sore bum :0

Hi ive owned my 99 sv since new, its been garaged more then on the road for the last 3 years, mainly due to my job & ex who hated bikes ...
anyhows im finally back riding full time & am looking for some bits to make it more comftable to ride.

First the seat any advice here would be good im tempted to get a rebuilt seat from banditmania with a gel insert, has anyone got one & what are they like ?
second anyway to improve the riding position, after ive been riding for a short period my forearms start hurting, a friend mentioned getting the clip on bars raised is this A, possible & B, does it improve the riding position .

thanks for any advice in advance

Blazey...

Hello mate... Nice to see another fellow Yorkshirman join the fold (be sure to check out the 'Pennine Massive' section for rideouts & other merryment )

Originally Posted by Ablazze

First the seat any advice here would be good im tempted to get a rebuilt seat from banditmania with a gel insert, has anyone got one & what are they like ?

Suzuki did make a Gel-seat for the curvy SV, as the did for the K3 'pointy' SV, but sadly they stopped making 'em You do occasionally see 'em floating about on eBay if you keep your eyes peeled I had my first seat 'sculpted' & a gel pad inserted & it was fabulous (until the nice people at 'ART' decided to puncture it but thats another story,) however, twas expensive for what it was I thought - it cost me £95 to have the seat done

Originally Posted by Ablazze

second anyway to improve the riding position, after ive been riding for a short period my forearms start hurting, a friend mentioned getting the clip on bars raised is this A, possible & B, does it improve the riding position

Your forearms might be hurting because the levers need adjusting... Sit on the bike normally with your hands on the handlbars, the line of your arm should straight right through to your fingers (or if anything, your fingers should be relaxed & pointing slightly lower than the line of your arms,) if your fingers are above the line of your arm then this is why your forearms are hurting after a little while in the saddle. To adjust them, simply loosen off the lever clamps, place the levers in a comfortable position & re-tighten

If it isn't this though there are several options to raise the height of your bars... SUNrisers is one option, but with the 'curvy' bikes you have to get new cable guides etc (the web-site tells you all about it though... )

Good luck sorting this out

Cheers Cloggsy , i hadnt thought about adjusting the levers, will have a look tomorrow .

p.s its 4 am im at work whats your excuse ?

Jas..

Originally Posted by Ablazze

p.s its 4 am im at work whats your excuse ?

Going to collect the missus from the airport soon Knackered too

Hi Ablazze. Cloggsy has covered just about everything, so heed his advice. Aslo, if you've been out of the saddle for a while, it's easy to tense up whilst riding. Are you gripping the bars too tight?

I have SunRisers on my '99 curvy and they're great . You'll need a longer top brake line (a good excuse to get stainless braided hoses ) but with careful relocation you can use all the standard cables.

Rich

Ablazze..Hello pal. BTW you need to turn left at those hills to end up in God's Country mate!

Cloggsy has covered this perfectly for you,the only addition that I can make is keep hands and arms relaxed,no squezzing the life out of the bars. As already stated keep arms lightly flexed and relaxed also.
Another point worth considering is try to have a little "conscious" weight running through the balls of your feet at all times. This will take weight off both your Big Yorkshire a+s(only joshing! ) and your wrists too. enjoy!

Originally Posted by Peter Henry

you need to turn left at those hills to end up in God's Country mate!

believe me, as a Yorkshireman living in Lancashire it's no fun over here

As for the gel seat, I have a 99 curvy and could manage 200 miles in a day but be in agony when I got off so I bought a Suzuki gel seat and could then do 250 miles but still be in agony . Personally, I didn't find it made much difference, although some people say it transforms it . 'Spose it's down to the shape of your ar$e

It may sound dumb so forgive me if I'm trying to teach you to suck eggs here - but may I suggest you really examine your posture before you start forking out for new bars etc.

Many people who complain of aching wrists are sitting too hunched over, putting extra strain on the forearms, upper back and/or shoulders.
Advice I found invaluabel was to sit as you would normally, then tilt your pelvis forwards slightly. This puts more emphasis on a better posture for your lower back and uses previously under-used stomache muscles to maintain your position.
By effectively moving the control lower in your body you ease the strain on your arms/shoulders to hold you in place - thereby easing the tension.

It also reduces the bodyweight actually resting on your hands and so should give you a more sensitive grip of the bars/controls.

Oh yeah, and balls of your feet on the pegs rather than instep helps too.


Just a few ideas - hope it helps.

[northwind]

I've got the Suzuki OEM gel seat, it's... All right. Comfier than stock for me, and it's also lower and thinner so it's enabled me to raise the rear further and still get my feet down. On the down side, it soaks up water in the rain, making it very annoying if you've parked outside sometimes. It's also a bit slidy in leathers. If I was doing it again I'd look at having a stock seat modded instead.