Aches and Pains After a Long Day

[whatyardwork]

I here you DR....I just did 760 miles on my glide at Americade in 3 days.I came to 2 distinct conclusions.The first is I bought this bike for its looks,we could have bought an ultra for the same money.The second is that im buying an ultra seat and adding some highway pegs for any ride I think might approach 300 miles.The seats are easy enuff to swap out.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

I here you DR....I just did 760 miles on my glide at Americade in 3 days.I came to 2 distinct conclusions.The first is I bought this bike for its looks,we could have bought an ultra for the same money.The second is that im buying an ultra seat and adding some highway pegs for any ride I think might approach 300 miles.The seats are easy enuff to swap out.

I've heard nothing but good things about adding a backrest so that's first on my list. Next will probably be a Sundowner seat.

 

[USMCCWO5]

Dr.
I had the same issues when I rode my FLHRC in stock configuration. I have added a touring seat from HD (the seat is wider, so I sit higher, but the pad is denser so I don't sink in and pinch nerves), also added 12.5 mini-apes which helped me sit more upright instead of leaning forward. Lastly, I put on the adjustable rider backrest. It has a gas strut under the seat which allows on the fly adjustments with a lever.
BTW. I moved the lever from the left side, which blocked my hand from getting warmed by the rear cylinder on those cold mornings. I put out the front of the right side cover and mounted it there. My bike is black and the black lever blends well. I have only seen this mod on my bike an it works great.
Also, gotta have cruise control. I use mine every chance I get to keep the hand from cramping.

Good luck my friend.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Dr.
I had the same issues when I rode my FLHRC in stock configuration. I have added a touring seat from HD (the seat is wider, so I sit higher, but the pad is denser so I don't sink in and pinch nerves), also added 12.5 mini-apes which helped me sit more upright instead of leaning forward. Lastly, I put on the adjustable rider backrest. It has a gas strut under the seat which allows on the fly adjustments with a lever.
BTW. I moved the lever from the left side, which blocked my hand from getting warmed by the rear cylinder on those cold mornings. I put out the front of the right side cover and mounted it there. My bike is black and the black lever blends well. I have only seen this mod on my bike an it works great.
Also, gotta have cruise control. I use mine every chance I get to keep the hand from cramping.

Good luck my friend.

James,
Thanks for the great advice. I've never liked the look of full apes but the mini apes might be where I need to go to get the right sitting position and get a little more weight off of my hands. I'll have to start a thread and see if anyone has pictures of a Street Glide with mini apes or other type pull back bars. Not sure how they'd look with the fairing. They look great on your bike, though!

 

[Realbiker]

Cruise is a definate yes. I'm to in my mid fifties. I have been on several long trips with the stock seat. I personally like the ability to slide back and forth. But, I recently bought a Harley Sundowner...It was highly recommended, and after a few short trips of 3-6 hundred miles shows promise to be the new distance seat! Also, my friends and I while traveling stop every fill-up and rest 15 minutes or so. It helps to get the blood going and serves as a mini rest...my 2 cents

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Cruise is a definate yes. I'm to in my mid fifties. I have been on several long trips with the stock seat. I personally like the ability to slide back and forth. But, I recently bought a Harley Sundowner...It was highly recommended, and after a few short trips of 3-6 hundred miles shows promise to be the new distance seat! Also, my friends and I while traveling stop every fill-up and rest 15 minutes or so. It helps to get the blood going and serves as a mini rest...my 2 cents

Yep - put a Sundowner on mine too and I like it much better than stock. Bought the adjustable backrest too but I've been too busy riding to install it yet - no long trips in my immediate future so it's on hold for now.

 

[MIHDrider]

I realize a "long day" is a relative thing but I did 500 miles over two days last week which is a lot for a newbie like me! Looking for feedback and suggestions in a couple areas:

1) Late in the first day and most of the second day I was getting some butt numbness and lower back stiffness. I do have lumbar issues treated by stretching, yoga, chiropractor visits, and ibuprofen but then I'm old and stiff most of the time anyway. I could move around on the bike a bit and get the symptoms to lessen but they never went away 100%. Would an upgraded seat and/or backrest really help this out?

2) Tingling and numbness in the hands and an achy pain in the inner part of my elbows. I don't think it's carpal tunnel since I can work at the computer for extended periods without this happening. This happened on my Sportster but I attributed that to its vibrations in the handlebars. Would different bars resulting in a different seating position help the elbows? Something like the Kuryakyn ISO grips for the hands?

I don't mean to imply that it was a miserable ride. On the contrary, I had a blast. I'm just looking for some improvements in these areas so I can enjoy days like this more often and do them back to back without having to get a full body massage afterwards. On the other hand.....

Dr. Doolittle, I had the same issue on my Road King. When I went to the Electra Glide the 3 inches or so of back support truly mafde a world of difference for me. So a back rest may be the ticket.

Just one mans opinion

 

[denblaq]

I'll add my two cents on the numb butt issue. We have a 1961 Dou-glide and a 2005 RKC and even with a touring seat on the RKC we still needed a little more help in the seating area. Well we got a tip from the bicycle crowd and bought two pair of bicycle shorts for the wife and myself. You wear them under your levis and over your skivvies. They make a HUGE improvement in comfort for a long day in the saddle and keep your butt alot cooler in the process. And the best part is that no one will know you are wearing them unless you tell them!

 

[bjryman]

I have my lower 2 discs fused, and they can cause lots of pain, under the best conditions. The backrest on the new Glide has virtually eliminated the stress and pain on the lower back. And I agree about the cruise control...works great to relieve hand stress, but depends for sure on your type of road conditions.

My problem is the butt!!! I really hurt after anything more than 1 hour or 100 miles. I am stopping and resting too. I cancelled my planned trip from Indianapolis to Milwaukee for the 105th anniversary because I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with my fellow H.O.G.s

Next week I'm going to drive up to Ride & Leather in Jonesboro, IN. They will remove your seat, separate the leather and custom insert layers of honeycomb gell and felt overlays. Seat gets reassembled and reports are that the result is similar to spending $400 plus for a Mustang or Sundowner seat. And I wanted to keep the 105th decoration on the seat as well.

Cost will be about $120. We'll see....:dknow

 

[Merlynn]

I'm 52 and had some of the same symptoms on my Roadking standard. They went away after I installed a Mustang seat. No back rest but the seat is deep and has some back support. It also put me a little closer to the handlebars. Still planning to change out the handlebars when I find one that fits me best.