[Commonbear]

Evening all,

I was wondering if anyone here has some actual experience in using cruiser-style gel seat pads (placed on the seat, as opposed to a custom/expensive seat replacement)?

I was diagnosed with Coccydynia (pain of the tail bone) recently, haven’t been able to ride my bike (a V-Star 250) for more than 15-20 minutes at a time for a couple of months now, and am seriously missing my mountain and beach trips. I’ve read some reviews for seat pads and it seemed like the gel ones were the way to go, but I’d like a voice of experience before I go out shopping. Also, might anyone have brand recommendations? Travelcade appears to be well reviewed, but I’d like to hear if there are other good brands out there.

[mhl]

I’m rebuilding a seat for my wife’s bike right now with ProPad’s gel inserts. Not because of comfort, but just to make it lower and easier for her to ride. She’s gonna take it for a test ride tomorrow, and I’m making photos to document the project on the way, so if there’s any interest – I can explain later on what and how I did and share some before/during/after pictures.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

I have had one of these gel pads on top of the stock seat for the last 8 years. It feels strange at first, less stable, but after a while your brain gets used to the extra movement from it. Mine helps a lot for the long rides, to reduce the amount of discomfort between gas stops. I also added a 3/4 inch thick gardener’s knee pad underneath the gel pad, inside the same cover that came with the gel pad. My legs are plenty long enough for the taller seat.

The Airhawk brand cushion with air in it is supposed to be better, but costs more. Your best bet might be a custom seat with a lowered area where your tailbone is.

Some butt pad testing:

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/accessoriesandgear/motorcycle_seat_comfort_pads/index.html

[Commonbear]

Thank you both for the replies.

MHL, I most certainly would be interested in your photo document on what you did. I might be looking at doing something similar in the long-run.

Jeff, the article you linked is actually the one I was using myself as a starting point. *smile* I’ve been hunting around from there, but the nearest I’ve found to what I would like is the A.M.S. Ortho-Deluxe ( http://www.amspecialtiesusa.com/gelpad.htm ). The problem I have with that particular one, however, is the fact that it’s too big. So far I haven’t found anything comparable for a smaller cruiser seat.

[owlie]

Here is another site you might look at:

http://www.alaskaleatheronline.com/servlet/StoreFront

I haven’t tried them out, but I see them all around town.

[Max]

For more than two years, my wife and I have been developing a totally new concept motorcycle seat gel pad design. In our other non-biker life I am an engineer/motorcycle shop owner and my wife is a product designer. We began working on this project as the result of a 5500 mile trip using standard slab type gel pads but the pain was still almost crippling.

The new pads are called Ride Easy and the website is now operating. http://www.Ride-Easy.com. Over 10,000 seat miles of riding have gone into the development and testing of the Ride Easy motorcycle seat gel pads.

We just got back from a 2600 mile ride with 650 mile 13 hour days. We rode two days to our destination, stayed three days and rode two days back home. What we both experienced at the end of the 650 mile days using the Ride Easy pad is a slight stiffness but no numbness or pain. For perspective, I would be stiff sitting on my living room couch for 13 hours. The sensation was about the same as riding in a car for the same length of time.

The Ride Easy gel pad design is totally new. The way it works is a totally new concept. We have Patent Pending on the design. I too have a tailbone hurting problem. The operator pads are relieved in the tailbone area to minimize tailbone pressure. My wife rode on the narrow passenger seat using a Ride Easy gel pad for the entire trip also. It works for the operator and it works for the passenger. It is the only gel pad or motorcycle seat I have ever ridden on for 650 miles in a day and gotten just a little stiff.

I believe the Ride Easy motorcycle seat gel pad is the answer to biker butt.

The pad is so new there is very little feedback. Ride Easy Products has a Facebook page for users to record their experiences. Sales are picking up. Feedback should be coming soon.

I looked all over the forum for vendor rules and found non. I have no intention of abusing guidelines. Please advise if this type of post is not allowable. Thanks.

[owlie]

Welcome to the forum, Max!

As long as it doesn’t become spam, we’re happy to have you. Your post was on-point and a response to a recent inquiry from one of our members so I don’t see anything to complain about. For the most part, we simply ask people to use good sense when they post and it seems to work out well.

Stick around, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

[Author]

Posts