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This thread is for riders who suffer with back/butt issues THE PAIN PROBLEM
deilenberger
A bozo on the bus
One might also consider the bikes suspension.
Incorrectly tuned, or just worn out, if the suspension is bottoming out (entirely likely given the state of the majority of roads I came across going C2C2C this spring) the impact will travel up your butt and to your spine.
Case in point - last year I did a euro ride - about 9 counties. Exact same bike as I ride in the US (R1200R). I could easily ride all day in Germany. Not so in Italy or France - without needing regular ibuprofen breaks. The difference - road surface. German roads for the most part are glass smooth. Not so much in other countries, and especially in towns with long stretches of cobblestone streets interspersed with street-car tracks. My problem is typically butt-pain, but the same impact will certainly cause pain if you have degenerative disk disease (which EVERYONE gets sooner or later if you live long enough.)
US roads - Missouri back roads were generally OK, Kentucky back roads were fabulous, West Virginia which used to have great back roads - is suffering from the loss of Robert Bird, the roads are really getting rough. California - used to be OK, not so much now, especially on the Freeways in LA.
So - the lesson is - good suspension setup correctly can certainly help, probably more then an ice pack. Also an air-cushion, NOT overinflated can help isolate you from the worst of the small sharp bumps.
Incorrectly tuned, or just worn out, if the suspension is bottoming out (entirely likely given the state of the majority of roads I came across going C2C2C this spring) the impact will travel up your butt and to your spine.
Case in point - last year I did a euro ride - about 9 counties. Exact same bike as I ride in the US (R1200R). I could easily ride all day in Germany. Not so in Italy or France - without needing regular ibuprofen breaks. The difference - road surface. German roads for the most part are glass smooth. Not so much in other countries, and especially in towns with long stretches of cobblestone streets interspersed with street-car tracks. My problem is typically butt-pain, but the same impact will certainly cause pain if you have degenerative disk disease (which EVERYONE gets sooner or later if you live long enough.)
US roads - Missouri back roads were generally OK, Kentucky back roads were fabulous, West Virginia which used to have great back roads - is suffering from the loss of Robert Bird, the roads are really getting rough. California - used to be OK, not so much now, especially on the Freeways in LA.
So - the lesson is - good suspension setup correctly can certainly help, probably more then an ice pack. Also an air-cushion, NOT overinflated can help isolate you from the worst of the small sharp bumps.
92232
Member
Dennis,
Thank you for your comments. it can be very inspiring. Am also 69 years old and your thoughts have given me something to think about.
Bill
Visian
look out!!!
Fellow member Damun Gracenin wrote this article a while back...
keith_m
New member
Yeah, I agree with this part of your reply. I'm new to this forum and new to BMW motorcycles. But, I've spent the past 2 years riding a Suzuki Intruder 1400. I put a lot of miles on it and rode it to both Arkansas and New York from Florida. It was on these two long trips that I learned of the shortcomings of the stock Suzuki seat. When I'm riding around locally, no problem. When I got the chance to put some serious miles on the bike for extended periods of time, well, I was popping Advil like candy.
Now mind you, I'm only 41 years old with virtually no back pain at all in any other aspect of my life. I'm a deputy sheriff, so I spend 12 hours a day in a cruiser while wearing body armor and a gun belt. No problem. But, putting in 8-10 hours on my bike killed me.
I'm in the process of adjusting to a '04 R1150GS. It is superior to the Suzuki in terms of comfort. I've only ridden it locally, but I think when I do take it out for a long ride, the pain will be nothing like before. If I even have it all. The riding position on the GS and the nice big comfy seat seem to be the answers to my back (tailbone) pain problem. Time will tell.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
I hope you are right but many of us have had to go the custom seat route because the stock seats on most of the BMW models are only good for a few hours for a lot of butts.
keith_m
New member
Good point. I should probably say that I don't believe the front saddle is stock. Seems like there is a tag on it that says an aftermarket name. Seat Creations or something?
gailmiller
New member
Fusion
Had disc surgery to L4-L5 1987. Had disc surgery to L5-S1 1995 followed shortly by fusion L4 to S1. I am now 66 and started riding bikes at 64. First bike was a Harley Soft Tail. Seating position didn't work no matter how many different seats I tried. Good bike to learn to ride on though. Couldn't do more than about 70 miles. Bought a 2011 Rt. With the slight lean forward (tailbone off the seat) and my feet under me no problem. Had a custom seat made for it. Purchased a 2013 GS a few months ago and had a custom seat made. Longest ride one day 530 miles and I could have kept on going. Purchased the ROX Risers. Because of the way the risers work you either have to have them forward or a back of normal. With them back I am setting to far back and my tail bone is back on the seat. When I have them forward I feel like they are to far forward. I am going to get some risers that will put them in line with the originals but in the middle of the positions of the Rox Risers.
What I am getting to is that little changes can make a big difference. Try different things until you find what works best for you. My back has been really bad for a long time. My friends can't believe I can ride a motorcycle like I do. Sitting on my GS all day is more comfortable than any place I have to sit in my house. Tomorrow I am having a new $4,000 recliner from the back store delivered. This is the 2nd chair they have sent. Hopefully I will be able to sit in this one. Told the wife if this chair doesn't work I am having a GS installed in the family room so I can be comfortable.
As for a fusion, I am sure the technology is better than 20 years ago but unless you have no other option I wouldn't do it. I had no choice as I couldn't even get out of bed. I also take Motrin with a half of Vicodin periodically if needed. I get a prescription of Vicodin (30) pills about once per year. Be very careful with any narcotic. About 75% of the people in the waiting room at the Neurosurgeon's office are addicted. My little brother just got off OxyContin and Morphine that were prescribed for his back. They just determined that most of his problem is caused by arthritis. He is having much better results with Celebrex then he did with the pain meds.
Proper exercise has helped me as well. The problem with most people is they exercise until the back gets better and then quit. That includes me. I am working hard to exercise regularly and lose 25lbs.
Keep Fighting and Good Luck,
Gail
Had disc surgery to L4-L5 1987. Had disc surgery to L5-S1 1995 followed shortly by fusion L4 to S1. I am now 66 and started riding bikes at 64. First bike was a Harley Soft Tail. Seating position didn't work no matter how many different seats I tried. Good bike to learn to ride on though. Couldn't do more than about 70 miles. Bought a 2011 Rt. With the slight lean forward (tailbone off the seat) and my feet under me no problem. Had a custom seat made for it. Purchased a 2013 GS a few months ago and had a custom seat made. Longest ride one day 530 miles and I could have kept on going. Purchased the ROX Risers. Because of the way the risers work you either have to have them forward or a back of normal. With them back I am setting to far back and my tail bone is back on the seat. When I have them forward I feel like they are to far forward. I am going to get some risers that will put them in line with the originals but in the middle of the positions of the Rox Risers.
What I am getting to is that little changes can make a big difference. Try different things until you find what works best for you. My back has been really bad for a long time. My friends can't believe I can ride a motorcycle like I do. Sitting on my GS all day is more comfortable than any place I have to sit in my house. Tomorrow I am having a new $4,000 recliner from the back store delivered. This is the 2nd chair they have sent. Hopefully I will be able to sit in this one. Told the wife if this chair doesn't work I am having a GS installed in the family room so I can be comfortable.
As for a fusion, I am sure the technology is better than 20 years ago but unless you have no other option I wouldn't do it. I had no choice as I couldn't even get out of bed. I also take Motrin with a half of Vicodin periodically if needed. I get a prescription of Vicodin (30) pills about once per year. Be very careful with any narcotic. About 75% of the people in the waiting room at the Neurosurgeon's office are addicted. My little brother just got off OxyContin and Morphine that were prescribed for his back. They just determined that most of his problem is caused by arthritis. He is having much better results with Celebrex then he did with the pain meds.
Proper exercise has helped me as well. The problem with most people is they exercise until the back gets better and then quit. That includes me. I am working hard to exercise regularly and lose 25lbs.
Keep Fighting and Good Luck,
Gail
Back support
I agree with all the suggestions for flexibility and core strength exercise. Another thing that helps me on longer rides is a back-a-line belt. Do not cinch it down tight like a brace. Leave it comfortable like a belt. It is curved to match your lumbar spine. It serves as a reminder to keep good posture. I found I would start to slouch towards the end of a long day.
I agree with all the suggestions for flexibility and core strength exercise. Another thing that helps me on longer rides is a back-a-line belt. Do not cinch it down tight like a brace. Leave it comfortable like a belt. It is curved to match your lumbar spine. It serves as a reminder to keep good posture. I found I would start to slouch towards the end of a long day.
Try this yoga exercise:
http://santoshayogataos.com/free-on-line-yoga
Voni
sMiling
http://santoshayogataos.com/free-on-line-yoga
Voni
sMiling
mbrooks149720
New member
Inversion Table
Might try a Teeter inversion table. About $350.00 from Amazon. Helps me a bunch.
Might try a Teeter inversion table. About $350.00 from Amazon. Helps me a bunch.
mustangguy
New member
Next time you ride, squeeze the gas tank with your legs while you stick out your belly. That will exercise the muscles on the interior of your back. In hunter terms, that's your back-strap. It is also known as the tenderloin. 
The reason it is tender and weak is because it is not normally a muscle that can be isolated for exercises. The muscle on the outside of you back gets tons of exercise.
The other thing that helps me out is butt lifts. Tighten your butt muscle while you are riding until you are fatigued. Rest a few miles and repeat. Do this over and over on your journey.
The reason it is tender and weak is because it is not normally a muscle that can be isolated for exercises. The muscle on the outside of you back gets tons of exercise. The other thing that helps me out is butt lifts. Tighten your butt muscle while you are riding until you are fatigued. Rest a few miles and repeat. Do this over and over on your journey.
mustangguy
New member
I want to add one more thing. There is a PT named Pete Egoscue who authored books on back pain. He has a clinic a couple hours from you. http://www.egoscue.com/locations
I believe in this guy and his methods. Although I have never been to one of his clinics, I used to sit down with his book Pain Free and do the exercises every night until my back was better.
I believe in this guy and his methods. Although I have never been to one of his clinics, I used to sit down with his book Pain Free and do the exercises every night until my back was better.
About 3.5 years ago (when I was 33), I had a burst fracture L1 vertebra that left me paralyzed (incomplete), which I did while snowmobiling. My first (emergency) surgery was to have my 10th rib removed antero-laterally, which became my L1 vertebra (somehow), a titanium cage placed around my spinal cord, and the removal of 48 bone fragments from my spinal canal. Surgeon said the equivalent of my injury would be to place a jolly rancher on a table and smash it with a sledge hammer.
Second surgery was a L3 to T10 fusion, due to massive spinal column instability, and also a spinal cord hematoma. My 2nd surgery dramatically improved my quality of life, and ultimately led to a full recovery.
Today, I'm an avid rider, known to do 500+ miles in a day around Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and such. I have found several things: opiates are a recipe for disaster. They had a time and a place during my initial recovery, but I got off of them as soon as I could, and have never looked back. On the rare occasion that I do have to take something, I use Aleve gel caps. Generally speaking, I'm able to simply tune out any back pain, and it usually stops. It's almost always muscular...very rarely skeletal.
The best thing for me when I'm riding, and I honestly don't even really do it for back pain, but it improves my overall riding well-being, is to practice what I call motorcycle yoga. I will sit all the way back on my seat and stay there for a couple of minutes (provided the stretch of pavement is appropriate), sometimes I will lie down on the false tank and stretch my back (it also mostly gets my a$$ off of the seat), and sometimes, if I'm going under 60, I'll stand up for several minutes. Safely moving around and shifting, when appropriate, has been a wonderful tool to staying happy on my bike.
As someone that has certainly been through the ringer, I know a thing or two about back pain, and although each human being has their own physiology, I hope my tips help someone.
Second surgery was a L3 to T10 fusion, due to massive spinal column instability, and also a spinal cord hematoma. My 2nd surgery dramatically improved my quality of life, and ultimately led to a full recovery.
Today, I'm an avid rider, known to do 500+ miles in a day around Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and such. I have found several things: opiates are a recipe for disaster. They had a time and a place during my initial recovery, but I got off of them as soon as I could, and have never looked back. On the rare occasion that I do have to take something, I use Aleve gel caps. Generally speaking, I'm able to simply tune out any back pain, and it usually stops. It's almost always muscular...very rarely skeletal.
The best thing for me when I'm riding, and I honestly don't even really do it for back pain, but it improves my overall riding well-being, is to practice what I call motorcycle yoga. I will sit all the way back on my seat and stay there for a couple of minutes (provided the stretch of pavement is appropriate), sometimes I will lie down on the false tank and stretch my back (it also mostly gets my a$$ off of the seat), and sometimes, if I'm going under 60, I'll stand up for several minutes. Safely moving around and shifting, when appropriate, has been a wonderful tool to staying happy on my bike.
As someone that has certainly been through the ringer, I know a thing or two about back pain, and although each human being has their own physiology, I hope my tips help someone.
