By J. JOSHUA PLACA {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=862|imagecategories=0|}
![Product Review Royal Riding Sheepskin Seat Pad Product Review Royal Riding Sheepskin Seat Pad](images/DailyArticles/2011-june/seat-review/seat-review-1-003.jpg)
Butt fatigue is the nemesis of any long-haul rider. Even on quick jaunts, many of today’s slick, narrow seats feel hard, and leave us wanting more cushion for the pushin’. They supply ample style, but demand a pound of posterior flesh every time you mount up and ride out beyond your block.
This painful cost of cool can now be deferred. Seat pads have evolved from improvised pillows made from whatever you could sit on without scratching your paintjob, to simple foam, then memory foam, then gel and combinations of gel and foam.
For Kristine Hart, who launched Royal Riding & Accessories only two years ago, there had to be a cushier way. Not claiming to be delicate of tush, Hart did see a motorcycle market headed toward more touring, which means more sitting, which means buttocks worldwide would need soothing. There’s a lot of butt out there, and someone has to give it a seat.
Royal Riding went about experimenting with materials, profiles and proportions. It has developed what Hart calls her best, most cozy, butt pain-resistant seat yet. The pads are made with a viscoelastic half-inch molded gel topped with a half-inch of memory foam. Memory foam conforms to your body to eliminate pressure points. “The gel also absorbs vibration, which eliminates hot spots and numbness,” said Hart.
After vigorous testing in our national laboratories and the Barnett’s secret bunker, we concluded numbness and hot butt was bad. We felt a noticeable difference in the Royal Riding pad compared to previously sat on seat pads. The Royal Riding units were cushy and offered less butt fatigue after a full day in the saddle. According to Hart, the gel’s the thing. “This is a solid gel not a liquid—you could cut it with a knife—so it will not leak or crack, and is guaranteed not to harden or freeze,” she said. “I have also lined them on the inside so if you get caught in rain, the water will not soak into the foam like a sponge.” Weather-resistant pad covers are also available.
The seat pads are covered with either black neoprene or a real sheepskin. The bottoms are rubberized with a surface built to grip, and secured with a removable, adjustable strap.
The company offers five models that vary in size and shape, from Small (7” wide x 11” long) to Touring (18” x 17” tapering to 7” wide up front), which has a cutout section designed to relieve pressure on the tailbone. Prices range from $85 to $130; rain covers cost another $10.
For more information, visit Royal Riding & Accessories at www.royalriding.com, or email kris@royalriding.com.