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Post by mikestib1 on Apr 10, 2016 15:07:38 GMT -5
Seems like most of us, me included don't like stepped seats that force you to sit forward and don't allow scooting back. This design is intentional. Since most scooters engines, fuel tanks, and rear drive are biased to the rear, the rider needs to sit forward to put more weight on the front wheel for safety and handling
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Post by retrobrian on Apr 10, 2016 16:01:03 GMT -5
My seat is long and flat. But hard as a rock  |
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Riding something with two wheels and an engine for 40 some years.
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Post by powerzombie on Apr 10, 2016 18:35:01 GMT -5
The seat on my Vino 50 is somewhere in the middle...just about right.
It's pretty wide too.
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Post by rockynv on Apr 10, 2016 19:59:08 GMT -5
Its more so you are not pushing your passenger off the back of the bike along with to help you stay positioned and in control. Its a really bad thing to be sliding back on the seat and pushing your passenger off the back of the bike.
At interstate speeds its pretty miserable to be sliding back on the seat without the step there. I recently took a bike for a test drive which had a flat seat and to make matters worse they put some sort of silicone treatment on it to make it look newer. I was sliding forward at every stop and the wind kept sliding me back past the riders position whenever I got up to speed.
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Post by jtron on Apr 10, 2016 23:36:39 GMT -5
Yeah, the stepped seat is weird. Mine puts me in an abnormally close position to the bars if I were to actually sit on the front part, and I'm only 5'6". but I find its comfortable to just sit further back on it and stretch my legs out and rest my feet on the front fairing when cruising around.
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Post by jtron on Apr 10, 2016 23:37:41 GMT -5
I guess you could always take the cover off, reshape the foam, and restaple the cover on if it's really unbearable
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Post by rockynv on Apr 11, 2016 4:20:23 GMT -5
I have never bought a scooter sight unseen so I never have bought one setup for a short rider or child since that became obvious the moment I sat on a bike. This demonstrates the value of being able to walk into a dealership and play Goldilocks before buying a bike that is the correct size for you. If you purchase a short/small bike with a two passenger seat then logically the main riders position will be a bit cramped.
The Kymco MyRoad 700 is an example of this. Big bike setup for two without giving consideration to tall riders so the main riding position is too far forward for me. If I bought one I would have to have the set pan reshaped and extended to allow taking a passenger. Then the luggage rack would need to be extended to allow the use of the top case.
You do have to check out the details before potentially purchasing the wrong bike for you on-line. There is even a bike fit website that allows you to see how different bikes sit with different height riders on them to help you in choosing so you do not end up buying the wrong bike and then have to cobble the seat to make it tolerable.
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Post by mftic on Apr 11, 2016 9:21:04 GMT -5
Yeah, my knees hit the dash. Can't even go from lock to lock cause my knees get in the way of the bars.
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Post by tortoise on Apr 11, 2016 12:09:28 GMT -5
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 11, 2016 13:26:55 GMT -5
Rocky has a point with the big Kymco. I am totally sold on Kymco quality and performance, but most models DO put your knees in your chest, and your nose on the windshield...
My old 250 Grandvista was their first attempt at a "touring scooter". It not only has a stepped seat, BUT a big rider lumbar support that ABSOLUTELY plants you at the very front of the seat... knees against the dashboard, nose on the windshield... THE accepted "Asian rider position". And its Euro/Taiwan twin, the "Grand Dink" is even much worse with it's beetle-butt in the air rear seat and plastics! Oh Well, for comfort, it still beats a crotch-rocket with your chin on the tank, and your handlebars down around the front axle... LOL!
The former owner of my scoot did some skillful alterations to move the lumbar support back about two inches, and it's just enough to make it acceptable to someone over five-feet tall. The first season, I "got used to it" and now after two seasons (and a REALLY bad arthritic back) I've come to LOVE it. Hit a good bumpy road and it's like a trip to the chiropractor. Makes me feel great!
I don't really understand the Asian obsession with making the rider sit on the front fender. I suppose Asians don't understand the American obsession with sitting on the back fender and reaching for "ape hangers" either... LOL!
I just love my old Kymco, and now find the "cab forward" seating position good for my aging back. The only REAL complaint I have with that forward seating is that it slightly interferes with my balance. Sitting up front, I don't "groove" with the bike, and don't feel like I'm "one with the machine" like on a big Harley chopper or cruiser.
Instead, I have to "steer" the scooter rather than having a natural sweep through turns. To most riders, this sounds like a "deal-breaker" but it's not. It's just a matter of getting used to something different from what you're used to. And when I slouch down against the support, it's downright comfortable!
To be brutally honest, with its aftermarket GIVI windshield, the Grandvista is slightly more comfortable at 70 mph on the freeway than my 1970 Electra-Glide was... And THAT is saying something, considering it's a 350 pound 250cc scooter, compared with a 900 pound 1,200cc cruiser!
If sitting forward REALLY is a deal-breaker for you, it's always possible to customize the seat, making it flatter. It would cost some, but would be worth $100 or more to get the position you prefer.
Scooters ARE different from motorcycles, and if you love "things 2-wheeled" you can learn to love both!
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas |
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Post by rockynv on Apr 11, 2016 20:44:54 GMT -5
What sold me on the Sport City was the riding position. It is a little further back than the Scarabeo 500 and gives my arthritic knees a bit more space although to be fair the seat on my Lance Vintage 150 was not too far forward for me either although the handle bars were way too low and I am a 6' tall 250 lb gorilla who wears 37/38" sleeves when he can get them.
Buying a bike is like buying a suit and if you get one with a fit that's too far off its going to need some major alterations to make it right for you.
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Post by SylvreKat on Apr 12, 2016 7:29:22 GMT -5
I'll admit upfront that gals and guys are built different.
But I've had zero comfort issues with the seat of my Piggy. I'm 5'5" with a 31" inseam. I'll say that the BV's seat is barely short enough for me--I'm on the front half of my feet at stops. But the legroom is fine. And that little step, combined with my seat bag, provide a nice bit of back support. Unlike Leo, I also have no issues with the steering from the forward seating. But then, this is also the only 2-wheeler I've ever driven, excluding bicycles.
Put me in the group that if you really can't stand it, modify it.
>'Kat
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 13, 2016 0:14:14 GMT -5
I'll admit upfront that gals and guys are built different. But I've had zero comfort issues with the seat of my Piggy. I'm 5'5" with a 31" inseam. I'll say that the BV's seat is barely short enough for me--I'm on the front half of my feet at stops. But the legroom is fine. And that little step, combined with my seat bag, provide a nice bit of back support. Unlike Leo, I also have no issues with the steering from the forward seating. But then, this is also the only 2-wheeler I've ever driven, excluding bicycles. Put me in the group that if you really can't stand it, modify it. >'Kat
Kat,
After a half-century of riding Hogs, especially choppers, I got totally addicted to that "Lazy-Boy" lounging position. With the seat of "Old Blue" being about 22" off the tarmac, and the pegs way forward, I felt like part of the bike. Just "think" it around turns and it follows. Almost like flying a hot airplane...
THAT is SWEET!
Everybody's seen this old pic of me at 16, on Old Blue, but it's a good shot to show the low seating position. Later, she got an even lower solo-seat. Like you, I have only a 31" inseam but flat-footing it at stoplights was no problem... Even those 24" "ape-hangers" ended up lower than shoulder height. Long, low, and scary-fast she was... But leaned-back, feet up, smooth asphalt and near WOT she was one with the road. 130 mph relaxation! 
And of course, at full-song, those straight-pipes with a 2-foot sheet of flame, and a 120-decible cackle were the "cherry on the sundae"... Funny, but at 16, that 100+ mph wind in my face, and total lack of rear suspension didn't bother me one bit!
In that pic, I was 6' 2" and weighed 375 pounds... Years of hard-tail choppers compressed my spine so today, at 69, I'm a "shrunk" shy 6'1" and a scant 230 pounds... And I look FATTER now than then! THAT just ain't FAIR! OK, now, I'm digressing to reminiscing... Sorry...
Scooters just can't mimic this relaxed "grooving" posture... But then, neither can many big cruisers.
Still and all, while at first I absolutely HATED that Kymco forward seating, I LOVED the way she performed on a test-ride and figured I COULD get used to it. Now, I'm quite happy with it.
I also had a number of old Brit 650's with tall, flat seats which I didn't like much until I got used to them.
I do love "all things 2-wheeled" and found that I could work with most bikes if I liked the way they rode. The only type I've tried that I probably could NOT ever enjoy (at least nowadays) is the "crotch-rocket". Butt-in-the-air, chin-on-the-tank and bars around the lower triple-tree... DEFINITELY for the VERY young and limber adventurer, who would rather go 200 mph than be comfortable... LOL!
The ONLY seating position that looks WORSE than the crotch-rocket RIDER is that of the crotch-rocket PASSENGER...
But to each his/her own... That's what makes it a horse race!
Ride safe!
Leo |
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Post by SylvreKat on Apr 13, 2016 7:33:37 GMT -5
[/p] The ONLY seating position that looks WORSE than the crotch-rocket RIDER is that of the crotch-rocket PASSENGER...
But to each his/her own... That's what makes it a horse race!
Ride safe!
Leo [/quote] They really do look like they're just sort of perched hanging on the end of those bikes, don't they? I always worry if the driver takes off too fast, he might turn around at the next stop to find he's missing someone.  >'Kat |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 13, 2016 11:13:22 GMT -5
[/p] The ONLY seating position that looks WORSE than the crotch-rocket RIDER is that of the crotch-rocket PASSENGER...
But to each his/her own... That's what makes it a horse race!
Ride safe!
Leo [/quote] They really do look like they're just sort of perched hanging on the end of those bikes, don't they? I always worry if the driver takes off too fast, he might turn around at the next stop to find he's missing someone. >'Kat[/quote][/p]
Kat,
Yeah, the passenger IS perched on the little pad on the end of the bike... foot-pegs at butt-level, knees in their own face... INCREDIBLY uncomfortable for anyone except a contortionist... LOL! Of course, I have not seen any 250 pound big-guy passengers on them. Only 5' 2"  -pound lettuce-eater girly gurlz who could likely hang by one finger for an hour in perfect comfort...
And, they're usually clad in only a bikini, or "Daisy Dukes" and shredded T-shirt... no helmet, glasses, shoes or brains. But they do look mighty good IF they manage to NOT kiss the asphalt in their semi-nude state... LOL!
Ride safe, and wear some clothes... Preferably "road-rash-proof"... LOL!
Leo
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-pound lettuce-eater girly gurlz who could likely hang by one finger for an hour in perfect comfort...