The 40 minutes nobody talks about on a long ride

UK Rider News · Gear

The 40 minutes nobody talks about on a long ride

Why so many riders pull in long before the tank runs dry — and the £55 fix that goes on the seat they already own.

Rider beside a motorcycle with the gel seat pad

It happens at Tebay. At Rownhams. At every services with a row of motorcycles out the front.

Look at the fuel gauges and most of them could do another hundred miles. But the riders are off, helmets in hand, walking slow laps of the car park like men who've just got out of a dentist's chair.

Ask them why they stopped. You'll get the same answer every time: "Had to get off the seat."

Numb backside by mile 50. Shifting about by mile 70. Standing on the pegs at every set of lights just to feel something again. And for years, riders have accepted it as the price of a long day.

It isn't the price. It's the seat.

Your seat is foam. Foam gives up.

Nearly every motorcycle seat is foam under a vinyl cover. It feels fine in the showroom. An hour into a ride it has gone flat under the two points carrying all your weight — and it stays flat. That's when the fidgeting starts, the route gets shorter and the stops get earlier.

Manufacturers know. That's why they sell £400 "comfort seats". And riders know the alternatives are a lottery: a custom seat means your motorcycle sits in the garage for weeks. An air cushion is one puncture from useless. A sheepskin is lovely until it rains.

Gel for the seat you already have

The MotoCush™ Gel Seat Pad doesn't replace your seat. It straps on top of it — and puts 3 cm of honeycomb gel between you and that tired foam.

Honeycomb gel that doesn't go flat. Hundreds of small open cells flex as you move and spring back when you stand. It spreads your weight across the whole pad instead of two points.
Shaped like a rider seat. 40 cm long, 36.5 cm wide at the back, narrowing to 17 cm at the tank. Not a square cushion from the garden centre.
Breathable mesh top — it doesn't sweat like foam or vinyl.
Two straps. No tools. Down the sides, clipped underneath. On in a minute, off at the fuel stop.

Riders who put one on say the same thing: the first stop comes later — and it's for fuel.

Check it fits your motorcycle →

Will it fit my motorcycle?

It fits the rider seat of most cruisers, tourers, adventure, retro and naked motorcycles. On a narrow sports seat, measure the rider part of your seat first. The product page has a make-and-model checker.