I found mid controls much better for my back on my sportster. So much so that I now ride it with a very solid seat.

Sportster mid controls ends cuoio seat.

 

That looks ver nice Sir . Mine is basically stock .2014 ,4500 miles .

 

Those are pretty long rides for a new rider. Had back problems all my life. (75). Been in PT 3 times. Need to relax those muscles probably.

One side tenses up on me and pulls me over. If I let it get to bad, it pinches nerves. I stop pretty often. Stretch using some of the exercises I learned in PT.

Don't think it's the seat or suspension . It leaning in to the bars. Interesting about that bike with the straight bars. I can't ride one like that 10 minutes.

My medical advice obviously can't just be applied to you. You need to see and understand what's triggering the pain. Is it muscle, joint or nerve.

You sounded like you pushed it way too far. Be careful. When I do that, I get so crooked, I end up in PT.

 

This might sound counterintuitive to most folks but in my experience as a "longrider"...(based on well over 425,000 mi. on two wheels, btw) while seat selection is important to riding comfort it's not the MOST important thing. Your overall body position is will override the seat. It's different for everyone but until you figure out what works best for you, spending a lof of money on a new seat isn't going to resolve your back issue. Sit Up straight..! Some combination of handlebars, risers, etc. would be my first suggestion so that you're sitting up straight and can keep your back straight. A backrest can help...but if your riding position puts a curve in your back...that rest you installed and any high-dollar seat you buy aren't gonna help much.
FWIW:...the combination that works best for me personally on both my 1978 Lowrider ( GBNF) and my current ride, a 1985 FXRS, is Buckhorn handlebars with 4" risers.

 

I was a mechanic so if I lean over a car with my hands forward I go into intense pain within a matter of minutes. To be comfortable on my bike I have forwards with a Sundowner seat and 12 inch mini apes.

 

Thanks for all the replies & suggestions .

As a 1st step I added the large gel pad + sheepsking cover on the seat .This improved things a little .
Step 2 ;_ I've decided to for mid controls as this will allow my legs to support me more and sit more upright .
Currently looking for used kit on Fleabay .
Will update when I have them fitted .
Rgds.

 

Choppers are very comfortable because you're laid back but they're usually a rigid so you're really going to feel those chuck holes.

 

Basically what I'm saying is I hope you're not doing the opposite of what you actually need. We don't all have the same pain.

 

I had back surgery on L4 almost 30 years ago. I noticed when I observed my shadow, that I was slouching on the bike. So I sit up straight now and it makes a big difference. I have added gelpads in the past. My current bike came with a backrest, they do help.

For many years I worked out, and did stretches. Now that my weight is down my back rarely bothers me, so I slacked off on cardio and stretching, but it definitely helped a lot when my back was bothering me.

Good luck. You don’t want your backaches progressing to back pain. I thank God everyday that my back pain hasn’t returned.

 

Going to mid controls will help a lot and that is one that I would recommend. Forward controls cause you to always have your legs extended and have you putting all the pressure on your sit bones and doesn't allow you to use your legs to cushion bumps etc. Putting all the strain on your lower back.

A lot of lower back pain is also caused by the handlebars making you lean too far forward. Often just adjusting them slightly so that you can get a more upright posture helps. There are things out there called bar risers. I'm not familiar with your particular bike, so not sure what is even available. What they do is raise the bar slightly and pull them back about an inch. That helps with your posture on the bike.

Personally I've never found back rests to help me with any back pain, caused by the poor ergonomics of the bike. So I would actually take it off once you get the pegs and bars sorted.

As to the seat. The great majority of seats on motorcycles suck and yours may be one. It is always a personal thing and it affects each of us differently. I spent over $ 2000 trying to get a seat that worked on my 08 Softail and finally gave up and sold the bike. My leg & arm length just wouldn't work with that bike. So before I went to a custom seat I would actually look at a cheaper option like an Air Hawk or something similar. Be careful you can spend a lot of money on these types of seat remedies that don't work. I have a bag full of them and sheepskins don't help me.

In all my years of motorcycling I've found that if you can get the seat and ergonomics right and can ride 150 miles straight ahead with no major discomfort then you are good to go. Most of us stop every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs for gas and a break so that is well under that mileage limit. Having done 650 mile days, if you get everything right you should be able to ride in comfort and when you get off after a long ride, you can walk.

Good luck, its not easy sorting this kind of issue out.