A common question I hear from the uncomfortable Motorcyclist is… “I’m thinking of having you add gel to my seat, will this make life and my butt a lot happier?” To the dismay of the Asker I reply…” Probably not.” Then of course a full explanation is required.
In my opinion, Gel falls into the ‘Marketing Genius’ category that has way over promised it’s actual value. If you have a poor seat shape on your bike that is pressuring your rear end in uncomfortable ways, a layer of silicon (gel) does not remedy the problem, at best it will mask it slightly. Now don’t get me wrong, I sell a decent amount of gel, stock 3 different sizes in my shop, but as far as it being the great ‘fix all’, I say No! I would actually say it is last on the priority list you should consider for your seat. First is Shape. There is no substitute for having the right shape for your posterior, that will support and relieve the areas that need it. Second is foam firmness. Third is Gel. Gel has a quality that will keep things ‘moving’ slightly that can help in some extreme cases. However, Gel also has a drawback of heat retention, and tends to be ultra firm in cold temperatures. You know what it is like to get on your seat with that black material soaking up the sun’s rays on a hot day, but within 60 seconds you have forgotten about it. Gel prolongs that ‘heat pain’ because it takes a while to dissipate the heat buildup.
So, my advice is take a good long look at the shape of your seat, determine pressure points that are causing pain and make a plan of attack to shape it more friendly to your posterior. Then, if all else fails, add gel.
