Motorcycle Gel Seats
Written by Simon Harris: http://www.amotorcycle.com
Little else is as important to focus on with your motorcycle
(other than the motor) than the seat itself. Most bikes come
with a standard seat that is perfect for the "average" rider,
but most of us only start out as an average rider and quickly
escalate to intermediate.
Once you've felt the wind on your face and the rush riding a
motorcycle promises, it's just a matter of time before you
want to take your bike on a longer ride to the next city, state,
or even joining a club where you can go on missions for
different causes.
Although you could change out many other things on your
new motorcycle, the seat is the one that will affect you the
most and either limit or escalate your ability to enjoy the ride.
One of the most popular problems with the seat is the design.
If the seat is cut right, ergonomic in it's design, and most
importantly contains some sort of gel technology, then the
ride will feel like riding a cloud- but if your seat lacks any of
these features, it could be like trying to ride a milk crate in
your car instead of the luxurious seat your accustomed to.
On a bike this isn't an instant feeling.
Even a standard and very basic seat will feel great for the
first couple of miles, but then the milk crate feeling starts to
persevere as the vibration from the motor shakes everything
up- including your bottom, legs, and depending on how long
your ride is, it could affect your back.
Going beyond just riding for pleasure, there is riding for sport.
Some bikes are designed specifically for off road, jumping,
and power riding or racing.
These seats are viscoelastic molded gel, designed to hold
the rider in place, cushion the harsh landings, and eliminates
activating those "hot spots" or "pressure points" that over
time (and some instantly) can cause severe discomfort.
If you’re riding for pleasure but you tend to like to go off road
to explore things like the Forrest, then this seat could also be
useful for you- even though it's designed for sports.
There are many designs when it comes to motorcycle gel
seats and the decision to use one over another designer is
purely personal. It is not always a matter of who makes the
better seat in general, but who makes the seat that feels
personal TO YOU.
Some features you'll find on these seats are, comfort
designed with grip. A seat is no good if it doesn't help grip
you to the bike and hold you there to some degree with
friction.
It does little good also if the friction is too tight and you can't
comfortably reposition yourself on the seat when you need to.
Gel is an amazing thing, it is usually designed to not freeze,
bend, compress (it absorbs shock then returns the energy to
the rider!), harden, crack, or melt in the hottest of summer
days.
This is not a new creation but it has over the years
substantially become more high tech and useful.
Technicians are still constantly trying to find a better formula
for motorcycle gel seat applications, but even now the
technology is pretty amazing!