Viagra? No, a ride on a BMW

May 02 2012 - In News

After almost two years, Californian Henry Wolf is reported to be suing BMW after a four-hour ride on a motorbike.  The claim: the 'ridge-like seat' on his motorcycle gave him an erection lasting nearly two years. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Wolf claimes that the 4 hour ride on his 1993 motorcycle left him with an unrelenting erection causing mental and emotional anguish.

Due to this long-lasting erection, also known as priapism, Wolf has been experiencing continuing problems. He is now unable to engage in sexual activity, his attorney Vernon Bradley of Sausalito wrote in the lawsuit which was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco last Thursday.

Priapism is named after the Greek fertility god Priapus, who is commonly depicted as having an unusually large erection. The condition can technically be onset after just four hours. It is generally considered an emergency medical condition which should receive proper treatment.

According to  USA Today Wolf is seeking monetary damages for lost wages, medical expenses, emotional distress and "general damage." 
On All About Bikes a blog notes that there have been several instances alleging erectile dysfunction as a result of narrow motorcycle seats. "But that this appears to be the first case where a medical condition with the exact opposite effect has been alleged."