[djthompson43]

1. The stock seat on my '09 leaves a little to be desired. I know there are several aftermarket substitutes that perform better but not sure I want to drop the bucks for one. Still toying with the idea of moving to the 1600GTL next season. Investing $750 bucks or more in a new seat when I might sell the bike in the next 9 months or so doesn't seem like a smart move. BTW, wife came along and had no complaints about the rear seat comfort.
2. The stock shocks also leave a little to be desired. I have 22K miles on the bike and just before leaving on this trip I added jack fluid to the rear shock preload adjuster but it didn't seem to help much. Riding two up and fully loaded, bottoms out going over speed bumps or similar sized curbs, very annoying! But, like the seat, not sure I want to invest in new shocks if I might be selling in the near future.
3. At 104 degrees, no amount of speed will create a cooling effect! From Atlanta to Canton, OH temps were gawd awful after 11:00AM. We stopped frequently to hydrate and wore simple kerchiefs soaked in water around our necks but they dried out pretty quickly. Anyone out there know of any good techniques for staying cool on really hot days?

Made the entire trip without touching the interstate. Lots of beautiful countryside out there if you're willing to take a little extra time. The bike ran flawlessly! Good confidence builder for future long distance rides, only in cooler temps!

 

[zippy_gg]

1. The stock seat sucks for the rider but the passenger is quite comfortable on the LT. Make no mistake: you will also likely need a custom seat on the K1600. Your build will dictate that.
2. You did not indicate how much weight you put on the LT when 2 up and with luggage. You may be able to get by with just replacing the spring with the next size "up". At 22k miles your stock shocks should still be fine unless you load the bike up.
3. Try a cooling vest that pretty much works like your kerchief but covers more than just your neck. Not much else you can do on a bike, but you seem to have the spirit!

 

[SoCalHoss]

I purchased the Airhawk comfort seating system after reading the positive feedack from some of our fellow LT riders here on the forum. I spent close to 10 hours in the saddle last Sunday and I was impressed how the Airhawk performed and completely eliminated the hot spots of the stock saddle.

1. The stock seat on my '09 leaves a little to be desired. I know there are several aftermarket substitutes that perform better but not sure I want to drop the bucks for one. Still toying with the idea of moving to the 1600GTL next season. Investing $750 bucks or more in a new seat when I might sell the bike in the next 9 months or so doesn't seem like a smart move. BTW, wife came along and had no complaints about the rear seat comfort.
2. The stock shocks also leave a little to be desired. I have 22K miles on the bike and just before leaving on this trip I added jack fluid to the rear shock preload adjuster but it didn't seem to help much. Riding two up and fully loaded, bottoms out going over speed bumps or similar sized curbs, very annoying! But, like the seat, not sure I want to invest in new shocks if I might be selling in the near future.
3. At 104 degrees, no amount of speed will create a cooling effect! From Atlanta to Canton, OH temps were gawd awful after 11:00AM. We stopped frequently to hydrate and wore simple kerchiefs soaked in water around our necks but they dried out pretty quickly. Anyone out there know of any good techniques for staying cool on really hot days?

Made the entire trip without touching the interstate. Lots of beautiful countryside out there if you're willing to take a little extra time. The bike ran flawlessly! Good confidence builder for future long distance rides, only in cooler temps!

 

[BecketMa]

Look up Eskino cooling vests to tame the heat.

With my stock seat I started squirming after 45 minutes. Now I can run from tank to tank.

Installing after market shocks raised my Lt about an inch higher. That solved the bottoming out over normal speed bumps. But, I have to fight her more at slow-no speeds.

Best from Tucson
Bob

 

[DanDiver]

I purchased the Airhawk comfort seating system after reading the positive feedack from some of our fellow LT riders here on the forum. I spent close to 10 hours in the saddle last Sunday and I was impressed how the Airhawk performed and completely eliminated the hot spots of the stock saddle.

+1

Seems to work for me on my K1600. Beads and a good sheep skin worked too.

 

[katnapinn]

I purchased the Airhawk comfort seating system after reading the positive feedack from some of our fellow LT riders here on the forum. I spent close to 10 hours in the saddle last Sunday and I was impressed how the Airhawk performed and completely eliminated the hot spots of the stock saddle.

+1

Seems to work for me on my K1600. Beads and a good sheep skin worked too.

Plus 2
I have about 12K on my bike using the AirHawk with 5 or 6 800 plus mile days. Works GREAT for less then $150. Also you can use the same one on a LT or K1600

 

[bamarider]

A good sheep skin works for me. Would try that or one of the items mentioned above before giving up on the stock seat.

 

[mwnahas]

On our second set of these. Works wonders.
http://www.beadrider.com/

 

[JPSpen]

Two up and loaded requires cranking the preload on the rear shock down all the way..

Then it should stop bottoming..My LT never bottomed with me, The wife, Full bags, And a trailer...

Unscrew your preload adjuster all the way and make sure it's giving you full travel..

If it runs down easily for a ways before resistance is felt. You might want to refill it..

There are several tutorials on how to refill the adjuster so you get all the adjustment available...

Good Luck.

John

 

[copperstatetour]

3. At 104 degrees, no amount of speed will create a cooling effect! From Atlanta to Canton, OH temps were gawd awful after 11:00AM. We stopped frequently to hydrate and wore simple kerchiefs soaked in water around our necks but they dried out pretty quickly. Anyone out there know of any good techniques for staying cool on really hot days?

Bad thing about all that fairing and stuff up there on the LT is that you are shielded from wind which is the only thing that can help on a hot day. Now that it is summer I routinely ride in temps ranging from 105 to 115 or more and I have found that the best combination for me is a long-sleeve cotton shirt under a mesh jacket. I stay with light colors for my jacket and helmet (silver and white respectively) because that helps reduce the amount of parasitic heat that builds up from the sun beaming down on you. :sun:

One of those cooling vests might also work, although I have not tried one since I am riding to and from work under these conditions and am too lazy to change my clothes before I head home in the afternoon. Other than that, make sure those little wing thingies under the mirrors are not deflecting and that your windscreen is in its lowest position.

It sounds like you have the #1 thing figured out already, stay hydrated!!! Nothing will do more to keep you cool and from going into shock than drinking more water than you think you should. The last thing you need when riding a motorcycle is to start feeling the effects of heat exhaustion. Every rider should know what they are: heavy sweating, thirst, fatigue, heat cramps, and later headache, dizziness nausea or vomiting. If these are ignored it develops into heatsroke which is 911 either because you crashed or just because of the heatstroke itself. (symptoms taken from NSC first aid manual) Ride safe, if you start feeling one of these know what to do and take appropriate action, which goes for your passenger as well.

The nice thing about the LT in hot weather is that you get none of the heat from the engine pouring over you for what it's worth.

 

[LTFan]

I was riding in 104-115F last weekend and learnt important lessons. Its important to drink a lot of water and allow only limited amount on air to flow around you to take the sweat away. Since the air temperature is greater than the body temperature (97F) allowing too much wind to flow will be counter productive.

 

[casualemt]

As far as the rear pre-load adjuster, you might want to revisit the HOW to review your technique for refilling the adjuster, make sure it is adjusted all the way out counter clockwise, then take the bolt out, and then get a long hex wrench stick it through the bolt hole, and push the plunger inside all the way to the bottom, then fill the adjuster. If you didn't follow this procedure, you are going to keep bottoming out...

 

[Kra961]

Well since you're planning on getting rid of the bike shortly, there isn't a heck of a lot to say.

The GTL is a good bike and you're going to find pretty much the same issues that you do with the LT.

You need a good saddle for a comfortable ride you need good shocks to handle two up. You'll find this to be true of most bikes.

You'll also find the issue with the heat to be universal that's nothing new on any motorcycle, you can eat bug's for lack of a shield or you can have less airflow with a shield I've never been much of a bug eater myself but to each his own.

Good luck

 

[rcoolbaugh]

On the hot days I wear an under-armor shirt under my mesh jacket and soak the shirt with water. The evaparative cooling lasts about 45 min to an hour before having to re-apply the water.

 

[rowie]

For a quick and cheap cooling option, Frog Toggs Chilly Towel works great, and it's less than $15. It's essentially a very large synthetic chamois, you soak it and wear it on the inside of your jacket. It will wet your shirt but in 115 degrees I've used one and I felt perfectly OK (as long as you stay hydrated that is....).

 

[L_Rudy]

Check out Astech Seats for reworking your foam with the latest in gel and memory foam. I had mine done and am pleased with the results for the price - $330 for both seats! I did a couple hundred miles this past Saturday and felt great - way better than the stock! Talk to Pat, he's great at listening to your needs, but be specific; I had to send mine back for a second round foaming, because I wasn't specific enough! He did pick up the tab though!

www.astechseats.com

 

[dthogey]

I had good luck with the Airhawk until I found a used Corbin seat in the Classifieds on this site. If you keep an eye on the classifieds you will find a used seat for much cheaper than new.

 

[cws]

At 104 degrees, no amount of speed will create a cooling effect! From Atlanta to Canton, OH temps were gawd awful after 11:00AM. We stopped frequently to hydrate and wore simple kerchiefs soaked in water around our necks but they dried out pretty quickly. Anyone out there know of any good techniques for staying cool on really hot days?

Use something like this instead of a kerchief.. http://www.polarbreezebandanas.com/ (there's plenty of other web-sites for different makers too.) Bought a couple of similar cooling neck-wraps at a camping goods store in Oz for hot days ($5 each), cheap and they work a treat and last 3-4 hours, a simple wash at the next rest-stop/fuel stop refreshes them. Makes a big difference.

 

[djthompson43]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! Think I'm going to give the air hawk cushion a try. Also going to take another look at the preload adjuster, but I'm pretty sure I refilled it according to instructions I found on this site. It was a pretty straightforward procedure.

Dave

 

[DanDiver]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! Think I'm going to give the air hawk cushion a try. Also going to take another look at the preload adjuster, but I'm pretty sure I refilled it according to instructions I found on this site. It was a pretty straightforward procedure.

Dave

Main thing to remember about the Air Hawk is that less air is better than too much. I initially had too much air and it was awkward. As I gradually reduced the amount, the seat became more comfortable.