"I'd rather leave than suffer this"

I just returned from a approx. 1000 mile motorcycle ride where the temperature was, on average 95 degrees. A souvenir from my trip was a pretty bad case of "Monkey Butt."

Monkey Butt is a painful rash condition that is due to butt perspiration and lack adequate wicking so the skin can't breath properly. Did I mention it was painful? The last hour of the ride was really, really, uncomfortable, detracting from the pleasure of the ride, decreasing the safety, and forcing me to stand every 15 minutes or so on the pegs to get my butt off the seat.

I sweat a lot and the high temperatures along the ride exacerbated the condition. My daily commutes, approx. 45 minutes each way, were not long enough to flush out the problem but the long, hot, rides definitely did.

This problem isn't new is just been rebranded with a more catchy name that tough guys can associate themselves with. It's more common name is: Diaper Rash. The symptoms and cause are basically the same: lack of airflow over the skin and inadequate wicking of moisture.

Note: It's important to point out that I ride with Pearl Izumi bike shorts under my riding suit which does a lot to mitigate the problem but even the great shorts break down after about two hours sweating in the hot 95 degree sun. On a bicycle I've never had the problem which is probably attributable to the fact that the air is flowing better and effectively wicking the moisture.

"One last thing before I quit"
I found a cure and it's simple and effective: Talcum Power otherwise known as Baby Powder.

I purchased the Johnson and Johnson brand and liberally sprinkle the Talcum Powder into the shorts and the rash and pain quickly healed.

While the way to really prevent Monkey Butt is to keep your butt dry. Sometimes due to excessive temperatures and lack of good ventilation it's not easy. To assist keeping your butt dry Talcum Powder, and some of the additives to Talcum based products: corn-starch, zinc-oxide, kaolin, etc. are cost-effective, widely available and solves the problem effectively to reduce adult diaper rash or Monkey Butt.