Modern Buddy

y'know those sheepskin seat pads and covers you see the harley guys use, does anyone use these for their scooter? if so what brand?

well i went ahead and ordered one online, i found the brand from a search on the modern vespa site

it's the cheapest one i've seen by far, we'll see how it holds up.

i got the small size
24.95 + 7.00 shipping
http://www.alaskaleather.com/prices&sizes2.html

I'm on my third sheepskin and I love them. Granted that I mostly use them for Long Distance riding/touring, but I think that they really help a LOT.
I've added a piece of 1" dense foam underneath mine. On the BMW it really helps on the 1000 mile days, on the Vespa I've done a couple of (almost) 400 mile days and I got off the scoot feelin' just fine.
As always, YMMV.
-K

Huhhh . . . so why is it good? No, really, I have no clue what makes it so good for long distance riding.

Sheep's wool is very springy and dense. Think of it as thousands of soft little springs under your backside. In addition to an added layer of cushioning, you also benefit from the small amount of air that's able to circulate throughout the wool. This translates to a little less sweating down below--which, especially during summer riding, is a good thing.
Make sense?
-K

I tried one of those "Cab driver" beaded seats. My a** is pretty fat so I don't think the venting helped much, but it was nice just to sit on something different for a while, and it was easy to take off and put on for variety on a long ride.

Seamless "sports" underwear are nice for long rides too. Search "Underwear Thread" on modern vespa for more on that.

Bryan

Thanks for the explanation, Kevin.
I thought it had to do with something like that based on the context that robonz is doing the cannonball, but my cityboy ways relate sheep to meat and cheese, more than anything else.

My Blur would like funky on one of those !

Sheep Cheese? Dont you mean Goat Cheese? Gaot skin is excelent for gloves, it breaths fairly well, and fits even the most dainty hands, plus it is snug enough for lots of dextarity. Iv only ever milked a sheep, and it wasnt a pleasent experience- goat milking is much easier.

Val,
nope, I did mean sheep cheese. Next time you are at a store that has lots of selection on cheese check out Manchego cheese from Spain, preferably at least with a 6 month cure or Idiazabal (also at least 6 month cure). Or if you are into blue cheese, check out Spain's Mirableu, mm, mm, good ! Gosh, we have soooo many cheeses made from sheep milk, but also a ton with goat's and cow's milk.

In Pamplona and northern Navarra we also make a wonderful yogurt type product called Cuajada by adding a bacteria called cuajo to hot unpasteurized sheeps milk (temperature of the milk is critical). Let it sit overnight, add some honey and walnuts before you eat it and it is to die for! God, I miss my food

Well, would you like me to pick up a Ewe from County Fair next month and we can have a sheep milking contest, and then make that magical cheese of yours ( I like the sheep at the fair, they are naked)

Now that you don't have the van, it would be a funny sight to see you carry that on the Buddy

I can pack anything, anywhere. It can be done- I think Ill just need a few more bungee cords, some lavender pillow spray, Classical music and a Blindfold- One Ewe, Coming up! Iv got madd SKILLS! (or im just mad )

I have used a closed cell foam pad that is about 1/2" thick. I found them in the hunting section or stores that sell hunting equipment. Mine are camofluge pattern/color. But one of these with a sheepskin should really be a good combo. I to have used sheepskin when I cycled cross country and they do work good.

Dibber wrote:I have used a closed cell foam pad that is about 1/2" thick. I found them in the hunting section or stores that sell hunting equipment. Mine are camofluge pattern/color. But one of these with a sheepskin should really be a good combo. I to have used sheepskin when I cycled cross country and they do work good.

That would be a fantastic setup.

Another LD rider's tip is to wear padded lycra cycling shorts under your riding pants. Gives you a little extra padding on yer rear, and the seams don't chafe.

In our next installment: I explain why you should never use Gold Bond Medicated Powder if your riding suit isn't 100% waterproof.
-K

EP_scoot wrote:In Pamplona and northern Navarra we also make a wonderful yogurt type product called Cuajada by adding a bacteria called cuajo to hot unpasteurized sheeps milk (temperature of the milk is critical). Let it sit overnight, add some honey and walnuts before you eat it and it is to die for! God, I miss my food

I don't know what sorts of organic food markets you have up there, but here we have a co-op called Ever'manns and they sell an AWESOME plum & walnut yogurt. Sounds maybe kinda similar to what you make? I'm sure it's not as good as homemade! Sorry, I don't remember the brand... They don't usually carry it, you have to order it special. mmm, mmm!

Kevin wrote:

In our next installment: I explain why you should never use Gold Bond Medicated Powder if your riding suit isn't 100% waterproof

:ROFL: Is that coming on the next MMM? Can't wait to read it

Krusty,
I will have to stop by the local Whole Foods to see what they have. If they have something similar I would be in heaven.

I find that everything is so safe over here, lots of pasteurization, ultra pasteurization and on and on. Short expiry dates on stuff, refrigerate everything. My wife is American and she does go nuts with my old ways of dealing with food. But that is what works here, to each their own.
Like trying to find a decent Jamon Serrano over here. The FDA has some issues with imported meats and it is soooo expensive when you get it over the www. Ay caramba, don't get me going . . . food (cooking, reading, planning) is my other hobby.

OK, I am going to cook me up something now.

EP_scoot wrote:
:ROFL: Is that coming on the next MMM? Can't wait to read it

Nope. I'm well-lubed on Kentucky bourbon, so I'll share it now.

WARNING: this post details an ACTUAL experience that I, unfortunately, had in 2000. It also contains refferences to Long Distance motorcycle events, of which there are many, many stories of said events. If you're already yawning, ye best be moving along. If you enjoy laughing at someone else's expense, read on.

Rewind to July 4th weekend in the year 2000. The Minnesota 2000 challenge (2000 miles in 48 hours) had begun and I'm on the second day.
This is the part where I state that one of the tricks of the Long Distance Rider community is to use Gold Bond Medicated Powder (GBMP) on your bum (and, for that matter, your privates) to help ward off the nasty effects that are caused by a combination of heat and sitting in one position for a very, very long time. On males, this is not a pleasant situation.

Anyway, I'm on Day 2, I'm on the BMW and I'm picking up a bonus at a Mexican joint just outside of Chicago. It's been a really hot weekend, so when I stop at the bonus--and partake of their tasty chow--I decide that I am going to delve into my Magic Bag Of Tricks and slip into the restroom with a bottle of GBMP, which I apply liberally to my, err, private regions.
When I exit the restroom, my food's ready and I get my gold star for the Clean Plate Club. While this is happening, it starts to rain.
Hard. I scramble for the (bike's) tankbag rain cover, as well as retrieving a few items that I know I'll need for the ride back to Minneapolis.

Fast-forward to me riding through one of the worst rains I've ever ridden through. My brand new (allegedly Waterproof gloves) were taking on water at a rate faster than the Titanic; post-iceberg strike.
Anyway, visibility is crap, cars are huddling under any bridge they can take refuge under, but I'm on a mission and determined to get back to the Twin Cities.

At this point I should mention that some of my fellow riders on this event had weather radios that warned them of the totally f'ed up weather in the greater Chicago area and they decided that this would be a good time to grab a hotel room, take a much needed nap and ride the storm out.

Meanwhile, El Stupido presses on. I hadn't even made it past the city limits when the lower part of my two-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter finally gave up the ghost and started pumping water past the zippers at a rate that would satisfy the generators at the Hoover Dam. OK, I'm no stranger to having occasional leaks on the Roadcrafter. But remember--at the restaurant I had applied the GBMP quite liberally on my private area. And this is where things get interesting (and painful!) I'm no chemistry major, but the one thing that I can tell you is that if you get Gold Bond wet, it becomes the equivalent of Ben Gay or Icy Hot. Talk about great balls of fire!!!! I was standing on the pegs until about Rockford. At one point I had seriously considered opening the fly on my Roadcrafter and letting the rain
wash away the offending substance.

No, I wasn't happy at the time. But it makes for a damn fine story 8 years later.
-K

That will go into the "if you ever though this was a good idea" bag . . . or since April fools is coming up . . . hmmmm.

Thanks Kevin,
I've done some long days, but never with that particular 'additive'. Lucky for me the way it sounds because I've been wet from waterproof gear more times than I almost want to remember.

Funny I don't remember that problem from my long distance days in the past. With the Vespa 14 hr days were tough because the foam will end up compressing to nothing. Back then I had to add the little tubes of oil to the tank, so every couple hours I had to stop to gas up anyway, which helped.

But later with my bigger bikes I never had an issue. Then again, I was a LOT lighter than I am today

This is supposed to be the hot ticket right now:
http://www.antimonkeybutt.com/whatisamb.html

Haven't tried it yet. I'll let you know when I do.

Oh, here's the bike and the restaurant:


-K