| Author | Message | ||
     Dynasport |
'm planning a 6500 mile trip this September and I really want to take my Uly XT. The problem is that I can't do really big mile days on the Uly without a good bit of discomfort (really pain) in my butt. I know a bunch of you guys talk about how comfortable the stock Uly seat, but for me anything over 400 miles gets pretty unpleasant. Maybe it's because I'm fat. Maybe skinny guys can ride the Uly in complete bliss for longer, but I can't. I can ride my FXDX with my Mustang seat 1500 miles with little to no butt pain. So, unless I can get the seat issue fixed, I will have no choice but to take the FXDX on my planned Big Ride. Have any of you guys tried a Baldwin seat? Or are there other better options? I need advice from someone who didn't think the stock seat was great and found a better alternative for long rides. Oh, I already have a Bead Rider and an Alaska Sheepskin. They both help, but not enough. Also, if any of you are interested, I have started a blog about the ride that you can find here. http://dansbigride.wordpress.com/ | ||
| Etennuly |
I have found that change up is the best thing for my butt. I start out long rides on the '06 stock seat itself, I can shift my butt back on to the pilon for a while and straighten my legs. My knees will usually bother me after a few hundred miles. Then at about 300 miles or so I pull out my Air Hawk pad. That is usually good for a hundred fifty or so, I cannot move around on it too much. Then I go back to the stock seat and moving around. I am sure it would be better if I wasn't so old, stiff jointed, and fat.  The best thing I have found before a long ride, is a lot of 350+ mile weekend rides to build up tolerance and tone what ever muscles that will be used. Are you planning about 700 miles a day? | ||
| Balloyd66 |
I have a Baldwin. Had Loren build with good foam and gel. Looks sweet and it is better than stock, but it's not the ultimate fix for the achy butt. And it was expensive, but it's a quality product. Also add a sheepskin on top of it sometimes, but still no joy. Like you, I'm a stout, stocky fellow, and I think some of us are just not made for long days in the saddle. I'd be interested in trying the beaded seat thingy sometime. And like Etennuly said, just changing positions sometimes will get you down the road a few more miles. | ||
| Timan |
I have found a sheepskin with beads on top does the trick for long rides. | ||
| Buellerxt |
I installed the Uly 'tall' seat Dyna, and it is much more comfortable for me. An inch or two higher but more comfortable. Best of luck. | ||
| Etennuly |
The way I look at it is if I am doing 500 miles in a day, and I do it in 10 hours, comparatively could I sit in one spot on my couch with the wind blowing, wind noise, traffic around me, focusing on the road, heat from the road and the bike, all the while vibrating a bit, with stops every couple of hours for gas? It would not be a good day on the couch. So what I am saying is that I expect a bit of discomfort on long rides. I too work on the bike to minimize that discomfort. Remember to check the front engine isolator for cracks in it's rubber webbing. A new one makes it ohhhh so smooth. | ||
| Jstav2012 |
I was wondering if anyone has ever had improvements by replacing the rear engine isolator, and if it could possibly be done without entirely removing the engine? I'm not going to mess with it just to change the isolator unless it doesn't take too long or I am working on something else that requires engine removal. | ||
| Xbkris |
Thought I read somewhere that there were some foot pegs out there that you could mount that would move your legs out in front like a cruiser. This might look funny but hey, it will change things up and take the weight off your butt for a while. | ||
| Afsoc_commando |
Here is the site for the front footpegs http://s410372035.initial-website.co.uk//accessori es/select-bike/buell-xb12x-xt/ | ||
| Ratbuell |
When I do 1k days on the Uly, I use a cheap-o gel pad seat from WalMart. Put it on the seat for one tank of gas; take it off for the next. One on, one off, variety changes the pressure points and keeps pain at bay. | ||
| Eulysses |
What is it about the FXDX seat that makes it such a long distance comfort compared to the Uly seat? | ||
| Dynasport |
Thanks for all the replies guys. To answer a few of the questions, the first leg of the trip I am riding from Jacksonville to San Diego in 50 hours or less, for a CC50 IBA certificate. Then, for the next ten or eleven days I will be doing about 300 to 400 miles a day. Some a little shorter, some a little longer. I am going from San Diego up the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur, then over to Yosimite, then down to Hoover Dam, then over to the Grand Canyon, then to Pikes Peak via the Million Dollar Highway, then we will start heading back to Tampa. So, the only really big days will be the first two from Jacksonville to San Diego, but based on the way my butt felt after only 1000 miles in one day, 2400 in two is not possible without something different. As far as what makes the FXDX seat better, I can't really answer that, I just know it is. It may be the seating position and not the seat, but that can't be it totally because when I bought the FXDX, I couldn't do two hours on it with the stock seat. The Mustang seat really made all the difference in the world for me. The stock Uly seat is OK for me for 300 or so miles a day, maybe 400, but not 1000. The pain is really on my tailbone, which was sore for several days after the ride and I can actually still feel it a little. I was thinking the new Airhawk R which is supposed to remove pressure from that area might help, but the thing is $200 and I don't want to spend it without more confidence it will fix the problem. Changing things up may be the answer for me. One tank with nothing, one with the sheepskin, one with the beads. Maybe take a chance on the Airhawk as well. Or maybe ride the Dyna. Thanks again. I'm still open to any more advice as well. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Dyna, several years ago I stopped in at the Mustang tent in Sturgis, as I always do, and asked a Mustang guy if he had a seat for my Electra Glide that would significantly increase my comfort level. He asked for 'details' on my riding. In short, I told him I was not interested in Iron Butt type rides but that I routinely did 400-500 miles, sometimes more, etc. He said, CLEARLY, that he couldn't recommend a seat that would help appreciatively, as I was asking for. He said if you ride that far in a day you've made the 'mental' decision to do it and adjust to it. He went on to say that their seats, Mustang seats, are mainly made for people that have SORE butts in 75-100 miles and want something that allows them to go 150 miles. I believe that. It is 90-95% 'mental'. Adjustments, moving around, etc., all helps, but the main ingredient is deciding to do it and DOING IT. I believe Etennuly said basically the same thing. Hey, ride safe and best of luck. I'd also suggest slowing down, seeing the sights, talking to folks, and enjoying the ride but you seem to want that Iron Butt certificate so I won't go there.  (Message edited by buellerxt on July 09, 2012) | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Take the Uly ! ! ! Nothing against the Air Hawk ('cept the price), but here's a $20 solution I picked up at Wal-Mart last September on a 3500 mile PNW loop. Best of luck.   | ||
| Dynasport |
Buellerxt, it's not that I want a certificate, it's that I have a limited amount of time (2 weeks) to do the ride. So, what I decided to do was to hustle to California and spend the majority of the trip seeing the things I want to see on the way back. Since I have to hustle for part of the ride anyway, I thought I'd challenge myself with an Iron Butt ride. As far as what the Mustang sales guy told you, all I can say is that my experience is different. I could barely walk after two hours on the stock seat. I can spend 18 on the Mustang seat and I do feel a little soreness, but it's really not that bad. The Mustang rep was way underselling his product in my experience. Pnw_uly, thanks for the tip, but what did you buy? Where in Wal-Mart was it? the bicycle section or what? Do you recall what it was called? | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Dan - Sorry for the lack of detail - - Wal-Mart automotive area, it's actually a car seat pad, inverted on the Uly seat. No memory of the brand name, but should be easy enough to find if they still stock them. | ||
| Rwven |
If your legs are long enough get the Buell tall seat. It has two advantages, the first being that it is far more comfortable and supportive, the second is that it's much cooler. I'd shy away from the original one, the seams can dig into you. The newer version has a molded cover with no seams under your thighs. I use an Alaska Sheepskin also. I second Etenuly's suggestion about mixing it up. Before I got the high seat I did an Iron Butt and switched up between no cover, the sheepskin, a beaded cover and a cheap air pad. One nice thing about the air pad is you can switch that up by adjusting the air volume. | ||
| Arcticktm |
Besides moving around, a couple other experiences: 1.) Standing is good. Learned from my dirt bike days, but works well on street. It's easy to set up a Uly to be comfortable to stand on. I put on grippier pegs, bar risers, and it works for me even at 6'-4" with a 36" inseam. I stand for miles on end sometimes, even at expressway speeds. It also helps with item #2: 2.) Keep your butt cool & dry! Heat really makes things uncomfortable fast, and can even lead to heat rash and blisters. Don't over layer that area, and pick a good base layer that draws out heat/moisture. Even talcum powder (also sold as Monkey Butt powder from off road racer days). Further to #2, the comfort kit helps keep the seat itself from heating up, and that extended my endurance. I should admit, though, that I found my stock '06 seat (which is tall) to be pretty darn good, and it allows me to move around a lot. You have to start moving around BEFORE it starts to hurt. I am not exactly a heavy guy, though, at 175 lbs, so I can't speak to that side. | ||
| Andrejs2112 |
Spandex is your friend too. Night and day difference on a long ride. | ||
| Towpro |
I switched from the 2007 stock seat (same as your XT seat) to the 2006 stock seat. Starting in 2007 they made the stock seat lower so they could sell to a wider group of people. But the 2007 seat kept making me slide forward and it was not very comfortable. I think your XT has the same seat as the 2007 x does. The 2006 seat is taller, (has more foam) and you don't slide forward. With the 2006 seat I was able to ride several 8 hour days in a row with out any PITA. I also ride with bicycle riding shorts that have a shami like pad that has a little gell cell in it. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_1 32249_-1___202484 These shorts are designed to REPLACE your underwear. Then add a good does of baby powder, then wear your riding pants over them. |
