Seat Concepts, and more…

Steve and I went for a ride this morning to Seat Concepts way out in Riverside County.   After a super breakfast at Patsy’s Country Kitchen (thanks again, Boss!), we rolled into Seat Concepts to give the seal of approval to two new RX3 custom seats they are developing for you.

We visited Seat Concepts to approve the seat configurations, and to give these saddle impresarios the go ahead on the foam molds (what you see in the photo above).  Steve has the right asspitude for this job (you’ll get it later), and getting his “seat of the pants” feel for the new seats was a critical step in the process.

Our good buddy Robert (the owner at Seat Concepts) developed two seats for us….one with the stock height and one that is an inch taller.

This is pretty cool stuff, and I’m impressed.    Both seats felt good to me, even though they don’t have the new foam yet (more on that in a minute).   The seat in the foreground (in the photo above) is the taller seat; the one Robert is holding is the stock seat height.

Here’s a photo of the stock seat…

And here’s a photo of the 1-inch taller seat…

What surprised me greatly is that the taller seat felt like it was about the same height as the stock seat.   The seat is flatter across the top (from front to rear), it eliminates the downward forward slope of the current seat, it is wider at the rear, it is narrower at the front, and it will use a progressive foam.   Robert explained to me that the narrower front portion is what made the seat feel like it was the same height as the stock seat.   It allowed me to put both feet on the ground.   It also reduced my knee angle, and even though I don’t have an issue with this on the stock bike, it felt instantly and noticeably more comfortable with the taller seat.

The second custom seat is one that has the seat top at the same level as the stock seat, but it does the same things as the taller seat.   It’s more horizontal from front to rear (no forward slope down like the stock seat), it is narrower in the front, it is wider at the rear, and it uses the same progressive foam as the taller seat.

I sat on both seats and both were great.   Even though I’m a relatively short guy with a 29-inch inseam, I think I’ll go for the taller seat.

More good news…we have lots of options regarding colors, textures, and other cool things that will allow for more personalization of your RX3.

If you have an RX3 in the fastest color, hey, check this out…

If you have a blue RX3 like my good buddies John and Jay (your Dad was right, Jay…you should have taken Spanish), you’ll love this combo…

If you like to play MacGuyver (like one of the smartest engineers I’ve ever known….and yes, I’m taking to you, Justin), take a look at this…

The questions I know many of you will have are when will these new seats be available, and how much will they cost?   We’re thinking in about a month, and the price should be something south of $300.   We’ll post more details as they become available.

That’s the story on the seats.  I’d said there would be more, and there is.   Our good buddy and parts superstar Ryan has been hard at work on a new RX3 rear shock and stiffer front springs.   Things are moving along well on those fronts.   I don’t have dates or prices yet, folks, but those new accessories are coming.

Lots of rides are coming up, too.   One of the guys on the www.ChinaRiders.net board invited me to an event in Oregon, and it’s now on my calendar.   I like the ChinaRiders.net board a lot (the tech info is accurate, and there’s good reading on that site).

Ah, more on the rides coming up…I liked the ride through the Mojave so much that I’m going to do it again, with a focus on Amboy, the Kelso Depot, and maybe a bit of dirt riding through the Big Horn country…if I can find roads that aren’t all soft sand.

The Mojave ride will be more of a photo safari and riding expedition, and it will probably be a two day/one night deal, with most of the riding in the early morning and early evening time frame (when it’s cooler and the lighting is better).

One of the high points of a ride through that part of the world is stopping in Barstow at the Del Taco.   Don’t laugh…Ed Hackbarth (the Del Taco founder) kept the three Del Tacos in Barstow when he sold the chain, and he kept his original recipes.   They have the best tacos this side of Guerrero Negro, and Susie and I stop there every time we pass through (which we did twice on our recent Laughlin ride)…

If you want to get in on the next Mojave ride, let me know what dates are good for you and I’ll roll that into the schedule.

Later this week, I’ll be rolling up the 395 to Mammoth.  I love that area.   Keep an eye on the blog for the photos.

Wow, we sure have a lot going on.     Gerry Edwards starts as our new Service Manager next week.   We’re excited about that.  And Ryan recently brought in a bunch of new jackets, helmets, gloves, boots, and pants.   I’ll post about those on the blog tomorrow, but you can see them now if you go to our www.CSCMotorcycles.com site and poke around a bit.   I’m impressed with Ryan and with the stuff he’s brought to the party.   I’m equally impressed with our new website and the young man who is developing it for us.  That’s Matt, and I’ll tell you more about him tomorrow.   If you haven’t visited the new CSC site, you owe it to yourself to do so.

That’s it for now, folks.  Ride safe!