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Gel seat pads

L

larrykelderman

New member
Has anyone tried those gel/foam seat pads for your motorcycle that are sold on e-bay? I wondered if they might help my tired old butt. I have the sheepskin and the beads also or do I need to bite the bullet and buy a Sargent or other custom seat. I ride a 2002 R1150R. Thanks for your help!:help
 
Don't know how old your "tired old" butt is, but mine is 64. One of the first things I did with my 2000 K1200 LT when my butt was 15 years younger was get a Rick Mayer custom seat. It made a TON of difference to me. When i bought the R1200RT this spring, first thing I did was order a custom seat. I thought I'd give Bill Mayer Saddles a try this time (brother Rocky). I haven't had time to put many miles on it yet, but I'm hoping and trusting it will do the same thing for me that Rick's seat did. I'm from Fairbanks and ordinarily put in long miles just getting to and from America up and down the ALCAN when I'm touring. A regular touring day is 7-800 miles. A long day is 1000+ miles, and I've put in back-to-back 1000 mile days before when trying to make a deadline some place (like getting to Homer, Alaska and my ferry reservation back to Kodiak Island when I lived there and was coming back from the Cowboy Curve Reunion in the Grand Tetons some years ago). That custom seat just made all the difference. Quite frankly my butt just never got tired. I'm not necessarily pushing Rick Mayer or brother Rocky (Bill Mayer Saddles), I hear Russel's day-long saddles are just as good. Others are probably good too. I have a Sargent World Sport saddle on my R700GS, and it's a "stock" custom seat, and not as good. But I don't need it to be because I don't put the miles on the F700GS that I put on my touring bikes. With a custom saddle, they want a pictures of your riding position, your height and weight etc. And thru some manner of magical calculation they figure out pretty closely what your butt needs. Maybe I just got lucky with my Rick Mayer Saddle, but it was worth every penny I paid for it. Miles and miles and miles of comfortable riding day and day after day is just flat worth the $500 or so you're going to pay ONCE to get it. Or that is my opinion.

Find a rider in your club who is about your height and weight and rides a similar bike who has a custom made saddle. Ask the rider to ride with you to a neighboring state (or some other place about 300 miles away) for a hot dog. Ask him if he minds trading bikes with you on your way back so that you can feel the difference for yourself.
 
dabubba said:
Don't know how old your "tired old" butt is, but mine is 64. One of the first things I did with my 2000 K1200 LT when my butt was 15 years younger was get a Rick Mayer custom seat. It made a TON of difference to me. When i bought the R1200RT this spring, first thing I did was order a custom seat. I thought I'd give Bill Mayer Saddles a try this time (brother Rocky). I haven't had time to put many miles on it yet, but I'm hoping and trusting it will do the same thing for me that Rick's seat did. I'm from Fairbanks and ordinarily put in long miles just getting to and from America up and down the ALCAN when I'm touring. A regular touring day is 7-800 miles. A long day is 1000+ miles, and I've put in back-to-back 1000 mile days before when trying to make a deadline some place (like getting to Homer, Alaska and my ferry reservation back to Kodiak Island when I lived there and was coming back from the Cowboy Curve Reunion in the Grand Tetons some years ago). That custom seat just made all the difference. Quite frankly my butt just never got tired. I'm not necessarily pushing Rick Mayer or brother Rocky (Bill Mayer Saddles), I hear Russel's day-long saddles are just as good. Others are probably good too. I have a Sargent World Sport saddle on my R700GS, and it's a "stock" custom seat, and not as good. But I don't need it to be because I don't put the miles on the F700GS that I put on my touring bikes. With a custom saddle, they want a pictures of your riding position, your height and weight etc. And thru some manner of magical calculation they figure out pretty closely what your butt needs. Maybe I just got lucky with my Rick Mayer Saddle, but it was worth every penny I paid for it. Miles and miles and miles of comfortable riding day and day after day is just flat worth the $500 or so you're going to pay ONCE to get it. Or that is my opinion.

Find a rider in your club who is about your height and weight and rides a similar bike who has a custom made saddle. Ask the rider to ride with you to a neighboring state (or some other place about 300 miles away) for a hot dog. Ask him if he minds trading bikes with you on your way back so that you can feel the difference for yourself.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Rick Mayer is out of business these days. Otherwise, your advice is good.
 
I use pads from saddlemen.com for 15+ years. They increased the riding endurance of MY butt by 1-2 hours a day.

They are attached to the bike with a strap and Velcro and can be easily removed. Makes it easy to bring the pad inside when it is raining or, or on cold park bench at a stop.

/Guenther
 
Russel Day-Long "Ride-In" Service?

Several forum members have recommended Russel Day-Long saddles, and the few that I've seen have been described quite positively by their owners. My previous custom seat (by another seat re-builder) benefited greatly by having my wife and I physically present for the re-build. Can anyone comment on Russel's Ride-In service ($80.00 + the cost of getting there ;) ) - effectiveness, (added?) value or longevity?

Besides: a great riding excuse: there's a great variety of truly excellent riding scenery between Portland, OR and Shasta Lake, CA :)
 
I bought a gel pad for my wife to sit on on an Indian Enfield pillion seat on a tour once. She liked it
I used it when we got home and hatred it.

If you are the kind that likes gel pad shoe inserts, it might be worth a trial. Other wise, put your money towards a custom seat.

I don't have one, but have wanted one several times.

Charlie
 
FWIW, I stopped by Russel a few weeks back, to ask them the same question.
They were very friendly, and helpful. I asked specifically about the benefits of doing a ride-in compared to sending in photos and measurements. They advised me that the ride-in was their preferred way to build seats, and that the results are superior to the mail-in route. They also advised me that their calendar is filling up rapidly, as they did not have a 'Winter slow down' this year. I hope to get a ride-in appointment later this year.
Best of luck to you in your endeavor.
 
That is one of the most annoying aspects...most of the Custom Builders are West Coast. Not a lot of options for us East Coasters for ride in day services. I have a RDL that was used and it made a world of difference from my stock 06RT "seats". I know riders that have Corbins, RDL, Mayer and a few other custom seats and they all say similar things. Life is better. Asking about a custom seat is a great way to obtain info and tap into the vast knowledge of the people here. At least for me, in the end this discussion could easily go the way of Oil, Tire and LED lighting conversations. As dabubba said, the best way is to try out as many seats as possible and for decent distances so you can get a good feel for what your going to sitting in for hours. Plus it gives you a great excuse to go for multiple long mile days.

May the Schwartz be with you

Mike
 
Custom seat

When I brought my bike it had a Corbin seat it sucks big time I have a air hawk seat pad it helps on the Corbin
 
Not A Corbin

larrykelderman said:
Has anyone tried those gel/foam seat pads for your motorcycle that are sold on e-bay? I wondered if they might help my tired old butt. I have the sheepskin and the beads also or do I need to bite the bullet and buy a Sargent or other custom seat. I ride a 2002 R1150R. Thanks for your help!:help
Click to expand...

I have a corbin on a 2011 rt and it is not that much better than stock.It is way to slippery and at 46000 miles starting to come apart at the seams. I'm under 200 lbs and don't have much of a natural cushion. I have a gel pad,air hawk and beaded seat covers.The beaded seat is by far the best unless your in cold weather.
 
larrykelderman said:
Has anyone tried those gel/foam seat pads for your motorcycle that are sold on e-bay? I wondered if they might help my tired old butt. I have the sheepskin and the beads also or do I need to bite the bullet and buy a Sargent or other custom seat. I ride a 2002 R1150R. Thanks for your help!:help
Click to expand...
I have an Air Rider gel seat pad-

1210.jpg


https://www.airrider.com/category_s/1210.htm

I have found a couple of things with the gel pad....

If your seat is really uncomfortable, KTM, DR650, Husky, Saerto, they are a world of difference.

If your seat is of average comfort, the gel pads are still helpful- the difference is just not so dramatic.

I was quite pleased with the gel pad itself- the only drawback being a way to affix it to the stock seat so it didn't fall away or blow off should I stand up for a stretch. When I get a minute I will sew up a new outer cover that will have attachment "tabs" to cure that drawback. The Air Rider seat is kinda expensive but the "innards" are still fresh after many miles.
OM
 
Gel pad

Omega Man said:
I have an Air Rider gel seat pad-

1210.jpg


https://www.airrider.com/category_s/1210.htm

I have found a couple of things with the gel pad....

If your seat is really uncomfortable, KTM, DR650, Husky, Saerto, they are a world of difference.

If your seat is of average comfort, the gel pads are still helpful- the difference is just not so dramatic.

I was quite pleased with the gel pad itself- the only drawback being a way to affix it to the stock seat so it didn't fall away or blow off should I stand up for a stretch. When I get a minute I will sew up a new outer cover that will have attachment "tabs" to cure that drawback. The Air Rider seat is kinda expensive but the "innards" are still fresh after many miles.
OM
Click to expand...
Nice looking pad I think with it on the Corbin the seat would still suck, would be an improvement but.
 
As far as seats go, I really think it is very much an individual thing. Haven't ridden a RDL or a Mayer, but have two bikes with Corbins and two with Sargent seats. For me the Sargent seats work best.

Regarding the Gel Pads - I would not use them and here is why:

  1. hot - much hotter than foam, there is a good reason why no one uses a Gel pillow or mattress
  2. squirm - talk about losing that planted feeling that your great new tires offer - why would anyone place something that moves around between you and the most used connection to the bike that can only reduce your connection to the bike, not improve it
  3. one density / one contour- all the great seat manufacturers go into great detail to explain why having different densities and contours is benificial Gel fails on both of those fronts as well

If you think about this for a second, just realise that what the touring community would consider being the top 4 custom/aftermarket seat manufacturers (Russell/Mayer/Sargent/Corbin - BTW all of them do custom work) don't use Gel, surely they would if there was a benefit to doing so, but they do not. I don't believe any of them are trying to scam the community and I've asked a couple of them if they saw any benefit to using gel in any way such as inside foam layers, etc., both stated that they only encountered problems and no solutions with gel.
 
AlanColes said:
As far as seats go, I really think it is very much an individual thing. Haven't ridden a RDL or a Mayer, but have two bikes with Corbins and two with Sargent seats. For me the Sargent seats work best.

Regarding the Gel Pads - I would not use them and here is why:

  1. hot - much hotter than foam, there is a good reason why no one uses a Gel pillow or mattress
  2. squirm - talk about losing that planted feeling that your great new tires offer - why would anyone place something that moves around between you and the most used connection to the bike that can only reduce your connection to the bike, not improve it
  3. one density / one contour- all the great seat manufacturers go into great detail to explain why having different densities and contours is benificial Gel fails on both of those fronts as well

If you think about this for a second, just realise that what the touring community would consider being the top 4 custom/aftermarket seat manufacturers (Russell/Mayer/Sargent/Corbin - BTW all of them do custom work) don't use Gel, surely they would if there was a benefit to doing so, but they do not. I don't believe any of them are trying to scam the community and I've asked a couple of them if they saw any benefit to using gel in any way such as inside foam layers, etc., both stated that they only encountered problems and no solutions with gel.
Click to expand...

You can find Gel inserts in different densities, but finding the right density for you can be a long and expensive process. And I still wouldn't recommend gel pads as an add-on. To add to Alan's list above -- gel pads tend to "squish" into places that gel doesn't need to be. This, to me, is even more uncomfortable than the stock seat on my '15 RTW.
 
Take the plunge

I have tried a lot of seats and ended up with Corbin (new) with leather seating surface as the best compromise for my butt. It has a more broad seating surface that I think spreads the load out a little more than the stock seat on my RT. The seat starts out pretty hard but then conforms to your physiology over time. So if you have tried a used one it probably has already conformed to somebody else's physiology. Might be comfortable and might not, its like wearing another person's well used shoes.

I did not like the (used) Mayer as it changed my seating to be more forward of where I like to be. The (new) Sargent was vinyl and not particularly comfortable. The BMW "comfort seat" was as good as anything aftermarket but not very good looking. The sheepskin was ok, but looked a little funny to me. Never tried beads. I finally settled on new Corbins as they are as good as anything else and the aftermarket value always seems to be there when you move on to a new bike. It seems like there is always a willing buyer who will give you half or more of the original purchase price after several years of use. So by my way of thinking I am getting the better half of its life and only paying half price.

PS, I have a memory foam bed and I think most of these posters are right, it tends to make you hotter and does not breathe well. I added two thick cotton pads on top which solved that problem, but I don't think foam would make me happy on a long hot summer ride based on my bed experience.
 
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