Where is your butt?...

[EngrNewf]

I can't seem to get comfortable. How am I suppose to be sitting on this thing? I have a ninja 250.

More importantly, where's your butt suppose to go? :P

[addy126]

[istreefitty]

I hug the gas tank between my legs, but I have tried to sit all the way back and it doesnt work for me. Just sit as close or as far as it is comfy

[EngrNewf]

So there's no rule like when you're going slow get your butt closer to the tank and when you're going faster have your butt farther away or something? Most of the pics I see the riders seem to be as far back as possible

[rockNroll]

While you're learning, just put your butt where it feels best

[Nexion]

Not that it helps much, but when I was checking the 250 out numerous times at dealers I would sit on it and be pretty much on the tank, like istreefitty.

[CC Cowboy]

I'd have to see your butt first, then I'll make suggestions.

[Snake]

Like has been previously stated just sit where it feels the best. If you still can't get comfortable then you have to add some padding the the seat or wear padded biking shorts underneath your pants.

[Strider]

[EngrNewf]

Originally Posted by Snake

Like has been previously stated just sit where it feels the best. If you still can't get comfortable then you have to add some padding the the seat or wear padded biking shorts underneath your pants.

I feel like my shoulders and back is hurting more then anything else (after a short period of time). Like I'm riding a bicycle with the handle bars to low. I'm not locking up my arms.

[Strider]

Perhaps your grip is too tight and it's causing stress across the rest of your body?

[JaeL]

I think i might have felt the same way at first...

[sofo]

Sit comfortably on the seat so you aren't hanging off the back or slammed against the tank. make sure you can grip the tank with your legs so that you can relax your upper body and try keeping a straight back and lean forward a little more or little less as you ride to find a comfortable spot.

You might find you slide forward a little, if so just shift back a little.

Overall, try a neutral position then see how it feels and shift forward, backward and lean down or up more and play with it a bit.

To answer your question, I'm neutral like this most of the time, shift back to the edge of the seat sometimes when I go fast. I'm not good enough to move around any other way yet.

[sharky nrk]

i always say to sit with your crotch about an inch away from the tank so that your arms are slightly bent and loose

[Cali619]

Focus centering your balance on your legs , like shock absorbers, that should help with uncomfortable position. When you tuck down slide your butt back more so your not scrunched in a u shape, more a 90 degree. Hope that makes sense.

[sharky nrk]

- also just keep yourself loose and move with the bike as needed. its not like riding in a car, the bike and you are a team so there is no one best position.

[Postiez]

I sit as far back as possible so i can actually tuck in, otherwise id be straight up all the time

[Snake]

Originally Posted by EngrNewf

I feel like my shoulders and back is hurting more then anything else (after a short period of time). Like I'm riding a bicycle with the handle bars to low. I'm not locking up my arms.

If you feel like the handlebars are too low then you can have a set of bar risers instaled which will move your handlebars up and back. This may help your shoulders and back.

[AnarchoMoltov]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I'd have to see your butt first, then I'll make suggestions.

+1

[DarkNinja52]

I can't seem to get comfortable either, and I also seem to grip the handle bars too tight which seems to just cause stress all over, then my hands hurt my back hurts, my crotch hurts. Just becomes a mess. I tend to slide forward while im sitting on the bike and end up right up against the gas tank and then my pants start riding up, oh man what a mess.

Everytime I get a chance to put the bike in neutral, I readjust , trying different places each time. But I think I need to be conscious of grip and tell my self to loosen my grip and sit straight up. Since I'm still learning I tend to over-focus on the controls and street and just stress myself out.

SO what I think (just my opinion, im not always right) is that you should try readjusting your position whenever you can and find out what works for you, I'm sure everyone finds different places comfortable due to size/weight/gender(probably). And if you are stressing yourself out about the controls and street, then just every now and then remember to take a deep breath and try to relax your muscles and just have fun and be careful.

[sofo]

One other point... I've been riding my bike stock as it came from the dealer up until now so that I could get a feel for it. Now I am starting to adjust my controls (levers, pedals etc.) and rear suspension preload.

For instance my levers are too high which causes my wrists to be at an uncomfortable angle when say... holding in the clutch lever at a light. I can see how that could be perceived as something else after a ride.

What I'm saying is, could some of your discomfort be due to lack of adjustment that is causing you problems and having to shift around a lot?

[Sound Wave]

i couldn't get comfortable on the 250 either. it kept sliding me forward. i bought a corbin seat for it. while i wasn't initially impressed, as it broke in, i was happy with how comfortable it felt. i would guess that having a comfortable base of support, will help the rest of the body relax a bit. idk.

i guess it isn't a problem for females, but if you are pressing your crotch against the gas tank and you hit a bump or something, your balls are probably going to hurt. ymmv. you can learn from my pain or learn the hard way.

[adouglas]

Stay loose on the bars. Your lower back should be getting a bit of a workout holding you up (nothing extreme, mind, but you should be able to take your weight off your arms). I find the position upright enough that I can relax my arms without putting a lot of stress on my lower back.

+1 on hugging the tank with your knees. You don't have to try to crush it, but those big muscles in your legs can do a lot to support you. Put some pressure there and you might find you get some butt relief.

IMHO exactly where you sit depends a whole lot on your own measurements and not a lot on advice you get over the interwebnetz.

I'm 5'7" on a good day, with a 30 inch inseam. How I fit on the bike will be very different from a 6'2" guy, and also very different from a 5'0" girl.

FWIW, I move around to keep from cramping up. Farther back gives a bit more support to my thighs and makes me less upright. Farther forward takes a bit of stress off my lower back.

This bike fits me absolutely perfectly. Sitting in normal riding position, I can put both toes down with the heels of my boots just off the ground. If I hump the tank I can flat-foot it, which is WONDERFUL for maneuvering when parking.

[ninjabrewer]

Originally Posted by EngrNewf

I can't seem to get comfortable. How am I suppose to be sitting on this thing? I have a ninja 250.

More importantly, where's your butt suppose to go? :P

Originally Posted by EngrNewf

I feel like my shoulders and back is hurting more then anything else (after a short period of time). Like I'm riding a bicycle with the handle bars to low. I'm not locking up my arms.

I was having the exact same situations as you when I first got my bike, it is my first. Everyone here has pretty much given you the best advice that I know of. It takes time to get used to a bike and riding if you have never rode before. Try to stay relaxed as you can, don't grip the handlebar with a death grip and squeeze the tank with your legs to take the weight off of your shoulders and hold yourself up with your abs and lower back. You will have to move around a bit to find what is right for you, and that can change depending on how you are riding from day to day or how long a ride you are taking. Best way is to go out and ride and it will come to you. Hope this helps.

nb

[EngrNewf]

I think it's the weight of my body on my arms. Moving back and using those back muscles might help. Thanks for the advice everyone!

[JaeL]

Originally Posted by EngrNewf

I think it's the weight of my body on my arms. Moving back and using those back muscles might help. Thanks for the advice everyone!

workout?

[istreefitty]

ohh def you shouldnt be putting any weight on your arms but rather use those abs and back muscles to balance

[EngrNewf]

Originally Posted by JaeL

workout?

My arms? I don't think that will reduce the strain.

[Sound Wave]

Originally Posted by istreefitty

ohh def you shouldnt be putting any weight on your arms but rather use those abs and back muscles to balance

it may be tiring on your abs and back at first, but once you get used to it, it will be a much more comfortable way to ride.

[ScorpionNinja]

Originally Posted by Sound Wave

i guess it isn't a problem for females, but if you are pressing your crotch against the gas tank and you hit a bump or something, your balls are probably going to hurt. ymmv. you can learn from my pain or learn the hard way.

Oh ive been there too man! ouchy... for me its like i would hit a slight bump... Slide forward, but b4 i could move back, i would hit another bump and slide forward INTO the gas tank, and my NUTZ would get a bitch slap!

Now this isnt a End-all,be-all Fix, but it Really helped me out.. was to get this stuff called "STOMPGRIP" (universal kit) I had to custom cut it up into parts to fit my gas tank. Once you have this stuff on, and give it 24 hours to Cure to the Tank. Youll notice a difference in cornering and less sliding forward.
You have to keep alil Knee squeeze pressure into the gas tank while riding or cornering. If you wear Shorts, you will have lil Welts on your inner knees. Thats normal, but you should be ATGATT!

STOMPGRIP cost me like $40 at a local biz here in Mi.

Side note, the MORE you have your BUTT back on the seat, the MORE your gonna feel stress on your Arms/Wrists due to laying in a superman like pose!

If you ride in a upright postion with your BUTT close to the gastank, your arms/wrists will feel better, but your back and abs might bug you. I think its just a matter of you riding more often, and each time a lil longer (time wise, between breaks) and youll build up riding stamina! Of course having a thicker Seat couldnt Hurt! Id like to get a beefyer seat, but for now its not a huge factor yet!

[Cedilla]

The first couple of weeks I was riding I had a problem with sliding forward on the seat, I also was riding with my feet on the pegs wrong. I had my the middle of my foot on the peg, it took one time of my foot catching the pavement going around a turn to quickly learn I was doing it wrong. When I started riding with the balls of my feet on the pegs I didn't slide forward on the seat anymore. Im guessing that im supporting myself more with my feet as opposed to my butt and wrist.
As for being comfortable on the bike, you justs need to relax and loosen up a little bit. Just starting out you are probably stiff and locked into place on the bike. There is no right place to be on the seat, in fact you should move your butt around on the seat to keep comfortable.
After you put a few more miles on your bike, you will get more comfortable on it, like you and the bike are one, and your body movements complement that of the machine.

[minuslars]

As you continue to ride on a regular basis you will build the physical stamina needed to be on the bike in that position for a long period of time. Try sitting in a position where your forearms are more or less parallel to the ground. This will keep the weight off your wrists and prevent soreness. If you have to lean way over to accomplish this, then you can either enjoy your sport riding position or, as other people have suggested, get handlebar risers / mods to make it more comfortable. On my '03 the seat definitely took some getting used to. Two previous owners helped break it in a bit; I imagine a new '09 seat is still pretty firm out of the factory. Again, as others have mentioned, Corbin seats have been rated highly, and for the new gens they actually look GOOD although they are quite expensive. A cheaper alternative are pads intended to go under your butt while you ride.

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by EngrNewf

I feel like my shoulders and back is hurting more then anything else (after a short period of time). Like I'm riding a bicycle with the handle bars to low. I'm not locking up my arms.

You may be sitting too far back. Try relaxing your arms and not use a tight grip. A "Crampbuster" could also be helpful. This is a device that fits on the throttle grip and enables you to throttle up with the heel of your hand.

[250rStar]

ok so how tall are you then cuz i'm 5'9 and sometimes my arms or back start to hurt but never on short rides so all i can say is welcome to riding a sport bike! its gunna happen eventually your body will get used to it OR you will just get used to it and not notice it anymore like me hahaha good luck on finding the best place to put ur but as long as its on the seat ur good =)

[Fraja]

I agree with CCboy. We need to see photos, otherwise our recommendations will not be accurated.

[Listerineteeth]

ok so how tall are you then cuz i'm 5'9 and sometimes my arms or back start to hurt

Hmmm... I'm 5'9" and my bum goes numb after about an hour instead... maybe different butt positions?? Never have arm or back problems.

My experience is that sitting close to the tank improves your stability at low speed, while pushing your bum back helps with high speed (a little). The ninjette's position isn't too extreme and tends to favour closer to the tank IMO

How does the bike feel when your sitting on it when stopped? You should be able to easily reach and use all the controls. If not, you may need to modify levers or install lowering links to make it more comfortable. The seat is notoriously hard too (ask me how I know!) so you can look into the options too.

As for being comfortable on the bike, you justs need to relax and loosen up a little bit. Just starting out you are probably stiff and locked into place on the bike. There is no right place to be on the seat, in fact you should move your butt around on the seat to keep comfortable.

Yep, and you get so used to this you don't even know when you shift around. The idea is to firmly grip the tank with your thighs and put your hands on the controls. You should NEVER support yourself with your hands. It can be tough if your just starting out, the instinct is to death grip everything, and I've been cramped up and paid the price for that.

My 2 cents. Hope your butt can find peace with the seat!

[JokerSeven]

This post was from Aug 8, 2009
I'm sure her butt is fine by now.

[Postiez]

Originally Posted by JokerSeven

This post was from Aug 8, 2009
I'm sure her butt is fine by now.

lmao

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by JokerSeven

This post was from Aug 8, 2009
I'm sure her butt is fine by now.

Now we definitely needs pix.

[Keenan84]

Im not gonna lie, after like 30k i have the same problem and get really uncomfortable. I need to find a softer seat or something.