Most motorcyclist know how it feels after riding for many hours. A warm sticking pain which you will never forget. I have found ways to ride longer with less pain and fatigue, in this video i am discussing what i think will make the difference.
The warm sticking pain and a sore butt is unfortunately something all of us know. I have not found a magic trick to ride forever, but I have done several 1000km days on the bike, where I have found ways to ride longer and stay more comfortable. For me, it actually comes
Down to one small thing. What’s our share with you in a minute? I’m from Denmark and for every trip from Denmark to Southern Europe, the first obstacle is always Germany, which means every trip starts and ends with 1000km in one day. In 3 months, I’ll meet my motorbike and two friends in Malaysia.
And then we will start a journey from Malaysia to Denmark. Along the way, we are planning some longer days, which made me think about what I usually do to stay positive on the bike. And it actually comes down to one simple thing. Change your position before it starts to
Hurt, but this is really that simple. Let’s talk about it. Once, I did a small hike with a military guy, a friend of mine who taught me a very valuable lesson, which I always think about when I travel on my motorbike. And in the end of this video, you will understand what my
Military friend taught me and how I use it on the motorbike. The good thing about the butt issue is for us motorcyclists. This is that we are not alone and we can learn a lot from our fellow friends without engines. I have done a lot of kilometers on a road cycle.
Whether the issue is very much the same, except on the motorbike, we have a huge advantage. I think on every motorbike, you have the option to move around in the seat. And when I’m putting down kilometers on the highway, I remind myself to change my position like every hour.
I try to move a little forward in the seat. I try to move a little backwards. Maybe a little to the side, put my legs up on the crash bar. And then we are back to the poor cyclists who are locked in one position on the bike to stay as effective
As possible on the pedals. And the only thing they rely on is a small pillow in the cycling shorts, which actually isn’t that bad of an idea. Let’s get back to that one later. On my Africa Twin, the seat have two positions, high position and low position, which I also took advantage of.
I move the seat once in a while when we stop for refueling, which will also change my position on the bike. It will change how my knees are bent and how my foot is resting on the foot pegs, which will also make a slight change in how I sit on the seat.
It is all about making the change before it starts to hurt, which I think most people forget, including myself. And I have made the mistakes so many times. And I can assure you, my military friend was clapping his hands after that comment. He told me so many times, “Be proactive, solve the
Issue before there is an issue.” What you wear is obviously also very important. I always wear some kind of sports tights underneath my motorcycle pants. They are soft, they fit very tight, they have no seams and they transport the heat away from the body, which is important. And this is also why they
Use it for road cycling. And why not increase the comfort with a small pillow on the butt? I think I should give a pair of cycling shorts a chance. Being relaxed on the bike is really a key thing. I did a lot of motocross previously for 12 years actually,
Which means my default position on the bike is very aggressive, with high elbows and very easy to take on every obstacle in front of me. Which is fine off-road, but on road with not many obstacles, it just looks very stupid and it gets very tiring.
So I find a relaxed position on the bike. Sit like in a comfortable bar chair with the bar in front of you. And just be comfortable and enjoy the ride. What I often also do is I position one of my bags behind me as a small bag rest, which when I need it,
I can lean a little backwards and give my bag a rest for a short period of time and then get back up and keep going. When I was hiking with my military friend, I started complaining about a stone in my shoe. It didn’t hurt, it was just annoying,
But I was too lazy to do anything about it in the moment. And then he said, “Stop!” And then he told me the most valuable lesson of that day. He said, “All the things you are too lazy to do anything about, those things summed up will eventually kill you.
So get that stone out of your shoe before it starts to hurt, gives you an infection and I have to carry you home or leave you in the battlefield.” And I looked at him a little scared, but I completely understood what he meant ever since when I’m on my motorbike.
Every time I have any kind of small issue which is annoying, I stop, I fix it, I carry on. If my gloves are suddenly too tight because of maybe the heat, then I change to my other gloves or I take a stint without gloves to let my hands relax.
So that is what my military friend told me, which I use and which have made me ride longer on my motorbike. Of course, there’s many other things to consider when doing long distance riding on the motorbike than just caring about your sore butt. That tricky one proves some of the most important ones.
Before I tell you why, I’m running around with my motorcycle gloves on a rainy day here in China. Number one, adjust the bike to fit your body as perfect as possible. It makes sense. Adjust the handlebars, adjust the seat. Make sure you sit comfortable or maybe invest in a softer seat.
Number two, stay hydrated. Staying hydrated can reduce muscle cramps. Just make sure you always drink something and find a way to drink while riding. Just make sure to get enough water. Three, if you start filing sleepiness, just stop, take a nap and carry on. I think all of us has tried the…
When you start nodding with your head. It is just… It’s just too dangerous. So stop, take a nap, carry on. It’s much more safe and also much more relaxing. Four, bring a chair or something soft to sit on when you stop. Sitting on the bikes for 10 hours
And taking a break at a petrol station and then sitting on a wooden bench or a stone. There’s not something which will make your butt more happy. Bring some kind of small pillow or something to sit on which is comfortable. Just take some care about your butt.
Five, make sure your gear fits you. Make sure your gloves are not too tight or your boots or your helmet are too tight. Sitting on the bike for 10 hours with a piece of gear which is too tight is just not very comfortable. Number six, make sure to break your new gear in.
If you buy new boots, especially new boots, make sure to use them before you take them on a longer ride. Take a walk in them or ride a lot in them. Just make sure they soften up before you have to spend 10 hours in them. It’s actually really important.
And the same is for helmet. The helmet will be too tight when you buy it and then it will start to loosen up and be comfortable and start to fit your head. And it’s annoying to spend the first day on a long trip, maybe 10 hours in a tight helmet.
And the same is for gloves. Which is why I’m wearing my new gloves here outside. I’m making sure they get a little wet, which will help the leather soften up and it will start to fit my hands. And that’s the way I always make sure to break my gear in.
Right now my motorbike is in Denmark, so I have nowhere to ride it. So I just walk around with my gloves on. On the 12th of February, our bikes will shift from Denmark to Malaysia. Which is kind of a partner of no return for us
Because now we have to go to Malaysia and get the bikes to take them home. It is very exciting. But planning such a big trip is a very overwhelming task. And we just spent a lot of hours on it, doing stupid things and going a little back, changing the route.
So where should you actually start? And what are the right steps to take in what order to plan the perfect trip? Watch this video next, where I will show you how we did it and what we learned. See you there.