4k mile trip coming up and ....

[rcmedic]

I am planning on a 4000 mile trip on my 2005 Nomad later this summer. My problem is that my wife refuses to go using the OEM seat. My point and question is, do any of you know of the best rear seat or rider and pillion combo that will offer the highest rated comfort for the long haul? I am anticipating an average of 450 miles a day as a minimum. I want her to go. I need the best. Can you help me out, or point me in the right direction? :)

People seem to like the Mustang a lot. Mine is stock, but I had the padding scooped out and a gel pad put in. The seat was recovered, and my passenger thought it was a huge improvement over the stock set up. Ended up costing me about $100.Any decent upholstery shop can do it.

[coacha]

I had my stock seat and pillion refoamed about a month ago. My wife loves it and I think it is a definate upgrade. It cost me $125 plus tax here locally. Used memory foam to replace the OEM stuff.

[Yellow Jacket]

Check out this site for seat mods.

http://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

[dantama]

My suggestion is to leave her home :)

400 plus days, for multiple days is pretty hard core riding. I wouldn't even consider it with a passenger, unless they were the hard core type.

I did a similar trip by myself, and enjoyed it. My wife would have hated it and been miserable.

Perhaps your wife is a hard core type, but if she isn't, chances are you'll make her extremely miserable.

[ringadingh]

Take a look at some Corbin seats, Ive spoken to a couple guys that really like them.

[vroc13091]

I have a Mustang w/backrest. I do 1000+ mile rides at a time several times a year. My butt does get tired and I make good use of my foot pegs to reposition and relieve pressures to make these rides tolerable. After about 800 miles you butt pretty much doesn't care what it is sitting on!

Corbin seats have a much denser foam than Mustang and require a significant break-in period. Out of the box they feel like a brick but usually conform the longer you ride.

I would heed what Dan said that if your wife is not a hard core rider. The multiple 450 mile days, even with the best seat, will be a challenge. 450 miles in the wind, sun, and rain can wear anyone down. Each subsequent day gets longer and harder.

The two best seats out there today are:

Bill Mayer Saddles www.billmayersaddles.com (http://www.billmayersaddles.com) and
Russel Day-Long www.day-long.com. (http://www.day-long.com.)

Bill Mayer Senior (deceased) sold his patented process to Russel. That seat process has a heavy flat spring that creates side wings to provide more surface area for your butt and is like no other. After selling to Russel, Mr Mayer developed a new seat design using different densities of foam.

Both companies require sitting and standing position pictures to custom make your seat using your original seat pan. Both are good seats but I have heard that more prefer the Russel Day-long. They are expensive.

[trip]

My suggestion is along the same line as Dan Lund and txcwdancer.......If your wife is not used to traveling on a bike at 450 miles a day, I would predict that she will be miserable and will not enjoy the trip.

If the stock seat is fine for you, then I wouldn't waste any money on a new seat until you find out if she can weather the travel. I would take some trips together and spend some time "working" her up to that many miles a day. See if she likes it. If it turns out she doesn't, then I would leave her at home.

I know of very few wives that would stand the road for 450 miles a day. The ones that can have become used to that type of riding and have grown to love it. I know of one lady that rides with her husband and would ride for 500 or more miles a day without a problem. But, it took her several years to get acclomated to it.

Trip

I broke my wife in real quick. Her first ride was 300 miles http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

I didn't get too much complaining out of her. Shorter trips would be better to start out remind her to relax and take plenty of breaks.

[ells]

rcmedic, Its probably a good guess that you have somewhere in particular you want or need to go and a limited amount of time dictating the 450 mi days. But, if possible I'd suggest scaling it back along lines of reasoning of Dan and Trip. One of the reasons I got my Nomad was because my wife wanted a better ride and she fell in love with it on a test ride and really enjoys it on trips. Although she's good with 250 to 300 mile days, that is about it and am guessing that one 450 day would take her down. Nonetheless, I suppose trying for a more comfy seat works in the right direction if that's all she's asking.

[flightdoc]

My wife did ok last summer on a very hot and humid day in August. We rode from Mid-Pennsylvania to Lake George, NY. About 375 miles. It was a long day. I've done as much as 600 miles in a day years gone by. 450 is alot for any of us.
I think 2-300 per day is good for us.
I was considering purchasing a couple of those strap on gell pads to see how well they work. anyone tried that?

[dantama]

My wife did ok last summer on a very hot and humid day in August. We rode from Mid-Pennsylvania to Lake George, NY. About 375 miles. It was a long day. I've done as much as 600 miles in a day years gone by. 450 is alot for any of us.
I think 2-300 per day is good for us.
I was considering purchasing a couple of those strap on gell pads to see how well they work. anyone tried that?

I have. Wife doesn't like it, she says it makes her too high up.

I use one on long rides. I don't strap it on (hush Nico, it's not what you think :) ) I just use it for more ways to move around and get comfortable. Sliding it forward and rearward give you new ways to get comfortable as the ride goes on.

[rlfaubion]

I agree that those miles will be a bummer for her. My wife has done 400+ but for one day only. We're doing 2,000 miles for the Western Rally, but the longest day will be about 300 miles, and that's just one day. This trip will be more like 200 to 250 a day with stops every hour. Take'r EZ and enjoy.

[Top Cat]

WE bought one of those gel pads at Americade last year. Cindy and I both agree it feels like you are way up in the air. Neither of us liked it. It had a money back guarantee so when we got home she sent it back and got our money back no questions asked.
I did make a sheepskin cover like on Gadgets page. That works pretty good if all you need is a change once in a while. You know, ride without it for 150 miles or so then put it on for the rest of the trip.
Actually the stock seat doesn't bother me that much.

[misunderstood]

My suggestion is to leave her home :)

400 plus days, for multiple days is pretty hard core riding. I wouldn't even consider it with a passenger, unless they were the hard core type.

I did a similar trip by myself, and enjoyed it. My wife would have hated it and been miserable.

Perhaps your wife is a hard core type, but if she isn't, chances are you'll make her extremely miserable.

+1, I'm doing @1500 miles to my Aunts in New Mexico and the wife already has her plane ticket purchased. We'll ride together when we get there, but in between it's just me and the road. May 8th can't come quick enough.

I've never tried one, but people tell me this is the one to get for long distance riding. Not cheap, and hardly sporty, but looks comfy as h3ll.

http://www.day-long.com/seat_pages_11_03/kawa_vulcan.html

[rcmedic]

Thank you all for the input. I do have a long trip planned and only two weeks in which to make it all happen. The game plan is to leave out of Las Cruces, NM headed for Sturgis for a couple days, then across Montana for a day or two to visit a brother, on through Idaho to Wahington to visit my dad and then back down through Oregon, Nevada and on across Utah to Colorado to see another brother and then back home. All told it is just slightly less than 4k, but in order to have a day or two at each stop along the way, the long hauls on the road in between gotta happen to do it in two weeks. I already have a Roho Air Hawk seat cushion that is pretty nice. I am going to let her try it on a few relatively short haul trips and see if she likes that. She wasn't too impressed with the Gel cushions or memory foam pillows.

sounds like a fun trip

I need to do that trip to fill in some areas on the map. I could do without Sturgis as I already have SD, but need ND,LOL. Hopefully this summer a lot more states will be colored.

[jrd]

Thank you all for the input. I do have a long trip planned and only two weeks in which to make it all happen. The game plan is to leave out of Las Cruces, NM headed for Sturgis for a couple days, then across Montana for a day or two to visit a brother, on through Idaho to Wahington to visit my dad and then back down through Oregon, Nevada and on across Utah to Colorado to see another brother and then back home. All told it is just slightly less than 4k, but in order to have a day or two at each stop along the way, the long hauls on the road in between gotta happen to do it in two weeks. I already have a Roho Air Hawk seat cushion that is pretty nice. I am going to let her try it on a few relatively short haul trips and see if she likes that. She wasn't too impressed with the Gel cushions or memory foam pillows.

That sounds like a great trip! My wife and I did 690 miles in a day once and she never complained about it. What we did was to take it in about 75 to 100 mile intervals. We would stop, gas up, get a coffee or soda, stretch a little, and get back on the road. She said she enjoyed the ride with all the breaks. I think if I would have pushed it, like I would if she was not with me, she would not have enjoyed it at all.

Enjoy your trip!

John