Airhawk
 

Im going to get an Airhawk cushion for the Ten but i was wondering which one fits the best.

I know a few people with BMW 650s( and similair bikes) use the pillion ones as being smaller they tend to fit the small/narrower seat better. But i think the pillion ones come in two different sizes.

Any advice welcome.

Tar

I have the Cruiser Medium, it fits well and you sit into it, rather than on top of it. The sides hang over, but you need the front-to-back length to fit the curve of the Tenere seat.

Then again, when I bought mine, there wasn't the same choice as there is now.

With the AirHawk you only have it slightly inflated, the idea being to fill the gaps with air but your ass still sits on the seat, so it's not a problem having bit overhanging, you just set it so it's full of air in these bits and you get a nice arm chair feeling

Ironically I just ordered an Airhawk this morning, after much deliberation about size for the XTZ. I went for the Cruiser Small ( http://www.bykebitz.co.uk/acatalog/SMALL_CRUISER.html), which is 18" and 12" wide (at the widest point), but it tapers to 9" at the front and 10" at the back, which by reckoning/measuring will fit the seat perfectly? We'll see when it arrives...

I run the Large Airhawk(see piccies) and I do like it a lot! I especially use it on long hauls(800-900km's)/travels and it works well, no sore butt. On short trips, I remove the cushion. It is secured to the seat with two straps, which could be better, but I got it secured tight. You'll sit a tad higher. Once you got the right amount of air in the cushion(not too much!), it's easy to handle.
It's a comfortable addition to the seating, which will give you a relaxed ride.
Greetz, Hans.

Hi,
I also use the large cushion for long trips. I found it to work better when i fit the insert upside down into the cover. It gives me a smoother surface to sit on. Just a personal preference as every backside is different. The straps are cheap and useless on the Ten. A couple of bungees work much better.
I am not going anywhere far without it anymore.
Try buying in the US, much cheaper. Just don't declare the real value, customs will screw you. (is this legal?)

Rob

ok...so two of you use the large, ones uses medium and one has just ordered the small :toothy9:

before posting this question i was thinking of either the pillion one or if i want for the cruiser style i was thinking small or meduim. guess i cant really go wrong.

Cheers

Sounds an odd selection doesn't it, but I believe that Airhawk have added more sizes in the last year or two and have renamed a number of there products to clarify the range of sizes. Some of the above may well in fact be the same?

Airhawk
 

I have the cruiser medium and it fits perfectly, dont forget you may wish to use it on another bike so take that into consideration. They are realy good when you get the right amount of air in, which is not alot.

Well the Airhawk (Cruiser Small) arrived this morning and fits like a glove! :yahoo:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/airhawk2.jpg

Yet to strap down, adjust air and go for a ride...

Airhawk
 

Dont bother with the straps, use a cargo net. Its much quicker and you can leave the cargo net on the saddle and take the Airhawk off when you have to.

Ah... I have an even more cunning plan! Watch this space...

I use the same one as Dallas on both the TTR and the Tenere. I have found over the years that for serious of-road use that Airhawks have really low puncture resistance. There are/were two air bladder compounds, and I've tried both. I found very little real-world difference between them.

For hard use, I bought some lightweight sheet rubber, and made a protective sheath which fits inside the cover. There is a comfort penalty, but it's still a LOT better than going without. Punctures still happen, but far less often. However, the cover is very stretched and doesn't last too long. No free lunches...

How in earth you get a puncture in the Airhawk when offroadin�, mostly ridin� standing up?

Easy. Bits of stick flung up, various burrs and prickles (just as well it's not a horse...:tongue1:).
Bearing in mind a lot of what I do is across country with no roads, so there is a ****load of stuff flying off the tyres most of the time. Ah hates prickles!!:068:
Not very good photos I'm afraid, but you get the idea...

Also lotsa tyre punctures then? Anyway, I see you got some great ridin' possibilities overthere, envy....
Cheers&greetz, Hans.

He he Hans, yeah we are scared of tyre punctures! Almost worse than an Airhawk puncture! But not quite. The trouble is that the Airhawk absorbs a lot of the shock ordinarily transmitted from the rear suspension into your lower spine. When the Airhawk goes flat, suffering happens:surrender::sad5:. Impossible to stand up for hours on end.

think im going for Cruiser in either medium or small.

I saw one ages ago on a bike that was attached by some little black straps. They were like mini ruck sack strap (also used on ROK straps), you know....the ones where you press the side and they release??

this enabled it to be taken off in a jiffy and the straps remained. i would want this as for off roading i would want to take it off.

That's a great idea imo, and one that Airhawk could adopt. It would be accompanied by small screams of joy from those of us who have done battle with their current mangy system!

Thats what i thought. For a while i thought thats how Airhawks came as standard....until i looked into them.

Also if you have a roll bag or something strapped to the pillion seat its not easy to then whip the seat off to take your Airhawk off, quite a bad design really those straps.

Last year I ordered the AIRHAWK Small Cruiser ( http://www.therohostore.com/Products...ISERSMALL.aspx ) and although I followed the specifications for inflation, it didn't work for me.
The sides of the cushion hang over and as a result the inner thighs are going numb after a few minutes. The small cruiser is too wide for the ten's seat, but works fine on my other bike which has got a wider seat. I guess the cruiser pillion would be more appropriate for the tenere.

Did a 400 mile round trip up to North Yorkshire yesterday with the Airhawk fitted. Started with what I thought was not much air in it (as per advice), but turns out that was still too much! I ended up letting some air out on three occasions to get it right, but got there in the end. Main thing is my arse was in top condition at the end of the day. :D

I did consider the pillion version, but thought long and hard about the Ten's seat - although it looks narrow, you'd be surprised when you sit on it and compress the foam how much wider it actually gets! (Not far off the width of the small cruiser Airhawk). I appreciate that an Airhawk won't work for everyone, as no two people are the same shape!

i bought an Airhawk in the end and tested it on a 1200 ile trip. I bought the medium cruiser.

When putting it on the seat it looks to big, and at first a had to much air in which pushes out into your thighs.

Plus...the front strap doesnt fit the Ten as the seat is so narrow. With it fully adjusted to the smallest / tightest setting it still isnt tight enough to be tight against the seat.

So i use an elastic band on the front :)

i must say though it saves your arse! once you figure out the air thing and get used to sitting on it (which doesnt take long) its magic!

i love it, highly recommend one.

Good aren't they! :D

Same problem - I cut the front strap one side and re-stitched it making it shorter.

I just tied a knot in the strap to shorten it

Ah, but I have OCD! ;)