I read a thread here a while back about longriding and bike or saddle choice. What should I get?

This is a question I've heard for 30 years... I've ridden all kinds of bikes with all kinds of seats. Street legal dirt bikes, Jap cruisers from the 80's, a hard-tail chopper and now my 94 Heritage; and you know what??? They all were comfortable. You just have to spend time in the saddle to get used to being there. If you want to feel like you just got out of a recliner...stay away from motorcycles. Get a Lexus.

That being said, take a tip from the bicycle world. Fit is everything!!!!!!! What looks cool may not be worth a crap for eduring long miles in the saddle.

Believe this or not, my '65 hard-tail Sporty chopper was my most enjoyable ride for long trips.3 times accross the deserts from San Diego to Houston at 500 miles a dayshould classify as long. That bike had a flat Scorpion seat then a small unsprungsolo. It went through all kind of bars too; Apes, drag bars, and gun-slingers...no issues there. I also did a ride from OKC to Houston to Seattle on a '83 Suzuki 1100 cruiser with a thick seat. That was OK too. Just not as cool. My wife likes the fat seat on the Heritage, but thats all she really has to gauge long rides on...600 miles a day.

Now I'll blow all the motorcycle seat maker's propaganda away. I ride road bicycles too and my saddles have only about 3/8' of padding. One is actually a non-padded carbon fiber hard seat. I ride these 60 to 100 miles reguarly...no shocks here either. Thats 3 to 6 hours on a hard seat leaned over working hard to keep up with the skinny guys. Once I did a 155 mile solo ride in 10 hours and still felt fine.

So its not about what bike or seat isgood or bad. Its what fits you and how much time you are willing to spend getting your body used to the stresses of two wheeled transit. I ride every day to work (rain or shine)and hate listening to the whining wussies who cry about their bikes getting dirty. The when I get home I go for a 20-25 mile bicycle ride. You'll never hear an Iron-Butt rider or a long distance bicyclistcomplain about his butt being sore. They actually get out there and ride

 

You obviously didn't own a Goldwing or an Electra Glide at the time...because ifyou had I'm bettingthat hard tail Sporty w/ a unsprung solo seatwould have been collecting dust in the garage waiting on your return...comparing bicycle riding to motorcycles?? here's my take...you actually lift your *** off a bicycle seat more often than not while you ride on top of the factbicycles don't have engine vibration to deal with...BIG difference. I guess I'm just a soft-*** but if I'm going on a long ride (over200 miles) regardless of the type of bike I'm on I'll take my comfy couchMustang seat over my bar-hopper only Badlander any day of the week and twice on sunday....why should I get used to riding with a sore *** when I can avoid it altogether??

 

155 miles solo in 10 hours .....that seems almost unbelievable.

 

Once I did a 155 mile solo ride in 10 hours and still felt fine.

Was that on a poker run, or?

 

Have we mentioned we're proud of you? Your cookie is next to the punchbowl.

 

Why? If I'm paying for it shouldn't I get to set up my bike the way I want ... even it is a moving road-sofa? Or did I miss the rule that I had to be like you?

Hmm ... you've either never sat on a decent motorcycle seat or you are a masochist. Fit and comfort go hand in hand ... well ... cheek in cheek at least.

So? Apples ... Oranges ... Riding a bike for competition is not the same as riding a motorcycle for pleasure. Racing motorcycle seats are more appropriate for your comparison, otherwise it's a false analogy.

Then stop clicking on the links. Frankly, I enjoy reading the posts about dirty motorcycles ... but enjoy the endless rants even more. I guess I'm a bit of a masochist as well.

Have you ever listened to a story from an Iron Butt rider? Those guyscomplain constantly about the length or comfort of the ride. That's half the fun to them. Doing something that is out of the ordinary. If it weren't painful then they wouldn't do it. And they love to tell you just how painful it was. They may not phrase as it as a true complaint, but half the fun of telling the stories is also including the pain and agony of the ride.

As for long distance bicycle riders ... well most of them are just happy to get circulation back in their nuts ... so of course pain is not of consequence.