Base plate: Stock (left), Wunderlich (right)
I recently picked up a Wunderlich Comfort seat (tall version) for the F900XR. I had been using a Nelson-Rigg "Commuter" tail bag on the stock seat, and found that the profile of the Wunderlich didn't match well with the tail bag. To be fair, the Nelson-Rigg didn't really fit well on the stock seat as it projected out over the lip between rider and passenger seats. I found a way to mount it that I think works quite well.
First off, impressions on the Wunderlich. It's built on the same base plate as the stock seat - as far as I can tell, they must be buying the base plates from BMW or their OEM vendor. Aside from a lack of BMW part number stamps, it's the same plate. One downside is that the stapling on the Wunderlich isn't done as well as the stock - the BMW stock seat's staples are larger and applied in a very clean line, with a piece of reinforcement fabric between the staples and the seat material. The Wunderlich staples are smaller, less carefully applied, and there's no reinforcement fabric. Given what I paid for the Wunderlich, this was disappointing.
Wunderlich included a couple of odd fabric chunks over the seat lips, and I have no idea if they're included simply for shipment protection, or if I'm supposed to keep them on the seat after install. If the latter, think the technical term for these covers is "A framitz which I'll lose within an hour of riding."
Top side: Stock (left), Wunderlich (right)
Wunderlich Seat Framitz (Patent Pending)
On the top side, the profile of the Wunderlich is more sculpted, and the stitching is stylish. There's more room to the rear, and the groin area is higher but also narrowed from stock. I got the "tall" version which helps reduce hip flexor and knee stress.
Straps can only go one place, really
First off, impressions on the Wunderlich. It's built on the same base plate as the stock seat - as far as I can tell, they must be buying the base plates from BMW or their OEM vendor. Aside from a lack of BMW part number stamps, it's the same plate. One downside is that the stapling on the Wunderlich isn't done as well as the stock - the BMW stock seat's staples are larger and applied in a very clean line, with a piece of reinforcement fabric between the staples and the seat material. The Wunderlich staples are smaller, less carefully applied, and there's no reinforcement fabric. Given what I paid for the Wunderlich, this was disappointing.
Wunderlich included a couple of odd fabric chunks over the seat lips, and I have no idea if they're included simply for shipment protection, or if I'm supposed to keep them on the seat after install. If the latter, think the technical term for these covers is "A framitz which I'll lose within an hour of riding."
Top side: Stock (left), Wunderlich (right)
Wunderlich Seat Framitz (Patent Pending)
On the top side, the profile of the Wunderlich is more sculpted, and the stitching is stylish. There's more room to the rear, and the groin area is higher but also narrowed from stock. I got the "tall" version which helps reduce hip flexor and knee stress.
Straps can only go one place, really
Unfortunately, the extra space on the rider's seat also further reduces the passenger seat area, which aggravates the problem of the Nelson-Rigg tail bag (and that damned "backpack" D-ring) intruding into the rider seat and rattling against my butt. This needed to be corrected. The Nelson-Rigg standard "clean installation" process (video) is to loop both straps under the seat, then lock down the seat. The problem is that the BMW seat plate has bumpers, so there's really only one way to do the install. If you push the bag back, the straps block the bumpers. Push it back farther, the straps get in the way of the seat's locking post.
Looking around the tail section, I realized that there are slots in the body work for...luggage? There's a slot on each side, and a void behind the toolkit and storage pocket. I figured I could slip one set of straps through the slots, and that would allow me to push the tail bag to the rear. The problem was the way Nelson-Rigg joins the straps together is to loop them together - this creates a somewhat large knot that doesn't want to pass through the body panel slots.
So I decided to make use of the passenger handles - with the tail bag on, nobody's back there anyway. I removed the toolkit, slipped the straps through the body panel slots, then hooked the loops over the front section of passenger handles. (You want to use the front section, because when the straps are pulled tight the loops will not slide off the handles.) These straps will go onto the rear tail bag buckles.
Rear straps on the front of the handle
Looking around the tail section, I realized that there are slots in the body work for...luggage? There's a slot on each side, and a void behind the toolkit and storage pocket. I figured I could slip one set of straps through the slots, and that would allow me to push the tail bag to the rear. The problem was the way Nelson-Rigg joins the straps together is to loop them together - this creates a somewhat large knot that doesn't want to pass through the body panel slots.
So I decided to make use of the passenger handles - with the tail bag on, nobody's back there anyway. I removed the toolkit, slipped the straps through the body panel slots, then hooked the loops over the front section of passenger handles. (You want to use the front section, because when the straps are pulled tight the loops will not slide off the handles.) These straps will go onto the rear tail bag buckles.
Rear straps on the front of the handle
Front straps now in between bumpers
Next, I did the standard Nelson-Rigg install on the front buckles, but with the tail bag slid backwards, between the bumpers. The tail bag hangs off the back of the seat a bit, but that's fine because (as you'll soon see) the tips of the passenger handles support the bag. Attach the seat and tighten the straps.
End result: Tail bag is now set back, away from the rider seat. I tucked the excess strap up into the body panel slots to create a clean look.
No more butt-tickling D-ring
Shiny! Note how passenger handles
No more butt-tickling D-ring
Shiny! Note how passenger handles
support the bag's rear edge
