Airhawk convert

[Rocket]

Whilst I love my recently acquired R1200R, the stock seat is pretty uncomfortable after an hour or so. I get "saddle sore" pretty quickly which spoils an otherwise fabulous bike.

So, this week , I splashed out £150 on an Airhawk seat pad and it's proven after 1 x 90 minute ride to be the best £150 I have spent on this bike.

The Airhawk transformed the ride - it was just so much more enjoyable, throughout the whole ride , not just the first half hour before the pains start.

Had a belting ride tonight around the Derbyshire Dales. The country roads were quiet and the views over the fields had a spectacular light created by the early evening sun. Here's a couple of pics to give you a taster. Had the Nuvi 550 GPS for guidance and music playing via the Autocom. Excellent blast...and arse still in tact

A couple of roads near Ashbourne, Derbyshire (Peak District National Park), UK





Still enjoying the Honeymoon...

[lewellen]

Which model of Airhawk did you get?

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[websterize]

I'm looking at the Airhawk, too. Apparently, the medium size fits well on our bikes.

Terrific looking evening ride and pictures.

[michaelb1]

I just got the medium but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm looking forward to trying it out based on what everyone says about it.
I'm relying on it to get be coast to coast and back again (USA) this summer.

[Rocket]

Forgot to mention, the model I have is the Medium Cruiser. It has the inflatable neoprene inner (exspensive version).

It really does improve the comfort level dramatically.

You need to fiddle with getting the right amount of air in the pad , plus the precise position on the seat (forwards or back) is trial and error, but the adjustments are dead easy and quick to do. I over-inflated the pad to start with and went for a ride. I stopped several times (after a mile or so) to let a little air out and continued in this way until I got the right amount. It isn't an exact science and if you get it wrong at first , no matter, you just stop , undue the valve and blow in/release some more air.
It also feels a bit strange having the pad at first, but you soon get used to it , ...and the additional comfort is worth it.

Due to the lack of arse pains, I was more relaxed in my riding (saddle sore makes you more tense) I concentrated more on the road (not thinking about the pain in the bum) and focussed more (in a good way) on the feel of the bike.

As a result, I could ride faster, for longer and enjoy the ride more.

Not a great photo , but you can see that I have mine about an inch back from the front edge of the seat.
(the wire on the back of the seat is not the seat pad, its the MP3 cable)

[deilenberger]

For anyone interested - I'd also suggest looking at "FreedomAir" air-cushion. Strangely made by another medical air-cushion supply place very near the AirHawk plant. Go figure (brother's had a falling out? Dunno..)

The pluses on FreedomAir over AirHawk (I've owned both)

FreedomAir has two chambers, side by side - prevents the rocking motion you can get with the single chamber on the AirHawk

FreedomAir has a relief for your "boys" - if you're a boy. Found this was a critical failure on the AirHawk when I had the R1150RS.. which tended to slide you forward a bit in the seat.

http://www.rehabmart.com/product/17184.htm

Better prices can be found with a bit of Googling and Amazoning..

I am currently using the sport-seat one with the Sargent redone low BMW seat when I need it (the Sargent is actually good for about 6-7 hours of smooth pavement, and 3 hours of so of NJ pavement..) The standard cruiser seemed to fit the stock low seat well.

http://www.longeride.com/

(And yes - the quote on this page is from a review article I did for the Owners News..)

Good products - both of them - one just fits me a bit better (if anyone in NJ wants to try one out.. and will ride to visit me - feel free to ask.)

[bobw]

I used one on my Bonnie and they are a great alternative to a custom made seat. Your photo's remain a treat to view and I see you got baby a new pair of shoes (tyres)?

Cheers

Bob

[thepeacebullgrunt]

I agree !
British country-side is quite a beauty.

Rocket...you have all my respect for your digital camera but I can see you easily use a small chamber or film medium format with a fine recent or vintage lens to shoot a great landscape like this one.

And then just scan&upload so we can enjoy the delights.

PS: I have a question....my American neighbors in Los Angeles that just look like Ronald Reagan, speak & smile the same way at almost a scary level. Told me yesterday that many old fashioned pubs in UK were closing one by one but again just like Ronald Reagan too...he suddenly didn't remember why... is it true ? do you know why ?

[Rocket]

I agree !
British country-side is quite a beauty.

Rocket...you have all my respect for your digital camera but I can see you easily use a small chamber or film medium format with a fine recent or vintage lens to shoot a great landscape like this one.

And then just scan&upload so we can enjoy the delights.

PS: I have a question....my American neighbors in Los Angeles that just look like Ronald Reagan, speak & smile the same way at almost a scary level. Told me yesterday that many old fashioned pubs in UK were closing one by one but again just like Ronald Reagan too...he suddenly didn't remember why... is it true ? do you know why ?

I am flattered by your compliments, but I am not worthy. Would you believe that all the above photos were taken by my Blackberry phone camera!!. Most of my pics on the forum have been taken using the BB. I also have a great little Panasonic Lumix but the high memory per pic takes ages to load.

I do, however, tend to look out for an interesting view when out riding. I then stop for a quick photo, take several shots using different angles/composition and then upload my favourites.

Here's a couple I left out which didnt come out quite right





I marvel at the photos of your wondeful country , and remain frustrated that I haven't made it there yet. Although the UK is diminutive in comparison, it' is very pretty in places. I am just lucky to live in rural Derbyshire the vast majority of which is the Peak Ditrict National Park - an area of outstanding natural beauty with attractive hills and valleys, pretty villages and a few stately homes.

Regarding the pubs, it's true that the pub trade has been suffering but some of the change is due to larger more modern pubs replacing the smaller old ones in the towns. Remember also that we have thousands of pubs in this country and most of the better ones still survive. To give you some idea, I once worked with a guy that went out with his mate for a pint or two every Tuesday night.
They promised themselves never to go to the same pub twice. They kept their travelling to within a 10 mile radious of their home town. They kept it up for 17 years without going to the same pub! Admittedly it was in Mansfield - a brewery town in the industrial Midlands

[hjsbmw]

When I got the bike I thought the seat is going to squish my jewels. By now I got used to the riding position and don't find the seat that terrible. I sometimes ride with a sheepskin buttpad. It's not a cure-all but inexpensive. Looks quite Teutonic also.

[michaelb1]

I've had my airhawk for a couple of weeks now. I can honestly say it is worth the money. I think I paid about $130 for it.

No long rides on it yet but I've done 2 weeks worth of 42 mile round trip commutes on it.
You don't need much air in it at all. If at first it doesn't feel right, just stand up on the pegs and sit bag down on it. 9/10 times that gets it in the perfect position for me.

[websterize]

I've had my airhawk for a couple of weeks now. I can honestly say it is worth the money. I think I paid about $130 for it.

Ditto. Motored 200 miles yesterday on top of an Airhawk. Couldn't have ridden as pain-free without it.

$135 shipped from derbycycles.com. The medium Airhawk works for me.

[Rocket]

I've had my airhawk for a couple of weeks now. I can honestly say it is worth the money. I think I paid about $130 for it.

Ditto. Motored 200 miles yesterday on top of an Airhawk. Couldn't have ridden as pain-free without it.

$135 shipped from derbycycles.com. The medium Airhawk works for me.

Do you find you still get some discomfort after many hours in the saddle ? I did on mine, but that was after an all day ride to Wales and back. Plus I had done 3 hours the previous evening.

[Jeffreydas]

Hey looks great! How is your Nuvi 550 working out? And how did you mount it?

Thanks JC

[Rocket]

Hey looks great! How is your Nuvi 550 working out? And how did you mount it?

Thanks JC

Nuvi is working out pretty good. Thought I may miss the voice instructions but I don't.

The good thing about the Nuvi is that it gives you advance warning of your next turn on the screen (distance , direction , road number etc). Plus the junction is magnified gradually on the screen as you approach it.

This advance warning feature means you are "prepared " for the junction before you get to it and, crucially for safety, you don't need to look at the screen whilst negotiating the junction. Hence , I don't miss the verbal instructions ,which make my navigation a little lazy , the Nuvi is more engaging, but not in a dangerous way.

Used the tried and trusted Mag mounts for mounting onto bike. Bought the long and short arms (use long when tank bag fitted ). Mounted right of centre of handlebars to avoid abscuring other instruments. Took power from spare GPS socket under tank. Ignition operates on/off power supply.

Good feature also with Nuvi is that you can insert places to visit or "go via" so it's a kind of route planner rather than the usual "fastest" options.

Ron

[daveyator]

I must be doing something wrong but I hate the airhawk cushion. I thing I hate on any motorcycle seat is the tendency to slide forward. The airhawk seems to make that even worse. I've tried minimum air, lots of air, cushion back, cushion forward etc. The thing seems to exaggerate the squishing of my "jewels". At this point the seat by itself is better. But with all the positive comments from everyone I simply must be doing something wrong.

[Rocket]

I must be doing something wrong but I hate the airhawk cushion. I thing I hate on any motorcycle seat is the tendency to slide forward. The airhawk seems to make that even worse. I've tried minimum air, lots of air, cushion back, cushion forward etc. The thing seems to exaggerate the squishing of my "jewels". At this point the seat by itself is better. But with all the positive comments from everyone I simply must be doing something wrong.

Have you the correct size and type?

Medium size with neoprene insert is the one I bought. Also make sure it is working OK ie no faults in the air pockets.

Ron

[deilenberger]

I must be doing something wrong but I hate the airhawk cushion. I thing I hate on any motorcycle seat is the tendency to slide forward. The airhawk seems to make that even worse. I've tried minimum air, lots of air, cushion back, cushion forward etc. The thing seems to exaggerate the squishing of my "jewels". At this point the seat by itself is better. But with all the positive comments from everyone I simply must be doing something wrong.

You're using the wrong cushion. Look at "FreedomAir" - it very specifically is made to prevent jewel crushing (when I had my Airhawk - the pain in my balls mostly made me forget the pain in my butt..) and has side-by-side dual chambers, which prevents that rocking motion the Airhawk has.

The "Standard Cruiser" worked fine with the stock BMW low seat. It seemed a tad big on the Sargent conversion seat, so the "Sport Seat" one was ordered. Works wonderfully well. LESS air is better.. you only want your butt 1/4" off the seat at the closest spot.

http://www.rehabmart.com/product/17184.htm
http://longeride.com/Home_Page.php

Good product. I'll be taking it with me on Monday when I head down souf' to the MOA National..