Butt Cushion...

 

You need one of those "donuts" to sit on, Jim?  No, but thank you for asking.  I have mentioned that the seat on the Burgman 200 scooter rubs me right at the tailbone.  A scooter forum friend suggested I try an inflatable seat cushion to see if that raises me up above that spot on the seat.

Thanks to Vine, I ordered one with no out-of-pocket costs.  It arrived today.  I pumped it up and put it on the scooter seat... yep, it raises me up just enough that my tailbone doesn't rub on that spot on the seat...

All we have to do for Vine is give an honest review on most of the items we order.  This one works to get my butt up a bit higher... but, I feel each of those "bubbles" on the seat pad.  The rain has started here, so it had to be a "test sit" in the garage.  Maybe those "bubbles" will give me a bit of airflow for my nether region?  Either way, it is a good test to see if a change in the stock seat will be helpful.

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On the bright side, Murphy got a good long walk outside this morning, before the rain started.  It will have to hold him for a while.  He and Tango got some "buddy time" today.  Tango got a blue "pillow" like Murphy's... but Tango isn't interested in it.  We brought Tango's pillow to our house to let Murphy get his scent on it, to see if Tango likes that better.  Ah, the things we do to keep kitties happy.

The Results Are In...

 

A primary election?  Oh, hell no - this blog intentionally avoids political crap.  These results are important... Xmax vs B200... Yamaha vs Suzuki... 300cc vs 200cc.  Joan and I got out together on our scoots.

We didn't have a destination in mind.  I suggested a run up the mountain, then lunch at a Chinese buffet place we've driven by.  All in favor - the motion passed unanimously.

I left my 360 camera behind; didn't even take the Go 3.  Once we got to the twisty roads, I regretted that decision... it's just a lot of work editing that video.  Instead, I took my phone off the mount on the bike when we stopped to have a look around...

 Us with the bikes...

Running further up the mountain, there was a road open that has been blocked off since we got here - good riding, twisties and ups and downs.  We stopped at the end of that road.

This truck pulled in about 20 seconds after we got off our bikes - I was hoping for an unfettered view of all the antennas at the top of this road...

A view looking south (Gila Valley area)...

My phone was never meant to capture images while riding, but I was able to get this...

That is looking through the windshield, and pointing kinda downward.  But, you can see Joan out ahead of me.  I like it!

Then, up to the Dobbins Overlook area, to overlook your Dobbins...

Back down the mountain and headed east to try out the Chinese place: Lin's Grand Buffet.  Yep, it was pretty grand.

From there, we rode west on Baseline.  A stop for gas (only $2.99) - the Suzuki got 88 miles per gallon on that tank; 85 mpg on the Xmax.

On, and the results I mentioned in the title: yeah, the Xmax trounces the Burgman 200.  From a roll-on at 25 mph or from a stop, the Xmax easily pulls away from the Burgman.  It's a good thing I am not competitive... I like the little Burgman.

We swapped bikes for a bit, as well.  My observation: the Xmax feels significantly more substantial, as you'd expect... bigger motor, bigger frame, more horsepower, more torque, stronger brakes.  All that said, pushing the Burgman through the twisties is more fun (for me).  Joan's observation: it reminds her a lot of the Vespa - not enough leg room for her.  The Burgman makes more noise with the engine and exhaust note.  "Not bad, but it doesn't fit me."  She did not care for the seat and seating position: it put her knees higher than her hips.

If the Xmax fit me as good as it fits Joan, I'd have one.  Once I get the seat situation figured out, the Burgman will be a better fit for me.  We're each happy with our choice.

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When we got home, I took Murphy for a walk out in front of the house; another good outing.  After we came inside and he got a treat, I let Tango come over to our house; the two boys played together while Joan was outside, getting the patio stuff covered for the rain that is coming.  Tango really likes Murphy's pillow...

We'll see if he likes one of his own, since Steph ordered one for him... I'm guessing he will ignore it.  ;-)

The boys sat by Joan...

Murphy said, "That's my Momma!"  Tango said, "I've known her longer than you have!"

Boys, don't fight...

They were just playing.  They are cute together.  Don't tell Steph, but I'm thinking we will take them out on the scoots someday and let them romp around up on the mountain.*

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* I'm kidding, of course - Tango is a house cat.  I just wrote that to get a rise out of Steph.  We did lend Steph a cat harness for Tango, which he has worn around the house a time or two.  She may try working with him on a leash.  At some point in time.

She thinks it would "be cute" to have them walk together on a leash.  Having leash trained 4 cats, I would put that in the same category as "herding cats."  ;-)

Catio On the Patio...

 

It was cool this morning, but sunny and clear - I was cordially invited to make us breakfast on the griddle.  While Joan and I were on the patio, Murphy was out in his catio...

 You can see where Joan has put carpeting and other accoutrements in Murphy's outdoor accommodations.

With breakfast done, I spent some time walking Murphy around the yard... and then decided: today is the day.

The day?  Yes, the day... this is the day that I am going to take Murphy out the front door and let him see some of the outside world.  My motive: expose him to the sights and sounds beyond our yard, so he can see that if a car drives by, it isn't going to try to kill him.

How'd he do?  Thanks for asking - the boy did fine...

Joan and I took turns with him; I usually do all the walking, but it was nice to have some "back-up" in case the boy decided to freak out or try to make a break for it.

This is a big deal - a graduation of sorts.  Murphy has done extremely well with our yard walks.  Joan's turn...

That's the sidewalk out in front of our house... I wasn't sure that we'd get beyond the driveway this first time out, but Murphy was ready.  I took him through the gravel along that exterior wall...

Steph and Dan had their garage door open; they had just finished installing a rack on the wall in there to hold folding patio chairs.  They were about to install a keypad lock on the door going into their house from the garage.  Joan volunteered me to help.  About that same time, Dan got a delivery of a stand made for his pizza oven.  OK, Steph and I will do the lock, so Dan can set up his new pizza oven accessory.

But, first I have to get Murphy inside.  I told him, "Let's go home"... he knows what that means when we're in the courtyard, but this is to a different door...

My little furry boy did great!

Steph and I got the doorlock keypad installed, then went to look at Dan's pizza oven stand - very nice!  I'm calling this a productive day... and it isn't done.  I've also been cordially invited to make burgers on the griddle for supper.

Back to the vet...

 

That was our outing for the day: Murphy back for a check up on his ears.  We also took Tasha, the "grande dame" of Steph and Dan's cats.  She was scheduled to get some X-rays done.  The timing worked for us to take Tasha so neither Steph nor Dan had to take time off from work.

Tasha is a big girl, a Siberian Forest Cat.  She is not a fan of being put in a carrier and even less of a fan of going to the vet.  Truth be told, I think the people at the vet's office are a bit scared of Tasha.  I can kinda see that: as I said, she is a big girl... she also sounds fierce when she isn't happy.  But, she is sweet - she doesn't bite or scratch, but the growls that come out of her are startling.

Murphy, on the other hand, is a little guy, and mostly passive.  They have seen each other through the screen door of their patio, but Tasha let out a little hiss and walked away... she has no need for another cat around here.  There is a reason we let Tango and Murphy play together: similar size and temperament.

Tasha loves Joan, so when it was time to get her in the carrier, Joan scooped her up, talked sweet to her, and before Tasha saw it coming, she was in the carrier.  It is no work getting Murphy in his carrier.  When we took them both to the car and put them in the back seat, there was some hissing and growling... none of it on Murphy's part... I turned Tasha's carrier around so she wasn't facing Murphy.

It's a short ride to the vet's office, about a mile and a half.  We took them in and got checked in at their reception desk before taking a seat to wait to be called into an exam room...

 Once in the exam room, there was more growling and hissing.  Still not on Murphy's part...

If you look into that carrier in the front, you can kind of see Tasha - physically, she is about twice the size of Murphy.  Intimidation-wise, she is more like 4 times his size.

Another ear exam and the vet tech dug out more stuff in Murphy's ears.  I felt bad for our little boy - you could tell he was not enjoying the experience.  There will be another round of ear drops and another follow up visit for him in 10 days.

It turns out that the vet had consulted with another vet and decided to not do X-rays on Tasha today... which meant we put the furry girl through this stress for no reason.  I wasn't happy about that.

There was no hissing on the ride home.  I took Tasha into their house, let her out of the carrier, and got her lunch ready... she hadn't eaten today, because they were going to have to put her under to do the X-rays.  I was glad she didn't have to go through that.

Everybody's home, everybody's happy.  Well, Murphy just wanted to nap after all that ear digging.

On the bright side, it was cool and clear today - the weasels had been predicting several days of rain... that happened overnight as was done by the time we got up this morning... so, we didn't have to schlep cats in the rain.

Late this afternoon, Tango came over for some play-time with Murphy.  They're cute together.

The New Kid...

 

Murphy?  Yes, he is the new kid, and here's a photo of him in his catio...

 The boy is doing fine.  He's learning that his Mom and Dad like snuggles.  He may turn out to be the best of all our cats on leash walking - he stays by me and responds well to input with the leash.  He has found his voice - instead of making baby sheep or calf noises, he does actual cat meows now.

This post is about the new scoot.  Yesterday, Mark asked me if I had any photos of it that he could look at... nothing other than what I took at the dealer the day I got it.  So, while out for a ride this morning, I stopped to get some decent photos...

It was a very enjoyable ride.  It's going to have to hold me for a few days, as rain, wind, and colder temps are all in the forecast.

Joan ordered me a 12v charger for the new scoot...

There is a 12v socket in the glovebox of the B200 - this lets me plug the lightning cord into my phone to keep it charged while riding; the USB C cord will do the same for any of my 360 cameras.  The cables are flat, so I can shut the glovebox door with the cord pulled out.  Very handy, and I don't have to hardwire anything, like I did on the Vespas and the CTX.

Chicks, man...

 

If you said, "A movie from 2000," you are more with it movie-wise than I am - never heard of it.  I was thinking Joel McHale on The Soup, 2004 - 2015.

But, I digress.  It was a music day: I got together with Mark and Tom at Mark's house.  Joan came along - she and Cindy went out for lunch and did some shopping.  The ladies got back about 10 minutes before our intended departure (we have to get home to get Murphy his supper).

Joan asked, "What are you guys going to play for us?"  (She is always a good audience when I'm playing.)

I asked, "What would you like to hear?"

She said, "Anything."

"We don't know 'Anything' but we could make a good attempt at Something (by the Beatles)."  I said to the guys, "Let's do this up right - I may try to take one of these chicks home with me."

Mark said, "Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself - take 'em both... and after a couple weeks you can decide which one to bring back."  (rimshot)

Made me laugh.

For the record, I brought home the Blonde... so, that song kinda worked out for me.

 

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.