Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle seats’

A motorcycle is a weird beast! You plop your butt with a majority of your weight resting on a smallish piece of stylishly shaped foam and ride your first 100 miles without stopping. You realize wow, that hurts, I’ve never felt that kind of pain there before! Am I just a weenie, or do most folks struggle with this? To be honest it is a struggle for many, especially if you are riding your bike more than just across town to the next bar. Let me explain a bit…..
One, you cannot expect your bike to be as comfortable as your car. Your car is equipped with a seat at least 3 to 4 times the size and width of your bike. It also usually has springs that are supporting the foam that you are sitting on which translates to more of your weight being dispersed across your butt, which translates again to less pressure spots, or ‘pain’ spots. So, don’t make the mistake in thinking you can trick your butt into thinking it is sitting in a lazy boy….. unless you are literally willing to install that lazy boy on your bike. However, you can greatly improve your seat and your comfort! How? Shape.
Most bikes come equipped with a seat that looks good. Period. It was not ultimately designed for comfort, but for eye appeal. Does that mean a comfortable seat must be ugly? I say no. You can still design nice lines into the custom shape of your seat that will compliment the bike.
Unless you have a cruiser, many bikes come from the factory with some ‘anti butt shape’ built in to them. Examples are… a slight ‘crown’ side to side, the opposite of your butt shape which equals pressure spots or ‘Pain’! Another is a forward slope that keeps you constantly trying to push back to stay in the saddle, again equals fatigue, pain.  Speaking in generalities adding a little width to spread you weight across your butt, and some saddling side to side, and a neutral front to back position can go a long way to improving your comfort. However, optimally it must be designed specifically for ‘you’ in order to make the most of comfort. Every butt is different. Some are flat, some round, some wide, and some narrow. ‘One size fits all’ custom seats are sometimes an improvement on your stock seat but not always. Considering that most of your weight is resting on a relatively small area of your body, the right shape for your shaped butt is the key!
My specialty is assessing you, your issues and problem areas, your bike, and coming up with a great looking remedy that feels good and looks great!