Back pain with motorcycle riding?

Question

I'm 6'4 235pounds. I just bought a 2007 Yamaha 1100 Vstar Classic. Since I started riding more frequently, my lower back begins to hurt after about 30 minutes of riding. I feel comfortable on my bike, but my back kills me afterwards. Am I just too tall for this bike? The bike is barely starting getting broken in. Do I need to adjust the spring suspension? Please, any suggestions?

Answer 1

i highly suggest u start by junking the stock seat. they might feel ok for about 60 miles, after that, a condition called 'monkey butt' sets in, and both yer azz and back starts to feel it. there's alot of aftermarket seats: mustang, lepara, saddleman, corbin are the most popular, and u do get what u pay for...cheap seat, poor results.
now lets take a look at the bars. if the bars are tilted too far forward, it would help to set them back a bit, or get a new set of bars that have more pull-back so the bars set a bit closer to u. sometimes u'll need to also switch out the brake, clutch and throttle cable to accomodate the new bars, but in the long run, the price of replacing all of this will pay off in much longer and more comfortable rides.
some like forward controls. problem is, it slightly reduces lean angle, and u only have 1 foot position. i prefer to mount a pair of highway pegs to the engine guard and switch between the 2.

the shocks really dont play a huge part like u'd think. the biggest part of this problem is in the seat and handlebars.

Answer 2

I got a pad made of fleece. You know, sheep skin with the fleece still attached, trimmed to about 1". That really helped me! Gel pads are supposed to be nice too but I've never tried one. Also, as others have suggested, getting off the bike once every hour or two and just walking around for 5 minutes really makes a difference. It gets the circulation going again in your butt. 8^P In fact when your butt starts hurting, just stopping for gas makes it mostly go away. Also, if the seat allows you to slide back and forth 6 inches or so, it helps while you're riding, changing your position on the seat once in a while. Plus I do a sort of exercise (while riding) where I slide as far forward as I can, then push my stomach out, arching my back as far as I can. This stretches out the muscles or something and makes me feel a lot better. Depending on what kind of bike you have, you might find a used Corbin seat on EBay. Corbin is the cheapest aftermarket seat, but on my bike it makes a HUGE difference from the stock seat. A used one for, say, $100, would be well worth the money.

Answer 3

Thunderoad brings up a good point.
My back always felt fine, but I guess it wasn't.
I recently started seeing a chiropractor due to some pain in my lower back while lifting. It didn't bother me or get worse riding. After my second visit, I noticed a few things. My right foot doesn't turn out anymore. My shoulders are the same height again. My hip feels better. Where I once thought I was comfortable on my bike, I really feel more comfortable than ever. Turns out my lower back joints were locked, upper back out of place a little, and shoulder blade was out of whack.

Over the years things had moved out of place. I never noticed. I always felt OK. Now that they are going back, it's surprising how much changed without being noticed.

Check your riding position, but also check your back.
I think it would be worth it.
My seat ran over $300. My back felt better after 2 visits - $25 each.
And I have more fun riding. I didn't think it was possible.

Answer 4

I've found seats usually cause numb butt while a hurting back or neck is from the pegs, seat handlebar relationship. Backrests do wonders, probably more than a lot of seats would. Get something like a duffel bag, pack it full of clothes, a quilt, etc, bungeeor strap it firmly on the seat behind you and take it for a ride. You may find that's the problem and you'll want that instead of a new seat. I'd sure hate to spend $400 on a new seat and still have a backache.

Answer 5

Back pain has more to do with riding position than the seat itself. When you ride, do you have to lean forward to reach the bars and the pegs, or can you sit straight up like you would in an office chair? Leaning forward puts more strain on some back muscles that you don't normally use, and the bumps transmitted through the seat and suspension don't help...

I had similar problems with my Kawasaki Nomad when I first bought it. I installed a handle bar riser to move the bars up 4" and back 2". It's amazing what that two inches of pullback did for my riding position, and my back pain! As long as I could sit up with my back reasonably straight, I didn't have any back problems, and could ride all day in comfort!

Answer 6

Most of a motorcycyle ends up being ergonomics. Sit on your bike, in the position that is uncomfortable, and then just relax, and float your hands over the bars, raise your hands up 1-2 inches, and then straighten the curve in your back. you will probably feel a "place" in your upper back relax, and that will be the position that your body wants to be in. Handlebar risers will probably be the first adjustment to make, then a better padded seat, and possibly a back rest. If your back is stretched, humped, or other wise stressed, the most expensive seat in the world will just make your butt feel better while your back hurts. Yamaha 1100, should be a good size for your height and weight, with just a tweak to the handlebar location. WWW.scootworks.com has some good risers, aeromach.com would look good on the 1100. At some point while riding, when your back is burning, slide slightly forward on the seat, and move upright, and you should feel some relief......again indicatining that handlebar and posture is the culprit to deal with first. Good luck. Motorcycle communities (by brand name)--"forums" are all full of good people with good--first hand information. You will find that all of them will be willing to assist.

Answer 7

Forktail is absolutely correct. Just want to add acouple of thoughts as I have the same bike, am 6'1", and had back pain.

Change the seat, that a big part of the problem as due to your height your tailbone area is right where the seat curves at the back. This means constant pressure.

Secondly, you don't need to get new bars but what is called "risers." These will lift the bars and bring them back toward you for a more comfortable position. There are different configurations such as 1" up and 3" back. If you get some that raise the bars and bring them back more then 1 inch you will need to get longer cables.

As a no cost stop gap alternative...loosen your bars and lower them (bring them toward you) a little more then the stock set up. This will help a lot and doesn't cost anything. It will feel a little different at first but you'll get used to it in a few miles.

Here's a great forum for you where you will learn all sorts of things about this bike.

http://www.international-star-riders.com/

Answer 8

It could be the seat or it might be that your back just needs taken in for a check up ,I had the same problem with a stock seat so I changed it but got cramps in my legs after an hour of riding ,Wife took me to see a back qauck and with a few adjustments I was back in the saddle riding longer distance /

Answer 9

I am the same height and suffered the same problem. Most of the answers are right its the relationship between your handle bars and your back that is causing the pain. I ride a BMW F650 and the seating position is bolt upright Just look at any of the big beemers, Goldwings, etc. Back straight arms at a relaxed angle and the feet flat. Try a Beemer and you will see what i mean. Good luck.

Answer 10

I'm 6'1" & used to ride a Suzuki S40, a small cruiser. My back was on fire after 20 minutes. In my case, it was because my knees were angled upward which curved my lower back, basically forcing me to slouch. Sitting up straight took effort & quickly became painful. If your knees are angled up, maybe a set of controls with a more forward postion could bring relief.