Crossing continents pads: Best motorcycle seat pads

For a long-distance rider, there’s little more likely to cause dread on a ride than an uncomfortable seat. The feeling of ‘numb bum’, where sitting on a hard or uncomfortable saddle for a long period of time causes your rear to go numb, is one that many have experienced as they tackle big rides on tour or simply because they like the idea of riding a long way. One way to help prevent this is with Motorcycle seat pads.

Standard motorbike seats are made to suit as wide a cross-section of body shapes and sizes as possible and it is inevitable that they won’t fit everyone. Width and depth can all be wrong but also, while the shape can be right, the level of padding on the seat sometimes just isn’t enough. Some of us have our own built-in padding but for those who don’t, it can become literally a pain in the backside.

Numb-bum normally occurs after an hour or two and can be the result of posture or pressure points on the saddle. Generally, a saddle pad or cushion can help reduce this but it’s also worth considering your general rider position and making sure that you aren’t leaning too far forward, for example, or slumping excessively, which can all affect how your body reacts to riding.

One of the easiest ways to alleviate numb bum and make your ride more comfortable and therefore enjoyable is a comfortable seat or cushion. A reasonable marker that a bike’s standard seat can be improved upon is the manufacturer offering a comfort option, usually for a price.

This generally means that enough people found the standard seat uncomfortable that there is a market for an upgrade. But while the manufacturer’s alternative may be an expensive option, there are cheaper ways to get feeling back in your bum and enjoy your ride more.

Related: Best universal motorcycle panniers

One thing to recognise though is that while many may well improve comfort, they can also give a disconnected feeling to the riding since much of your feel for what the bike is doing comes from your contact with the seat and some insulation here can reduce those sensations.

So you may want to look at something that can be removed so that if you are doing a long trip, you can enjoy comfort on the motorways and remove it for feel on the fun, twisty bits…

Another reason the ride can get uncomfortable is heat. A flat seat will not allow much airflow and so, anything that lifts you off the seat and introduces an air gap will mean a cooler ride with some fresh air between you and the seat.

Here are a few examples of how you can improve comfort with motorcycle seat pads…

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