Thursday, October 22, 2009

Motorcycle Seat Pads - Week 1

Have you ever ridden 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 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 beautiful 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 at a stretch, 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 will try to chat about that question in this blog series. I myself had a Sheepskin pad on My Honda Goldwing, and I can tell you it DOES make a big difference!.

Let me know your thoughts on motorcycle seat pads - Pros, Cons, or any riding stories you want to share..

More to come next week - Stay tuned