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Hey Kurt,
As already stated, many of us ride Specials, so the rally coordinators plan for adequate fuel/REST stops. I think I remember that you have a backrest on your bike for your pillion/SWMBO...so USE HER as YOUR backrest. If you have to lean too far back to be able to rest against her, then either adjust her backrest, or add a pillow/cushion between you and her to provide you support. I, too, have had lower back surgery....L5-S1 some 17 years ago..fortunately just a simple laminectomy, no fusion/hardware. I did my first LDR after my rebuild in 2001 about 3 years after my back surgery, some 600 miles and like 12+ hours on the road! You're only about 2 years out, and you had 2 sections/joints worked on, and I don't know how severe ... fusion / hardware??
Sitting is about the worst position for the lower back, it puts a lot of stress on the lower back/hip joints. Being able to change foot/leg position while riding can be helpful, so folks that do LDR's usually have some form of cruise pegs to allow them to safely reposition their feet forward to stretch the legs and take the pressure of the back.
Also, do you have a throttle lock/cruise control on your handlebar? Having that can help you take your hand down for a few moments while cruising to help you rest your arm/hands/shoulders ...again being able to move/shift your body around a bit can help relieve positional stress. I'm sure with the improvements to the rear shocks/wheel you'll be making, that combined with riding with your swmbo will make the bike suspension relatively softer, but extra bottom cushioning can't hurt! I have a large sheep skin that I throw on mine for my LDR's.
Full face helmets are great protective gear. Do you ride with EAR PLUGS? The constant wind noise even with Full Face Helmets can cause hearing damage. I have a modular full face helmet as well. But I still have problems with the sun when it's low/in my face, even with polarized sunglasses. Holding my hand up like a VISOR solves the problem, but is problematic. I have seen some new fancy glue/stick on VISORS that can be put onto the clear visor of the helmet to provide that needed extra Sun VISOR affect for when the sun gets low! I'll do a search on here and see what/where it is on the web....we had a thread about it some months ago.
Marty, I'll only need 1 T-shirt...I'll check out the T-shirt thread soon!
T.C.
As already stated, many of us ride Specials, so the rally coordinators plan for adequate fuel/REST stops. I think I remember that you have a backrest on your bike for your pillion/SWMBO...so USE HER as YOUR backrest. If you have to lean too far back to be able to rest against her, then either adjust her backrest, or add a pillow/cushion between you and her to provide you support. I, too, have had lower back surgery....L5-S1 some 17 years ago..fortunately just a simple laminectomy, no fusion/hardware. I did my first LDR after my rebuild in 2001 about 3 years after my back surgery, some 600 miles and like 12+ hours on the road! You're only about 2 years out, and you had 2 sections/joints worked on, and I don't know how severe ... fusion / hardware??
Sitting is about the worst position for the lower back, it puts a lot of stress on the lower back/hip joints. Being able to change foot/leg position while riding can be helpful, so folks that do LDR's usually have some form of cruise pegs to allow them to safely reposition their feet forward to stretch the legs and take the pressure of the back.
Also, do you have a throttle lock/cruise control on your handlebar? Having that can help you take your hand down for a few moments while cruising to help you rest your arm/hands/shoulders ...again being able to move/shift your body around a bit can help relieve positional stress. I'm sure with the improvements to the rear shocks/wheel you'll be making, that combined with riding with your swmbo will make the bike suspension relatively softer, but extra bottom cushioning can't hurt! I have a large sheep skin that I throw on mine for my LDR's.
Full face helmets are great protective gear. Do you ride with EAR PLUGS? The constant wind noise even with Full Face Helmets can cause hearing damage. I have a modular full face helmet as well. But I still have problems with the sun when it's low/in my face, even with polarized sunglasses. Holding my hand up like a VISOR solves the problem, but is problematic. I have seen some new fancy glue/stick on VISORS that can be put onto the clear visor of the helmet to provide that needed extra Sun VISOR affect for when the sun gets low! I'll do a search on here and see what/where it is on the web....we had a thread about it some months ago.
Marty, I'll only need 1 T-shirt...I'll check out the T-shirt thread soon!
T.C.
She's learned to try to be neutral back there and not "help me" lean or turn either. I also have learned to push back a bit keeping "myself" off of the tank. 
My backrest has no adjustment, it's fixed position.
) 
(Sold back to Maximan)
...Also be sure there is some space between the 2 of you...If she sneezes she could head butt you...so the pillion rider needs to allow for some space and hold their head to reduce the head jerk effect...I have seen this happen too...
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