Stock motorcycle seats are good for one thing, and one thing only – sore butts. They aren’t designed to make your bottom feel like you’re in a Lazy Boy. They are designed on the cheap to fit your specific model of motorcycle.

When I first got my Suzuki Boulevard cruiser, I suffered endlessly from butt aches, lower back pain, numbness, and leg cramps. Riding for 30 -45 minutes was tolerable, but anything longer resulting in mind numbing pain. I finally had enough after riding a 400+ mile day trip. When I got off the bike at the end of the day, I could barely walk and I had sharp pain in my lower back and bottom.

I started researching aftermarket and OEM motorcycle seat cushions and motorcycle gel seats. At first I looked into a stock seat replacement, such as a Mustang seat or a Corbin motorcycle saddle. Both of these options were way outside my budget. That’s when I began to look into motorcycle seat cushions and seat pads.

Soft Bottom Gel Seat Cushion

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Soft Bottom DOUBLE Motorcycle Cushion

US $99.00

12d 23h 21m

Motorcycle Seat Air Cushions

There are three main types of motorcycle seat pads and cushions – Foam, Air, and Gel. Air inflated cushions, such as the Airhawk seat cushion, are much better than a stock saddle, but they lack significant vibration dampening and are prone to leaks. Once you get a hole in an air cushion, they are no use at all.

Motorcycle Seat Memory Foam Pads

Memory foam seat cushions do not run the risk of leaks, however, they too offer little to no help in reducing vibrations from a V-twin engine. Their design allows them to be compressed when sitting on them, and at that point, you are basically back to a stock seat. They can also be ruined if they get wet.

Motorcycle Seat Gel Cushions

The third and best option is a motorcycle gel seat cushion. As with the air cushion and memory foam pad, the gel cushion also rests on top of your existing stock motorcycle seat. Gel cushions offer significant vibration reductions and can be used in all weather conditions. They are easy to clean and will not deflate due to a puncture.

Once I decided to purchase a gel motorcycle seat cushion, I research several manufactures and read hundreds of comments and reviews from real life users of the products. The overwhelming majority of riders recommended the Soft bottom motorcycle gel seat cushion from Cross Gel. The soft bottom is made from specially designed medical gel and is excellent at increasing blood circulation and reducing vibrations. I ordered the 2.5 thickness Double Touring Edition Gel Seat Cushion with a non-slip nylon cover. I also had a choice of a leather cover or a sheep skin cover.

Since I purchased the Soft Bottom motorcycle gel seat pad, I have ridden about 12,000 miles, including several 700+ mile days. I no longer have to suffer with a sore butt. It’s not quite the same as a Lazy Boy, but I don’t have and lower back pain, numbness, or other biker butt symptoms. When I use the gel seat on my motorcycle, I can literally ride tank to tank without stopping. No more pain! I highly recommend the Soft Bottom. Your butt will thank you.

The Soft Bottom Gel Seat Cushion is compatible with any make or model of motorcycle: Harley-Davidson, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Aprilla, Triumph, BMW, you name it..

Tags:   farkles · gel seat · motorcycle seatComments Off

I just picked up a Canon Powershot SD1100 IS yesterday on sale from an unamed Big Box store. It has a nice timelapse recording feature, so I decided to try it out on the way into work this morning. I have it mounted via a camera handle bar mount from Ram Mounts.

Tags:   farkles · motorcycle video · timelapseComments Off

Today I had the misfortune of joining the massive statistic of those who have dropped a bike.  Thankfully I was not hurt in any way (other than my pride), and the bike has sustained no evidence of this incident.  So here's what happened:

On my way home from work it was raining.  When I got into my driveway I decided to turn the bike around so as to face the entrance.  I was going slowly and avoiding any obstacles that were obviously in my way.  What I didn't take notice of is the fact that my driveway is absolutely covered with pine needles.  When I tried to turn the bike around, both the front and rear tires slipped out from under me.  Thankfully I was going not much faster than walking speed, so I was more concerned about the bike than myself.  As much as I tried to right the bike it was just too heavy.  Ultimately I found myself between the concrete driveway and a 400lb bike. 

As soon as the bike tipped the engine cut off (as designed).  I righted the bike and put the kickstand down, then started to look for damage from the fall.  If there is any it's far too minor to catch my attention.  My relief was palpable!

This is what I learned from the situation:  Wet leaves (and pine needles are very slippery).  It is analogous to what I imagine riding on ice would be like.

So when my driveway dries up I'll be removing any trace of brush from its surface to avoid this happening again in my driveway.  When I'm not in my driveway I won't have any control over how many wet leaves are in my path, so that leaves me with two options:

1. Never ride in the rain
2. Learn how to safely cross areas of wet leaves

The prior option is not acceptable to me.  When I got this bike I decided that it was going to be my main source of transportation.  My bike gets about triple the fuel efficiency of my car, so it just makes good sense to use the bike as much as possible.  So here are some ideas I have that THEORETICALLY will enable me to cross an area covered with wet leaves:

1. Don't use breaks on wet leaves
2. Keep the throttle in the same position throughout the traversal across the wet leaves
3. Don't turn on wet leave
4. Don't lean the bike on wet leaves.  If you have to turn on wet leaves slow down enough so that you don't have to lean the bike at all.

I'll have to go out and test these ideas to confirm that they actually do work.  As soon as I do I'll write another posting to let you know how it went and what I learned.

Tags:   Doh! · Motorcycle Saftey · Riding TipsComments Off