Am I an Odd Ball?

I've got access to all the mods and farkles; just downloaded JeffR's handlebar pictorial and MikeH's modded backrest. All this just in case I think I might need it.

But I'm wondering if I'm the "odd man out" here. Being among the new riders I also wonder if maybe I'm just lucky. The stock seat and butt rest seem to serve me fine (no sore rear end or tired arms or wrist). On the several rides I've been on, both alone and with groups, I've had ample or more power to see me thru anything that's been thrown my way. Granted, the trips haven't been overly long (only 200 mile max) like a lotta' other folks who go 400, 500 or more at a whack.

I am happy that I put the Givi windshield on and installed the Bestem TBox for the added storage, but other than that comfort has been pretty much AOK for me without having to change anything. Even with the rear shocks on the 4 setting, the ride hasn't seemed too harsh. Am I the "odd-ball" here?? Probably so, but just in case, I reckon I've got all these other mods so generously offered by the SWing group to correct any deficiency that might crop up.

Of course you're an odd ball! You ride a scooter don't you... Sheesh!

I find the S'wing just right as it it is handlebars and seat etc.... (all as stock) However, I start getting a numb bum after 80 miles or so, so if I go on long hauls I have an air hawk seat to make this comfortable for as long as I'm in the saddle.

My 04 is stock. I had a Givi shield on it and cut it so I could see over the top but really didn't like the looks and didn't seem to help wind buffeting for me so I put the stock shield back on. Talk about an odd ball that me. I am going to order an Air Hawk after researching and reading a lot of post. My stock seat hurts my butt after about 75 miles or so. I have started making loner rides and that why I am going to order the Air Hawk. My back does just fine the way the butt stop fits.

DickO,
I was much the same as you when I first got my scoot. It was my first ride, so I was pretty content. I was just happy to be on two wheels. I rode 20 miles to work, so seat comfort wasn't an issue. My riding speeds where mainly under 55 mph, so wind buffet wasn't too bad. I made do with the underseat storage. But the more I rode - the more I wanted to ride. And the more I read the forums, the more I realized how the various mods and farkles would be an improvement. Now I've got a list of farkles as long as my arm, and I drooling over more mods, but I just don't have the funds right now.

Watch out - it's a disease.......and you may have been infected already and not even know it! The only cure for farkleitis is to not read the forums and not ride your scoot! :lol!:

No Dick, your not an odd ball.

Everybody is a little different in how they are shaped, or what shape their in.

As for me, a stock windshield is OK. So is a stock seat with an Alaskan sheepskin cover for long trips. I put on hand guards for the colder weather and liked them so much, I use them year round. I didn't use an elevated backrest untill I took a long trip with my bag strapped to the back of my seat. I liked the feel so well, I put on an elevated backrest and use it all the time.

While most of my riding is in and around the Chicago area, I also have gone to northern MN twice for the IRSSR. Thats two 300 mile days of riding to get there, three 150-250 mile days at the rally, and two 300 mile days to get home.

In some way we are all a little odd, but thats half the fun of life.

Have a great day
bob

My Swing is still stock at this point, but I'm going to buy a throttle rocker. I want the sport bike kind like my son has. Soft rubber and not the hard plastic version...it just seems like less of a distraction on the grip. Spouse doesn't understand this, but if any of you have ever "goosed" a motorcycle throttle by accidentally running into a hard plastic throttle rocker and then getting to recover from said boost in horsepower without actually dropping the bike, you get the picture. I also want to lose an inch from the seat and possibly fit in some gel pad in the process, but haven 't decided if we'll tackle that job ourselves or send the seat away to someone who might actually know what they're doing .
Other than that, being odd is great. We just spent the weekend at Fontana Lake in western NC, attending part of the Kawasaki Concours national rally. Fontana is 25 miles from Tail of the Dragon. I rode the Swing up to Deal's Gap, which is where the Dragon starts. I didn't quite have the nerve to ride the Dragon this time, as I've only had the bike three weeks now (and we had rain every day for eight days in a row). However, spouse decided to "borrow" the Swing and he rode the Dragon both directions, so technically it's now been on the Dragon (though I wasn't the rider)--it's now sporting a dragon sticker on the tail. He managed to borrow the bike at least two more times over the course of the weekend.
We rode from Sylva to Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway (about 8 tunnels en route on this end). Wonderful ride and great place to practice getting more comfortable with the Swing.

churchlady53 wrote:

My Swing is still stock at this point, but I'm going to buy a throttle rocker. I want the sport bike kind like my son has. Soft rubber and not the hard plastic version...it just seems like less of a distraction on the grip.

Hi! What is a soft rubber throttle rocker? I have a hard rubber crampbuster. Is that similar? Thanks!

There's a reference to it here:

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/board/Topic17079-8-1.aspx#bm17081

I think it may be on this page:

http://www.lockitt.com/AccessoriesOther.htm#ThrottleBoss

My scooter is standard except for a RAM Mount on the left brake fluid reservoir and a givi 35L topbox. Oh and Burgman 400 mirrors.

Apart from those I have no plans to add expensive mods.

I've read about people who have spent hundreds if not thousands on modifications and expect to recoup that money when they sell their bike, madness. In my oipinion.

Cornishman wrote:

My scooter is standard except for a RAM Mount on the left brake fluid reservoir and a givi 35L topbox. Oh and Burgman 400 mirrors.

Apart from those I have no plans to add expensive mods.

I've read about people who have spent hundreds if not thousands on modifications and expect to recoup that money when they sell their bike, madness. In my oipinion.

Yep you're right sadly... Mods don't add to financial value..... But then not all of us do plan or expect to recoup that financial value....

Its horses for courses.... Having said that I reckon the best all round, versatile, real world bike I have ever had is my S'wing... But as a born again "biker" I found it just lacked a bit in power.... The mod thing became a fun if expensive project..... But I now have a scoot with a 20% noticeable improvement in performance over stock that will see off all but the more exotic cars, and sounds more like a Ducati than a Honda. (Boy its really great for spicing up those boring urban commutes!)... Then there's decent economy, handles more like a bike, and despite being a scoot, hell it can more than do what up till recently was considered a "bike's job"..... It's a whole lot of fun, and generally (if you are into that sort of thing) attracts more questions and interest than any of the bikes I've had. Since my S'wing didn't cost that much to start with, the £1200 or so I've spent on Mods make it worth a whole lot more to me than £3,200 spent so far (including purchase price). It's just too much of a personalised, reliable, practical, fun, machine to part with.... So given that I don't intend to be changing it for a long time, & that I ride all year round, £1200 is gonna be a big investment into fun and usability!

I will however be saving up nonetheless, but that will be to get another bike if I ever learn to control the temptation to ride my current bike too fast..... For that matter I tend to ride the S'wing a bit too fast at times aswell.... sigh... Whatever bike I do get next, and even now with my scoot sat next to my bike in the garage, I know that for me I have the best of both worlds........

That grin I get from riding just never goes away.....
So Mods may be expensive, but their true value can be so much more, well it has been for me!!!!