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Air Hawk demo

B

bowman.justin77

Guest
Guest
Good evening fellow cog members! My wife and I are about to head out for a meetup ride to Utah. We rode almost 300 miles this weekend and are curious about the air hawk pads. Before I drop $$ on a pair I was wondering if anyone had one or a pair they would demo. We are looking to do an overnight trip next weekend and would like to try before we buy.

Any advice, insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We are in Loveland, Colorado.  Thanks!
 
Are you willing to ride up to Seattle to pick it up?  ;)  And bring it back before Friday when I leave on a three-day trip?

Personally, I won't take a long ride without mine.  Or if I do head out without it because I forgot...I regret it.

There's a "secret" to making an Airhawk work for you.  It is totally counter-intuitive.  Let out all the air but what you think you need...then let out half of that.  Then you'll be in the ballpark.

An Airhawk that is even moderately full with some cushiness to it, will feel like a rock in an hour.  What's more, you'll feel like you're sitting on an exercise ball and you can't control your bike. 

What you want is maybe a 1/4 inch of separation of the top layer of the air bladder and the bottom layer.  It'll feel like you have nothing in it at all, and you'll wonder how it could possibly work.  But that is just enough air to get you off the seat.

Another advantage I find with my Airhawk is that I can move it forward and backward.  By about the 8th hour on it, my tailbone is beginning to feel some pressure.  I can move the cushion forward, leaving my tailbone in a different position...and then put in another 2 to 4 hours of riding without feeling pain.

Chris

 
Thanks for the info. Rode 72000 miles on one trip last year with someone who had an air hawk. He was complaining more than me (me on a stock seat). Now I know why Thanks!
 
Another thought...see if you can buy them through Cycle Gear.  They have a 30 day no-questions-asked return policy.  I wouldn't use that as a "free" rental for your trip, that would be unethical.  But as a way to buy them without the worry of dropping a couple hundred dollars on something you find you don't like, it might take the worry out of it.

Chris
 
    You are wise to try before you buy.  I had an Air Hawk years ago and I ended up selling it.  To me, the best thing about the Air Hawk or gel pads or any other pad is it allows you to change your position, even a little bit helps on those 500 or 600 mile days.  We had a Gold Wing that we rode long distances on and tried all the pads on it and wound up buying a custom seat.
 
Diz said:
Thanks for the info. Rode 72000 miles on one trip last year with someone who had an air hawk. He was complaining more than me (me on a stock seat). Now I know why Thanks!
Click to expand...

WOW, that was lonnngggg trip. Sorry, couldn't resist :)  Yes, I've learned too it' important not to put too much air in them.

THanks!
 
allezm2,

Comfortable riding is key and everyone gets to this from different paths. In my opinion, ....IMHO, your saddle is the foundation for your seat. If your foundation/saddle is not working for you the solution is a new seat that works for you. With that said riding styles vary in that some ride between 100 - 1000 miles per day (on average some ride less while some ride more). For some an addition to the saddle might be the perfect addition to comfort and I have ridden with those that swear by them including the, "Air Hawk". In my humble opinion....IMHO, if your regular rides do not make you question the comfort of your saddle and you are inquiring for a specific trip the look at solutions like the, "Air Hawk" then the the, "Air Hawk" is an excellent solution. If, however,  you are uncomfortable with most of your riding then I believe you have the wrong foundation and should look at a new saddle first, and before aftermarket additions to your saddle.


This is just my opinion and I hope it helps.

Antibus
 
Thank you all for the input. I ride about 100 miles a day on the slab during the workweek. On occasion I will do a longer ride in the twisties, and had the privilege of getting two 8 hour days in the saddle this weekend. Normal days, about 80% of my riding the seat is fine. I am looking for that "one-off" ride that will cover much more ground and take most of the day, so I am going to lean towards the AirHawk. Which leads me to the next question, what size? I have a Corbin heated seat on the bike now, is there a size that fits better than others? Also, any insight to the rear seat, will the pinion pad work, or is one of the other available sizes/shapes a better fit?

Thanks again everyone for the insight/feedback! Happy riding!
 
I also have a corbin seat i use for long rides, although only with my airhawk.  Cruiser model r Size large.  Mine measures 14x14 inches approximately. 
 
allezm2
Just my opinion but both the Airhawk and Beadrider do what they say, help you out somewhat.
If you have the dough look into a real custom seat, it really makes a major difference.
My custom Russel Day Long Saddle was $775 with my options; all black leather small diamonds heavy rider option.
After 3000 miles on it  has broken in and I got to say thats the best 775 I ever spent
My A$$ has made a little pocket and it fits great, looks good too.
My wife who  could give a rats ass about anything moto saw it and said wow that looks great.
Not cheap for sure but high quality and they will work with you with mods if you need 'em
Nick
 
Update, rode 500 miles Saturday in Wyoming. Heat, wind, rain and the AirHawks are a win! Our necks were sore from the 55mph gusts, but the AirHawk relieved the hotpsot for the entire ride. Made a little adjustment to my wifes AirHawk to prevent her from sliding forward but then it was solid.

Big Blue (our name for our Connie) handled everything with ease, cruising at 90mph through Wyoming, and brushing off anything that was thrown at us. 91 degrees to 52 due to a thunderstorm cell,  55mph gusts, torrential rain (thankful for the CalSci XL touring screen) and even lightning nearby. Thank you to everyone for the insight and support, this is an amazing group!  We are ready for our ride from Loveland, Colorado to Cedar City, Utah and back at the end of the month.
 
I have both the Airhawk and Beadrider.  On the bike I did my SS1000 on, the Beadrider was perfect.  I rode all day and all night in total lounge chair comfort.  But the Airhawk never seemed as good.  Maybe I had too much air in it?  Don't know, and don't have the bike to experiment with.

But on this bike, the BMW F800GT, the Beadrider just doesn't work.  It is just as uncomfortable as having no pad on it at all.  The Airhawk on the other hand, works great. 

I think the shape of the seat helps determine which works best for you.

Chris
 
I agree whole heartedly on the airhawk being a win,win.  I love the thing.  I put it on whichever bike I happen to take out.  Last summer I did just under 1400 miles from New Hampshire to Wisconsin in just over 22 hrs and my butt was never a problem.  Trying to stay awake was another thing.  The Key is definitely having hardly any air at all in it. 
 
Joe
I've tried to put up photos in the past with no success, let me try again this afternoon. I'm pretty lo-tect.
Best Regards
Nick
2014 C-14
 
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