Uncomfortable ride...HELP

SMSgt · Jul 29, 2013

My 2006 GL1800 with a 2012 Roadsmith is without a doubt the most uncomfortable long distance motorcycle I have ever ridden.:gah:

I completed a 7000 mile coast to coast round trip in the middle of June and my butt is still numb.:xzqxz:

I couldn’t find a consistent, comfortable riding position. I’d try and get comfortable using the highway pegs (felt like I was giving birth)

, or moving my feet around on the floor boards. I’d even flip the floor boards up and tried to put my feet on the tops of the Roadsmith Aquawings which was still painful. I gave away an aftermarket seat cushion to a friend having trouble getting comfortable on his GL1500 he loved the result but I was still in pain. :AGGHH:
An HD trike rider offered me his Road Hawk seat cushion which seemed to help so I spent the money at an HD dealer in Monroe LA. I bought a Harley version of a Road Hawk called a Road Zeppelin it has a pump up bulb and air release button. This made my trip at least something I could complete.

Now my question… What can I do to make this machine more comfortable? I thought I’d look at custom made seats although I’m not too excited about the price and spending that much just to find out I still get sore.

Other than selling and buying something else (which I am not going to do) what are my other options?
Thanks Kent

Woolie · Jul 30, 2013

That is a hard question to answer, what is comfortable for one isn't good for another. I really missed my Electra Glide after getting the Goldwing and have been experimenting ever since looking for foot comfort. I have spent a lot on seats and unfortunately that is about all that can be changed. The Roadsmith pegs can be added but if you can put your feet on the aquashields and that doesn't fix the problem, I don't think the RS peg changes will help. I have highway pegs with the mini arms (but I seldom use them) and an Ultimate King seat with some good thick add-on cushions. We are in the process of making plans to be at the rally in Cedar City and if we make it you are welcome to sit on mine and perhaps ride it some and see if it feels any better. To me it is almost there and it is about as good as it is going to get. The next thing I want to do is make some foot peg mounts like Gold Rush did so I can put my feet on the floorboards when needed. I still have the OEM foot pegs. He made some foot peg mounts that lets him fold the foot pegs up and out of the way.

mhgoldwing · Jul 30, 2013

Motorcycle comfort is completely subjective depending on numerous variables such as height, weight, type of body build, etc., that no one answer is possible. I have almost the identical setup you do. My problem stems from being blessed with a bony butt that concentrates my 200+ pounds in an uncomfortable manner. I currently use the Air Hawk R cushion and it extended my riding time by two hours before I need to get off for a while.

Probably the best solution, from everything I've read, is the Russel Day Long saddle. It is custom fitted to your needs and seems to be the most universal solution to riding comfort on the buns. You might give them a call and see what they can do for you.

I seldom ride long distances so the investment in a Russel saddle doesn't seem necessary but you may be a good candidate for their services and expertise.

2002Trike · Jul 30, 2013

SMSgt said:
My 2006 GL1800 with a 2012 Roadsmith is without a doubt the most uncomfortable long distance motorcycle I have ever ridden.:gah:

I completed a 7000 mile coast to coast round trip in the middle of June and my butt is still numb.:xzqxz:

I couldn’t find a consistent, comfortable riding position. I’d try and get comfortable using the highway pegs (felt like I was giving birth), or moving my feet around on the floor boards. I’d even flip the floor boards up and tried to put my feet on the tops of the Roadsmith Aquawings which was still painful. I gave away an aftermarket seat cushion to a friend having trouble getting comfortable on his GL1500 he loved the result but I was still in pain. :AGGHH:
An HD trike rider offered me his Road Hawk seat cushion which seemed to help so I spent the money at an HD dealer in Monroe LA. I bought a Harley version of a Road Hawk called a Road Zeppelin it has a pump up bulb and air release button. This made my trip at least something I could complete.

Now my question… What can I do to make this machine more comfortable? I thought I’d look at custom made seats although I’m not too excited about the price and spending that much just to find out I still get sore.

Other than selling and buying something else (which I am not going to do) what are my other options?
Thanks Kent

What tire pressure are you running on the rear tires? I had an OEM Seat in the beginning, my ride was not comfortable. I bought an Ultra seat for my ride, I discovered that it was not much different, other than giving me more leg room. I was informed that my tire pressure was too high, I was running the recommended tire pressure for the car tire, I change the pressure to 25 PSI and found that it was a NIGHT & DAY change for the better. I hope this helps.
John

JaysGone · Jul 30, 2013

I have been also trying to make my ride more comfortable for me.
I have removed the OEM pegs. I use just the running boards.
I got a bigger brake pad and that helped a lot along with lowering the peddle level.
Not much one can do simply with the foot shifter as the OEM is non adjustable.
The handle bars after doing a bit of research. I settled for the MLS? set of shims. They have big the biggest help.
Next up is maybe an Ultimate seat as I have had nothing but good results with all I have used on other bikes.
But in my case as I use my bike for commuting and 35 miles each way isn't a lot of riding in 1 trip my discomfort with the OEM seat is mild and may not justify the expense.
If I ever take a long trip my feelings might be different.

Comfort is subjective.
What is good for one person may not make a bit of difference for another.
But there are plenty of changes that can be made to a GW based trike that don't cost a fortune one item at a time.

rmrc51 · Jul 30, 2013

I have an 05 with a Roadsmith unit installed in 2012.

When I first brought her home, I couldn't ride more then 20 miles before my backside began to hurt along with my legs cramping. At that point, I installed Roadsmith's Comfort controls which moved my foot position 3 inches forward and 1 inch down. I also added a 'Hartco Pro-Tour' custom seat and on top of it use an 'Air Hawk-R' cushion. I also have risers for the handle bars. At this point, along with my highway pegs, I have a comfortable ride. ThumbUp

0pini0nated · Jul 30, 2013

I'm riding a Lehman Raider (relatively light) trike with a curb weight of 833 lbs. I'm 230 lbs, for a total of 1,060 lbs. My rear tires are 205 / 60 R 15" (R = radial). Mine came with extended control mini-floor boards, which moved my weight distribution directly into my backbone. The Harley Sundowner™ Seat was soft, and wider than stock, but that didn't help on bumps and asphalt patches (and Pennsylvania is the pot-hole patch capital of the world).

I always ride alone. After changing my (OEM) shock absorbers to soft, I changed my rear tubeless tire pressure to 16 lbs. After riding it around the neighborhood (to make sure I didn't get a flat by under-inflating the side walls) a found it was a little too soft ~ my Sportster front end wandered / wobbled a little on the turnpike.

I changed it to 18 lbs, that seemed about *right* ThumbUp. I have a 1 - 20 PSI pencil gauge I keep on the trike. I've been riding for a few months (again, 1-up riding) and it seems to be the best compromise.

The front tire pressure is 38 lbs, which has little impact on the ride performance.

In summation, should *you* try 18 PSI? = Not necessarily. Should *you* experiment? = YES

skuuter · Jul 30, 2013

I personally prefer Seats that are "Hard as a Rock".....Harder the better. Having spent all of my Life playing the Ball Sports and sitting on Seats for decades doing Motorsports, my butt is "Hard as a Rock" also. If I sit on a Soft Seat, I sink into it and put pressure on the points of my pelvic bone, causing it to make two pressure points in my muscles...not good....other thing is I want several foot positions so I can change my feet and leg positions...this also relieves pressure on Your butt....Good Luck on Your Quest for Comfort......The more You ride, the more you adjust and Your Body gets more comfortable also...it's hard to beat "mileage".....maybe I'll look into a wooden seat next....Hmmm.....

cscsonny · Jul 30, 2013

A little trick an upholstery guy once told me was to take your wallet(s) out of your back pocket and move it(them) to another front pocket or somewhere on the bike.
The wallet puts pressure on the side of the tail bone.
Has been working for me and I still have the factory seat on the trike.
Also after about 150 miles,I take a break and stretch the legs.The wife is ready at about this point also.

Rollin Thunder · Jul 30, 2013

cscsonny said:
A little trick an upholstery guy once told me was to take your wallet(s) out of your back pocket and move it(them) to another front pocket or somewhere on the bike.
The wallet puts pressure on the side of the tail bone.
Has been working for me and I still have the factory seat on the trike.
Also after about 150 miles,I take a break and stretch the legs.The wife is ready at about this point also.

YEAH! I learned that yrs ago also. From another rider. He took his wallet out and put it in his saddle bag. Every time he rode. Now I do the same even in the car.ThumbUp Very goood point. Thanks for bringing that up.

suvcw04 · Jul 30, 2013

Walmart has a soft gel cushion for $20. I have used it on my Yamaha Majesty and Honda NT700V. Haven't tried it on our trike yet.
Besides tire pressure adjustments, it's probably the cheapest thing to try. You can alway put it in a car, truck or even house chair if you don't like it.

msocko3 · Jul 30, 2013

One of the 1st things I learned with my 2012 GL1800 was the seat didn't agree with me, I wanted off after 25 miles. I had already installed foot boards and highway pegs so I had different positions for my feet. For my the fix was having Daylong modify my seat to fit me, night and day different. The only downside was I couldn't touch the ground very well with the foot boards on once the seat was done. For now I've put the pegs back on so I can be less on my toes. Will put the foot boards back on once I have it triked.

Like others have said, everyone has different needs, what works for one may not work for another.

americanbadass · Jul 30, 2013

skuuter said:
I personally prefer Seats that are "Hard as a Rock".....Harder the better. Having spent all of my Life playing the Ball Sports and sitting on Seats for decades doing Motorsports, my butt is "Hard as a Rock" ...Hmmm.....

Scoot...this was a little more info than we needed! I just have one question for you......can you bounce quarters off your butt...if so we should definitely change your screen name to "hardass"!ThumbUp

skuuter · Jul 30, 2013

cscsonny said:
A little trick an upholstery guy once told me was to take your wallet(s) out of your back pocket and move it(them) to another front pocket or somewhere on the bike.
The wallet puts pressure on the side of the tail bone.
Has been working for me and I still have the factory seat on the trike.
Also after about 150 miles,I take a break and stretch the legs.The wife is ready at about this point also.

Yep, I never ride with anything in my hip pockets.....Touring Pants (I use Olympia Motosports) or Riding Jeans (I use Diamond Gusset Kevlar) make a difference also.....ThumbUp

FRR · Jul 31, 2013

Another factor to consider that no one has mentioned yet;;;;When a bike it raked when the trike kit is installed it actually lowers the front and the rider is "pushed" toward the front of the seat. This takes some getting used to oftentimes.

Konrad · Aug 1, 2013

I have a 2006 GL1800 triked with Roadsmith three years ago, has a sheepskin covered gel seat pad and is the most comfortable ride I have had in 67 years of riding. From all the comments I have read I can only conclude that everyone's physical composition, whether butt strength and size, leg length, trunk length and/or arm length all play a major part in the rider's overall comfort.
Impossible to build a one-size fits all so the manufacturer tries to find a basic "happy" medium, and for the most part, it actually works. We all just need to do a little tweaking.

skuuter · Aug 1, 2013

Konrad said:
I have a 2006 GL1800 triked with Roadsmith three years ago, has a sheepskin covered gel seat pad and is the most comfortable ride I have had in 67 years of riding. From all the comments I have read I can only conclude that everyone's physical composition, whether butt strength and size, leg length, trunk length and/or arm length all play a major part in the rider's overall comfort.
Impossible to build a one-size fits all so the manufacturer tries to find a basic "happy" medium, and for the most part, it actually works. We all just need to do a little tweaking.

Yep, Physical Differences are the Prime Issues in getting a Comfortable Seating Arrangement.....ThumbUp

SMSgt · Aug 1, 2013

Woolie said:
That is a hard question to answer, what is comfortable for one isn't good for another. I really missed my Electra Glide after getting the Goldwing and have been experimenting ever since looking for foot comfort. I have spent a lot on seats and unfortunately that is about all that can be changed. The Roadsmith pegs can be added but if you can put your feet on the aquashields and that doesn't fix the problem, I don't think the RS peg changes will help. I have highway pegs with the mini arms (but I seldom use them) and an Ultimate King seat with some good thick add-on cushions. We are in the process of making plans to be at the rally in Cedar City and if we make it you are welcome to sit on mine and perhaps ride it some and see if it feels any better. To me it is almost there and it is about as good as it is going to get. The next thing I want to do is make some foot peg mounts like Gold Rush did so I can put my feet on the floorboards when needed. I still have the OEM foot pegs. He made some foot peg mounts that lets him fold the foot pegs up and out of the way.

I look forward to meeting you here in Cedar City.
I have Kury boards and heel/toe shifter which has been modified so I can get my toe under and use it as a toe shifter only. Much better than the Honda setup.

SMSgt · Aug 1, 2013

2002Trike said:
What tire pressure are you running on the rear tires? I had an OEM Seat in the beginning, my ride was not comfortable. I bought an Ultra seat for my ride, I discovered that it was not much different, other than giving me more leg room. I was informed that my tire pressure was too high, I was running the recommended tire pressure for the car tire, I change the pressure to 25 PSI and found that it was a NIGHT & DAY change for the better. I hope this helps.
John

I have 22 lbs in the rear and 41 in the front.
Thanks for the input.
Kent

SMSgt · Aug 1, 2013

0pini0nated said:
I'm riding a Lehman Raider (relatively light) trike with a curb weight of 833 lbs. I'm 230 lbs, for a total of 1,060 lbs. My rear tires are 205 / 60 R 15" (R = radial). Mine came with extended control mini-floor boards, which moved my weight distribution directly into my backbone. The Harley Sundowner™ Seat was soft, and wider than stock, but that didn't help on bumps and asphalt patches (and Pennsylvania is the pot-hole patch capital of the world).

I always ride alone. After changing my (OEM) shock absorbers to soft, I changed my rear tubeless tire pressure to 16 lbs. After riding it around the neighborhood (to make sure I didn't get a flat by under-inflating the side walls) a found it was a little too soft ~ my Sportster front end wandered / wobbled a little on the turnpike.

I changed it to 18 lbs, that seemed about *right* ThumbUp. I have a 1 - 20 PSI pencil gauge I keep on the trike. I've been riding for a few months (again, 1-up riding) and it seems to be the best compromise.

The front tire pressure is 38 lbs, which has little impact on the ride performance.

In summation, should *you* try 18 PSI? = Not necessarily. Should *you* experiment? = YES