Source
r/MotoGuzzi•
RunWithTheShadows

V7 850 Seat, Getting Sore

Bottom line up front:

What would you suggest for someone whose butt is getting a bit sore on the V7 during longer trips? Is it bad posture? Should I purchase a new seat, have the old seat tailored, get bicycle shorts, just get used to it, or something else? Or maybe the V7 is not really the right bike for these types of longer trips I'm making anyway?

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The full story:

Hello!

I've been thoroughly enjoying my 2022 V7 850 Special, but I'll be honest, my butt is getting sore. I'm a new rider and don't know a lot about the motorcycle world in general, but I've done a couple 6-7ish hour rides on my V7 now and many 3-4ish hour rides. At about the 2-hour mark, my tailbone starts getting sore. By 4-7 hours, sitting down on the couch at the end of the day is a pretty unpleasant experience.

I've tried some different posture positions and haven't had a ton of luck. I'm a bigger guy (6'2", ~220lbs) and I've read maybe the seat just doesn't have enough padding. I looked at some of the new seat options, but I'm not seeing a ton of options for the newer V7s. As it's the 850 Special, it already came with a nicer brown leather seat that I read is supposed to be more comfortable.

I searched through forums here and r/motorcycles in general and found some people take their seats to upholstery shops to have foam or gel added. Is that what you would suggest? A few people even suggested wearing padded bicycle shorts. Lastly, a couple riders at work told me to just keep riding and that my body will get more used to it as time goes on. I will say that the second 6-hour ride was a lot more comfortable than the first.

I don't really have any other complaints. No sore back or stiff knees. Pretty comfortable in all the other ways, though I am thinking about getting a full-sized windscreen down the road.

Am I expecting a little too much out of my seat? Is 6-8 hours pushing the V7's comfort past what it's really designed for?

Posted Apr 10, 2023, 6:29 PM UTC

26
Jo3r1•

I had the seat on my V7II modified at an upholstery shop which helped massively. Not a huge fan of gel pads, they get really hot on a warm day imo, but adding foam and sort of a different pattern on the seat made a huge difference. Throwing a sheepskin on top of the seat is a good quick fix too

3
ThickumsMagoo•

Thank you for posting the exact question in my head at the 2 hour mark. Same height and close weight too - I’m not just imagining the sore tailbone

3
killorbytes•

Happens to me too. It isn’t the tail bone but the hip joints just below my butt. I’ve heard good things about the air-cell pads you can throw on. Not the best looking, but at $25 certainly worth a shot on your next trip to test.

2
Electrical_Gur4664•

Sheepskin, that until you change the seat pr modify it, or just get adapted to your bike (it takes time). It also looks really good.

2
Psycheau•

So many people waste money on changing out their seat at all sorts of costs. I've seen gel seats for over $300 which is crazy. Just get used to your bike, I'm going to guess you've not done a lot of long trips just a few and every time you get a sore butt. Well ride more, spend more time in the saddle you'll get used to it. Also learn how to exercise your pelvic floor muscle, that will really help with the sore butt.

1
fullfatmalk•

I rode my 2016 V7 from Vancouver to Toronto ( 8 hours a day ) and I did not get used to it-day 8 was the same as day 1. Any ride over two hours and it gets bad, still. Modifying the seat is the only option for long distance comfort.

3