KymcoForum.com
Scooters - 125 to 300 => Downtown 300 => Topic started by: Rdeangelis on July 09, 2012, 02:02:31 PM
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I'd like to know people's thoughts on the comfort level and feeling secure in your seat for 2up riding on the downtown. My only frame of reference is my Super 8 (150cc,) and while it works fine for 2up I don't find it particularly secure feeling. The seats are built in such a way that they slide you forward at every downhill or stopping a little abruptly which is awkward for both the driver who has to keep arranging himself backwards into the passenger, and the passenger who feels they have to anchor themselves so as not to slide onto the driver. Also not the most comfortable setup for the passenger anyway.
So can people give me thoughts from both driver and passenger perspective if the downtown 300 would be a nice comfortable upgrade for 2up compared to my super 8?
Thanks.
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The dt seat looks comfy, tho it really depends on your size. Custom seats can be done on the s8.
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I'd like to know people's thoughts on the comfort level and feeling secure in your seat for 2up riding on the downtown. My only frame of reference is my Super 8 (150cc,) and while it works fine for 2up I don't find it particularly secure feeling. The seats are built in such a way that they slide you forward at every downhill or stopping a little abruptly which is awkward for both the driver who has to keep arranging himself backwards into the passenger, and the passenger who feels they have to anchor themselves so as not to slide onto the driver. Also not the most comfortable setup for the passenger anyway.
So can people give me thoughts from both driver and passenger perspective if the downtown 300 would be a nice comfortable upgrade for 2up compared to my super 8?
Thanks.
Even the old Agility 125 would be an upgrade in that regard, they've messed up the Super8 seat with the forward slope,
and I haven't noticed that on any other Kymco scooter.
The seat on the DT is huge and the passenger has more room to move around then the "pilot".
The leg position for the passenger is a bit ackward though, and People GTi is a lot better for that.
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i would agree with cortez....also...i have done little two up on my dt.......as you probably know there is a spring adjustment for the back shock/wheel.....but the real issue is your weight and that of the passenger.....remember this is a 300 maxi scooter not a mc....honda shadow/with 750 cc....or even a more powerful harley.....the thing is weight and power which are factors in considering a comfortable and safe ride....the dt's seat is very comfortable......but controlling and maneuvering the scooter at low speeds is itself a skill which takes some getting use to'''''''
when the dt was first introduced in usa markets...i was taken by the cool advertising and agility of the scooter....you see two young people on the scooter....the driver a male and the ride a female...... the commercial was from tiwan.....so you see some two up skillful riding through back streets and downtown....the ride looks seamless
but ralistically...i don't thing the combined weight of the pair exceeded 300 lbs...if that.....so my point is while the seat can make any ride more comfortable....its the weight and power of the scooter that influence quality of ride when you start talking two-up especially....
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I like it when my lady passenger slides to me in the super 8... ;)
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i would agree with cortez....also...i have done little two up on my dt.......as you probably know there is a spring adjustment for the back shock/wheel.....but the real issue is your weight and that of the passenger.....remember this is a 300 maxi scooter not a mc....honda shadow/with 750 cc....or even a more powerful harley.....the thing is weight and power which are factors in considering a comfortable and safe ride....the dt's seat is very comfortable......but controlling and maneuvering the scooter at low speeds is itself a skill which takes some getting use to'''''''
when the dt was first introduced in usa markets...i was taken by the cool advertising and agility of the scooter....you see two young people on the scooter....the driver a male and the ride a female...... the commercial was from tiwan.....so you see some two up skillful riding through back streets and downtown....the ride looks seamless
but ralistically...i don't thing the combined weight of the pair exceeded 300 lbs...if that.....so my point is while the seat can make any ride more comfortable....its the weight and power of the scooter that influence quality of ride when you start talking two-up especially....
Every scooter will handle the weight differently..
That said, I had a lot less trouble riding 2 up on my agility 125 then on my kawasaki 650cc.
The DT300 is even better at 2up, the difference with my GF on the back seat is almost
unnoticeable.
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Thanks all for the thoughts. Glad to find out that yeah the Super 8 seating it just funky, kinda stupid, but not all their scoots go that way. So far as the Downtown not being a 700+cc machine for serious 2up-ing, the Super 8 is a little tricky at slow speeds with two people anyway, that doesn't stop me from doing it. I don't need a serious machine thats gonna get me and a lady friend around, I have a car, but I'd definitely like for the both of us to be more comfortable with the round town trips.
Thanks again.
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Thanks all for the thoughts. Glad to find out that yeah the Super 8 seating it just funky, kinda stupid, but not all their scoots go that way.
I think they did that on purpose, to make you lean on the handle bars a bit, like on
sport bikes, since it is their "sporty" scoot.
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I might do some seat mods like this one.....
(http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/8670/dsc0980s.jpg)
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I'll try to write my concern in this topic instead of opening a new one. I'm a new owner of Downtown 300. So here is it:
Did anyone notice that a very good seat, when driving alone, starts losing drivers backrest support when driving with passenger. It seems that the drivers backrest part is pulled/streched back because of passengers weight. I feel it looses it's firmness or we can say that it becomes much softer. And in combination with shocks lowering the scoot via all that weight I feel I lose all back support. Me and my wife like doing big trips, so I need to find some solution. Any ideas? :-\
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I'll try to write my concern in this topic instead of opening a new one. I'm a new owner of Downtown 300. So here is it:
Did anyone notice that a very good seat, when driving alone, starts losing drivers backrest support when driving with passenger. It seems that the drivers backrest part is pulled/streched back because of passengers weight. I feel it looses it's firmness or we can say that it becomes much softer. And in combination with shocks lowering the scoot via all that weight I feel I lose all back support. Me and my wife like doing big trips, so I need to find some solution. Any ideas? :-\
Need more back support when riding two-up?
Ask wife to be more friendly!....but this will cause loss of concentration.
Burgman guys buy Isuzu car head-rests and stab them artfully through the seat for a driver's back rest. They think it looks great!
(picture a lawn chair atop your scooter seat...... Well, as scooter riders, we are not supposed to give a rat's pa-toot what we look like going down the road on our big piece of wheeled plastic!)
Search bing images for Burgman back rests.
Stig
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The DT is much better one up but is doable as a 2 up ride. It depends, as metioned, with the load. 300LBS is the max I would consider comfortable for the power range of the bike. The 2nd riders responsiveness to leaning with the bike is a plus as well. These are light bikes and if the 2nd rider is fighting the bike it can spell real trouble.
I have given rides to people who refuse to lean with the bike. You have to fight them the entire time. Others, like my ex-wife, will go where ever the bike is. In this way it is just like the bike itself has gained a bit of weight.
When at 200-230 LBS at one up the rear shock has to be at the medium setting. Even at 300lbs you will notice the rear starts getting washy at the max setting. It would be alot better with improved rear shocks for sure.
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Review from my pillions would be that the rear seat sucks.
It's too wide and the placement of the footrest is at an awkward angle, causing your legs to cramp up.
At first I didn't think it was that bad till I myself tried being a pillion. It was a horrible place to be perched on.
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I was thinking maybe to find some guy that makes custom seats, and tell him to cut the leather and put some more harder sponge underneath to make it less soft. I don't really want to put those big backrests because, even, the passenger seat is very wide, it is not to long so I think it would annoy my wife's legs in front of her.
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Given that scooter seats usually are not the lap of luxury for most N American riders. ...it does not surprise me that passengers don't want to spend hours on one either.
The French take great care of their bottoms .....maybe their scoots are the exception?
Probably need a big old cruiser bike set-up to actually be comfortable cruising two up on any scooter.
My rebuilt LIKE 200i seat is pretty comfy...but took hours to get it there.
And it looks funny.
Stig
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My rebuilt LIKE 200i seat is pretty comfy...but took hours to get it there.
And it looks funny.
Stig
Is there somewhere on this forum a picture of your "funny" seat?
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Is there somewhere on this forum a picture of your "funny" seat?
Seat which I rebuilt.
(http://i67.tinypic.com/ac76tw.jpg)
(http://i68.tinypic.com/im0w93.jpg)
Stock seat - pretty - but limits sitting to no more than 40 mins , 20 mins is best.
(http://i68.tinypic.com/2yyo4xs.jpg)
Stig
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It looks very fatty and soft. ;) Here in Croatia we have a guy who can get your seat customized however you want for about 110$. I would like to tighten those stripes (if I see correctly) on the side if I were you. :-\
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The missus & I did about 120 miles in one go around some twisty A&B roads the weekend before last. I'm about 13st 6 and she's about 9st (I think!), so not overly loaded.
Pilions verdict: Seat very comfy and secure - the best she'd been on. The only thing she didn't like was the footplates - she'd rather it was pegs.
From my point of view it was fine. A little down on ooomph as you'd expect, but for cruising at 60- 70-ish it was absolutely perfect.
Being able to stow the helmets under the seat instead of dragging them into the cafe was a real boost.
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It looks very fatty and soft. ;) Here in Croatia we have a guy who can get your seat customized however you want for about 110$. I would like to tighten those stripes (if I see correctly) on the side if I were you. :-\
I agree about the side stripes. ..wrinkles. ...I pulled my fingers off getting the cover this tight using 4way stretch motorcycle seat fabric. That is why professionals make good $$.
With giant high round part. ...impossible for me to get tighter than this. Worked three days on this seat!
Ugly....but comfy.
Stig
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I think I may have logged the most road time with a pillion partner as my wife will literally order me to take her on a ride (Giggity). But in all seriousness, we started out riding on my Yager Gt 200i, which she loved. Switching to the DT wasn’t easy, or preferable for her. She did love all the room in the back, but since the Yager had a built in back rest, she felt vulnerable without one on the DT.
Solution -- I put in a topcase. My dealer ordered the wrong one -- was suppose to have a back rest, but even without it she feels it’s a thousand times better, and offers the security she wants. Since then she has adjusted to the wider seat and says she feels like a ‘Queen on her throne’ when riding.
I do agree that the combined weight of your passenger will affect your ride. I haven’t run into any power problems at low speeds on the DT, but having ridden for close to 6 years with my wife I’ve gotten pretty good at doing so. I actually sometimes feel more secure with the added weight of a passenger, and that the DT will slide about when I ride alone. We’ve gone on trips over an hour long with no problems, though my wife isn’t comfortable going on highways, or above 50 mph, she’s ridden with me when we had to do so.
She also prefers the foot plate over the riding pegs on the Yager. A few times her foot would just randomly slip off for no reason. Not so with the DT.
- Wolf