Long distance riding comfort suggestions?

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mimico_polak

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Hey guys,
Just finished up a ride yesterday with some buddies and noticed that my *** was killing me and the wind was exhausting on the CBR250R....470km...my personal longest ride.

does anyone have any suggestions? We took fairly frequent stops and I have good bicycle shorts with padding which really helped. I've heard of some sheep skin seat? Also of someone just buying some sheep skin from IKEA and cutting it to shape for cheap option?

Ways to cut on the wind? Taller windscreen perhaps? I'm not overly interested in laying on the tank to hide from the wind for hours on end.

I'd like to extend the trips I take and these need to be taken into account from my personal experience.

Any tips, suggestions, and personal experience stories are highly appreciated!
 
If you want to ride longer distances, get a bike built for riding longer distances

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BeadRider will help - yeah counter intuitive - it works for most tho.

Ear plugs or ear phones - wind noise tires you out.

Roads not in Ontario will keep you busy. But you don't have a sport tourer there so seating position is tiring for long rides.
 
As mentioned you have to pick a bike to suit your riding. If you only do one all day ride a year it's probably best to just suck it up. Try gelpads, sheepskin, beads etc. Aftermarket saddles are pricey and you don't know if they help until you've spent the big bucks on one. Sometimes they're worse.
 
For your ***, get some longer riding days in first. I always find the more I ride longer distances, the better my body is able to handle it. The first long ride of the year always hurts a bit.

As for the wind, definitely wear some earplugs are very good noise isolating earphones. See how it goes from there.
 
mimico_polak said:
Hey guys,
Just finished up a ride yesterday with some buddies and noticed that my *** was killing me and the wind was exhausting on the CBR250R....470km...my personal longest ride.
Click to expand...

Man when we were complaining about our ***** you said you were fine!
 
Comfort really revolves around two things, circulation and sweating. Motorcycles and gear are good at restricting both. Some people are just naturally tolerant and fit into their gear well, which would explain the "I can do 600 km days no problem". Being fit helps too, but age slowly intrudes.

Ear plugs reduce noise fatigue and protect hearing. Ear canals can get irritated by the pressure or the trapped air, which heats up. Absorbent earplugs would be ideal, since ear wax is a modified form of sweat that protects the ear canal.

I can vouch for the Beadrider. It slightly increases the surface area of the bike's seat and allows ventilation where it's needed the most. Shifting your position occasionally changes the pressure points too. My own test run yesterday (of nearly 400 km) proved successful. It almost convinced me that I hadn't been riding all afternoon.

Motorcycle aerodynamics are pretty complex, since they are irregular shapes and the overall shape changes depending on the rider. Different helmets can change your perception of the airflow too. Deflecting more air doesn't always help. My Burgman came with a larger aftermarket windscreen and it can get pretty turbulent at times, despite providing almost complete frontal coverage.
 
I went back to the stock windshield on my 2005 - too much flex in the aftermarket and I like to see over it especially in the twisties.
The Exec of course solved the problem nicely :D

My ear plugs are the soft bright orange ones with a big flare on theend- they really work well and are comfortable all day.

I do use my earphones most often and do suffer a bit for it with some soreness - the foam ear pieces were most comfortable but they do not last long and are $$ ....so I use the silicone.
The think balaclava really helps.

Comfort is personal and you sort of have to experiment whatever bike ( other than perhaps a Goldwing ) you have.

The BeadRider is a really cheap solution as a start point and a backrest I think is critical for long rides unless you are in a neutral sportsbike position with I think is best of all with a balance of weight between hands, thighs and butt.

Considering something along those lines for Australia next. Distance riding does become better once you can sort of put yourself in automatic mode as the km roll by. Getting seat time is important.

Speaking of which time to haul my slothful *** onto the Burgman now the rain is clearing. Heading to the Forks and who knows where else - love these long summer days.
 
I got sheep skin from Ikea, it is great and does not cost much. You need to add few straps on it but it is well worth the effort.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses I appreciate it. The bike shorts worked great and def extended the time/distance I could cover comfortably but I was looking for further as I could feel my *** getting painful (insert joke here! LoL)

Unfortunately at this stage I can't afford a bigger bike or cheek implants! LoL maybe in the future!
 
Two things that have made a HUGE difference for me in the longer distance comfort department
1. ear plugs :thumbup::thumbup:
2. throttle rocker :thumbup:
 
Pay a hobo $20 to kick you in the *** for 2h...you'll be fine after that.

Or...

Is there a gel accessory seat made for your bike by Honda? That will help. Wheelchair sheepskin pad from the larger Shopper's drug mart disability store thingies will help too but the Ikea one is probably cheaper. Also, if none of the above work, buy a used seat off ebay (if there are any) and reupholster it yourself. You can get screen extenders (like the X-screen) that bolt on to OEM screens to change the wind flow...there's also a laminar lip that some people use (although I never found this to work that well for me). Airhawk pads are pricey BUT they work too...that will set you back $100ish or more.

Lastly, change your position on your bike while you ride...stretch your feet out every now and then...slide back and forward on your seat, grip the tank more with your legs.
 
of course your tired if its your first long ride ... tho 472km is not that long of a ride... My 1 tank of gas goes further then that on my tourer... get some more rides int hat go further then 500km ... when you can do 800-1000km on a regular day then the 500km day will seem like cake walk...

so you COULD tech out your 250 for more comfort, in the end is it worth spending a grand on new stuff for it ? or putting that grand towards a bike better suited for the long haul ? up to you...
 
jc100 said:
Pay a hobo $20 to kick you in the *** for 2h...you'll be fine after that.
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I can probably find one for $10 to do that for me...or a buddy to do it for free! LoL

chiller - you and others are right...just probably need more saddle time to get more used to it. The sheepskin/bead rider seem like the cheapest/easiest option so I'll start with those...for now the 250 is what it is and I'll look at upgrading in the future but really enjoying it so I don't want to part with it too soon.
 
you are getting over 472km on a single tank of gas? what exactly are you riding?

chiller said:
of course your tired if its your first long ride ... tho 472km is not that long of a ride... My 1 tank of gas goes further then that on my tourer... get some more rides int hat go further then 500km ... when you can do 800-1000km on a regular day then the 500km day will seem like cake walk...

so you COULD tech out your 250 for more comfort, in the end is it worth spending a grand on new stuff for it ? or putting that grand towards a bike better suited for the long haul ? up to you...
Click to expand...
 
_Motorhead_ said:
you are getting over 472km on a single tank of gas? what exactly are you riding?
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I have an ST1300 for touring... it has a 29L gas tank. If I am just "touring" I will get about 500km when the reserve comes on.

If I am beating it on the open highway at 85-90mph (75mph speed limit) then I will get about 350km before reserve... but I have done many back roads touring miles at the speed limit (55-60mph in a 55mph zone) and will regularly get 500km before needing fuel. those 1000km days I could go with just 1 fill up in the middle if I am not ripping it :P
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