Archive for the ‘Motorcycle Tips’ Category

What Are Good Motorcycle Seat Pads?

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle more than 100 miles at a stretch without stopping? I have many times. When I take a long ride (or tours), as some might call it, I usually ride about 90 to 100 miles between stops. Sometimes a little more, and sometimes a little less. It really depends on a few things, like how much time I have, how the gas tank holds up, and how thirsty of hungry I get along the way, and of course, the occasional bio break – another factor could be whether or not I have a motorcycle gel seat pads Seat Pad.

If I am limited on time, that could be a reason to change my route, too. No sense in running short on time and ruining an otherwise relaxing and awesome ride. My gas tank usually holds up pretty well. I can hold just over 5 gallons (but I never want to let it get too low). I get pretty decent mileage, so depending on terrain, and my speed, I can go somewhere between 140 to 160 miles on a tank (without getting too close to reserve).

If you have ridden more than 100 miles without stopping, you probably know a little about ‘biker butt’ or iron butt as another term often associated with this feeling. The long stretches can get pretty numbing.. I have been on rides where my back end started to lose feeling in the first 60 to 70 miles. That was on my Honda Shadow Ace 750, though – even with the Mustang seat!! All the wiggling in the world didn’t seem to help the feeling return. I wasn’t really even sure if I wanted it to come back, because that is when the pain began to set in.

So do Motorcycle Seat Pads really help the ‘butt ache’ that can accompany the long stretches of a ride?

I myself had a Sheepskin pad on My Honda Goldwing, and I can tell you it DOES make a big difference!.

I took a short trip recently. This one was only about 150 miles each way. Not a sore than it was.

The weather forced me to make more frequent stops than I would have otherwise. It was a pretty cool ride down (about 45 degrees), but that wasn’t the real reason for stopping frequently. The light misty rain was falling everywhere, especially over the mountains. Making it a little hard to see, I stopped more often than I wanted to.

But if I had ridden the entire stretch (or at least most of it, depending on fuel), I am sure that the bottom would have noticed. A good motorcycle seat pad would have been a welcome addition.

So what type of motorcycle seat pads are available? Well, there are a few different types, and pros and cons of each. Some are made from Sheepskin. This is a great material. It’s breathable, and stays very warm.

Other types can be found such as the Foam type, some with air in them, the beads (yes, wooden beads), and even the Gel type.

The foam type of motorcycle seat pads are not really much more than another layer of foam on top of the foam that is already in the factory seat. To me, that doesn’t make much sense. Yes, I suppose it could make it a little softer, but foam will compress, and tends to become hard over time. It also can get wet when you find yourself riding in the rain. It is almost a given that if your taking a tour of any distance, you’re bound to hit some rain. Granted, your sitting on the foam, but it is still going to get wet.

What about Sheepskin, you might ask? Well, these are really good, afterall, the sheep seem to like it!!. They are warm in the fall and winter, and tend to be cooler in the summer months. They feel great to sit on – so soft.. They are not priced extremely high, so can fit many budgets. There is a snag with these though. They are not water resistant at all. Again, your going to hit rain, and these babys WILL get wet. Once they get wet, they take forever to dry. I actually ruined one a few years back from getting wet. I made the mistake of letting the rain sit on it for awhile (I was stuck on a job), and it was completely ruined.

I can’t really comment too much on the air type. I haven’t personally used one of these. I’m not really sure where they can be purchased, but I will say that it makes me a little nervous thinking about sitting on Air while riding. Don’t you suppose that not touching the seat (or at least feeling some of it) would make riding a little difficult?

Wooden Beads are not bad, if you don’t mind sitting on something harder than the seat. It seems weird, but these actually do help. They basically just help the blood move around your rear end, which makes the discomfort move as well. These are not my favorites, though – something a little softer comes to mind.

Gel pads – to the rescue. These are the coup de gras’. It doesn’t get much better. Kindof like sitting on water, but firm enough that you can tell you still on a motorcycle. Nowadays, alot of them have a Sheepskin cover so you get the best of both worlds (just don’t leave it on the seat while raining).

In my book, the gel type of motorcycle seat pads are the ones to get. Here is a site you can get some of the better one from.

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