Saturday 11 May 2013

New Seat - Take Two

Well after the longer ride to Mudgee I spent the next day with a bit more back pain than normal. Hmm that cant be good I thought, and I have to admit that on the longer trip things didn't really feel right. It was great being able to put my feet flat on the ground while I'm wheeling the bike around but I didn't ever want to compromise comfort. And that's what happened.

I called the man who had fixed the seat the first time and asked if there was something he could do to make it more comfy again. He told me to bring it over, he also told me some other things but because I don't hear so good, specially over the phone, I missed those bits. I went over to see him and was hoping that he would have some good things to say.

He took me into his little workshop this time ... wow!! There was leather and seats galore in there, it was amazing!! So he had me sit on the seat this time and we talked about how I'd told him the wrong thing last time .. I obviously have no idea where I'm sitting when I'm on the bike. He suggested what he could do to make it more comfortable which involved a bit more shaping of the bottom of the seat (under my bum) and the back of it (to tilt my hips at a better angle). While I was there I had a bit of a drool at some of the work he has done, he showed me some different types of leather and designs. Why did he show me those? Well, he said, he might not be able to get the old leather back off cleanly again, he'd had to glue it down last time. Oh well I said just let me know if you cant take it off and we'll talk again.

I went on with my busy week then gave him a call a couple of days later. He was kinda hedging, he'd obviously had a lot of trouble getting the old leather off, but he said it's not too bad .. 'there might be a couple of lumps under your bum is all' ... oh that doesn't sound good. I told him to change the leather and told him which one I'd picked out. I also said go ahead with the pretty flame stitching he'd shown me .. and some white leather on it somewhere ..'you know what ya doin' .. make it look pretty for me' I said.

And he did. He called me while Terry and I were in Bathurst so I had to wait til we got home to go pick it up .. I was just about bursting with excitement by the time I got there. And so happy with the result. He's had to put some more foam back into it to make it comfy, but he's made it so pretty!!

I cant flat foot when I stop anymore, though I think it's better than it was before all of this, but at least I tried it out. The only other option that I can see if it's still too unstable, is to lower the bike either by changing the suspension or using a lowering kit. I'll try this out for a few months though, cause although I slipped today I am very proud to say I didn't drop my baby this time. I might just have a compromise here with a comfortable ride and just be able to get my feet down enough to move my baby around.

Anyway in the way of pics .. yeah I 've got to show her off don't I .. I'm gonna show you a bunch of pics that I took today for my entry into the SRA forums Autumn Photo Competition.


I also spent all day yesterday changing my baby. I took off the pillion seat, the saddlebags and mounts and the sissy bar/back rest. I moved my indicators back up to where they are supposed to be on the fender rails. To do that bit I had to drill a couple of holes bigger cause I have the new blinkers and the bolts are slightly bigger than the stock ones.


I took a lot of photos and have narrowed them down to just 10 that I really like. I cant decide even on which type of photo I want to enter.


There are all these ones which kind of show the whole bike with an Autumn themed background .. our Weeping Mulberry tree is finally starting to turn golden.


Then there's just a bit of the bike. With Autumn background ...


Then there are a bunch with bits of the bike and reflections of Autumn ..





I'm kinda hoping some of my blogging friends can help me out with a decision .. which is your favourite?

I only have one more thing to take off the bike to complete phase one of her new sleeker look, take off the pillion pegs. Then I just need to look at luggage options, I'm thinking about a fender rack and most likely the Kreiga bags to go on it when we go away. For shorter rides I'm thinking about tank bags .. just got to reassure myself that a tank bag wont scratch my paintwork, I already have a couple of new scratches to see to from the removal of the sissy bar.

17 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos with a great backdrop. Maybe it's just us bikers, but I ogle pictures like these!

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    1. Thanks Ally, yep I tend to ogle pictures like these too, that's why I love the forum photo comps .. some people are so talented and their bikes are so pretty!! (Dont tell any of the big tough guys I called their cruisers pretty ;D)

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  2. Some great pics there. I like the autumn colours. Number three is probably my fave - the bit of grass in the right of the pic makes it look like you caught the bike hiding in the trees...

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    1. Thanks Andrew,

      I like the way the pics turned out for just the reason you said, you wouldn't believe that the bike is sitting in my front yard right next to my front door eh.

      Hmm that's one of my fav's too .. and the first one for the same reason .. and I like .. oh now ya see why I needed help to choose :)

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  3. I can see why you've had trouble picking a favourite, cause there all good. I'd have to say I like photo 2, 5, and the last one. Geeze even I can't only just pick one.

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    1. Thanks Steve :)

      Yeah it's hard to choose, I must admit I had an motive for posting them like this. The last time I entered one of these comps I posted them all up on here and I made a decision from seeing them online .. I ended up winning that one. I'm hoping for a repeat performance, so far I'm not really any closer to choosing my fav tho, I do love 5 .. and the last one .. and the one of the indicator ... hmmm this could take a while ;D

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  4. I love 1,3,5,6 apparently I am no help because I actually love them all! Love your seat. My stock seat is shaped that way and it is über comfortable. Have you thought about adding a thicker sole to your boot? When you stop are you putting both feet down or using the tripod stance? I know it probably seems daunting, but try the tripod stance, keep your right foot up & on the brake and use your left foot and the bike will naturally let your foot go fairly flat. My Shadow is tall for me, but once you get used to stopping that way, it gets better.

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    1. Hi Dar :)

      Yep you are a help, at least now I can see it's not just me who has a hard time deciding. :D

      OK yeah I'm trying to make myself tripod .. it's hard going and feels so unstable sometimes, I will perservere because I understand what you are saying. My boots are still pretty new and awesome .. so not going to replace them anytime too soon but when I do I might look at a thicker sole. Ta for the tips Dar.

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    2. Actually Dar I had a think about what you said and realised that's not why I have a problem, stopping is OK it's when I try to move the bike backwards that I have trouble, like out of a parking spot ect. If there's anything under my toes like leaves or gravel then it's just too unstable if I slip. Having said that my foot slipped on leaves yesterday while i was backing her and I'm tickled pink that I didn't drop anything!! I'm thinking a combination of a better purchase on the ground a lot more practice (I do get slack and let Terry back the bike out most of the time) will improve this I'm sure.

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  5. I have two favorite pics - the 3rd and 5th ones down. Very creative.

    Hopefully that seat works out fine, it sure looks comfy. Hubby had to lower the front at the forks so he could touch better on his tiger. He loses some clearance and the front looks like it is squatting a bit but it didn't cost anything to do it that way.

    Let us know which pic you decide to submit.

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    1. Hi Brandy, it seems that there's one that's coming up as the favourite every time. I entered number 5. And after hitting post I already thought maybe I should go with 3. Ahh well, we'll see eh, there's some pretty good pics in there so the competition is stiff.

      Not that I really mind if I win .. it's more just having a go and encouraging more people to have one too. This comp got a bit stale and they are trying to get it going again. I hope it does pick up cause it's fun and great to see others pics and adventures.

      I'm kinda not wanting to lower anything on the bike, I don't think I can adjust the height on my shocks anyway. I can put a lowering kit on the rear which isn't very expensive, but I get nervous enough now when i'm leaning, add in the worry of scraping pegs and that has made me think twice about doing it. I guess i'm hoping that the little bit I've gained will be enough. Only time in the saddle will prove that and today it looks like the drought is going to break and the sky's are going to open up ... Not riding today :(

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  6. I love the reflection of the tree on your engine side cover, that is lovely!

    A new seat - it will most likely take some time for it to "form" to your weight and sitting position, but hopefully will help your back feel better. Is your back feeling better now?

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    1. Hi Suzu, I love the reflection shots too.

      The back is feeling much better thanks, but I still haven't tested the seat out properly as I've been coughing and sneezing for the last couple of weeks :(

      Soon as I get over this I'm going for a long ride!

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  7. Brenda, that is one COOL machine! I like it! It must cruise like a dream. It looks like you have no need for a fluffy sheepskin cover like I put on my Suzuki Inazuma GW250 to Spain earlier this month - you've already got the comfort there! Really nice shots. :-)

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    1. Sorry it's taken so long for me to reply Black, I've been doing other stuff and sadly neglecting both the blog and the bike :(

      Ta for the kudos on the photos, I ended up coming is second in the comp .. not bad I think!!

      Unfortunatly I haven't had much of a ride on the new seat yet, just round town for lunch and coffee a couple of times , so I'm not sure how it will be on a longer ride, but round town tis comfy as.

      Gonna have to come catch up on what you've been up to soon I promise, I'm assuming your back from your trip .. cant wait to see it all!

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