Seat Cushion advice needed

In a little over a month I'll be on a 9 day ride. I realize after the second day I'll be needing some Novacaine for my ass unless I get a seat cushion. I looked at Airhawk seat cushions and felt like they would be perfect but would also leave me needing Novacaine for my ass because the price would leave me feeling raped. I'm now looking at the Sheepskin Butt Cushions offered by Alaska Leather. Due to the upcoming trip plus a whole host of other things cost is a major factor, but I also realize how important comfort is on a long ride. I'm looking for suggestions of cost effect seat cushions. Any help would be appreciated!

Just a basic sheepskin cover really goes a long way. IMHO, the real need is to get the pressure off your tailbone. The Triumph seats are cut in such a way that you sit right on the bone. A sheepskin covered gel pad may be your short term choice but if you plan on putting a lot of miles on your Rocket, you should really invest in a custom seat. Rick Mayer or Russell Day Longs are the most widely known in the US Rocket world.

I have a friend in town who had back surgery last year. He bought one of these and swears by it. I haven't tried it, but he rides a lot with it and recommends it, but as I said, I have never sat on it.

http://buttbuffer.com/

Native One

NativeOne said:

I have a friend in town who had back surgery last year. He bought one of these and swears by it. I haven't tried it, but he rides a lot with it and recommends it, but as I said, I have never sat on it.

http://buttbuffer.com/

Native One

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I had a Butt Buffer for my old Trophy 1200 until I bought a Corbin. Cheap alternative to an expensive seat. What you get is a closed cell gel foam in a seat cushion. I rode 400+ mile days last year for a week with the stock seat and a Utopia backrest. The stock seat is fine if you have the back support but a nice cushion would have been better. The best alternative is a custom built for your tush seat, but at $700.00 it's not the cheapest way to go.

On the BAAAAD side of Butt Buffer, the gel absorbs heat at an astonishing rate and retains every BTU put in until you offer a lower temperature heat source (your ass), whereupon it will transfer those stored BTU's into your buns (based on the second law of thermo-dynamics) at what can only be described as an "alarming" rate. This is a fire alarm in your butt cheecks going off. I rode home on hot summer days standing on the pegs because the Butt Buffer was literally cooking my ass. If you remove the cushion and put it in your bags (out of direct sunlight) or go with a very light color you may be OK. Get black and leave it in the sun you can expect toasted muffins for lunch. My 2 pennies.

Ive had a back op and the best thing to do is put rearsets on your bike.With the proper feeting position it takes all off the weight of your tail bone.The born to be wild style pegs are no good for dodgy backs and no good for sporty riding.

NativeOne said:

I have a friend in town who had back surgery last year. He bought one of these and swears by it. I haven't tried it, but he rides a lot with it and recommends it, but as I said, I have never sat on it.

http://buttbuffer.com/

Native One

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I bought one of these about 6 months ago on a close-out sale; when I talked to them, I was told that their then-current supplier could no longer provide product. If I was told the truth, then they've got something new and different from what we've all bought in the past. Anyone buy one within the last few months??
That said, it does make a difference and makes the ride more comfortable - on long hauls however (i.e. over 500 miles) you still end up with a sore butt - AND YES, a HOT one!

If you know anyone with some sewing skills you might try this idea. Hospital supply stores sell closed-cell gel pads in varying thicknesses for wheelchairs. Last time I looked, they were about $70. If you could cut and shape to size and get your sewing pal to fab up a cover, it might get the job done for cheap nickels.

tdragger is right. Get the weight off the tailbone and onto the backs of your legs. I'm fighting the same problem and actually have to mod the bike with fw controls - a lot more expensive proposition, but the seat mod didn't get the job done.

Good luck.

GorgeRider said:

If you know anyone with some sewing skills you might try this idea. Hospital supply stores sell closed-cell gel pads in varying thicknesses for wheelchairs. Last time I looked, they were about $70. If you could cut and shape to size and get your sewing pal to fab up a cover, it might get the job done for cheap nickels.

tdragger is right. Get the weight off the tailbone and onto the backs of your legs. I'm fighting the same problem and actually have to mod the bike with fw controls - a lot more expensive proposition, but the seat mod didn't get the job done.

Good luck.

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Part of this problem can also be traced to posture. Without the back rest (like a Utopia or Corbin) it permits the rider to "slouch." This puts pressure directly on the tail bone. Putting the backrest in a position to make you sit more upright puts more pressure on the thighs. The redistribution of weight keeps your buns less tingly over a long ride. It also allows you to shift weight while being supported. The most supportive seats built go into luxury cars. Since I don't desire to mount a Bently Arnauge chair on my ride I'll stick with a good supporting foam.

The open cell foam used in the price point seats the OEM folks use tends to crush down over time. Corbin, Russell, Mustang and National all use foams that are more closed cell. The seats are harder when new, but "break-in" top fit you cheeks over time and are thereby more a custom offering than the OEM seats.

My biggest complaint with the Butt Buffer (besides the terra-watt butt burning and singed cheek hair odor) was it rasied me another 5/8 inch in the seat. If you don't mind the extra elevation it's fine. On my Trophy I was on tippy-toes at stops. The same applies to Air-Hawk and other deep cushion options.

Airhawk

I have the large airhawk but don't use it anymore. Not because it did not work, but because I lost 100 pounds and my butt don't hurt riding anymore. Plus I have a custom Rich's seat. The airhawk looks brand new, never leaked or been patched. Paid over 100 bucks for it. You could have it for 50 plus postage if you want to try it out, that way you'll know for less than a new one. Let me know cause I'm gonna stick it on flea bay if you are not interested. It helped a lot when I was fat(ter).

Re: Airhawk

mitchcpc said:

I have the large airhawk but don't use it anymore. Not because it did not work, but because I lost 100 pounds and my butt don't hurt riding anymore. Plus I have a custom Rich's seat. The airhawk looks brand new, never leaked or been patched. Paid over 100 bucks for it. You could have it for 50 plus postage if you want to try it out, that way you'll know for less than a new one. Let me know cause I'm gonna stick it on flea bay if you are not interested. It helped a lot when I was fat(ter).

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Yes, i would like to purchase it. I will PM you right now.