I don't get the "Bolt Upright" riding position!?

[Perazzimx14]

I believe you.    I'm the same in this regard.

On a bike you can move around. In a car you a locking in. When I had back issues riding a bike was fine. Getting on/off the bike or walking was the problem.

[Kev m]

I like to ride figure 8's around them feet up in gas station parking lots on the LeMans thump thump thump thump........


I like to call it hog trials

Ya know what I learned in the martial arts 30 years ago and was reminded on the track yesterday... There's always someone better than yourself.

Crap the only exception the rare world champions and even then the spectre remains if the better competitor just wasn't there that day, or off his game.

Meh, it's fun to compete with others, but for 99.999% of us the only significant opponent is ourselves.

But then again grins are fun...

[Tom]

Y'ep you are your worse enemy.

[twowings]

Different strokes for different folks:

[Tom]

Hey.....what those 2 wheel car thingies called? 

[Cool Runnings]

Different strokes for different folks:

[steven c]

 My 75 Eldo has pretty high bars which puts me in the sit up and beg position, when I have the faring on the bike it's really nice ,without the faring I wish they where half as high so i can lean forward into the wind.

[decotriumph]

There's no conclusion at all that you can derive from a thread like this, except "Everyone is different, and what is torture for one rider is comfort for another".

I don't find that I can even find any information that is useful to transfer to my own comfort from such a discussion.   If we were talking about food, it might be interesting to see someone say "I love salsa with lots of cilantro", and I'll say "I'll try that", only to find out I am one of the 30% who is genetically wired such that cilantro tastes like Ivory Soap.

But for riding comfort?   Seat?  Bars?  Pegs?  Height?   Nobody's experience is of any use to me, much as I might like it to be.   And my experience is of no use to anyone else.

Matter of fact, this post might not be of use to anyone else, but sometimes discussions can just be idle speculation and that's part of the deal ....

Lannis

Lannis took the words right out of my mouth (or right off my fingertips). My Stelvio fits me perfectly and I can ride it all day (now that I've added a Corbin seat). I rode a 1990s Sport once and if that was the only thing Guzzi made, I'd never have a Guzzi. It was a torture device for me.

[Arizona Wayne]

When I see a rider coming the other way w/ape hangers I don't bother to wave because he's oblivious to what serious riding is about. If I did wave he wouldn't have a clue why or even notice.   Now if he waves first, that's different.  But I've never seen that.

[Red Dog]

Both upright & forward position suits me as long as the bike is set up for my comfort.

I had a windscreen on my old Mille & after a hundred miles I would get the burn between the shoulders and tingle in the right hand & wrist.
I wanted to change out the bars but could not decide to go lower or higher.  Then one hot summer day I took the windscreen off, went for a ride and had covered a hundred miles with no discomfort.  Leaning forward with air pushing against my chest and a full face hat is a comfortable ride now.

When I first got the Griso the hands & wrists would tingle in a real short period of time.  Again I could not decide to raise or lower the bars.  On the Griso forum somebody suggested "Grip Puppies" problem solved.  Again I like the forward position.

The Jackal has the OE high bars (almost like mini apes) & a small windscreen so she is an upright rider & quite comfy. 

Mostly I ride with my heels hanging off the passenger pegs on all my Guzzi's.

The Vic has a "barn door" windshield, full fairing including hard lowers & the OE floor boards are very long & wide.  This is an upright rider & with those big floor boards I can shift my feet all over the place.  Best bike ever in the rain!  If you can keep the speed over 45mph the rain goes all around you, the wind tunnel engineers did well with that design.  Last January I rode non-stop from new Orleans to Lake City FL in about 7.5 hours.

[oldbike54]

 Uh Red Dog , stock Jackal bars are more of a flat track bend , nothing like mini apes 

 Dusty

[Red Dog]

Uh Red Dog , stock Jackal bars are more of a flat track bend , nothing like mini apes 

 Dusty

I bow to your greater knowledge! 
They came with the bike & the owner told me he had bought the bike new & his wife rode it.  The bike is very comfortable with them.


[img=https://s5.postimg.org/jhpld5woz/IMG_0962.jpg]
https://s5.postimg.org/5o18o443r/IMG_0962.jpg

[nick949]

My 75 Eldo has pretty high bars which puts me in the sit up and beg position, when I have the faring on the bike it's really nice ,without the faring I wish they where half as high so i can lean forward into the wind.

So change them!  I do this every spring. Bars are cheap and it takes about 10 minutes tops (even if you have to change the cables).

Nick

[Tom]

Girlfriend before I got married, use to call the mini-apes.  "Monkey bars."   

[Toecutter]

I've always thought "Monkey bars" makes more sense, and would be a much better name, really.

[oldbike54]

I bow to your greater knowledge! 
They came with the bike & the owner told me he had bought the bike new & his wife rode it.  The bike is very comfortable with them.


[img=https://s5.postimg.org/jhpld5woz/IMG_0962.jpg]
https://s5.postimg.org/5o18o443r/IMG_0962.jpg

 "Greater knowledge" hmm , seriously doubt my knowledge is greater 

 Those look more like EV bars than Jackal bars .

  Dusty
 

[Testarossa]

Lannis is spot on -- everyone is different. I don't agree that the discussion is useless. It's always good to know a bit about what other folks experience, and how they solved their problems. Expands my mental toolbox, anyway.

In that spirit I'll add that many decades ago, when my body had not yet suffered a lot of wear and tear, I like clip-ons and rear-sets, and toured all over New England and the Appalachians on a full-Dunstall rig. While working at Microsoft I spent up to 14 hours a day at the computer -- that led to sciatica and pinched nerves in my upper back. Age also earned me degenerative arthritis in my neck. The result is that I can't flex my neck upward for long, with or without the weight of a helmet. I had to replace the drop bar on my road bike with a flat bar, and wound up putting risers on the Guzzi so I could sit up straight. The Funduro riding position is about perfect, except the deeply scooped saddle doesn't let me slide fore and aft as my butt grows weary after a couple of hours. Prefer the footpegs directly under my butt for best control and mobility in the saddle.

Problem now is ischial pain -- bony butt syndrome. Looks like I'm going to have to spend $$$ on some custom seating options.

[Lannis]

Lannis is spot on -- everyone is different. I don't agree that the discussion is useless. It's always good to know a bit about what other folks experience, and how they solved their problems. Expands my mental toolbox, anyway.

I never went as far as "Useless"  ... matter of fact I noted several potential uses for the idea.    But it's certainly not going to help people in the way that a discussion of, say, different jetting or maps or exhaust might, which is measurable and quantifiable.   

"Mental toolbox", that's good.   Some people have a 15-drawer Snap-On cabinet, some a five-gallon bucket with a Chinese crescent wrench and a hammer .... 

Lannis

[Kev m]

Actually Lannis' post was really somewhat off topic.

The OP stated "I don't understand people who" and the posts before Lannis were mostly attempts at helping the OP better understand.

Lannis' post was more a critique of the thread and responses.

[Lannis]

Actually Lannis' post was really somewhat off topic.

The OP stated "I don't understand people who" and the posts before Lannis were mostly attempts at helping the OP better understand.

Lannis' post was more a critique of the thread and responses.

So what do I say about a post that is about another post that is a critique of the thread and its responses?   I guess you'd say that you're now "exponentially" off topic ... and THIS post is off topic to the 4th power, and your comment to it will be like this is the house that Jack built ... oh, WAY off ....

[Kev m]

So what do I say about a post that is about another post that is a critique of the thread and its responses?   I guess you'd say that you're now "exponentially" off topic ... and THIS post is off topic to the 4th power, and your comment to it will be like this is the house that Jack built ... oh, WAY off ....

What you seemed to miss about my post was that it was not a critique of your post per se, but really more a critique of those who agreed with you in that they also missed the point of the thread.

I'm not saying tangents are in any way wrong. But in this case the original one in question did sorta come across as a straw man arguement.

[kirkemon]

I don't understand people riding around sitting bolt upright. I ride with a 65 degree forward lean on my 1200 Sport. This is similar to my past bikes... BMW K75S, K75C, and BMW R90S. I'm not talking about clip-ons.  I find this slight forward lean provides several advantages that I prefer...

Help me here.

I looked at the 1200 Sport, K75S and, unless I read it wrong, don't have a 65 degree ride angle:
http://cycle-ergo.com/

[John Ulrich]

Nothing better then sitting up and stretching for the sky!   

[Lcarlson]

When I bought my Cali, I had intended to buy the Touring, but decided I liked the clean simplicity of the Custom, along with the superior rear suspension. One reservation I had, though, was the slight (6 degrees according to Cycle-ergo) forward lean, since I generally prefer a straight-up seating position on a cruiser. As it turns out though, that bit of lean shifts some weight from my butt to my thighs, greatly enhancing seat comfort. Combined with the proper density of the seat foam, I find the stock saddle to be all-day comfortable, as long as I get off for a few minutes every once in a while.  If I was sitting straight up, I don't think that would be the case. So, the combination works well for me.

[Tom]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO-1O6cLKa4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Le3LVbsJk

[Zimbo]

Very slightly leaning forward works best for me. Achieved this on my V7 by using a flat Airhawk cushion and sitting further back. 2 other improvements with this; softens the harsh rear suspension on the body, reduces some buffeting from the touring screen (which I'm wondering if you're better off without!)

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Since I posted this topic, I've learned a lot and I have a much better understanding of why some riders prefer the upright seating position.

BTW: I measured my 65 degree forward leaning position on both the K75S and 1200Sport by taking pictures of me seated on both. I used a protractor to measure the angle in the picture. You can't get more accurate than that.

[CalVin2007]

  One man's 65 degrees is another's 25.....

  Terry

[wymple]

I've nursed a bad back for a full 25 years now, starting at the age of 42. I fully understand the bolt upright seating.

[luthier]

How many here have a sprung tractor style seat as on the Eldo and Ambo?
I'm getting close to finishing my Ambo and would really like to put a spring kit on the seat as I'm imagining it would be really cumfy. It's definitely going to ease spinal compression along with well set up suspension.
I get the impression that the Police versions had sprung seats which would indicate that it makes long hours in the saddle more bearable.

Also does anyone know where to get that spring kit? I've seen it somewhere but now I want one it doesn't show on MG Cycles or Harpers.