Tuesday, January 30, 2024

That isn't gonna work...

 

The catio?  Nah, it's great.  Murphy sat in it out on our patio while Joan and I soaked in the hot tub this morning - seems that he is just fine with being in it.

This afternoon, Joan went to the store while I geared up to get out on the scoot.  I had a plan in mind: go to see a place that customizes motorcycle seats; I visited with the guy on the phone, but need to get the scoot to him to see what he can do with it.

A problem?  Well, that big-ass seat on the Burgman 200 has a pressure point right at my tailbone... I was hoping someone with experience and ability could carve down the foam in that area to give me a better fit.  The place is about 50 miles away, in the east Valley.  I chose to take a surface road east to I-10, the freeways the rest of the way.  I continue to be impressed with the highway manners of this 200cc scoot.

The GPS took me almost right to the place - other side of a long building with small offices/shops.  I went in, met the owner, and he came out to look at the bike... "Whoa!  That is a HUGE seat!"

"Yep - she is a bit of a fat bottom girl."

He said, "Show me where you want me to give you some extra room."  I pointed to the place and he said, "Oh, that isn't gonna work - that isn't extra padding there, that is the seat pan."  (The solid form on the under side of the seat.)  "I could build up the sides and back, which would give you the same end result."

"Except it would move me even further forward, right?  That doesn't work for me - I was hoping to gain a bit more room further back on the seat," I said.

"One other option," he said, "I cut away that part of your seat pan and make an insert with fiberglass.  That way, you'd get extra room to move back and we could shape the foam any way you like.  That would be about $450 plus tax.  If you want, I could also build up the foam where you sit with the same high density foam that is used in the pilot's seats in airlines... for an additional $200."

"I'm going to have to think on that," I told him.  For a little bit more than that, I could order a Corbin seat, and I know how that will fit me (I have had several Corbins on other bikes).  Decisions.

On the bright side, I had a good ride today, even though most of it was in plenty of traffic on the freeways.

Murphy got more time in his patio while I was gone... which means Joan got more patio time.  Win-Win.


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And, a few more stills from yesterday's ride...



An angle from the side...



I had some issues downloading the video/stills yesterday; I was able to "git 'er done" when I got home from today's ride.


2 comments:

Earl49 said...

Glad that Murphy is enjoying his catio. 63° yesterday was a record high for this date, and we'll see similar again today but with strong winds. Then the weather turns sour.

As for the scooter seat, I have ridden Corbin a bit and they are nice. For my Gold Wing and our serious touring in Alaska, I went with a Russell Day-Long saddle, which worked great. (www.day-long.com) But I had all winter to wait for a built-to-order and supplied a spare seat pan. I would be inclined to work with the local guy even at a comparable price, but you have a better sense of what he can do.

Captain Jim and the Blonde said...

Hi Earl - I'm still in the consideration stage on which way to go with the scooter seat. The local guy is doing some really nice custom work. Having had other Corbin seats, I know they fit my butt. It isn't an immediate need, just part of getting the new scoot set up for the most comfortable riding.

63º is nice for January in Idaho! It got to 80º here today - we went to Mark's place (guys making music, the ladies went out for lunch and shopping) and had to turn on the A/C in the car on the way home. That will change tomorrow... I may have to get a ride in during the morning before the rain blows in (for several days).

I feel like I'm getting more appreciative of living in the desert... I'll get back to you on that when summer rolls around. ;-)