Gday fella's and ladies

 

Have a bad back and thinking of getting a airhawh or a gel seat cover.  Has anyone had experience with either of these as I was wondering what works best.  There are both similar in price.

Cheers

Jeffro.

We got an airhawk for the misses, kept getting numb bum and pain in the lower back after about an hour of riding, the airhawk has made no difference at all, but this was with the stock seat that is a little narrow. Changed to wider seat for her but yet to test it with the airhawk but not holding our breath...

I think good quality rear shocks and front springs conbined with a good riding position will be of most benefit for you. Just by changing my bars from standard to mini apes and installing forward controls made all the difference for my back.

I have the Airhawk for both myself and my wife. It makes a difference with a sore arse but not back problems. Have you thought about a Kidney Brace? or some sort of support for your lower back when riding. Another bloke bought one of those lumber supports that attach to your seat and he swears by it.

If you have back problems no seat cover is going to help that - could even make it worse..... low back support is what you need and that comes from the seat you choose..... seats like Mustang and Corbin and some HD seats all have built in lumbar support as well as the additional backrests you can put in the seat.

What bike do you have?

Im riding on a Barebones Gel seat which is great but after 400+klm you still get a numb bum, im looking at the airhawke too as riding the 2000 odd klicks from Hedland to Albany takes a toll...

i have never had back troubles so i cant comment, but would probably be looking at a fairly soft suspension set up as well.

Yeah I had mini apes on the bike and now have beach bars and they are pretty much the same.  I have thought of  forward controls but not sure about that yet.  Love the look of them but not  sure if that will fix my back..  Im reasonable tall at 185cm so I might try 18 inch apes and see how that goes. 

 

Cheers   

I have a 97 soft tail springer heritage.  It has a pretty big seat similar to a deluxe.

In my experience I have found that the further forward your feet are (forward controls) the more pressure you get on your tailbone which creates low back pain on long rides.  I have floor boards which put my feet closer under my body weight and this distributes the pressure well and promotes good back posture. So I would advise against forward controls.....Apes are comfy too IMO but if you go too high you just create arm and shoulder pain.... good luck

Hows it going Jeffro i have found if you get the seat,bars and foot positions rite this can help a bad back heaps but also another thing to help is a good screen.I do think if you try all the things i have mentioned this should help your back and neck.Well thats all i have to say so have happy ridding out there.

try tilting your bars, either back or forward to change your seating angle and see if that helps. I tilted my bars back about an inch and it helped alot.----jack

Two nurofen plus with breakfast and two with lunch for a big day out.  Don't feel a thing all day,....the cheapest mod you'll ever make  .....  the joys of getting on in years......beagle

bought a sundowner seat no more sore back tested out on a 700klm ride mrs happy as well with seat good luck with your search.
carcano

I put baby apes on my 95 heritage with boards and its fixed a couple of dramas i was having with numb fingers and a pinch in the neck. I was hoping it would fix a tailbone pain i get but it didn't. Ive tried four different seats and even made a custom one that had heaps of soft foam in it to no avail.
mini apes have worked a treat but tailbone pain isn't easily sorted Ive found.

My next trick will be a pair of padded rails with no center or rear turn up at all. will tell you how this goes. if it doesn't work i will be stuck only being able to do a hour or so before needing to get off it. this is a real bugger for me as i have been riding for many years and now the enjoyment is severely cut short. Nothing new tho i hear a lot of blokes having the same troubles. I know this is not your problem but i thought id throw my two cents in re bars.

Have you guys tried to take your wallet out of your back pocket. that will straighten your back up a bit

You maybe surprised