Inside thighs soreness

[Old Guy]

To help combat the pressure points on your inside thighs you may try a different kind of riding shorts. I use Wilson football compression shorts that I buy at Walmart, and they help. Or, you can spend more money for real motorcycle shorts which may help more.

I ran across a used Corbin saddle, and that helped more. If you can, go to a rally and ask to sit on different types of saddle to see what works best for you.

Welcome aboard.

 

[metalman]

You could contact Spencer at 'What a Great Day to Ride' and discuss your seat problem with him. He's a 'No BS' type guy and will tell you if he can help your situation or not. His mods are very modestly priced.

I also noticed the clutch lever engagement being different than my ST1300.....just ride it you'll become used to it very quickly.

 

[900gc]

1. Seat in low position

2. Don't think that an Airhawk will work for that but nothing ventured.....

3. If the seat is good enough for your needs minus the edges cutting into you (my Sargent did until I had it modded), a local upholstery shop can take off the cover and 'roll' or round off the edges a bit to change the contour. I had my track bike seat modded for $40 by a shop near me.

As others have stated, a good custom seat is ultimately the most comfortable solution.

 

[infrared]

I bought a 2013 FJR recently and while I love the bike (still trying to get used to the tight clutch) the one thing that is bothering me is that the lower-inside part of my thighs just upwards of my knees get sore from the pressure of the seat on there. Is there mods or aftermarket seats that can help alleviate this soreness (starts getting annoying after an hour in the saddle)? Thanks In advance.

Spork,

There is an adjustment on the clutch lever. Try the different settings, and see what works best for you. There are also several aftermarket levers with different styles, that may suit your hands better.

I have a 2008, so you will have to investigate the following ideas, to see if they can apply on the new FJR. I set my seat to the Low position, although that was not an obvious process. A plastic seat-guide cover (about the size of a small matchbox) had to come off the frame seat-tab socket, to access that Low slot. There was a white Seat Frame under the seat, which springs loose from the pivot pins; removing this Seat Frame allows the seat to sit down on the the frame directly, for another centimeter lower position. I removed the front rubber bumpers from under the seat pan, and glued two layers of rubber (cut from an old inner tube) at that location on the frame. Every little bit helps.

Beyond that, aggressive boot treads (waffle-stompers) can help; one member even suggested lift soles. Either way, you will be walking taller, so it may not be a bad idea.

Aftermarket seats come and go regularly on the Classifieds here, sometimes at respectable discounts off the retail price. Somebody local to you (and "local" is a really wide-ranging term, here) may have a seat or two that you can try for size, whether or not that other seat is for sale. One man's trash can be another man's treasure. There are also at least two other FJR forums, which may have used seats for you in their Classifieds. You can "subscribe" to these Classified forums, so you will get an email notice whenever anything new gets posted there. Rapid responses may be necessary, at times, for the best deals.

Welcome to the Forum.

Cheers,

Red

 

[Spork]

Lots of good tips here.

I already tried to adjust the lever in and that helped with forearm soreness but it wasn't that, it is that the friction zone comes quickly and is very narrow. Having a narrow zone makes it hard for me to shift and takeoff smoothly from N--> 1. Like others have said: it is normal and I'll get used to it.

The seat issue is something that comes up about 1 hour into riding. I'M confident a Russell (or others) would solve the problem, but I also don't have $700 to buy a custom seat. I'm sure others had a similar experience and I was wondering if there was a cheap fix that would be "good enough" until I can spring for a narrower seat. I like the idea of getting a local seat guy to work on it for me, gotta be one here in Chicago.

 

[metalman]

Lots of good tips here.

I was wondering if there was a cheap fix that would be "good enough" until I can spring for a narrower seat.

Spencer's mods run $75.00 or less and he's done this for a long time.

 

[PJ4863]

After trying a Corbin and a RDL, I had Spencer do my seat. I love it... better than stock..but none of the problems with the other seats. Spencer has a fast turn around. I shipped my seat out before I left for a week vacation, it was waiting for me when I got home.

 

[Old Guy]

After trying a Corbin and a RDL, I had Spencer do my seat. I love it... better than stock..but none of the problems with the other seats. Spencer has a fast turn around. I shipped my seat out before I left for a week vacation, it was waiting for me when I got home.

With all the recommendations I went in search of Spencer and found a really nice video on his home page.

Site (and video) are at https://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

 

[Spork]

After trying a Corbin and a RDL, I had Spencer do my seat. I love it... better than stock..but none of the problems with the other seats. Spencer has a fast turn around. I shipped my seat out before I left for a week vacation, it was waiting for me when I got home.

With all the recommendations I went in search of Spencer and found a really nice video on his home page.

Site (and video) are at https://greatdaytoride.com/Home_Page.php

Thanks! I'll check him out

 

[Bounce]

Thanks for the tips, I'm looking at an airhawk now, the other custom seats are gonna wait until I have my 'stich.
I'll also try and adjust the seat position but with a 32" inseam im already tippy toe

Toes ain't bad. If it goes over, you ain't stopping a 600+ lb bike on your own. Finesse the balance and you'll be fine.

 

[Old Guy]

Thanks for the tips, I'm looking at an airhawk now, the other custom seats are gonna wait until I have my 'stich.
I'll also try and adjust the seat position but with a 32" inseam im already tippy toe

Toes ain't bad. If it goes over, you ain't stopping a 600+ lb bike on your own. Finesse the balance and you'll be fine.

Oddly, I could reach the ground farther from the bike on my old 1800 'wing, and the bars were wider, so I got better leverage and could hold it at more lean angle than I can the FJR.

My problem is on loose surfaces like asphalt parking lots with loose stuff on top. I can handle it fine on good surfaces, but when I can't get good footing my feet are so close to the bike they just keep sliding. On my much-heavier, old 1800 'wing, I could flat-foot both sides and push it backwards easier than I can the FJR.

Obviously, I try to park where I can back downhill into parking places or out of them, but on rough level surfaces I find myself with one or both wheels in holes that I have trouble getting out of sometimes. it doesn't help that I'm 68 years old and in the worst physical shape of my life

I have found that I can grab the handle on the left side and pull up while pushing down with my left foot and get better traction.

 

[infrared]

Lots of good tips here.I already tried to adjust the lever in and that helped with forearm soreness but it wasn't that, it is that the friction zone comes quickly and is very narrow. Having a narrow zone makes it hard for me to shift and takeoff smoothly from N--> 1. Like others have said: it is normal and I'll get used to it.

The seat issue is something that comes up about 1 hour into riding. I'M confident a Russell (or others) would solve the problem, but I also don't have $700 to buy a custom seat. I'm sure others had a similar experience and I was wondering if there was a cheap fix that would be "good enough" until I can spring for a narrower seat. I like the idea of getting a local seat guy to work on it for me, gotta be one here in Chicago.

Spork,

The "wet clutch" of the FJR can actually come rather dry, from the factory. The clutch only gets a sprinkling of oil from normal running. A common process to remedy this problem is called a "clutch soak." You can find many threads here about how-to, and the good results. Any decent MC shop can do this for you; it is not a dealer-specific job, but a Yamaha dealer may (or may not) do it under warranty. That "dry" clutch problem could be causing the narrow friction zone issue, on your clutch.

A Russel seat is is taller than stock, so getting the feet down would become more of a problem with a Russel seat. Using any seat, you may be able to lower the bike with "lowering links" in the rear suspension, and setting the steering head slightly lower on the forks. I am using Kouba links on my 2008, but I am not the one to advise you on the newer FJR suspensions. Certainly, others here (or the dealership) can give you the best advice, there.

Cheers,

Infrared

 

[FJRRYDER]

I too have the thigh issue, but a little Monkey Butt powder helped and I'm hoping that area gets "work hardened".

The clutch on my '06 engages "right now" and is a little stiff. I'm wondering if installing a booster in the clutch line somewhere would help.

 

[Harald]

I stalled my FJR twice the day I bought it because the clutch engagement point was immediately after allowing the clutch lever to move off the bar. But the clutch lever is adjustable and so the clutch engagement point can be moved further out from the bar. I was very happy with the bike after tweaking that setting.

Nothing easy can be done to change the width of the friction zone, but it's easily adaptable after riding the bike for a while. After 100k on my FJR, I don't even think about clutch engagement anymore.

 

[Geezer]

Regarding the seat, you have three options:

1) Get used to the stock seat. After many miles, eventually, you will learn to tolerate the stock seat and just put up with the discomfort. I did this for many miles and long multi-day rides. I was happy.

2) Try some of the seat covers or cushions, like Airhawk and Alaska Leather. I tried the Alaska Leather and it did not help at all, but a lot of people seem to think it helps.

3) Buy a custom seat the fits you. Eventually I bought a used Russell Day Long and I customized the foam myself to fit me and I was sorry I ever tried option 1 or 2.

 

[Iris]

I love my bike. The only thing I would want different is the seat. I have an aftermarket seat (Laam), but to me, no matter what seat I get, I will not get passed the width of the seat pan. Wholly cow...the seat pan is HUGE. When I sit on the bike, my legs go out before they go down. I would prefer a narrow, sport bike type seat.

My inner thighs ache after a ride from trying to grab the tank. It's the muscles that seem to ache. I get used to it after a few rides.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.