Hitcher
27th May 2007, 21:51
Recently Mrs H dispensed with nearly four years of tradition, disposed of her VZ800K4 Marauder and procured an extremely red GSF650S Bandit. For those of you who don't know, she is extremely enjoying her new racy ride.
However the new Bandit suffered from being a wee bit tall in the saddle for my vertically challenged cohort -- a bit on the tippy-toe side of stable and slow speed maneuvering. So before taking to Mr Suzuki's craftwork with a wrench and large hammer, we thought we'd start with some modifications to the seat.
Who is the best in the world at modifying motorcycle seats? Why McDonald Motortrimmers in Tauranga, of course! So we thought we would bring together all three parts of the puzzle (McDonalds, the Bandit and Mrs H's buttocks) and see what may ensue.
Friday morning we were up up and away a short time (by our standards) after the second farting of the sparrow and off to Tauranga, by the shortest route available (SH1 to Turangi, Whakamaru, Tokoroa, Putaruru), arriving in daylight and in time to experience Friday rush hour traffic in downtown Tauranga. Special.
Saturday morning we descended upon McDonalds Glasgow Street factory and were immediately greeted by a hoard of friendly faces. Mac had the seat off in a flash and set about weaving his magic. The world's largest electric carving knife soon had Mr Suzuki's sad excuse for foam expunged (or should that be ex-sponged?), to be replaced by a superior product about half the thickness. Precision trimming and gluing followed, the Suzuki seat cover was re-affixed, the seat attached to the bike and Mrs H to the seat. About 20mm recovered, and a slimmer waist making it easier for legs to to lowered to the ground.
So by 10:00am we were off. This time back over the Kaimais for fuel and coffee at Tirau.
From there to Cambridge, skirting around the back of town and heading across the swamp to Kihikihi. Next coffee at Te Kuiti and on down that magnificent stretch of highway (Awakino Gorge, Mt Messenger and the Mimi Valley) and in to Taranaki. An evening in New Plymouth followed. Today we skirted the Mountain by the coastal route, veered left through Fordell and Hunterville, and returned home via the fleshpots of Halcombe, Feilding, Palmerston North and Shannon.
Previously our touring's rate-limiting step had been a Marauder that required fueling about every 180km or so. Now both bikes are running a comparable range of about 380-400km -- the Bandit's better fuel economy cancels the effect of the FJR's larger tank. This should save us a bit of time come this year's Grand Challenge!
The FJR is now due for its 30,000km service.
But, more importantly, Mrs H is feeling much more confident atop her Bandit and greatly enjoying the McDonalds' seat modifications. "Dog bones!" she has been heard muttering...
However the new Bandit suffered from being a wee bit tall in the saddle for my vertically challenged cohort -- a bit on the tippy-toe side of stable and slow speed maneuvering. So before taking to Mr Suzuki's craftwork with a wrench and large hammer, we thought we'd start with some modifications to the seat.
Who is the best in the world at modifying motorcycle seats? Why McDonald Motortrimmers in Tauranga, of course! So we thought we would bring together all three parts of the puzzle (McDonalds, the Bandit and Mrs H's buttocks) and see what may ensue.
Friday morning we were up up and away a short time (by our standards) after the second farting of the sparrow and off to Tauranga, by the shortest route available (SH1 to Turangi, Whakamaru, Tokoroa, Putaruru), arriving in daylight and in time to experience Friday rush hour traffic in downtown Tauranga. Special.
Saturday morning we descended upon McDonalds Glasgow Street factory and were immediately greeted by a hoard of friendly faces. Mac had the seat off in a flash and set about weaving his magic. The world's largest electric carving knife soon had Mr Suzuki's sad excuse for foam expunged (or should that be ex-sponged?), to be replaced by a superior product about half the thickness. Precision trimming and gluing followed, the Suzuki seat cover was re-affixed, the seat attached to the bike and Mrs H to the seat. About 20mm recovered, and a slimmer waist making it easier for legs to to lowered to the ground.
So by 10:00am we were off. This time back over the Kaimais for fuel and coffee at Tirau.
From there to Cambridge, skirting around the back of town and heading across the swamp to Kihikihi. Next coffee at Te Kuiti and on down that magnificent stretch of highway (Awakino Gorge, Mt Messenger and the Mimi Valley) and in to Taranaki. An evening in New Plymouth followed. Today we skirted the Mountain by the coastal route, veered left through Fordell and Hunterville, and returned home via the fleshpots of Halcombe, Feilding, Palmerston North and Shannon.
Previously our touring's rate-limiting step had been a Marauder that required fueling about every 180km or so. Now both bikes are running a comparable range of about 380-400km -- the Bandit's better fuel economy cancels the effect of the FJR's larger tank. This should save us a bit of time come this year's Grand Challenge!
The FJR is now due for its 30,000km service.
But, more importantly, Mrs H is feeling much more confident atop her Bandit and greatly enjoying the McDonalds' seat modifications. "Dog bones!" she has been heard muttering...