LMAO. Was supposed to say ERECTOR. Damn iPhone dictionary. Lol.

 

I have a kidney belt that was my dads back in the early 1950's. I found it while going through some of my folk's stuff when mom went into assisted living. It is kinda cool to have but I have never worn it. Mainly because my dad was a lot skinnier in 1950 than I am in 2010.

 

I used one of those elastic "warehouseman" belts on my Softail, especially on longer rides. It made a world of difference in how my back felt the next day. On my FLHTCU I have the adjustable rider's back rest so I've quit using the belt. Did 3,000 miles round-trip last summer and it worked great.

 

Way back when, when my dad was riding, a belt was de rigueur. But if you look at the seats they had on Harleys then you can figure out why some back support helped on a long day's ride. I remember sitting at the table with my dad after he had bought a new belt and a big bag of studs. He laid out a nice design on the belt and started punching holes and putting on studs (some of them had "jewels" in them). In this picture of my dad you can see the wood plank of a seat that he and my mom put many, many miles on. Today, I sit on a nice, comfy Mustang seat with a back rest and some highway pegs so I don't need a belt.

 

I use them for my back and just feels good on a long run..I have made a few..

 

Actually, Harley DID sell fancy kidney belts back in the mid '90's, when the retro craze was in full swing. I bought one in '97 or '98, when they were being closed out for a fraction of the new price. I wore it home and never wore it again, but it looks cool hanging from the wall with the other riding gear.

 

That's a very cool picture. I've got a newpaper clipping of my grandfather on his 1913 Indian (taken in that era), with a big string of fish on a sapling across the bars, but it's in such bad shape I don't think scanning it would be worthwhile. I ought to see if I could find the original in the Spokesman-Review archives, but I don't know the date. Grandma rode an identical bike too.

 

I use a back support belt. Got two herniated discs in my lower back and this gadget makes all the difference. I can ride all day and not get off the bike walking like a zombie. The one I have is made by a company called Hardas. It's a Brit company and I bought mine from a booth they had at the Motorcycle show at Javits Center in NYC a few years ago. Cant' find any dealer for them in the USA. Too bad. It's a helluva good product.

 

Wow. I've never heard of using it for back problems. I have one in my jacket as well. I thought it was just the body armor for the kidneys? You know, help protect those squishy parts in case you go down?