting on the bike. I sit so low and my legs are so long that lifting my toes/foot to upshift is actually awkward. Kinda like trying to lift your toes when squatting on the ground.


If you have long legs, upgrading to a seat that pushes you foreward, like the cross country or weekender, you will be even more bent at the knee because your ass and torso are pushed more forward and your feet arent.
 
KevinQ said:
At 6'2", the biggest future purchase for me is looking to be a set of taller bars. I don't want apes, but I wouldn't mind something a bit taller like the Roctane bars. I pretty much just need less forward and outward reach and my upper-body comfort will be solved.

The seat is my biggest issue. I've had 3 different seats on my classic. It left the lot with the standard seat. I am borrowing and need to return cross country seat. I'm currently using the weekender.

The weekender is a two piece cross country. It doesn't push you quite as far forward as the cross country seat does, but it comes close. Definitely more comfortable for my ass...at the expense of leg comfort.

I kinda want the fastback seat just to have it. Just like the look for some reason....I just doubt it's comfort for some reason. If I ever find a deal on the day rider model, I will pick it up though. It seems like the winning combination of more comfort and support than stock but less padding and size than the cross country.

Honestly, I just want a more supportive version of the stock seat...a little wider and a littmore foam but without the over-bolstered seatback pushing my seating position forward. If I ever find the motivation, I may just have the stock seat reworked.

Having done the full conversion from floorboards to pegs, I prefer the pegs. Floorboard comfort came at the cost of shift access. I have small feet given my size but made due with heel up-shifting and toe down-shifting. I could barely access the underside of the toe shift for upshifts. I can only imagine the trouble someone with size 12 or larger shoe.
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Appreciate you diving deep into your experience.

I’m currently riding an R1250GS Adventure, but I’m on the edge of transitioning to the R18B. Comfort’s a big deal for me, and my test runs on the bike have been a bit of a roller coaster in terms of how I feel about the bike.

After a 2-hour stint on the R18 Pure with the stock seat, I was left nursing a sore ass for the day. It’s made me take a step back and ponder the purchase. My riding position felt unnaturally low and too forward, and the knee angle just compounded the discomfort. I’ve been debating whether I’d be better off higher than further back since I’d rather not be stretched too far from the handlebars. Curious to know your take on this. And yes, the pegs on the R18 Pure were a saving grace. They made shifting and braking a breeze compared to floorboards.

On the Bagger, I felt much better with the 719 seat—definitely a step up from stock in terms of comfort. But, the recurring theme of wanting to be positioned higher and further back persisted. The knee angle remained an issue, and the floorboards made shifting and braking a bit of a task.

By the way, I’ve been toying with the idea of adding some custom padding or filling to the seat, aiming to elevate the rider’s position a bit more. Do you think that kind of modification could be a potential solution to the issues we’re facing?

Would love to hear your insights.
 
David Acevedo said:
By the way, I’ve been toying with the idea of adding some custom padding or filling to the seat, aiming to elevate the rider’s position a bit more. Do you think that kind of modification could be a potential solution to the issues we’re facing?

Would love to hear your insights.
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I do. I don't mind my kind if odd riding position. Its not a HD Dyna with forward controls and I get that it's not going to be a rolling La-Z-Boy recliner....but why the hell am I stuck in a position more akin to Rodin's "The Thinker" sculpture.

If I could somehow build up the weekender or cross country seat by adding foam and elimating the seat's large rear hump, I think the added seat height and inch or two rearward ass placement woild do me wonders.


Edit: 4Z - Double edit actually. Just took a closer look at your bike. I dunno if you have a knockoff ebay special engine guard or not. But if it is, I just installed, broke, and uninstalled a DK knockoff engine guard just like yours yesterday. Literally snapped the welds holding the threaded inserts of the guard tube by hand.

I like your seat setup a lot. The rear luggage rack is a nice touch. I think a bobber style seat with sufficent padding and the ability to custom mount it as far back as you possibly can would work great. Hell, I would swap out my whole rear for a bobber setup if I didn't ride 2 up with the wife so often. Sidenote...for as cool as the BMW Homage seat is, it has the comfort a high-school stadium bench seat. So I definitely would be going for a custom seat if I ever went that route.
 
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KevinQ said:
I do. I don't mind my kind if odd riding position. Its not a HD Dyna with forward controls and I get that it's not going to be a rolling La-Z-Boy recliner....but why the hell am I stuck in a position more akin to Rodin's "The Thinker" sculpture.

If I could somehow build up the weekender or cross country seat by adding foam and elimating the seat's large rear hump, I think the added seat height and inch or two rearward ass placement woild do me wonders.


Edit: 4Z - Double edit actually. Just took a closer look at your bike. I dunno if you have a knockoff ebay special engine guard or not. But if it is, I just installed, broke, and uninstalled a DK knockoff engine guard just like yours yesterday. Literally snapped the welds holding the threaded inserts of the guard tube by hand.

I like your seat setup a lot. The rear luggage rack is a nice touch. I think a bobber style seat with sufficent padding and the ability to custom mount it as far back as you possibly can would work great. Hell, I would swap out my whole rear for a bobber setup if I didn't ride 2 up with the wife so often. Sidenote...for as cool as the BMW Homage seat is, it has the comfort a high-school stadium bench seat. So I definitely would be going for a custom seat if I ever went that route.
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I still have the option to switch to a 2up in 5 minutes with a detachable backrest. In the beginning of September I will be back in FL and and take some pictures.
 
4Zweistein said:
I purchased a bobber seat from Ali Express to play with it. I'm 6'6" and here is what I came up with after some modifications. Definitely comfortable,maybe not the most beautiful semi bobber. Together with the foldable highway pegs it makes for a very comfortable ridView attachment 11296
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That is a beautiful bike. I like what you have done. Very nice! 👍🏼
 
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I'm only 5'11".... but really struggled (FE Pure).... I thought of it in 3 ways.... 1. bum comfort, 2. knee and hip angle and 3. Bar reach'n height. In my case I am only looking for 2hr bum comfort.... but hip/knee discomfort was almost instant on this bike for me.... so my priority was 2 then 3 and lastly 1.

I needed to come up (2" so far for seat).... with bars back 1". Siting a bit more upright helps with hips.... but bars back 2" felt a bit better... but once over 60mph it wasn't..... so went back to 1" for the bars. (I bought 1" and 2" cheap extenders to try for a week or two).

I went with a homage seat to play with riding position since it is easy to fabricate mounts to play with positioning....most other seats seem to be a buy and see how it goes propersition..... with all the padding in some it is impossible to antucipate hip/knee positioning etc.

The homage is not a bum "comfort seat"..... 10mm gel under a lambswool seat cover helps.... along with soft mounts for the seat itself.... for 1/2 inch or so spring.... bum comfort is then good for a "pure"... not plush.... a 2hr seat.

If using floor boards.... foot angle.... especially lifting the heel without lifting the whole leg was also uncomfortable... the height of the heel shifter because of the seam on the fishtale exhaust was an issue. I swapped the toe and heel shifter over and added extension... this allowed the heel shifter to come down more and not fowl the exhaust.


20230620_114727.jpg
 
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I have the bagger with the 719 seat and I added the “wild ass” seat to it and it allows me to sit higher and further away (I’m 6’3”). It sits you up higher into the wind, buffeting is worse ect…it’s like playing “whack a mole”
 
David Acevedo said:
Hello fellow BMW R18 enthusiasts,

My name is David, and I'm reaching out to this community because I believe I’m not the only tall rider here who is passionate about the BMW R18, but struggles a bit with comfort. I stand at over 6ft 3in (1.90m), and while I absolutely love my R18, I do find it challenging to achieve the perfect riding position due to my height.

I started this thread to collect and share ideas, experiences, and potential modifications we can make to our R18s to better suit those of us on the taller side. I'm interested in everything from seat adjustments and handlebar configurations, to foot peg placements and aftermarket parts specifically designed to improve comfort for taller riders.

Have you already made modifications to your BMW R18 to accommodate your height? Do you have tips or insights on parts that have worked well for you? Or are you facing the same issues and looking for advice?

Let’s help each other create the most comfortable riding experience for us tall folks, so that we can fully enjoy the beauty and power of our BMW R18s without discomfort.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and solutions!

Safe riding,

David
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Hi David
I have an R18 Classic and I am 6ft 3 I have put the Weekender seat with the 2023-08-12_10-22-51_291.jpgdriver's backrest on and footboards with the Wunderlich's leg rests and front Motea crash bar. This combination is great for me. I have just come back from Wales and have been riding 200 miles per day for 8 days with no issues. hope this helps.
David Acevedo said:
Hello fellow BMW R18 enthusiasts,

My name is David, and I'm reaching out to this community because I believe I’m not the only tall rider here who is passionate about the BMW R18, but struggles a bit with comfort. I stand at over 6ft 3in (1.90m), and while I absolutely love my R18, I do find it challenging to achieve the perfect riding position due to my height.

I started this thread to collect and share ideas, experiences, and potential modifications we can make to our R18s to better suit those of us on the taller side. I'm interested in everything from seat adjustments and handlebar configurations, to foot peg placements and aftermarket parts specifically designed to improve comfort for taller riders.

Have you already made modifications to your BMW R18 to accommodate your height? Do you have tips or insights on parts that have worked well for you? Or are you facing the same issues and looking for advice?

Let’s help each other create the most comfortable riding experience for us tall folks, so that we can fully enjoy the beauty and power of our BMW R18s without discomfort.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and solutions!

Safe riding,

David
Click to expand...
 
On my Bagger, the shifter pegs were too short and i did not like the heel shifter. So i used the rear or heel shifter arm as others have done for the front but added the black adjustable extension that was on the original front part of the shifter to it. I also added the longer peg to the arm. Now i dont have to bring my foot so far back to shift and i can still get my size 11 under the peg. No issues with downshifting either. And it is still adjustable at the extension..!!! I found an aluminum spacer to put in where the original rear arm was located.
 

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Forgot to mention I am 6'3". Also the arm has to be oriented in this way with the attachment screw to the shift linkage coming in from the bottom as the arm attachment on the end for the peg is countersunk on one side. I used a Nord Loc washer on the extension to keep it from slipping. The original front arm Clamped the extension. The black extension piece did have to be modified to fit into the end of the arm and drilled and tapped for the screw. Mounting the extension in this manner gave me more overall length .
 
I’m 6’4” with an R18 Classic. Stock seat was painful, but the Weekender has been great & for longer rides I add the backrest. I did a 200 mile ride today in freezing temperatures and it was perfectly comfortable (heated gear).
 
6'6" here. R18B. Tall comfort seat was the only change I made. If I know its going to be a long highway day I'll pop the backrest on. Feels like a comfy recline with my feet up on the highway rests. I've done several 350+ miles days with this setup.
 
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