Chethro's WV & Nearby Travels

What seat is that? How comfortable is it? I really dislike the seat on my V7 III.

It's a custom made Fisher seat. I had them raise it 1" higher than the highest point in the rear. It is a very very comfortable saddle. It feels like you added 2" of suspension to the bike. It is flatter and wider. It made running the stock shocks tolerable. The seat alone removed all sharp jolts to my spine. Now, when coupled with the Razer III's on the rear, I love the way my bike handles and feels even on rough roads. Drop offs, heaves and pot holes aren't an issue. It didn't turn it into an adventure bike, but it is fine on mild gravel and very rough pavement.

You need at least a 32" inseam to flat foot both feet and even then it hits my inner thighs tightly. The only negative is that I had to re-staple the cover after 500 miles of use due to some wrinkling on the sides. I had been caught in hard rains for a couple rides, so I'm not sure if it is the material I chose or the rain. I've put on a few seat covers, so it's not a big deal to me. A harbor freight 20 crown stapler makes quick work of it.

You could probably get a better looking seat if you just had them level it to the highest point, but you may lose some comfort. Hard to say. They do make good foam and get good reviews on their low style seats. It took 5 weeks or so for them to do mine.

FISHER Seats and Saddlebags - Motorcycle Comfort

If/when I get a V85TT and if Seat Concepts hasn't made a kit for it by then I will go with Fisher again.

Looks good. I have the opposite problem with my V7III, I can only touch the tips of my toes down. Because of the side and center stands, I can’t go shorter on the suspension. I might give these guys a shot. Thanks for the info.

doc

They are known for their low and wide seats. I know redfishunter had a DR seat made quite low and likes it over a Seargent and Seatconcepts IIRC.

My Sys10 bags finally came in and I finished the mounts I will run 90% of the time. I'm still going to make a C-Bow set that will hold the bags flush to the top of the seat for long trips. They will be removable and I will be able to use either a Sysbag 30 or Sysbag 15 strapped on top as a trunk.

I hope to take a ride next week. There is window of opportunity...

Very cool.

I especially like the Hungarian flag reflectors on the front forks.

Seriously, you continue to annoy me to no end by your fabrication skills. Impressive stuff.

Bill

Looking good

Hope that window works out for you. The bags flow well with the bike, as much as bags can anyway. Hips to match the jugs now

Can't ride but I have 3 trips planned.... I did get a Zumo XT in today! Seems pretty nice. I'm downloading the Birdseye view maps for my area. I think this will be quite handy on the DR!

One for the V7 between Marietta and Woodsfield OH:



Then a couple between Elizabeth and Spencer WV covering some backroads I have never been on:

Another trip mapped out to the Eastern pan handle to hopefully meet up with Motto Grappa Bill sometime this summer. The 1st leg looks to be great riding between Clay and Riverton WV. Then the trip home from Romney to Philippi looks equally exciting. That leaves a day to explore Bill's stomping grounds!

I better stock up on grappa now!

Bill

More cold weather work...I looked at some satellite views of the area below and it looks like a great area to spend 2-3 days hitting all the white lines in particular the tiny ones. One of my all time favorite roads is the small white line left of Birch River. It's only a 35-45 mph road, but I don't need to go much over that to exceed my skill level. The lower red arrow goes along the Williams river and looks to have fantastic views! There are multiple small Motor Inn's that would make a nice weekend base of operation in the area. When will the cold weather end!

Time to go out to the garage and finish my C-bow mounts for the Sys15 bags. All my parts have finally arrived. Probably won't be able to paint the welded parts for a few months.

Staying tuned.

Well they turned out pretty good. Sys 15 bags with a Sys30 topper. They can all be removed for overnight stays. I may end up using the Sys15's for day trips when I need to pick something up. I still need to make a cross bar to support the rear of the Sys30 bag. Now, I need to go find a bit of round bar...

That looks really good, with the top bag too

Shhhh! YA need to stop giving away all the good road secrets

Chethro, I just spent an enjoyable hour reading your trips thread. I ride that area all the time. Got the maps out so I could follow along. The 47, 74, Pullman Rd, 16 loop is a favorite and we stop at the smokehouse in Glenville regularly for lunch. I've ridden all paved roads you mentioned including a lot of the county roads. Will have to look for you this year. Your map with the two red arrows has excellent roads. The upper arrow is pointing at Adolph Rd near Helvetia. That's another good one.
Later,
M

Glad you enjoyed it! I ride quite a bit in Southern Ohio too. I'm really looking forward to my first two long rides West of Woodsfield OH, but my first V7 ride will probably be 47, 16 and 36.

That road from Clay to Birch River is hard to beat. Last year I passed two guys on their adventure bikes going the opposite direction and their grins were so wide I could see bugs in their teeth!

The area you show above is just a little too far for a day trip, so I'm going to have to do an overnight stay to catch those roads. They do look mighty fine!

I hope to see you out there! What do you ride? I'll keep an eye out for ya.

Primary bike is a 2018 R1200GS. Scheming a 650 again, though, for blasting the twisties on a lighter bike. Or maybe a supermoto again. Super fun!

Later,
M

Finally! The DR got the nod for a 50 mile spin. The first of 2021. Some real snotty red clay slick as ice...I had a few close calls. The ol'girl felt strong after her winter's nap. The XP140 camera worked quite well. I could pull it out, turn it on and snap a pic with a gloved hand in under 30 seconds.







The old Rock Castle Church.







This spot was one of my favorite pics from last year. I'll snap it again as everything greens up and the flowers bloom.