Home Aus Biker News Bike News Rides Other Stuff Events Tech Links Adults Only

Danny Gray..seat maker extraordinaire, or torturer?

'oh vanity thou shalt be cause of my demise...' (me, yesterday)

I bought this nice slimline seat off ebay a few months ago, and have had it on the bike. Its not exactly soft, as ya couldnt expect it to be, being only about 1.5 inches thick....However its been ok around town...I didnt really want to put my nice comfy original seat back on for the trip to Brisbane, as its got a couple of splits, and I wanted the bike to look its best...(the vanity part...).On Thursday I actually thought I might be pushing it a bit,  so, dragged out the original seat and thought maybe Ill just use the front half. The dyna seats of 94 era are two part...Start unbolting the back part and the first bolt shears off...then the second one...Ive got easy outs etc, but just couldnt be bothered, but because I cant put the bracket the seat needs on to hold it to the guard now, Im stuffed and cant use it.

The trip up to Brissy, it wasn't too bad, seats' a little hard, but bearable, and I didn't need to stop unnecessarily.

Two days later coming back is a different story.

I hit the Gateway freeway about 7.15am Sunday, and by 7.30 my arse is sore. Wriggle round a bit and keep going. Hunger hits about Tugun, but I miss the turn into the takeaway I frequent up that way, and resign myself to waiting till Ballina. Its a gorgeous morning, the suns behind me, theres f all traffic, and Im not nodding off too often due to f all sleep last night.The rear end is demanding attention...Sore has turned to f ing sore.Right on the tailbone.This seat is about as comfortable as a sharp brick. I start cruising the shoulder of the road for disgarded kitchen chairs so i can commandeer the foam from within. Alas everyones a responsible citizen up this way...

I pull into the first Ballina gas station and slowly put my legs down. What a relief . top up the gas, and buy a bacon egg and cheese roll and a red bull.

Nice bike outside when I exit...Custom Softail with 124" S&S with nitrous! Have a yak, and he's off again, I eat my roll and ponder my predicament...Still about 750 kms to go, and 8 odd hours of this seat...

I pull out a spare jersey, and put some more spare clothes inside, fold it up, put it on the seat,  climb on, and its a lot better...for about the first 10 minutes.

Managed to get stopped around Taree somewhere, just wanted to breath test me and ask 20 questions....didnt like my now bald rear tyre much, but I babbled on about it looking ok when I left home the other day...and he didnt ticket me....Laughed when I said I was gonna take a pic...

Anyway, not to go on too long about it, the rest of the day was a great ride. I got 360kms from my tanks...Ballina to Telegraph Point, near Port Macquarie. I had to stop every 100-150kms tho to ease the pain a bit. Quick V , and a couple of nurofen was the order of the day, till I hit Buladelah, and opted for a 2 schooner replacement for the V's. Worked well, and I buzzed merrily as the sun went down and I headed into Raymond Terrace for the final freeway blast to home. Didnt quite work that way, as the freeway turned to a carpark at Brooklyn..I pulled off to go over the Galston Gorge.Not a good idea at night, those 5km corners a  real bitch in the pitch dark.Bloody freezing down there too....God that couch felt great when I got home!