pritch
11th March 2009, 18:56
I had long been aware of Corbin and more latterly of Sargent bike seats. Recently though it has been increasingly common to see Rider seats. Having read that Corbin seats have been having quality issues, and then discovering that Sargent seats will only deal through their Australasian agent in Oz, I was becoming increasingly interested in the local option.
Examples of Rider seats are becoming reasonably common and having read the comments on KB, and the quality appearing good on the examples I’d seen, I phoned to make an appointment. The plan was to combine a family visit and the Paeroa races with a visit to MacDonald Motor Trimmers the home of Rider seats.
A slight hitch occurred as the National Kapa Haka Champs were on the same weekend and there wasn’t a motel room to be held in Tauranga. So I booked a motel in Te Puke.
The big day arrived and it was off to Te Puke, a great ride over except for one brief but heavy shower of rain. At several points in the ride I was grinning inside the helmet. Much better than a day working.
The theoretical quick blat from Te Puke to Tauranga the next morning turned into an exercise in frustration. That Friday the weather was diabolical; a howling gale and pissing rain. The traffic was at a full stop as often as it was moving, and when it did move 7kph seemed to be the maximum velocity. Filtering wasn’t an option either, with the Givi boxes fitted the VFR goes a couple of axe handles across the arse. If she asks, “Does my bum look big in these?” Don’t answer!
Found Mac’s premises OK. He offered me transport in case there was something I wanted to do in Tauranga but the weather was bloody awful and I don’t know the town. I had considered visiting the Kapa Haka but the weather put me off that idea. I later found out that it had put the organisers off too, it had been postponed.
Work fascinates me - I could watch it for hours. I was a bit worried about hanging around the shop. A friend of mine used to have a sign in his workshop to the effect:
Labour charge out rate - $80
If you watch - $90
If you help - $100
Mac said he didn’t mind, even if I did steal his secrets I wouldn’t be able to use them. He was right of course. Watching someone who is a master of his craft is always interesting, even if I was a bit nervous initially as I watched him carve up my nice Honda seat.
There wasn’t really anything wrong with the seat on the VFR. I didn’t get a sore arse until after about five hours. The VFR seat is only a few millimetres higher then the Hornet seat but when you are seated, the shape of the tank and of the seat mean you have a wider stance resulting in a less secure foot plant. I had never felt that I was in danger of dropping the Hornet while manoeuvring, but I have had several anxious moments on the VFR.
Mac made the new seat a few millimeters lower but made a subtle difference to the shape of the seat. These small changes mean I get a better foot plant and feel just that bit more secure.
Mac uses a seat foam especially produced for him and both he and Max are bikers. Both were off to a rally that afternoon.
With my new seat fitted I left Tauranga by lunchtime. Marginally less rain but still blowing a gale to the point the thought occurred that if I wasn’t careful I could get blown off the road and damage my brand new seat…
Neither the ride to the Paeroa races nor the ride back to New Plymouth the next day were really sufficient to test the comfort of the seat on a long ride. The 6th of March though is Taranaki Anniversary Day and last weekend I spent three days riding around the Coromandel, the Waikato, and Wanganui in the company of a group from Northwest Motorcycles. There were some quite long stretches on the bike among all that and at no time did my bum complain. My arthritic shoulders were a whole nuther story and I was really pleased to get home eventually.
Whether you want a Rider seat or not is up to you but the idea is increasingly catching on. Three more bike seats arrived for customising while I was in the shop.
If your seat needs repairing, if you need more or less height, or there is anything else you'd like different, give Mac a call. If you mention you are a KB member you might even get a discount…
http://www.trimit.co.nz/
Examples of Rider seats are becoming reasonably common and having read the comments on KB, and the quality appearing good on the examples I’d seen, I phoned to make an appointment. The plan was to combine a family visit and the Paeroa races with a visit to MacDonald Motor Trimmers the home of Rider seats.
A slight hitch occurred as the National Kapa Haka Champs were on the same weekend and there wasn’t a motel room to be held in Tauranga. So I booked a motel in Te Puke.
The big day arrived and it was off to Te Puke, a great ride over except for one brief but heavy shower of rain. At several points in the ride I was grinning inside the helmet. Much better than a day working.
The theoretical quick blat from Te Puke to Tauranga the next morning turned into an exercise in frustration. That Friday the weather was diabolical; a howling gale and pissing rain. The traffic was at a full stop as often as it was moving, and when it did move 7kph seemed to be the maximum velocity. Filtering wasn’t an option either, with the Givi boxes fitted the VFR goes a couple of axe handles across the arse. If she asks, “Does my bum look big in these?” Don’t answer!
Found Mac’s premises OK. He offered me transport in case there was something I wanted to do in Tauranga but the weather was bloody awful and I don’t know the town. I had considered visiting the Kapa Haka but the weather put me off that idea. I later found out that it had put the organisers off too, it had been postponed.
Work fascinates me - I could watch it for hours. I was a bit worried about hanging around the shop. A friend of mine used to have a sign in his workshop to the effect:
Labour charge out rate - $80
If you watch - $90
If you help - $100
Mac said he didn’t mind, even if I did steal his secrets I wouldn’t be able to use them. He was right of course. Watching someone who is a master of his craft is always interesting, even if I was a bit nervous initially as I watched him carve up my nice Honda seat.
There wasn’t really anything wrong with the seat on the VFR. I didn’t get a sore arse until after about five hours. The VFR seat is only a few millimetres higher then the Hornet seat but when you are seated, the shape of the tank and of the seat mean you have a wider stance resulting in a less secure foot plant. I had never felt that I was in danger of dropping the Hornet while manoeuvring, but I have had several anxious moments on the VFR.
Mac made the new seat a few millimeters lower but made a subtle difference to the shape of the seat. These small changes mean I get a better foot plant and feel just that bit more secure.
Mac uses a seat foam especially produced for him and both he and Max are bikers. Both were off to a rally that afternoon.
With my new seat fitted I left Tauranga by lunchtime. Marginally less rain but still blowing a gale to the point the thought occurred that if I wasn’t careful I could get blown off the road and damage my brand new seat…
Neither the ride to the Paeroa races nor the ride back to New Plymouth the next day were really sufficient to test the comfort of the seat on a long ride. The 6th of March though is Taranaki Anniversary Day and last weekend I spent three days riding around the Coromandel, the Waikato, and Wanganui in the company of a group from Northwest Motorcycles. There were some quite long stretches on the bike among all that and at no time did my bum complain. My arthritic shoulders were a whole nuther story and I was really pleased to get home eventually.
Whether you want a Rider seat or not is up to you but the idea is increasingly catching on. Three more bike seats arrived for customising while I was in the shop.
If your seat needs repairing, if you need more or less height, or there is anything else you'd like different, give Mac a call. If you mention you are a KB member you might even get a discount…
http://www.trimit.co.nz/