How to Stay Comfortable on Long Motorcycle Rides

Comfortable long rides are key to enjoying the journey and finding the ever elusive Peace of Mind we seek. This episode covers how to select the right gear, the importance of hydration, and maintaining a positive mindset while riding.

Achieve unparalleled comfort on your long motorcycle rides with insights from our latest episode, where we promise to transform every mile into a joyful journey. Discover why the right gear, especially a well-fitting helmet, is as crucial as finding the perfect pair of shoes. We discuss the critical role of choosing a bike designed for endurance, not just style, ensuring you can focus on the thrill of the ride without unnecessary discomfort. By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to enhance your riding experience, ensuring that each adventure is as comfortable as it is exhilarating.

Channeling the sheer joy and gratitude that comes with motorcycle riding, we emphasize the power of a positive mindset. It's more than just a ride; it's about appreciating the privilege of being part of a tight-knit community and embracing the peace and happiness found on the open road. Listen in as we share tips to keep your spirits high and your body at ease on even the longest rides. As we reflect on the shared experiences and camaraderie among fellow riders, we send you off with wishes of peace and love for your future riding journeys.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Ron (00:04):
Today we're tackling a topic that's near and dear to
every rider's heart, or maybe Ishould say near and dear to
every rider's butt A long andcomfortable ride.
That's right.
You can have a long andcomfortable ride.
You can have that combination.
So what does staying comfortablehave to do with peace and love

(00:24):
that we often talk about on thispodcast?
Well, if you're feelingmiserable out there on the ride,
it's very unlikely that you'llfind your zen moment or your
peace of mind that we're alwaysseeking right, nor will you be
in the mood to spread love toyour fellow humans.
You're just going to be unhappy.
Now, that may be a stretch, butyeah, I think it fits in

(00:45):
today's topic.
So why do you want to ride allday in the first place?
Well, that's a relatively easyquestion to answer.
For many of us, it's because welove to ride.
Riding makes us really happy,and it's in the saddle that some
of us do find that elusivepeace of mind, at least for a
little while, which is theprimary topic of this podcast to

(01:06):
begin with.
So let's move on from the factthat we ride all day because we
love it and it makes us happy.
So, whether you're planning across-country adventure or you
just want to extend your weekendtrips.
Staying comfortable in thesaddle is key to enjoying your
ride.
So buckle up, metaphoricallyspeaking, because we're about to

(01:27):
dive into some pro tips andtricks to help you achieve iron
butt bliss.
Or put another way, how to rideall day and keep smiling.
Stay tuned.
Recorded in beautiful Loveland,colorado.
Welcome to Peace, love Moto thepodcast for motorcyclists
seeking that peaceful, easyfeeling as we cruise through

(01:49):
this life together.
Are you ready?
Let's go?
Okay, let's face it, after manyhours out on the road, even the

(02:15):
most comfortable motorcycle canfeel like a torture device.
Have you ever heard theexpression monkey butt?
Well, it comes from a certainbreed of monkey that has a
really large rear end and it'sred all the time.
And maybe that's how some of usfeel when we reach midday
during our ride and we'restruggling to find any remaining
part of that saddle that'scomfortable.

(02:37):
Staying comfortable in the seatis just one factor.
Right?
How about your arms, yourshoulders, your neck, your hands
, even your feet, after four oreight or ten hours or more in
the saddle in the same position,no matter how fabulous the
weather and the scenery is,you've got a pain in the butt,
most likely.

(02:57):
Well enough, talk about butts,let's get right to it.
How do you fix all of theseproblems?
How do you keep them fromcoming up in the first place?
Let's talk about that.
Okay, first of all, let's talkabout the motorcycle that you

(03:21):
choose to ride.
I've had many conversations withpeople who see a poster, for
example, of Easy Rider Out therewith two guys riding these
choppers with their hands way upin the air to reach the grips,
and those inexperienced riderssay to themselves oh, I want to
ride that, I want to ride justlike that, day after day after
day.
Well, you and I know that thereality of that scenario, that's

(03:45):
just not good.
Did you happen to notice thetiny seats on those little bikes
too, that they're riding aneasy rider?
Did you happen to notice thetiny suspension that doesn't
give much at all?
Even the scenes of them ridingtogether side by side?
You know, it's just never agood idea to do that in the
first place.
But oh, my goodness, to try todo that hour after hour, my

(04:08):
friends, that is not comfortable.
I've never done it,specifically that, but I can
just guarantee you that is notgoing to be comfortable.
That's in no way going to be anenjoyable ride.
I guess it gets back to the oldadage that people ride for show
or people ride to go.
And well, today we won't getinto the specifics of motorcycle

(04:31):
styles, necessarily, or brands,but let's talk about riding to
go.
The next three things on ourcomfort list are gear, gear and

(04:52):
gear.
And I'm not just talking aboutsafety gear, although that's
paramount, I'm talking aboutcomfort-specific gear too.
So it all starts speaking ofsafety.
It all starts with a helmet.
Now, my personal choice has beenfor many years to use a
full-face helmet and I reallyrecommend that to everyone.
Yeah, I know what you're saying.
Some people feel that, oh, it'stoo enclosed in the full-face

(05:13):
helmet To ride a lot of milesall day long.
You don't want to feel closedin, but I've spent a lot of days
and a lot of miles out on thehighway, many, many hours out in
the wind and all kinds ofweather.
I have always found that myfull face helmet is the most
comfortable option.
I've done both full face andhalf face helmets, so don't make

(05:35):
the mistake also of getting ahelmet that doesn't fit your
head.
Keep in mind that differentbrands of helmet fit differently
.
A large helmet from one brandwill fit differently almost
guaranteed than the large sizein a different brand.
And don't let your helmetdealer try to convince you that
one helmet will fit your headbetter than another, because you

(05:56):
know how it feels.
I had a friend who wasconvinced by a salesperson that
they needed to buy a helmet thatin hindsight turned out to be
way too small.
He was absolutely miserablewearing that $400 purchase that
he couldn't return.
The helmet should be to me likea pair of shoes.
As soon as you put it on, itshould be comfortable and don't

(06:17):
try to think of a break-inperiod.
Yeah, I mean the insides willloosen up just a little bit over
time.
But again, in my opinion, yourhelmet should feel very
comfortable from the minute thatyou put it on and you should
not have any burning desirethrough the day to take it off
because it's uncomfortable inany way.
You should feel comfortable allthe time.

(06:38):
One other important note isthat a good quality helmet
should be relatively lightweight.
In general, cheaper helmets aretypically heavier because they
are made of less expensivematerials, so a heavy helmet
will not be as comfortableguaranteed as a better quality
helmet.
Again, speaking of comfort, agood quality jacket and pants

(07:02):
from breathable materials canmake a world of difference.
Think about layers too.
Being able to add and removelayers when the temperature
changes will keep youcomfortable all day.
On that note, keep in mind thatyou're going to need space to
shed those layers on your bike,right?
You need a place to stow those.
So, again, we're not going intospecific bikes to use, but

(07:23):
that's something to really keepin mind.
You know types of motorcycles.
Yeah, that's something thatwe'll talk about later on, but
space is pretty critical.
It's one thing to go minimal,but yeah, you don't want to go
too minimal that you're justmiserable.
So we'll come back to that atanother time.

(07:49):
And speaking of comfort, let'sgo back to our butts.
Let's talk about the seat.
Consider investing in a customseat, maybe, or maybe a gel
insert.
You know your backside willthank you, because I'm tall
enough I'm able to put twolayers under my existing seat
and still not be on my tiptoesat a stoplight.

(08:11):
The first layer that I use is arelatively thin gel pad, and
then the second layer isactually sheepskin that I picked
up a year or so ago.
Oh my goodness, thatcombination has just been
wonderful.
The sheepskin has especiallykept me cool, even in hot
weather and kept me relativelywarm, I guess in warm weather
too.
It's just been wonderful.

(08:32):
I've had that combination for awhile now and I just don't have
the monkey butt situation.
Oh, sorry, I brought up buttagain.
I'll try not to do that again,but that's my recommendation
anyway.
That's what I use a gel layerfollowed by sheepskin, and that
works really, really great forme.
And don't forget about yourhands.
Comfortable gloves are essentialto prevent numbness and fatigue

(08:54):
, and my pro tip is to say whatI use are cushions.
I use these grip puppy foamcushions that I put over the
existing stop grips.
They're very inexpensive it'slike $20 for a pair of those and
you just slip them over yourexisting grips.
Now, granted, I have longfingers and bigger grips are

(09:16):
something I don't have a problemwith at all.
In fact, I really prefer that.
It really adds to my comforthaving the foam there.
Even if I were to rent a bikeone of these days, if I needed
to do that, I would probablybring a pair of those Grip Puppy
brand cushions to put on thebike, even for a rental bike.
Then I would just they're socheap, you know, you just take
them right back off if you'refinished with the rental.

(09:38):
I just think that they're thatmuch value.
It's what I'm used to and whatI really really like.
Now let's move on to an oftenoverlooked aspect of long
distance comfort, and that'shydration and nutrition.
Many of us forget to drinkenough water when we're out

(09:59):
riding.
Here in Colorado, for example,the humidity is very, very low,
which makes the air cool mostall year round, including in
summer, which is wonderful.
But it's critical to drinkenough water, and all day long.
Sometimes we forget to drinkenough water because we're
staying cool, so you can'tforget that.
Staying hydrated yeah, that'sabsolutely vital to all of your

(10:22):
bodily functions.
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, muscle cramps, even decreased
concentration and all thosethings you definitely want to
avoid when you're out on amotorcycle.
So carry plenty of water withyou to sip on regularly, and
don't forget to fuel your bodytoo.
You know, pack plenty ofhealthy snacks between
restaurant breaks or whereveryou're going to be getting a

(10:44):
full meal.
Just bring some snacks with you.
That's always helpful for me.
And, speaking of that, justdon't forget to take breaks.
You don't want to be a hero outthere.
It's not a race.
We don't get any rewards forstaying in the saddle without
taking a break necessarily.
So I'll just talk about my bike.
So my motorcycle of choice forlong trips these days is a BMW

(11:06):
GS Adventure, which has a verylarge tank capacity and, frankly
, it's very, very comfortable.
Now, depending on my speed, therange of that tank is almost
300 miles, sometimes even alittle bit more than that, and I
can tell you that I'm notriding 300 miles between rest
stops most of the time.
For me it's just too many hours.

(11:27):
So even when I don't need gas,I'll stop to stretch, drink
water, have a snack at aroadside park or wherever.
That just keeps a smile on myface.
Otherwise, yeah, I may be proudof how long that I've gone
sitting in the saddle, how manymiles or hours, but I'm not
going to have a smile on my face, and that's the point right.

(11:59):
Finally, this point that I thinkrelates to staying comfortable
on the bike A positive spirit,stay positive, focus on the road
ahead, but enjoy the journey.
Think of the possibilities ofmeeting a stranger out on the
road and maybe even making a newfriend out there.
As for me, one of the greatjoys of riding my motorcycle is

(12:23):
I'm not working.
I have a day job, as you know,and I'm not working when I'm out
riding.
I'm not in business meetings,I'm not digging through dozens
and sometimes hundreds of emailstrying to figure out what my
next responsibility is Nope.
Instead, I'm enjoying thescenery, taking my time, and I'm

(12:43):
enjoying the feel and the soundof that wonderful machine
underneath me.
I'm reminded that, at least fornow, all is well with the world
and I'm at peace and I'm happy.
And, my friends, that's why Iride.
So there you have it A few tipson how to stay comfortable on

(13:04):
those long rides, but, maybemost importantly, figuring out
how to ride with a smile andrealizing how very, very
fortunate you are to have thebike, to have those mental and
physical capabilities to ride it, and being so grateful for this
community of riders that areall around us, people who care.

(13:26):
I love that.
Thank you so much for listening.
Until next time, I wish youpeace and I wish you love.

(14:02):
Thank you.