Sciatica sufferers....share your seat stories.

[PrivatePilot]

Hey all...new guy here, but not a new rider...been riding all my life. I'm an avid fairly hard core endurance rider.

Recently sold my old VTX1300 and bought a '13 Voyager. Love everything about it except the seat.

It came with the Kawi gel option seat which just didn't seem right and just wasn't working for my butt.

Bought a Corbin. Awesome looking seat and it worked in some regards, but still didn't feel right.

Found an Ultimate (which is what I had on my last bike and LOVED, so I snapped it up) and just got back from a 5 day 4000km (~2500 mile) ride and I still struggled with it, even with my airhawk on top of it.

The big challenge? Sciatica. I'm on neuro nerve blockers and have anti inflammatories and non narcotic pain meds I take to help things but the overall discomfort persists.

I hate to keep just buying and flipping seats but will do what's necessary to reach the level of comfort I enjoyed on my old VTX. I did my first Iron Butt on that old bike (1900KM in 21 hours) and got off the bike as comfortable as I was the moment I got on it.

I'm considering a Russel Daylong (I see some chatter about it here) but am curious for some feedback specifically from sciatica sufferers on the Russel before committing. They're silly expensive.

Thanks all.

[redjay]

I have suffered with sciatica every day for 20 years. The Daylong was an improvement over the stock seat but I still struggled with the 2010 Voyager. We had Daylong seats on the Nomad. Better than stock but still not perfect.

I now ride a 1300 V Star 1300 Tourer and the stock seat is better than the Daylong's were but I still get sciatic pain after all day on the bike.

It could be that a Daylong seat on your Voyager may not help but it appears you have tried most other options. How long ago did you own the VTX that you were comfortable on ?

[Sabre-t]

I have had to deal with sciatica for over 30 years. I've got the stock Voyager seat. Two things I found really helped me. I got a Wildass air/gel seat cushion, but what helped even more is wearing a back support brace, the workman type you get at Home Depot, not the crappy ones they have on the shelf at pharmacies. That combo made long days in the saddle much more tolerable.

I use a back support like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DMI-40-in-x-54-in-Deluxe-Industrial-Back-Support-Belt-632-6400-2223/205537317

[mike58]

I do not have a sciatica problem but i do have the ultimate seat and my riding time for comfort went from 4 or 5 hours to all day with the added back rest. I think they will let you try the back rest out and if you don't like it send it back. That's their offer for the seat and maybe the back rest.

[redjay]

I tried an Ultimate seat on my V Star 1300 and I did not like how it locked me in one position and also pushed me forward a little. My wife did not like the pillion seat either.

[smokier]

Greetings,


The RDL was nice. Was it worth the $850? Probably not. The Corbin did very well. The Mustang did pretty darn well. You'll have to ask MBarr about the RDL, he has it now and has way more miles on it than I did.
The BEST seat on the Vaq for *ME* was the stock seat, and a 1.5" gel pad. I traced and cut out a section of stock foam and replaced with the gel pad. For the money THAT was the best seat... It was also the least expensive. $65 for the gel pad and a couple hours of my time...
(*Spent more on shipping the RDL back to them for an adjustment [which they did do promptly and politely].)

Obviously the stock+gel wasn't perfect either, or I would have never dropped the $$$ on the RDL...
BTW: No Sciatica here... :cheers:


Ride safe,
Smokier

[ballbreaker]

I have to agree with Smokier on this one. I have quite a few seats including mustang and corbin which has helped greatly. However the stock Vaquero seat has worked the best for me along with sheepskin in the very hot weather. My sciatica problem isn't as bad as it used to be as long as I do my stretching every nite. If I miss a nite it is not good. I have never had pain free riding for years now however am still lucky to ride every other day.

[napom]

Disclaimer - No sciatica, but I have had lower back surgery

Those who know me know I can ride all day long, day after day. On my last bike, a 2005 Honda Sabre 1100, the Mustang wide with back rest was the magic for my back. Perfect ass hammock. I could ride forever on that.

When I got my Voyager in 2011, I rode it a little then went straght to a Mustang wide with back rest. It didn't work for me - I had numbness and inner thigh rashing. I got the Kawi Heated seat - While I loved the heat the seat still didn't quite cut it. Then I found a guy who bought a Voyager with an RDL and he was looking for a stock seat because the RDL raised him up a bit and he was . . . vertically challenged. After asking questions and finding out the prior owner of his Voyager was basically my physical doppleganger - same height, weight, inseam etc as me, I pulled the trigger and worked out a trade of my Stock seat and some $$$ for the RDL with back rest. I think that was about 6 years and at least 60,000 miles ago. I couldn't be happier. I can do back to back to back to back 500+ mile days and my back, legs, everything feels just fine!

[mbarr10]

The RDL is great for me on trips, so comfy and the only seat the little woman will ride on. I do love it too. Around town I like the Corbin. I Do not have Siatica issues though.
Shorter trips I used to use my stock seat with a Joe Stapleton back rest, Back when I had the stock seat. (Hah, Jim :lol:) I picked up another stock seat for 100 bucks shipped. Never missed it though. Back in the saddle again. Brand new too. No regrets

The Joe Stapleton back rest is solid and best of all adjustable and easily removable. So maybe an adjustable back rest may help?? I really know nothing about your condition. But back support may help. I do Know the Grass hopper is a bit flimsy so I have read.

[PrivatePilot]

Thanks all for the replies - sorry for the delay catching up but apparently the "notify me of responses" feature isn't enabled by default here.

To touch on some of the responses:

- Thanks for the replies non sciatica sufferers, but as anyone who has it will tell you, it provides very specific challenges. :)
- I have always had a backrest and can't stand riding without one. The bike came with a Grasshopper which is better than nothing (barely) but is indeed flimsy. When I had the Corbin I bought a backrest for it. With the Ultimate seat now I have the grasshopper back on but may yet try the proper Ultimate backrest. Wish I'd kept the one off my old VTX.....
- I sold the VTX last winter. The sciatica came on last summer but with an Airhawk on top of the Ultimate I could still reach that super-duper comfy level. I rode straight from home to the Tail of the Dragon (840 miles, 1350KM) and I also rode to Sturgis in 1.5 days (first day 1800km, over 1100 miles) and was comfortable. No matter these long trips *after* the sciatica came on I get comfy still on the VTX with the wide-ass Ultimate seat. It's only the new bike that has thrown me for a loop.
- The stock seats just do NOT work for me. I have very long legs and the stock seats push me so far forward that I end up in what feels to be a pretzel configuration, and I also feel like they're pushing me up onto the fuel tank which then bothers the inside of my thighs as well. The Ultimate & the Corbin I had both seat me further back and lower into more of a "saddle" configuration which was also something I loved a whole lot on my old VTX.
- I have a gel pad in the basement and may try cutting it to fit and see if it helps.

I wish there was a place where you could go and just sit on all the different seat options for a half hour while having a beer or something and see which one works.

I was hoping to hear universal praise for the RDL amongst sciatica sufferrers before committing to it as reality is by the time I get the build I want and then pay the USD/CAD exchange, it's basically a $1600 commitment for me...before shipping.

[redjay]

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-motorcycle-parts-accessories/city-of-toronto/modified-kawasaki-vulcan-voyager-drivers-and-passengers-seats/1443099152

Maybe these modified seats would work for you ?

I saw them for sale on Kijiji recently.

[PrivatePilot]

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-motorcycle-parts-accessories/city-of-toronto/modified-kawasaki-vulcan-voyager-drivers-and-passengers-seats/1443099152

Maybe these modified seats would work for you ?

I saw them for sale on Kijiji recently.

Yes I saw that ad and they’re actually pretty close to me, however I’m not sure they are particularly designed for comfort so much as they are just raising the seating position.

Could be wrong, but they don’t look particularly comfortable to me.

[redjay]

Go check them out and sit on the bike ?

[PrivatePilot]

Go check them out and sit on the bike ?

Unfortunately a few minutes sitting on a seat isn’t really going to give you any kind of indication if it’s going to work for you in the long term or not.

And from what I can see it’s built up using a lot of Chunky foam, so I’m doubting the level of support it offers, dramatic height gains aside which I’m not really interested in either.

But yes, maybe I’ll go check it out.

[redjay]

I thought they might be good for your long legs. I know sitting on a seat for a few minutes wont give you any indication if its going to work. Finding the right seat is a hit and miss expensive affair. I have tried most options and still the sciatica persists. For me its a case of which seat gives me the least sciatica and no seat is going to give me complete relief.

[napom]

Looking for a place to sit and try them out while sipping a beer for a half hour or so? Most bike shows/rallies with vendors give you just that opportunity. Unfortunately Covid cancelled most of them for this year - But give that route a shot as they open back up and are hungry for post Covid sales!

[mbarr10]

Just a thought. I had my stock seat carved to help eliminate crunching my junk, which was always an issue. Then added the Joe Stapleton back rest. I was good. I am not affiliated with the manufacturer at all, I just like it. And it is the only other option I have found.

Stock seat had the foam carved by a local upholsterer, tested ( Road a bunch of miles) and reconfirmed ( adjusted) then reupholstered. I did not send it off to someone who thought this is what I needed.

If you are planning on a trip any were near Minneapolis then give me a call and you can sit on a Corbin, RDL or a Stock with the Joe Stapleton back rest. The Corbin also has a back rest but I am to short to make it actually hit my back.

[Snake Ranch]

One thing I don't hear anybody talk about is the width of the saddle up front to support your thighs.

What I was taught a long time ago is to get the seat as wide as possible in the front side to support your legs to take the pressure off of your tail bone. Hence the sciatica problem can be reduced.

When I bought my Corbin saddle I had them go back and widen the saddle in the front to support my legs more.

The cost of all this is when sitting at a stop, it is harder to touch the ground.

I was told by a sales lady in a motorcycle shop the seats are designed to be comfortable on the show room floor, because you won't ride it long enough before the sale to get the real story.:tup::tup:

[schoeney]

The big difference between an RDL and many seats is it supports "around the rim"... like a toilet seat. Less pressue on those two little bones...you know the ones.

Made a 1000% difference for me.

I did an 800 mile day on an OEM seat...I was in agony every 45 minutes with only temporary relief because I was riding an ST 1300 which allowed me to stand up on my pegs every so often to relieve the pain.

I invested in an RDL. I could ride as long as I wanted to on that seat.

I find the more neutral seating position (i.e. ST1300, R1200RT, Goldwing, etc) less painful and fatiguing than the cruiser (Vulcan, most HD, etc) style.

Less pressure on the tailbone, but keep in mind most bikes will need to be tweaked to fit like a glove regardless of the style. YMMV.

Check out ergos for most bikes here;

http://cycle-ergo.com/



Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[andyvh1959]

Here is some interesting info, related to the sitting bones and thigh support:

http://craigvetter.com/pages/Other_Designs/Magic-seatboard.html

[ldhthept]

You guys are killing me with all this talk of different seat options in the hopes of helping with sciatica. Main cause of it, assuming no issue with stenosis in the vertebrae, is weakness and posture. If you don’t use a LUMBAR back rest get one. Keeping hips externally rotated as in straddling a motorcycle or sitting with knees pointed out only makes problem worse. Look up piriformis, hamstring, hip flexor stretches as well as hip extension and low back strengthening exercises, perform daily. Must stretch tight muscles and strengthen weakened ones. Otherwise pain is your friend.

[ldhthept]

You guys are killing me with all this talk of different seat options in the hopes of helping with sciatica. Main cause of it, assuming no issue with stenosis in the vertebrae, is weakness and posture. If you don’t use a LUMBAR back rest get one. Keeping hips externally rotated as in straddling a motorcycle or sitting with knees pointed out only makes problem worse. Look up piriformis, hamstring, hip flexor stretches as well as hip extension and low back strengthening exercises, perform daily. Must stretch tight muscles and strengthen weakened ones. Otherwise pain is your friend.

[andyvh1959]

I'll have to study that. I am fortunate to not have sciatica, or any other issues you listed. But I like to learn about how we relate to riding and also how it may impact students I get in the cycle training classes I teach.