Tags: Air Cushion, Cushion Materials, Motocycle Air Cushions, Motorcycle Seat, Motorcycle Seat Cushions
Are you ready to get your wild ass onto a motorcycle and go cruising down the highway? Wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth? Sounds like a biker’s dream!
Wait, though! Just how comfortable are you going to be on that bike? You’re going to have a sore ass by the end of your ride—especially if it’s a long ride, or you’re “of a certain age.”
We have seat cushions to ease that bottom of yours, though. This article looks at the cushion materials and what each of our three models contributes to an overall smooth ride.
What’s a Wild Ass Ergonomic Air Cushion?
The science of ergonomics focuses on product design and how it can promote safety while reducing injury, especially repetitive stress and strain injuries. This field’s goal is to protect body parts that are especially vulnerable to these types of injury.
Ergonomic products like chairs, desks, and our air cushions are the outcome of this discipline of practical design. In other words, these products are meant to prevent or alleviate pain.
Even though the human buttocks and crotch area are cushioned naturally by fatty tissue and protected by the bony pelvis, the motion and vibrations of a motorcycle can still cause undue stress and strain in this area.
Wild Ass Cushion Materials
Did you know that we make Wild Ass seat cushions from materials used in the medical field? Of course, this makes sense since the same therapies and products used to heal injuries also can prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Neoprene Rubber
DuPont developed neoprene (formally known as polychloroprene) in 1931 as a substitute for natural rubber. It has numerous uses today, including everything from gaskets to computer mouse pads to safety gloves…
And a lot of our Wild Ass cushions.
Natural rubber (latex) can cause severe allergies. It’s also subject to degradation, especially when exposed to light, oxygen, heat, and various oils and chemicals. Neoprene works better under all these conditions, and it’s considered a more reliable material overall.
You see neoprene in many seat pads, especially those, like wheelchair cushions, with refillable air cells. Talk about seat cushions that get a lot of use!
Neoprene’s sponginess, flexibility, and durability make it a favorite among those with serious cushioning needs (sciatica, for instance). That’s why neoprene is one option for our refillable air-cell seat cushions—including our very popular Smart – Classic model and others.
Neoprene is only one of the materials you can choose for a Wild Ass motorcycle cushion, though. Let’s look at another: polyurethane.
Polyurethane and Gel
Like neoprene (and rubber), polyurethane is a type of polymer called an “elastomer.” Essentially, this means that it has viscoelasticity ( a combination of viscosity and elasticity).
Does this mean that polyurethane has excellent cushioning qualities? You bet! In fact, polyurethane is so versatile that it’s been called “a superhero of plastics.”
Polyurethane is extremely durable and resists degradation. Like neoprene, it’s a great material for air-cell cushioning, such as that used in many of our Wild Ass motorcycle seat cushions.
However, we don’t stop with just the polyurethane air cells. There’s another layer of silicone-based gel on top of the air cells. This gel adds the following benefits:
- Helps to redistribute pressure
- Diminishes the force of impact
- Moderates skin temperature
- Improves blood flow by enhancing capillary function
Did we say you shouldn’t feel pain from a simple motorcycle ride? Now, you can see what we meant.
Don’t forget, though, that like other elastomers, polyurethane is remarkable in its capabilities and range of uses. That’s why we also use it for our “Lite” cushions, which are both durable and budget-friendly.
Polyurethane
Even without the added gel, if you don’t do a lot of off-road riding or long-distance touring on your bike, polyurethane makes an excellent air-cell cushion. Its durable cell structure resists leaks and other damage and maintains a high comfort level.
Polyester Seat Covers
Last but not least, we should mention that our seat covers are made from fast-drying, machine-washable polyester. You can order a replacement cover from us if the original one wears out or gets damaged.
How the Wild Ass Cushion Does Its Work
The air cells in our different cushion configurations are suited to the type of bike you have and the ways you ride it. Each model has its air cells arranged to accommodate the ride as well as that individual’s anatomy.
Pillion
The Pillion cushion has a versatile rectangular shape. There are four rows of three cells each (or three rows of four each, depending on how you position the cushion). The cells are angled to match and move with the body’s natural curves and joints.
Sport
The Sport cushion is just that; it’s meant for a more sports-oriented bike and rider pairing. The Sport is wide and thick at the back to cushion the coccyx (tail bone) and thinner at the front to alleviate pressure on the genitalia and pubis (pubic bone).
Smart
The Smart cushion is a universal fit for most large cruisers, standard-sized bikes, sport touring bikes, adventure touring bikes, and Harleys. It’s cushioned where needed and has “breathing room” for the tail bone and other delicate parts.
The Smart cushion makes an hours-long ride feel like a quick run to the local convenience store.
In short, when you ride with any of our Wild Ass motorcycle cushions, you get what you pay for: a smooth, comfortable ride with no lasting aches and pains in the derrière.
The Ultimate Wild Ass Experience
“You get what you pay for” is an adage we live by at Wild Ass. Our selection of cushion materials puts other motorcycle seat cushions to shame. Quite a few riders admit to using our cushions in place of those that came with their bikes.
As you’ve discovered by reading this article, we use only the highest-quality materials in constructing our motorcycle seat cushions. As stated previously, we design those cushions with both the ride and the rider’s anatomy in mind.
The next time you’re on the road with your motorcycle, think of us—especially if you’re suffering from a sore ass. We want to help you get back the “wild” in that ass. So why not take a look at our website and the products we offer? You won’t regret it!