Planning a trip

[CatatonicBug]

I'm planning a trip in a couple weeks. I'll be riding from St. Louis, MO down to Fort Worth, TX to see my son. He would have normally come up to see me for a portion of the summer, but he was just diagnosed with "postural hypotention" (he passes out when he stands up too fast), and the doctors haven't been able to fully treat him yet, so he's not fit for long-distance travelling.

Anyway, I've made this trip once before for the MOTM rally in 2010, so I know my bike can make it just fine. However, it's my butt that I'm worried about. Last fall, Craig Vetter presented a concept to the Iron Butt Association that he called the "Magic Seat Board". A simple device you can make at home to help relieve some of the butt fatigue on longer rides.

So, I decided to use his pattern and make one of my own to prepare for the trip.





Vetter suggested using hardwood plywood, but I had this piece of MDF laying around, and decided to try it first. If it breaks, I can always make another one later. I had to elongate Vetter's original pattern to fit the width of the tank. If anyone is interested, here is the grid pattern with 1" squares, to give you an idea of the actual size I ended up with.



The main issue with the design/concept of this device is that you have to deploy it WHILE MOVING, and stow it again before you need to come to a stop. The very nature of the board prevents you from placing your feet on the ground while it is in use. So, where do I stow it while it's not in use?

I discovered that it slides nicely over the pillion seat, under the back-rest supports. Unfortunately, it was rather loose, and would have slid off the side under normal road conditions.



I remembered that several guys had raved about a seat pad they located at select WalMarts across the country. My local store didn't carry them, but a search revealed that a store about 30 min away had them in stock! Just under $20 with tax, and I have a new seat pad! I just need to do something about the flapping straps...

The added thickness is now just enough that it squeezes the board securely, while allowing me to pull it out when needed. I will probably add some kind of tether to it, just in case I get butter-fingers on the road.



My next issue is to deal with the heat! I ride with a mesh jacket, no matter how hot it gets (been in the mid-90's here lately), and on long rides I add mesh armored pants as well. I have to decide whether I will wear jeans under the mesh pants for protection, or gym shorts for ventilation. I know the main thing will be hydration. It's amazing how quickly you get dehydrated on a bike, especially in this heat! Maybe I'll get lucky and we'll get a cold front that week!

I'll be making the entire trip in one day (700 miles, 12-14 hours), travelling on 8/4, and returning on 8/7.

[fredintoon]

- - - he was just diagnosed with "postural hypotention" (he passes out when he stands up too fast) - - - Craig Vetter presented a concept to the Iron Butt Association that he called the "Magic Seat Board"[/URL]. - - -
I had this piece of MDF laying around, I can always make another one later. - - - The main issue with the design/concept of this device is that you have to deploy it WHILE MOVING, and stow it again before you need to come to a stop. The very nature of the board prevents you from placing your feet on the ground while it is in use. So, where do I stow it while it's not in use?
My next issue is to deal with the heat! - - -

Hi 'Bug,
Mr Cynic says your son should eat more food and drink less booze but Mr Concerned hopes the doctors can fix him OK.
Never mind how to stow the magic plank, HTF you gonna deploy the thing on the move without crashing the bike in the process? Us sidecar guys can do it before we start rolling but I don't see it happening on a solo.
I deal with the heat by the use of an air conditioned Buick.
The mesh gear on a bike sounds good and evaporative cooling via a wet T-shirt has it's proponents too.
But you need to keep up your fluids intake. I remember making a long distance 35ºC ride a few years back. I stopped at every gas station I came to and chugged a bottle of water from their chiller as I topped up the gas tank.
But think about a CamelBack too.

[XS1100 Newbie]

they do say that if the temp around you is higher than your normal body temp, that you should cover your body up, otherwise you will get hotter, and dehydrate. Instead of the air taking heat out, it puts heat in. The camelback is a great idea. What is this board supposed to do, and was that seat pad for a quad or snowmobile?

[DAVINCI]

Rather than trying to find ways to stay on the bike as long as possible, you'd be better off taking rest stops as often as you feel the need. Over doing it in the interest of time will come back to bite you HARD. Heat exhaustion will lull you into a fog. You won't feel the impact 'cause you'll have passed out, and IF you wake up you'll be in a world of hurt.

BTW, that MDF will snap in no time. Might work a bit to prove the concept, but there's a reason Vetter used plywood.

[CatatonicBug]

Well, my son is 13, and his prescription at the moment is to dring a 1/2 gal of gatorade per day to keep the electrolytes up. He's on meds for ADHD, and is as thin as a rail, but eats like crazy (lately anyway). I actually just dicovered that my mom has suffered from the same thing ever since she was in Jr. High as well. My son's mother has a blood disorder that causes clotting (she's had a few minor strokes, and she's only 35), so we're looking into that as well. I have read of some medications that can be used to treat his condition, so hopefully he won't be limited in the things he wants to accomplish...

Deploying the board while moving isn't that big of a deal. I can easilly lift my butt off the seat while moving and reach back with one hand and slide the board forward. However, now that I think of it, perhaps a strap up the center might allow me to simply pull from the front! There is a loop on the front of the seat pad that might just work to hold the strap until I need it. I'll work on that one.

I have a camelback, but the fact that I use a backrest means there isn't room back there for it. Not to mention that the full-face helmet makes it impossible to drink while moving. I keep a drink carrier in my right saddlebag, and on rides, I use an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack to carry 4 small water bottles. Of course, gas stops give good opportunity to hydrate as well. I learned that lesson on my first ride to Kansas City (only 4.5 hours), when the weather was nice, but I didn't hydrate and ended up not urinating for another 48 hours!

[CatatonicBug]

they do say that if the temp around you is higher than your normal body temp, that you should cover your body up, otherwise you will get hotter, and dehydrate. Instead of the air taking heat out, it puts heat in. The camelback is a great idea. What is this board supposed to do, and was that seat pad for a quad or snowmobile?

Yep. The mesh jacket actually is a more efficient way of cooling than not wearing a jacket at all.

The board allows you to put your weight on your thighs rather than the Ischia bones in your butt. If you look at Vetter's page (linked in my first post), he explains it in detail.

Rather than trying to find ways to stay on the bike as long as possible, you'd be better off taking rest stops as often as you feel the need. Over doing it in the interest of time will come back to bite you HARD. Heat exhaustion will lull you into a fog. You won't feel the impact 'cause you'll have passed out, and IF you wake up you'll be in a world of hurt.

BTW, that MDF will snap in no time. Might work a bit to prove the concept, but there's a reason Vetter used plywood.

The 100-mile limit on my tank will force me to take regular stops anyway, so I'm not too worried about my mental state. As I mentioned, I made this ride before, and last time in solid rain for 1/2 of it. I'm just trying to alleviate the pain in my arse.

You may be right about the wood. I'm not sure if I want to go to the trouble of getting the "right" wood before the trip or not. The whole thing took me an hour to make, so I may test it a little before the trip, then make a final draft in plywood before I go.

[CatatonicBug]

was that seat pad for a quad or snowmobile?

The pad is designed for an ATV. Here's the original thread on it. Seems that they only sell it in certain areas, but everyone who has tried them swears by them. They changed the stock number at Walmart to 0044411541143, and they are listed as made by Coleman. The one I got still says Stearns on it, but there were some on the shelf with a Coleman logo on them. $17.88 +tax.

[psycoreefer]

I've got a full face and I find that I can drink from my camel back with it on (mine is modular but I can drink without opening it). I used it when I went to the cali rally last year and in addition to cool water, it helped to keep me cool via having some cold water strapped to my back. I know you said you've got a back rest, just strap it to the back of the back rest and run the hose up where you can reach it...

[crazy steve]

..and evaporative cooling via a wet T-shirt has it's proponents too..

Be careful with that one... my x-wife tried that on a long trip and ended up with what can only be described as diaper rash...

[CatatonicBug]

Be careful with that one... my x-wife tried that on a long trip and ended up with what can only be described as diaper rash...

Never heard of that happening before. Cycle Gear sells this cooling vest that works on the same principle. All the reviews say it works great, so I may try it. The ad says it keeps your clothing dry, but the reviews say otherwise. Not that that's a real problem though. I'll be sweating anyway, so I don't plan to be dry.

[XSive Okie]

Whatever you do, be careful about the heat, Bug. Nothing but triple digits here in Oklahoma and Texas, with no sign of letting up. Sitting still at stoplights is brutal, and moving 50+ MPH just feels like a damn blast furnace. I hope all goes well for your son, and that you return home safely!

[fredintoon]

The Buick solution

I'll be making the entire trip in one day (700 miles, 12-14 hours), travelling on 8/4, and returning on 8/7.

Dammit 'Bug,
there's times to be a heatproof iron butt macho man but this is a time to be a responsible parent.
Use your air conditioned car for this trip and if you ain't got one, rent one, eh?

[CatatonicBug]

Dammit 'Bug,
there's times to be a heatproof iron butt macho man but this is a time to be a responsible parent.
Use your air conditioned car for this trip and if you ain't got one, rent one, eh?

If only I could... I already have a friend of mine donating hotel points so I can afford a place to stay while I'm there. We have one car (for SWMBO), and I ride everywhere, all year, no matter the temps (got down to 5ºF this last winter). If it means I take more breaks and it takes me longer to get there, so be it. Believe me, I have no interest in killing myself, but I also don't mind sweating.

I went ahead and bought that cooling vest, and the guy at the store suggested wetting it and storing it in the freezer overnight before the trip. He says it works great, and gives about 2 hours of cooling at a time. That'll be perfect, as that's normal time between gas stops for me. I can recharge it with ice water at each stop.

[XSive Okie]

[QUOTE=CatatonicBug;334114]If only I could... I already have a friend of mine donating hotel points so I can afford a place to stay while I'm there. /QUOTE]

Surely there's someone on here in the DFW area that can put you up for a night or two. I would, but Enid to Dallas is a five hour trip straight down I-35.

[BA80]

He's done the trip before Richard albeit the weather conditions were a bit different it sounds like he has the right gear for this one . ( I trailered to MOM in 2010 )

I'm goin' to Walmart tomorrow for one of those pads. I'm heading up to Minnesota for the lost rally in two weeks and the last time I went my butt was raw when I got home

Hope you have a good safe trip Marshal. Plan on visiting any XSives while your there?