I’ve ridden motorcycles since I was 18 years old. I always had a foreign bike and would either ride to work occasionally or get together once a month with friends who rode and we’d go tear up the streets one night for fun. I bought my first Harley in 2002 and based the purchase on what bike would fit my frame the best, a Dyna Wide-Glide. I came to my first chapter meeting and started to go on some chapter rides. I fell in love with it – the riding, the roads, the group riding, and yes, the people. With this renewed passion for riding, I found I was riding more, that I wasn’t just a “fair weather” rider anymore, and I was out for longer periods and greater distances. I soon realized I needed a bike with some storage capacity, a windshield, and radio. I upgraded to an Electra Glide in 2004 and my rides have gotten longer and longer including an Iron Butt in 2009. I don’t consider myself a “long distance rider” but I am happy to take a good trip on the bike, and I want to be comfortable. I’ve seen many different seats in my travels, and I’ve heard all sorts of opinions on what the best seat is for riding a few hundred miles in one day. Most stock seats are like a soft comfortable chair, my Corbin seat is stiff as a rock, I’ve seen gel seats, bead seats, and sheepskins. When your backside starts to get sore, what is the best seat out of the whole bunch? In all my reading in H.O.G. magazine and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) magazine, I had never read an article that tackled this question. Last summer I wrote to the AMA in hopes they could shed some light on this question. The e-mail correspondence I received from their Road Riding Manager, Dave Hembroff was like a magazine article in and of itself. He gave me permission to share his two e-mails with the chapter.
“As a long distance rider myself, I have found there are several "solutions" to the sore butt after long miles conundrum. While the "foundation" is of utmost importance (the seat), there are some things NO seat is designed to help with. Yes, you do have to find the seat that fits you - I prefer Corbin or Sargent, as they are both affordable as well as firm and provide a nice wide base to avoid the inner thigh pressure points. There are other, pricier saddles that do an even better job, but I don't have the resources to spend on them when the others do just as well for me. That said, there are still other considerations that need addressed.
* Pressure points: You have more than just a few as you ride. Spreading out your weight is important, and you have to make sure it is not concentrated in any one place. This is one reason the comfy recliner works so well - the soft, cushioning foam accepts your weight from the back of your legs to your upper back. Unfortunately, your motorcycle seat can only do this from your behind, so the amount of pressure is multiplied as the contact area becomes smaller (the main difference between the recliner and the motorcycle seat over time). Firm seats are better than non-firm.
* Friction: In a recliner, you don't tend to be vibrated constantly as you are on a motorcycle. Riding vibrations come from the motor, the road, and travel to the seat and hands (why your hands may fall asleep). Friction will make those pressure points into "hot spots" - painful sore points.
* Moisture/sweat: Add some moisture from sweat, and you will end up with "monkey butt" - the irritated rash feeling on your contact patch of your behind.
So, to address all these, I find a seat that fits to spread out the pressure points, combine it with a seat cover (I prefer the Bead Rider - www.beadrider.com) to alleviate friction and hot spots, and use moisture wicking shorts (www.LDRider.com... These are AMAZING (also try buck naked shorts from www.duluthtrading.com – John)) to address the sweat/moisture issue. I like the Bead Rider because it allows air to circulate under your butt as you ride at the same time it negates vibrations
- I used to use a sheepskin and now only do in winter months. All these together allow me to ride 800-1300 miles per day (which I do) without monkey-butt or pressure point fatigue. In fact, you will find all the riders who do serious miles using the same equipment.
Up to about 8 hours in the saddle (500 miles), you can do one or 2 of the 3 strategies I've outlined above and it should be sufficient to keep you comfortable, but if you really plan to do some miles, you need to combine all 3 to really be comfortable.”
I responded to him with the obvious question, “Why do manufacturers put comfy seats on bikes if they aren’t the best seats for riding?” And I got this response:
“Most people don't ride the miles you and I do, so they (incorrectly) equate comfort with the thickly padded seat. If H-D put a firm, textured seat without all the leather and cushions on their bikes, many riders would think that they were not getting the "top-end" motorcycle they are paying for. American manufacturers are not the only ones who do this on cruiser-style motorcycles, however. Take a look at just about anything in the Star or Vulcan lines and you will see much the same.
Sometimes appearances are deceiving, and marketing has little to do with real-world application. If more riders rode more miles, you would see the demand for real comfort in motorcycle seats increase, I expect.”
- Dave Hembroff
So, once again, the right preparation can make for a better riding experience. I hope that this article will help those of you who do a little distance riding, or have experienced the sore butt problem. If you’ve experienced the pain and it has kept you away from any of our long distance rides – solve the problem, and come ride with us … a long way!
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