Saddle Sore 1000

[SilverFoxUno]

I received an email today advertising a Motorcycle Tourer's Forum event - a 1000 mile ride to be done within 24 hours. I thought long (at least 10 minutes) and hard...then signed up. From Tacoma, WA to Clinton, MT and back (1003.9 miles). I have ridden from Montrey, CA to Seattle, WA in 17 hours a number of years back (a little over 900 miles), but that was on my VFR - the Mana is more comfortable so I think it will be easier overall. Saddle sore for sure...

[JodyH]

Sounds like fun.
I'm doing a Border to Border (Mexico to Canada) run in September on my Tuono.

[SilverFoxUno]

1137 total miles in one day, though I only get credit for 1090 miles, since the ride from/to my house to the start did not "count". From Tacoma, WA to Drummond, MT and back on I90. It wasn't as boring as it sounds. Left my house at 4:15 AM and was home before 11:30 PM.

OK, the nitty gritty...It was much easier than I expected. The Mana just motors along. I ran with my Garmin Zumo 550 loaded with tunes. Right now, I have a bit of pain in my right wrist - a throttle lock of some kind would have helped - other than that, I feel great...not great enough to do it again today, but...oh, I also have a bit of ringing in my ears - I really don't like the Aprilia wind screen, too much wind buffeting right at my helmet level. I took it off this morning.

Montana was great! I believe I spend most of the time at 85-90 MPH. The speed limit is shown to be 75, but, as I understand it, that is more of a suggestion, rather than a limit.

So, in the end, I get a backing plate for the license plate from the Iron Butt Association, a pin and a certificate validating my accomplishment...and I can say I did it!!!

[rgeek]

Very cool. Congrats!

How many and where did you end up doing your gas stops?

[SAFit07]

Wow!

What was your best mpg's???

[tha-mask]

indeed WOW, that's a lot of miles in one day. I've only managed half of that about 2 weeks ago when we went to Ireland on the west coast from London. I couldnt imagine doing twice that. I take my hat off to you sir

[SilverFoxUno]

Thanks guys - Like I said...it was easier than I expected. Some general stats:

Overall MPG = 44.8 MPG (I didn't keep track of the "between fuel stops" miles - Wish I had)
Total number of stops (I only stopped for fuel) = 8
Total Fuel = 24.34 Gal
Most Fuel Used = 4.09 Gal (the light had been on for awhile...)
Highest Speed = 97.5 MPH (per my Garmin - the bike computer said 104)
Would I do it again? = YUP (Maybe a Bun Burner 1500 next time - 1500 miles in 24 hours)
Is the Mana a great bike? = What do you think...

[alfamoi]

Wow!!
Congrats!!!!

And how is your posterior, after that????
I've never had so much pain than on this saddle....

[Mana-in-NC]

I've never had so much pain than on this saddle....

I was the same way. I kept thinking, well after 300 miles it will break in, then same thing after 600, 1000, 2000, 4000... Then I thought, when the hell IS this seat going to break in? I got to to the point where I could last about 2 hours, but then I have to get off for at least 10 minutes.

Then I was reading the manual for something, and happened to re-read the part about the rear shock adjustments. That's when it hit me that it comes from the factory set up for a 210 lb person. I only weigh 182 lbs. No wonder the bike felt so stiff... I never thought that much about it, figuring I was about average.

So, I went right down to the bike and turned the dampening rebound set screw all the way down, about 2 turns total. After that, the ride was much smoother. The bike is being serviced now, and the one add on their list is to also turn the shock dial to match the rebound, to the softest setting. I hope it does as much good as the rebound did and I can then really start putting the mileage on comfortably.

[alfamoi]

I was thinking at the softness of the padding of the saddle.
Too soft for me (90kg). I'm directly in touch with the reinforced plastic supports.
I've maid 35000km on a Vespa. Never had such a pain. The leather of my backside was tanned, but here, I'm at the bone...
A saddler is working on a foam more dense under the original foam; I get it back friday , just before a 2000km trip (no,no! not in one day

[SilverFoxUno]

I agree that the seat is not as comfortable as it could be, but (or butt) it isn't the padding or the shock setting for me...it's the shape. The trangular shape bothers me - I would prefer it wider near the front to better support my upper leg when I want to move forward on the seat. Being able to move around on the seat helps with overall comfort on a long ride...especially late in a long ride.

By the way, anyone who can ride for more than an hour and a half, even with a comfortable saddle, is a better man than me.

[Mana-in-NC]

By the way, anyone who can ride for more than an hour and a half, even with a comfortable saddle, is a better man than me.

Better man? Doubt it. Maybe dumber, or in this case "Numb"er!! The longest ride I've done in one day was 380 miles. And that was spread out over the day, with multiple stops. So, no where near what you went through!!

I agree that the shape isn't very good. The hard edge lines on each side don't help either. The circulation is cut off much too quick. I've heard (on this forum) of this guy in NY that is supposed to do wonderful seats, but I was hoping that changing the shock would help with the comfort. And, alfamoi - I agree that replacing the foam would probably be something to do regardless of the shock configuration. I get my bike back later today, so I'll report back.

[alfamoi]

for me...it's the shape. The trangular shape bothers me - I would prefer it wider near the front to better support my upper leg when I want to move forward on the seat.

totally agree!!

[Mana-in-NC]

Ok... so I forgot to report back in... just shoot me

So, after getting the bike back, the adjustment seemed to be pretty good. I rode a few hundred miles over the next few days. But, just to be sure it wasn't just in my head, I've taken a few longer trips that I have done before. I'm happy to report, that for me, this adjustment worked great. Setting the shock and rebound dampening to the lowest (softest settings) works great. I've extended my seat time from 1.5 hours max to 2 or 2.25 easy. But, the biggest improvement is in the daily commute, as the rough roads are now smoother, and that's the most important thing for me.

Of course, I might have just finally killed a couple thousand nerves in my ass!! So, take all this with a grain of salt....

[alfamoi]

For myself, I've received my Mana back with it's new seat. Made with a more dense foam under the original foam.
I just come back from a 2000km trip in south of France and my ass is broken...
BUT, I've drove 800km in a day, something impossible before

And with a harder fork, the BEST improvement for the Mana