Making a motorcycle seat in the Philippines
This trip, Manila to Zamboanga, was mostly highway but we were putting in some long hours on the road and we were taking a beating.
I bought some foam and fabric in Dumaguete and put together a makeshift seat cushion.
My motorbike needed more padding so I decided to make an addition to the seat. The bike has a very hard ride because it is set up for heavy loads and has extra springs on each side.
It doesn’t smoothen out until you have 3 passengers or so and you never travel with a light load in the backcountry or the “bukid” in Samar where I live.
This trip, Manila to Zamboanga, was mostly highway but we were putting in some long hours on the road and we were taking a beating.
Changing a motorcycle tire in the Philippines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80nAYmh9f3Q
After arriving in Dumaguete I found a fabric store across the from the city market near the entrance to the Vintage Inn.
The project kept me busy getting the foam, fabric and glue and sewing the whole works together by hand.
The foam cost 250 pesos, the fabric around 250 pesos. Thread, needles, rubber cement and scissors put the total cost at around 650 to 700 pesos.
They couldn’t sew it on their machine so I sat on the balcony in the shade and sewed the works together by hand over the next two days.
I extended the seat to cover the gas tank as well because an occasional rider that sits up there when we have a full load.
It was my first attempt at upholstery and the end result was satisfactory, but it looks a little weird.
You still take a beating on that bike however.
The owner of the fabric shop.
Having fun with the staff was the most fun part of the project. Encounters with people like them are why I travel.
After a while waterfalls and other tourist sites seem to get repetitive.
Eventually I hope to get a 200 XR. They are such a sweet birt bike and the ride is like being on clouds. One of the drawbacks is that the cg or center of gravity is high off the ground and passengers have a hard time climbing on the back.
The other drawback is that it can only carry one or two passengers max.
I have seen up to 10 people on on of those TMX 155’s that had been modified with seat extensions and side racks. For me the most I can handle is 3 passengers but have taken 4 on occasion on short runs I don’t claim to have anywhere near the skill of a real habble-habble driver. Those guys are good!
motorcycle in the Philippines link
http://www.dutchpickle.com/philippines/samar/habble-habble.html
10 people on one bike link
http://www.dutchpickle.com/philippines/misc/philippines-motorbike.html
Hi DP
I note your motorcycle seat modifications with great interest! Very well done, congrats! The foreign “lubot” is not as hard as the indigenous version and with those hard springs… my God!
When we bought our bikes in Cebu we took the seats off. I bought them back here to NZ and had 100mm of seat foam added with a new outer covering. Huge difference, although it still takes a couple of days riding before my butt “hardens up”.
I can comment on the Honda 200XR, I bought a new one in Dumaguete and sold it after a year.
Good points: Great front brake, excellent electrics, good suspension, can lay a 1L water bottle behind headlight fairing, tolerates high temp and low octane fuel well, Honda dealers are everywhere.
Bad points: Overweight pig of a thing, badly chosen 1st/2nd gear ratios, too tall, high C of G and difficult to handle in some circumstances. Overall not really ideal for long distance work.
Habble habble drivers. You make a very true point here. Both my brother and I are not inexperienced riders, and can maintain a reasonable clip on some pretty ordinary surfaces. One day we were riding around northern Biliran Is on a road that resembled a mountain riverbed. We thought we were going pretty good until a habble-habble shot past us… fully loaded with grinning locals, and vanished into the distance. We never saw him again.
One of the things that makes motorcycle travel in the Philippines so appealing.
Cheers
Lindsay
Lindsay -
Thanks for the info about the 200XR
I really like that bike but it is too high for me too - or rather, my passengers. I have taken three with gear into Calapi a few times. It is a bit of work, especially going downhill because all that weight is pressing against your back. I found that a bag of rice on the gas tank keeps the cg forward and helps a lot with controlability.
My bucket of bolts - Honda TMX, has a shock absorber and a spring on each side and makes for a hard ride on a washboard or rocky road. Almost the entire north south highway in Samar is paved no so it is really a joy to ride.
cheers
dp
Hi DP
Yes, I am familiar with the twin-spring setup commonly seen on bikes in the Philippines. Very unsuited to just a single rider but very necessary for the amazing loads that are carried on bikes. My mind sometimes turns to the loading on the rear wheel bearings…. and the deep respect we can feel for the quality assurance engineers at NTN Japan…
Your rice bag technique sounds interesting. I usually have a carry bag attached to the tank with rubber ties. As you say, the bike handles better.
I don’t often carry passengers, especially on trips. I have a partner that I take on day trips (around Siquijor or local day rides out of Dumaguete) but when Bruce and I do our big trips I don’t want the extra weight and responsibility.
Cheers
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
You and Bruce really get around!
I usually have passengers because a lot of the places that I go have no hotels - so we stay at one of my passenger’s homes (it gives me a look into the local way of life as well)
dp
ps saw 10 people on one TMX in Mindanao last year (note there are two on the outriggers on the far side.
I was so heavily loaded that it was very difficult to get this shot. I had to yield even though this guy was a far better driver than I will ever be.
http://www.dutchpickle.com/philippines/misc/philippines-motorbike.html
Hi DP
Amazing!! These guys are masters of the art of overloading! Congrats on getting the pics, I know how difficult it can be getting such shots.
Admire your approach to lodging, we tend to stick to pensions, cheap hotels etc although we have stayed in some pretty interesting barangys. We stayed in a nice place when we rode around Panay and did the trip over to Boracay. Got to Boracay around 4pm. Stayed one night and left at 6am on the first boat! Not our scene….
Cheers
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
I have never been to Boracay yet!
It probably wouldn’t work for me either!
cheers
dp
i miss philippines and i love maguindanao
i miss philippines because i am 2 years here qatar