Long ride comfort questions?

[Rafdog]

Just wondering how comfortable the C-14 is on long rides. I am thinking of buying a new 09 C-14 in black. My only question is the riding comfort. I have a VN-1600 Mean Streak and it kills me on long rides. My upper back hurts after a few hours in the saddle. I am getting risers for it but, I'm still on the hunt for a Sport Tourer.

Has anyone ridden more that 4 hours on their Connie? How far did you go before having to take a good break? Did you have any soreness, besides the backside?

Thank you,

[HellBent]

My longest day in the saddle of the C14 has been 10 hours. I covered just over 600 miles of Missouri and Arkansas two lane highway. I was riding on the stock seat and felt it was adequate. My wrists were hurting so when I got home I put a set of risers on. Haven't done anything over 4 hours since then, so don't know if it made a difference.

at cruising speed you will need to stop every 2 or 2.5 hours for fuel, so there is always time to stretch and walk a bit.

[Ken]

I haven't spent long days in the saddle of a C14 Rafdog. But one thing that may be relevant is your comment about the MS. The sport tourers, including the C14, have a more "standard" ride position. Cruisers put your feet our in front of you making it harder to move around, raise yourself, and change your back position. Bikes like the C14 that have pegs virtually underneath you, make it nice and easy to shift around, and relieve some discomfort by changing positions. Something to think about...

P.S. I spent a few hours in the saddle of the C14 at one time. I found the ergonomics to be very nice. The only turnoff for me was the blast furnace on my right leg, but I'm told there is a fix for this problem.

[Rafdog]

Yes it is true that on the MS it is a bit difficult to change positions. Soaking up bumps with the tail bone hurts. That is one of the reasons I'm looking at the C-14.

Thanks for the replies. This will help solidify my decision when it comes to that point.

[Roadie1951]

Soaking up bumps with the tail bone hurts. That is one of the reasons I'm looking at the C-14.


The exact same reason I went from cruisers to the C14. I couldn't be happier and more satisfied. I really can't comment on long distance comfort yet since I haven't taken a long trip since I got my C14 in July. Most I've spent in the saddle is about 3-4 hours. My last ride was a Yammie Roadstar. After about two hours, my tail bone was so sore I could hardly stand it. Nothing seemed to help. Bicycle shorts, Mustang seat, etc..

In addition to the more comfortable ride, the handling beats the Roadstar hands down. I'd never ridden a sport tourer before this and I can't believe the difference.

Go for it, you won't be sorry!

[LabRat]

I put 850 miles on my C14 over the Labor Day weekend....I have Motorcycle Larry risers and a new Corbin seat. The stock seat pushed me toward the tank too much and Mrs. LabRat didn't like it either. The Corbin proved to be the superior seat for me. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 195 pounds......

[Sabrehawk]

All Right Rafdog, I have been waiting to tell the story of my " Iron Butt " on my Connie. I bought her in Nov. and we had a warm spell here in God's country so I left @ Midnight. My brother and I took I-26 to I-95 to I-10to I-75across I-4 to Daytona for lunch then back up I-95 to I-26 and back home at 7:04PM that evening. Just over 1000 mi. and my greatest discomfort was @ 160 mi.s from home my always painfull knee started getting pretty bad. I was able to ride " side saddle " for @ 50 miles and relieve the pain, otherwise it is an all day rider. I went for a short (400 mi.) ride yesterday and it's still fine. Thanks for asking. Hawk.

[LabRat]

Hey Hawk...I used to live in Lexington, SC. As a matter of fact the ride I mentioned above was with a buddy that still lives in Lexington.
Kentucky is nice but we sure miss SC.....I hope you didn't get too much bad weather from Hanna.

[Sabrehawk]

Thanks LR . Here in Lex. it didn't even rain. I was planning a nice wet event and got skipped completely. The family down in Charleston and M.B. all came thru safe and sound.
I added the Heli Mods risers to the Connie but kept the stock seat, it does throw you forward but as an "over the hill" dirt biker I don't mind. Thewife doesn't ride the Kaw with me so I keep the Gold Wing in top shape for her comfort. Hawk.

[1400pilot]

I have 12,000 miles on mine, the longest trip I have taken is 1100 miles the first day in 17 hours and 600 miles the second day in 11 hours, only stopped for gas and a strech, dont have any comfort problems only problem is my right knee gets really sore being stuck in that one position for so long.......thanks to old high school and college football injuries, but what I do is put the passenger pegs down and put my feet on them for a strech.

[Colt4530]

the C-shaped riding position of cruisers is responsible for your aches.

You won't be able to "lay" on the handlebars on a C14, though. You'll have to sit up and let your hands reat on the bars with your elbows bent. I've done 475 miles in a day on a Ducati 748 doing that. I'm thinking about a SS1000 on it.

[Flying Kaw]

I never thought cruisers were comfortable. A lot of my friends try to tell me they are like a Lazy Boy recliner. NOT! With the forward controls...the position of any cruisers I've ridden puts all my weight on my lower back! And it makes the bike very UNconducive to handling (read flickability).

On the other hand a standard position like that found on the Concours is much more comfortable to me. The C14 does not hve a "sportbike"...head in the tank azz in the sky ...position. The C14 sits more like a standard motorcycle (with a slightly agressive pose). So that the weight of your body is actually on your butt and the bottom of your thighs...much like a chair.

The nly drawback to the Concours14 position is the slightly agressive pose puts a little extra pressure on your wrists and arms. But this can be rectified with bars risers if needed. However I've never felt it was bad enough to need.

The longest day I've done on a C14 is 800 miles (roughly 12 hours) and I wasn't shot. That was with the stock seat. The stock seat on this bike works well for me personally. Occasionally I will stand on the pegs while riding to stretch my legs...or turn loose of the bars and crawl up on the pillion for a couple miles to stretch. But I've used same techniques on cruisers I've had.

[Still lost]

I ride in northern Ontario. We also ride long distance although I don't do the iron butt kind of stuff. I just passed 60 and am not a little guy so I have all the lower back issues that come with a tall guy in his sixties who has done a lot of dumb stuff getting there. I don't find the Concours hard on my lower back but I do find it hard on my inner thighs and crotch. We also have cruisers and took an 8000 km trip earlier in the year and took them even though the Concours and my wife's ST1300 would have given us better range. The Concours has given me as much as 4 and a half hours on a tank on some of the roads I've been on but my *** still seems to draw the line at about 2 hours. The upright riding position seems to be OK with my back but, depending on the pants I wear, I slide forward into the tank and my crotch gets sore or the squarish configuration of the tourer style seat bothers my inner thighs and I need to take a break. I don't find the same conditions with the saddle type seat on my Nomad and my wife finds the same with her VTX so it isn't a brand thing but it's more to do with limitations of the particular ride designs. No regrets with the C14 though. It's just that while we may ride past gas pumps we still end up making coffee stops.

Back not an issued but us guys have other designe problems to consider.

[Flying Kaw]

Lost - I can agree with your assessment of the inner thigh and crotch discomfort. The seat is slightly agressive and puts pressure on the prescribed areas.

However I've got a very effective trick to combat this. Recently I was talking to a lady on a road trip riding a sport bike. She complained of similar issues but said her solution was bicycle short with gel pads in the buttocks and crotch area. What a great idea.

I've also notice cotton undies are not conducive to riding because seams and folds create pressure points.

So I wear Under Armor shorts to fit snug against my skin with no thick seams and such. Then over those I slide a pair of gel pad bicycle shorts. This made a HUGE difference. Now I can ride indefinitely with no crotch of inner thigh discomfort.