Today's ride was more about finding out about what (and how much) it was going to cost to get my motorcycle more comfortable on longer rides.
I knew the day I bought my Rebel that there were going to be a couple of things that would have to be changed or at least modified. The rock-hard seat and the uncomfortable position that my arms are stretched out on the handle bars are my major issues. The more I go on longer rides I realized it was time to look into what I could do to alleviate these issues.
Aspdin Road
My first stop was at Muskoka Upholstery in Hunstville off of Aspdin Road. I spoke with Curt and he recommended getting a gel insert. This also wouldn’t affect the seat height which was very important. I want a comfy tushy but not at the expense of loosing my perfect flat foot position. So, it was settled, he would order me the gel and I would bring the seat back (on a rainy day of course, which probably would be soon as sunny days are few and far between this year) for him to install it. Although that brought me to my next little problem and explained that the bolts were super tight and I couldn’t get the seat off. He was very helpful and worked on loosening the screws for me.
I also mentioned that the passenger seat was just as bad and pointed out to him how the dealer installed the saddle bags over the seat. He agreed that they did look odd that way. Well I have to give him credit, he had a hard time loosening that screw and broke one of his Allen wrenches in the process! But he did it and to my surprise he went ahead and adjusted the strap over the fender. He had to cut the flaps a touch for it to fit better and then put the seat back on. I couldn’t thank Curt enough. That had been bugging me since the day I got it. Now I can hardly wait to get that gel installed. I left Curt and headed onto the next stop on my mission.
before after
On such a beauty day I took advantage of taking the scenic route and long way to get there. I continued on Aspdin Road which is full of curves and it is just an awesome road to cruise down. There was very little traffic, at least there wasn’t any at the time I motored down it this morning. It brought me into Rosseau where I stopped at this cute little restaurant called Crossroads.
I didn’t go in and just chugged down some of my water in the parking lot and snapped a quick picture. I think this would be a fun spot to stop at with some other riders for lunch sometime. There was a really nice outdoor patio area with some really comfy looking Muskoka chairs. After my short break I turned left onto Hwy 141 to head back towards Huntsville.
Hwy 141 is a very twisty road with lots of sweeping curves, a must for any biker. It is on my bike-it list this summer to go from one end of it to the other. It starts from Hwy 11 (Port Sydney/Utterson) and will take you all the way to Parry Sound. Again, I lucked out and had no traffic. When I came to a little place called Bent River, I stopped at the quaint general store/gas station. I topped up my tank and continued on my way.
As I got to Utterson my next stop was in my sites. Flybyu motorsports. I had looked for a motorcycle shop as close to me as I could find and believe me that is an extremely limited list where I live. This seemed to fit the bill when I first found it on Facebook. I spoke with Derek to see what he suggested for the issue I had with my handle bars. He suggested the cheaper route was to get 1” risers and bring the bars forward. I was all for the cheaper option. I still have many, many payments on my two wheels of bliss and would like to be able to still afford to ride it after I fork over the bucks to modify it for my comfort. He assured me that if there would be a problem with the ABS break lines that he would just return the risers. He seemed confident that this would work though. So, I told him to go ahead and order them. I was also happy when he told me when the part came in that I could wait while he installed them. Bonus another road trip! I am super stoked about how well my little mission turned out today. Now I just have to be patient until the parts come in. I took off from there with a huge smile and connected onto MD 10 that would bring me through Port Sydney.
I stopped at the Jamieson's General Store for a water break and a little photo op. I love those cute country stores. There is so much charm to them. I continued on my way along MD 10 and headed towards Huntsville via Brunell Rd and the downtown core. It was the perfect twisty way home.
As I turned off on the Novar exit to connect with the 592, I took the opportunity to snap this pic. I have always loved this scenic view. A perfect end to a perfect day while I accomplished what I had set out to do with the added bonus of an awesome ride.
Until next time keep
Route: Aspdin Rd to Hwy 141/Huntsville
Nice photo.
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