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Bruce Stark

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Hi, I am Bruce Stark here in Van Nuys, CA. I got my R18 last week but I can't ride it.
I am 6'3" tall and I can not reach the rear brake, or up-shift the shifter arm and I cannot manipulate the kick-stand.
All is not lost because if I sit about 6 to 8-inches higher, all is ok.
I am posting here to encourage BMW Berlin to provide the Mustang tractor seat they have been showing since early this year.
All I get from BMW is "maybe next year." This goes for ALL the accessories they have show-cased this year.
It is a beautiful machine.......Bruce
 
Hey Bruce... I’m also 6’3” and have no problem getting to everything. It does take a little to get used to. When I swap between my R1200C, my K1600GTL and the R18 it takes a little while for the muscle memory to kick in. Maybe you have longer inseam than me (34”). I haven’t seen any of the new seats yet. Some look OK, but others look like trash. Hopefully they will come out soon.
 
Svtweb said:
Hey Bruce... I’m also 6’3” and have no problem getting to everything. It does take a little to get used to. When I swap between my R1200C, my K1600GTL and the R18 it takes a little while for the muscle memory to kick in. Maybe you have longer inseam than me (34”). I haven’t seen any of the new seats yet. Some look OK, but others look like trash. Hopefully they will come out soon.
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Thanks Eric and thank you for your info on the suspension, my bike needed to be adjusted just like you said. I have mounted a Harley style tractor seat on my R18 and it feels good. I can manipulate the controls and all is good. I used a 100mm bicycle shock absorber and two 5-inch coil springs to prevent side-to-side movement. It is solid as a rock. Wish me luck......Bruce
 

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Bruce Stark said:
Thanks Eric and thank you for your info on the suspension, my bike needed to be adjusted just like you said. I have mounted a Harley style tractor seat on my R18 and it feels good. I can manipulate the controls and all is good. I used a 100cm bicycle shock absorber and two 5-inch coil springs to prevent side-to-side movement. It is solid as a rock. Wish me luck......Bruce
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Glad I could help. Now that you have the pillion seat removed, I have the plugs that go where the passenger footpegs go so you can remove them for a cleaner look. They are in the classified section.
 
Bruce Stark said:
Hi, I am Bruce Stark here in Van Nuys, CA. I got my R18 last week but I can't ride it.
I am 6'3" tall and I can not reach the rear brake, or up-shift the shifter arm and I cannot manipulate the kick-stand.
All is not lost because if I sit about 6 to 8-inches higher, all is ok.
I am posting here to encourage BMW Berlin to provide the Mustang tractor seat they have been showing since early this year.
All I get from BMW is "maybe next year." This goes for ALL the accessories they have show-cased this year.
It is a beautiful machine.......Bruce
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Hi Bruce.
By "tractor seat" do you mean the so-called Bobber seat that the OEM web site shows as an accessory? The bobber requires swapping out the rear fender to a wheel hugger, with a side mounted license plate. Or have you seen a tractor style seat that's intended to be used with the standard rear fender? I would be very interested in learning more, because I would like to set up my R18 (when I get it!) with dual-tractor seats, like the R65 in the attached photo. I used to own an R50/2 with the tractor seats. They were very comfortable and looked awesome.
 

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Bruce Stark said:
Thanks Eric and thank you for your info on the suspension, my bike needed to be adjusted just like you said. I have mounted a Harley style tractor seat on my R18 and it feels good. I can manipulate the controls and all is good. I used a 100mm bicycle shock absorber and two 5-inch coil springs to prevent side-to-side movement. It is solid as a rock. Wish me luck......Bruce
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BRAVO ! Bruce this is what I was hoping to source too - BMW keeps saying End of the Year for the "Homage" seat (the spring one like a bobber) but my whole plan to buy the bike has been put on infinite hold until the suspension / seat issue is sorted. Stock I simply cannot ride it without being bumped about . Nicely done mate
 
theMucker said:
Hi Bruce.
By "tractor seat" do you mean the so-called Bobber seat that the OEM web site shows as an accessory? The bobber requires swapping out the rear fender to a wheel hugger, with a side mounted license plate. Or have you seen a tractor style seat that's intended to be used with the standard rear fender? I would be very interested in learning more, because I would like to set up my R18 (when I get it!) with dual-tractor seats, like the R65 in the attached photo. I used to own an R50/2 with the tractor seats. They were very comfortable and looked awesome.
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Excellent point. I did write to them asking if I could install the Bobber seat without loosing the stock fender because I do not like the bobber kit fender at all. No reply. Sad to hear that one has to swap out the fender for this !!! I even tried to see if the mounting points would accept the Triumph bobber seat ... not clear on that one yet. A spring seat will change the whole complexion of this bike for me because the road are terrible where I come from. Stock is absolutely impossible to ride without a disk shifting in the back. My hope was an aftermarket seat that lifts a person above can contact with the frame thus isolating the back from the hard hits coming up from the shock SvtWeb's fabulous instructions on adjusting pre-load on the shock helped me a bit and the demo bike went back with better ride than when it was given to me... but it still has a harsh edge over the kinds of roads we ride on where I live and so a seat like this can make all the difference. However.... need to find a solution for a potential Pillion too ... as the situation stands, any pillion will need emergency help at an Orthopedic clinic after a ride
 
OceanBreeze said:
Excellent point. I did write to them asking if I could install the Bobber seat without loosing the stock fender because I do not like the bobber kit fender at all. No reply. Sad to hear that one has to swap out the fender for this !!! I even tried to see if the mounting points would accept the Triumph bobber seat ... not clear on that one yet. A spring seat will change the whole complexion of this bike for me because the road are terrible where I come from. Stock is absolutely impossible to ride without a disk shifting in the back. My hope was an aftermarket seat that lifts a person above can contact with the frame thus isolating the back from the hard hits coming up from the shock SvtWeb's fabulous instructions on adjusting pre-load on the shock helped me a bit and the demo bike went back with better ride than when it was given to me... but it still has a harsh edge over the kinds of roads we ride on where I live and so a seat like this can make all the difference. However.... need to find a solution for a potential Pillion too ... as the situation stands, any pillion will need emergency help at an Orthopedic clinic after a ride
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As much as I love the tractor seats, I'm initially looking into getting either the "Weekender" of "Cross Country" seats with my R18. The test ride that I took was enough to make it plain that the stock seat is little better than a piece of lumber. My wife, who is only 5' tall and 100 pounds, looked at the passenger seat and refused to take a ride on it at all. She did sit on it (stationary) and said that it's out of the question the worst so-called passenger seat that she's ever sat on. That's saying something, because we rode through the 70s, 80s and most of the 90s on sport bikes. And I never swapped out any of the seats of the high performance machines for more comfortable after market versions.

Has anyone here gotten or ridden on either of BMW's accessory seats (which are apparently made by Mustang)?

Later Note 04/2021: I bought the Weekender seat and it's GREAT for both of us.
 
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theMucker said:
As much as I love the tractor seats, I'm initially looking into getting either the "Weekender" of "Cross Country" seats with my R18. The test ride that I took was enough to make it plain that the stock seat is little better than a piece of lumber. My wife, who is only 5' tall and 100 pounds, looked at the passenger seat and refused to take a ride on it at all. She did sit on it (stationary) and said that it's out of the question the worst so-called passenger seat that she's ever sat on. That's saying something, because we rode through the 70s, 80s and most of the 90s on sport bikes. And I never swapped out any of the seats of the high performance machines for more comfortable after market versions.

Has anyone here gotten or ridden on either of BMW's accessory seats (which are apparently made by Mustang)?
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I do have to agree - having spend the whole day today on the R18 First Edition (Demo bike given to me by the dealer whom I have in the past bought an F650GS from and then an R1200GS LC Rallye - my current bike) He kindly permitted me to ride around for the day on the R18 and I can say without reservation, that the R18 Stock Seat is perhaps the WORST seat in the Whole world of motorcycling . It was simply horrible. The best I could think of is to take it to an upholsterer and have him really work on the padding but then one destroys the original work. Second option was a product like Air Hawk (air gel seat) but have been told that one can slip and slide with them . Piece of Lumber - you called it right. Everything else on this bike is spectacular - everything is top build quality and its probably the most beautiful bike I have ever laid my eyes on
 
OceanBreeze said:
Excellent point. I did write to them asking if I could install the Bobber seat without loosing the stock fender because I do not like the bobber kit fender at all. No reply. Sad to hear that one has to swap out the fender for this !!! I even tried to see if the mounting points would accept the Triumph bobber seat ... not clear on that one yet. A spring seat will change the whole complexion of this bike for me because the road are terrible where I come from. Stock is absolutely impossible to ride without a disk shifting in the back. My hope was an aftermarket seat that lifts a person above can contact with the frame thus isolating the back from the hard hits coming up from the shock SvtWeb's fabulous instructions on adjusting pre-load on the shock helped me a bit and the demo bike went back with better ride than when it was given to me... but it still has a harsh edge over the kinds of roads we ride on where I live and so a seat like this can make all the difference. However.... need to find a solution for a potential Pillion too ... as the situation stands, any pillion will need emergency help at an Orthopedic clinic after a
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Black Dog said:
The seat now fits, RDL for a rebuild.
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Hi have you had a look at Walzwerk motorcycles Germany?
They are producing a better adjustable rear shock and saddle assembly ..
 
theMucker said:
I assume that you'll keep us informed.
:)
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Hi ... so still not traction on the seat matter. But I have to ask ... thats a picture of an Indian in your profile :) I am seriously looking at the Vintage 2021 .... always loved the Indians. However... you might be the perfect person to give me an accurate reply as to the ride quality (rear) of the Indians . Heard they are awesome owing to the Arrow air shock ported off the springfields... R18 structurally has less travel so it stands to reason that even with a new or modded OEM mono on the 18, the physical restriction of travel distance given the bikes inherent geometry may not be surmountable where travel is concerned. Hence the suspended "harmony" or Tractor seats in conjunction with a modded shock may actually hit the mark ... but will not help a pillion I feel . Thats where I am thinking, the Indian is better suited for a 2 up situation. Issue is I have to go to another city 10 hrs away by road, just to try out the existing 2016 Springfield demo they have in stock .... the dealership for Indian in my city shut down during the covid hit ...pretty sad. They are going to appoint someone new they say .. but its not happened yet. That way, touch wood, the Beemer dealer here is solid. cheers . Sorry to talk Indian here but its in connection with suspension comparisons for the R18 ✌🏻. Am determined to get back to cruisers and my main issue with them has been the suspension and heat from the rear V twin ... the R18 sorts out the heat for sure .... but the Indian i suspect is miles ahead in rear suspension .... both such beautiful vehicles Alas can have only 1 😀
 
OceanBreeze said:
Hi ... so still not traction on the seat matter. But I have to ask ... thats a picture of an Indian in your profile :) I am seriously looking at the Vintage 2021 .... always loved the Indians. However... you might be the perfect person to give me an accurate reply as to the ride quality (rear) of the Indians . Heard they are awesome owing to the Arrow air shock ported off the springfields... R18 structurally has less travel so it stands to reason that even with a new or modded OEM mono on the 18, the physical restriction of travel distance given the bikes inherent geometry may not be surmountable where travel is concerned. Hence the suspended "harmony" or Tractor seats in conjunction with a modded shock may actually hit the mark ... but will not help a pillion I feel . Thats where I am thinking, the Indian is better suited for a 2 up situation. Issue is I have to go to another city 10 hrs away by road, just to try out the existing 2016 Springfield demo they have in stock .... the dealership for Indian in my city shut down during the covid hit ...pretty sad. They are going to appoint someone new they say .. but its not happened yet. That way, touch wood, the Beemer dealer here is solid. cheers . Sorry to talk Indian here but its in connection with suspension comparisons for the R18 ✌🏻. Am determined to get back to cruisers and my main issue with them has been the suspension and heat from the rear V twin ... the R18 sorts out the heat for sure .... but the Indian i suspect is miles ahead in rear suspension .... both such beautiful vehicles Alas can have only 1 😀
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“The R18 sorts out the heat for sure...” SPOILER ALERT!!! sorry my friend, the R18 is, like others air cooled, a “winter sport”. The launch of the bike was in Fall-Winter for you, for me was in the middle of Paraguayan Summer (35 degrees Celsius average), but I suppose is not a topic for right now in this forum, I’m not going to take from you the pleasure to try the heat with your own right foot 😏
 
Luis said:
“The R18 sorts out the heat for sure...” SPOILER ALERT!!! sorry my friend, the R18 is, like others air cooled, a “winter sport”. The launch of the bike was in Fall-Winter for you, for me was in the middle of Paraguayan Summer (35 degrees Celsius average), but I suppose is not a topic for right now in this forum, I’m not going to take from you the pleasure to try the heat with your own right foot 😏
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Hi Luis .
thanks for your reply. Well to be honest I rode it for a total of 1 full day and a short 20 min ride on another day ...I live in Bombay, India ... its ALWAYS summer here 😅... our "winter" comprises of a few days in Jan or Feb where the temperature may hit 20 - 24 degrees C . That is considered the greatest weather of the year for us ... all to quickly replaced by the familiar and regular 32 - 37 Degree C weather we ride in most of the time .... I found that the Boxer engine heads are far out enough not to have generated too much heat for me, however, I am not sure about the conditions under which you were riding ... was it stop and go ? If I had been in stop and go I am sure I would have cooked a bit on the foot too. I agree with you that Heat will be there - all internal combustion engines by nature have it and with a big 1800 bird its bound to be there. I do recall that though I must confess I did not feel it personally, the reverse lever behind the left engine block was so darn hot when I tried to engage it by hand that it literally felt my skin would burn - so that is one thing to keep in mind on the bikes that have the reverse gear .... the knob heats up like crazy. Perhaps I too would feel the heat more in full on summer ... but I am sure it would be less than a Harley V Twin furnace that I had years ago, or my Kawasaki Ninja that seemed like a moving sauna. The nature of the outside of the body line engine of the Boxer means that lots of the heat is thrown outward or misses the body... the part of the foot that you refer to .. yes probably spot on .. just like the lever that heated up I guess the foot would take the brunt. One learns something new every day :)
 
OceanBreeze said:
Hi ... so still not traction on the seat matter. But I have to ask ... thats a picture of an Indian in your profile :) I am seriously looking at the Vintage 2021 .... always loved the Indians. However... you might be the perfect person to give me an accurate reply as to the ride quality (rear) of the Indians . Heard they are awesome owing to the Arrow air shock ported off the springfields... R18 structurally has less travel so it stands to reason that even with a new or modded OEM mono on the 18, the physical restriction of travel distance given the bikes inherent geometry may not be surmountable where travel is concerned. Hence the suspended "harmony" or Tractor seats in conjunction with a modded shock may actually hit the mark ... but will not help a pillion I feel . Thats where I am thinking, the Indian is better suited for a 2 up situation. Issue is I have to go to another city 10 hrs away by road, just to try out the existing 2016 Springfield demo they have in stock .... the dealership for Indian in my city shut down during the covid hit ...pretty sad. They are going to appoint someone new they say .. but its not happened yet. That way, touch wood, the Beemer dealer here is solid. cheers . Sorry to talk Indian here but its in connection with suspension comparisons for the R18 ✌🏻. Am determined to get back to cruisers and my main issue with them has been the suspension and heat from the rear V twin ... the R18 sorts out the heat for sure .... but the Indian i suspect is miles ahead in rear suspension .... both such beautiful vehicles Alas can have only 1 😀
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Yes sir, that's my Indian Roadmaster and my brother has a Chief Vintage. Both ride really nice. And I find the stock seats on both to also be too good to consider replacement, although lots of others do buy aftermarket seats. The stock seat on the R18 is HARD and it only gets worse for the pillion. Thank goodness there are alternatives and more coming from the aftermarket all of the time. As for comparing the Indians to the R18, I would consider the comparison "apples & oranges". The Indian Thunder Stroke models are big and heavy and, while they do handle very nice for their mass, you will notice their weight. The R18 IS a heavy bike at 760 pounds, but it feels much lighter because of the very low CG. That's why I like having the Indian AND the R18... I consider the R18 my "sportbike" for the tight, twisty roads. The Indian Scouts are a better comparison to the R18, even though their engines are much smaller. The BIG V-twin in the Thunder Strokes do put put a lot of heat and that rear cylinder/head radiates plenty of BTUs. It's being stopped or moving in very slow traffic when gets the hottest. But it's that catalytic converter close to the right floorboard that is the worst offender. I removed mine and "gutted it" to make a big reduction of felt heat. With that modification, I don't find that heat is a big issue anymore.
Choices for dealerships are, of course, a local & personal matter. I'm fortunate to have both BMW & Indian dealerships less than an hour away. Oddly enough, it wouldn't have been a big deal for me if they were much farther, because I'm a retired professional mechanical technician. Even so, to own and ride a great bike, I think that a rider's "heart's desire" shoot be the primary reason to choose the bike, as opposed to the proximity of the brand dealership.
 
BOXER said:
Hi folks, I bought this one. Does not help when you are tall, but gives you a bit support for your back!
cheers,
frank

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I just ordered this seat. While I prefer the low, single seat look, I'm also pretty sure I'll develop a decubitus ulcer on my keester if I ride more than a few hours. The touring and weekender seats, while reportedly much more comfortable, are just too substantial for my taste. I'm thinking that this a good compromise with a bit of lumbar support to boot. Then add the tail rack from holan (once I get over the shipping cost) and a nice leather tail bag from Franco Cuoio, and I think I'm set.

/until the bobber seat comes out, then, man, it may go in a completely different direction
 
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