3/27/2008

Gear review
Let's get to the bottom of it...

When I came into my office today, I had a package sitting on my desk chair. It was a large plastic fed-ex envelope. Soft to the squeeze, I thought it was some kind of clothing, but I hadn't ordered anything like that. To my surprise, the Alaska Leather butt pad I had ordered just days before had already arrived. I've yet to take pics, and there isn't a great representation on their website. It fits quite nicely on the buddy seat in a couple of different positions. I have only ridden with it for ten or twenty miles, so I'm just getting the feel for it. The pad does offer a little more comfort, and I'm sure on longer days it will be much appretiated. It is good quality leather with about 1/2" of sheared sheep skin, and I think it will really help with the dreaded monkey butt. It has an elastic strap that keeps it tight on the seat, and the width of the buddy seat maxes out the strap's length, but even in stop-and-go city traffic it stayed put. All in all, it's a nice addition, but I'll probably only use it for long rides. I can't wait until it gets warmer for many reasons, but for one in particular, so I can try out the sheepskin in the heat of the summer. Believe it or not, it's actually supposed to keep your bum cooler because some air can flow underneath. Some touring motorcyclists have one to two inch long wool or sheepskins in the summer to provide a layer of air underneath them, which theoretically should keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I'll let you know how it goes.



If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz@yahoo.com