Re: Seat Padding

[Paulo Abreu]

Hello Frank:

> In the last 2 years I went on a diet and lost 25klg (55 pounds).
> This also means I have less padding when sitting down and I can well
feel it while riding the bikes over long distance.
> I'm in the market of buying some sort of a cushion. I do know of such
a thing specifically for motorbikes.
> Any recommendations, where to buy and is there a generic one or I
have to buy a specific seat for each bike, the R90S and K1100RS.
> Thankfully the solo sprung seat on the R26 is just as comfortable as
ever.

Congratulations on losing so much weight! I hope you can enjoy more!

I have an AirHawk, the size is "Cruiser Small".

https://airhawk.net/product-category/seat-cushions/

It fits very well on the R90S. I suspect a larger size will not fit on
the original seat. To attach it to the bike I use a piece of velcro on
the back and the provided straps on the front.

Improvements are noticeable. Without the cushion my butt started to hurt
after 60 min riding, and it was uncomfortable after 90 min. I could
ride for 2 hours max, and then I had to stop for 30 min. And after a 2
hour ride, I could only ride for 60-90 min at a time for the rest of the
day. The pain started on my butt but expanded to the lower back, and
shoulder blades.

With the Airhawk, I can now do 2h30m for the first ride of the day, and
then do stretches of 2 hours for the rest of the day with shorter stops
between them. 15-20min is usually enough. That's a great improvement for
me, specially because after 2h30m at motorway speeds I have to stop for
refueling anyway. And the pain is much more bearable, I stop mostly
because of general fatigue and stiffness than butt/back/shoulder pain,
like I used to do without the AirHawk.

Inflating the AirHawk to the right pressure can be a bit tricky. The
general idea is to have it under inflated, in a way that your butt
almost touches the seat. Better to under inflate than to over inflate.
If you over inflate, you move around on the cushion too much. I had to
exchange a few emails with their support team until I got it right.
After you get the pressure right once, it is easy to get it right all
the time. The pressure holds for days.

It increases my height by 1-2cm, so the top gauges (voltage and clock)
have the top clipped by the screen. There is a bit more wind on my
helmet, but not too much, I can still ride at 130km/h without too much
effort.

In case it matters to you, I'm 179cm and 80kg.



Good luck!

Paulo