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Looong trip planned - Howto save my butt?


DutchFJ1200
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Gents,

 

I mainly use the FJ for commuting and the fairly short 2hr. jaunt to the Brixham office.  Never for cruising or holidays so square butt syndrome never has been that much of an issue.

Weather permitting I'm looking at going to Cloggie land to sail in a National Championship in two weeks time and my mate lives in the North so looking at 1050 Km (652 Miles) .......... one way.

I'd like to cover distance pretty swiftly without having to stop every 50 yards because my butt is hurting.  Putting fuel in the thing is about as much of a stop I'm prepared to make. (maybe the odd fag brake)

What tips, hints do you know of to prevent that.

Cheers.

 

 

 

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keep shifting your weight about, try toes on pegs, heel on pegs, shift forwards/backwards on seat etc etc. keeps the blood circulating

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i don't think that there's an awful lot that you can do - the best thing i found was an 'airhawk' which is an inflatable pad but they are not cheap, the trick is to keep it relatively low on air but that only helps to some extent. the only real solution is to have the seat rebuilt for comfort, that definitely extends range. i know that you don't want to but I'd say take breaks, maybe every 45 mins to 60 mins. and walk about, it's not a bad thing, you can check luggage is secure, clean visor and check directions.

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Some people swear by sheepskins on the seat, never tried it myself.

Like drew said, move around every so often. Have you got engine bars on your FJ?

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

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Can't say I've noticed it being a problem on the FJ, myself... Stretch the knees out, maybe, but never the backside...

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I managed an Iron Butt on a Street Triple, so am guessing the FJ will provide you with more comfort than you think. Short rides for me are just irritating and dull so when I had a bike I'd always go for long rides. My suggestions, for what they're worth:

- stand when you can. I found the ST too small really on long distances, plus it's slightly sporty stance meant my knees gave me more jip than my butt. This helps both.

- leg dangle when you can.

- shuffle about in different seating positions. Hang a butt cheek off the seat (attractive...), sit further forwards, further backwards, keep tensing - whatever you can muster on the bike really. With the ST being so small I used stretch back onto the pillion seat for a nice change.

- when crunching motorway miles leaning excessively over the tank can take the weight off your rear end, help stretch the back and ease pressure on your wrists.

- get some practice in before your trip, building up that distance stamina will help no end and is a perfect excuse when the weather is so nice...!

- remember to consciously retain a loose grip on the bars. When focussing so much on the distance and dull motorways it's easy to cling on harder without fully noticing it until you start hurting.

- probably one more for the knicker wearing ladies like myself... But make sure your boxers (or whatever) and bike trousers don't have seams cutting across your pressure points. They will give you grief in the end.

- avoid a backpack. I did my Iron Butt and 1800 miles over a few days in Scotland with one, and they definitely take their toll.

- do shoulder rolls, head tilts and any other stretches to keep your back and neck from aching.

- mentally play games on long dull motorways. I don't know... Count the red cars or something to keep your mind ticking over.

- ear plugs / headphones for music to reduce air flow noise and make things generally more comfortable.

- in the run-up, get doing some stretches in the house. Holding your arms out in front and legs in a specific position will take their toll.

- practice grabbing an energy drink or sweets whilst riding should you need the energy without wanting to stop. That could be something as easy as using a Camelbak or like me grabbing some Jelly Babies from an unopened zip on my tank bag. Definitely keep hydrated though as it'll stave off cramp.

As others have mentioned, you can of course spend some money on creature comforts. Some ideas are: a more cushioned seat, Airhawk (apparently well worth it), sheepskin (just don't get them wet), padded cycling shorts, those wrist clips on your throttle to allow your right hand to rest, throttle locks.

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that depending on you and the bike - it may not actually just be your rear end you need to think about. For me and the ST I identified the following which I've listed in order of greatest bugbear:

1. Head woes (no wind protection and majority motorway speeds created undue pressure on my forehead).

2. Squashed ears (made worse by a number of piercings and only taking my helmet off twice).

3. Knee pains (lanky legs and small bike).

4. Rear end (despite having a more cushioned seat).

5. Boredom / fatigue (your crunching dull motorway miles, not fun country roads).

6. Pulled muscles the next day (mainly because of zero wind protection and it was my arms and neck that suffered the brunt).

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Valuable tips there Bipp (and others) thanks.

Fortunately the riding position on the FJ is fairly comfortable & good wind protection and at the high speeds I'm generally doing there will be no chance of boredom.

It's just that the seat is fairly low for my 6ft (lower than my XJ-650) and my legs are in such a position that my toes are always on the pegs with my heels not supported.

Hey, I may just stuff a thin cushion in my leathers for added comfyness :lol:

Note to self : do some squats & sit-ups over the next 2 weeks to loosen the old frame a bit.

Now lets hope for decent weather on the 31st.

 

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Dutch, just bought myself a throttle lock one of these 41z3UKPjZOL._SX355_.jpg just brilliant mate, £17.99 (FJ club) and worth every penny, came back home down the m/way and no wrist pain. Perfic!!

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As for feet positions, I asked about the engine bars because you could mount some pegs on those. Been thinking about it myself

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

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On ‎17‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 8:31 PM, DutchFJ1200 said:

I mainly use the FJ for commuting and the fairly short 2hr. jaunt to the Brixham office.  Never for cruising or holidays so square butt syndrome never has been that much of an issue.

Wow - 2 hours - I get uncomfortable after 40 minutes - and I bought the 'comfort seat' I reckon the stock seat was just an upholstered piece of rough wood

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SOMEBODY PIN BIPPO'S POST!!!

Seriously, very good stuff in there.

21 hours ago, DutchFJ1200 said:

It's just that the seat is fairly low for my 6ft (lower than my XJ-650) and my legs are in such a position that my toes are always on the pegs with my heels not supported.
 

You have bar risers fitted don't you, Dutch?

How long are those flippin' legs, then? I've got 33 inches and they still hang by the heels.

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