Triumphrat

Flyingscott · 05-17-2008

Redbird

"The single biggest change factor for me was a good windscreen...the Parabellum Scout fairing transformed the bike for me, and I can ride 500 miles easier than 100 miles prior to the Parabellum. Second would be the King/Queen seat...the reason it is not first is once I installed the Parabellum, my butt wasn't so picky. The Parabellum is pricey, but it is worth it IMHO."

What height is your wind screen? 10", 14", 16", 18" or 20"?

Color match looks good. Who did the paint?

Goofy1 · 05-17-2008

The king/queen seat works for me. I can still slide around plenty to be comfy. The added benefit was another 1" in leg room as the seat is a bit higher than the stock one.

Oh, for the love of a Parabelum Scout!

wolfgang · 05-17-2008

Fyr,
I have a king and queen seat for two up riding, but riding solo I like to move around and the stocker wasn't cutting it for me. I had my stock seat modified with about 2" of stiff foam by an upholstery guy I know. He said the stocker had 1/4" of foam in some spots. Now I sit a little higher with it, and can move around a lot more than the K&Q will allow. It was a cheap mod and I like the way it looks. Other guys have been quite happy with solo seats and scrambler gel seats. Search seats, lots of options for you depending on what you like. Easy to swap seats, if you end up with a few, just two bolts in the rear. You might also get away with throwing a seat pad under you for your upcoming long haul, if you don't feel like committing to something yet.

I added some used highway bars, so I can stretch out once in a while in suitable conditions, helps the knees and back. Also have a National Deflector screen which I look over and not through, takes the wind off my chest and head so cruising at speed for a while isn't as fatiguing. Regarding saddlebag bouncing, do you have racks installed?

Fyr · 05-17-2008

Hey Wolfgang,
No, he saddlebags sit free and open. I should get the rails, but if I go that route I wouldn't mind hard bags. The bags I have were around 40$ used and I sit on them when I need to cart **** around.
As I mentioned, I know someone who added foam from an upholsterer. I think that is a route worth exploring as I am looking into buying a used seat for that reason. (I am trying to keep all my stock stuff in it's original shape).
I played with the ergs today and it looks that for the Americade trip, I'll be putting the stock bars back on, and a higher windscreen (from my CM 250) believe it or not. It sits 3 inches higher and wider than the Dart. Ill put all that stuff back on after the ride to NY.

wolfgang · 05-17-2008

Fyr,
If I were you I'd print pictures of the seats you like, there are a few who have had them modified by upholsterers and posted pics, so they know how you want it to look. Make sure he knows your preferences on foam, I wanted a firmer foam that I didn't just sink into, and it turned out great, I love that seat. Another advantage of the taller seat, if you throw those bags over the seat, there's more seat for the bags to ride against. Good luck!

texas94fs · 05-17-2008

Give me your 600 dollars, or should I say your tax rebate. I will come up and I will ride your bike thus helping you tour it. . .

Hope you find something that works well and have a great trip.

dikman · 05-18-2008

Fyr, I bought an Airhawk. I haven't tried it on a trip (yet), but it certainly makes the seat more comfortable for normal riding. It's also a fairly cheap option, doesn't change the existing seat and it can be removed easily if you want to use the standard plank.

Dik.

Fyr · 05-18-2008

dikman
I look into it.
Tex94, No tax rebate here (we are tax heavy and nothing comes back to us) I can figure out how to tour it myself... Although an exchange might work. You come here when it's -20 (and on ski-doos) I'll go to your spread and ride when it's 70 ish and nice!!
Cheers

dfbike · 05-18-2008

I just bought an Air Hawk and did about 700km on it last weekend. Took a while to settle into it but on balance I feel better after the ride. Definitely less twinges in my back today compared to normal.

I started out with too much air in it and had it too far forward on the seat under me. I felt disconnected from the bike.

However I managed to settle it into the best position and found they work best with just a bare minimum of air. Even less air pressure than you would think - and the pressure in them rises after 15 - 20 minutes due to your body heat.

The only problem I can think of now is that if you want to gas off you have to raise yourself off the seat. Still worth the effort though!

RedBird · 05-18-2008

Flyingscott,

Parabellum recommended the 18" windshield. I got some measurements from them as to where the windshield started (how many inches above the headlight) and the approximate angle; and did some measuring seated on the bike. I decided on a 16" windshield and I was either lucky or did a good job with my measurements, etc. because the windshield is a very good fit for me. The "bug-line" starts just above my helmet visor, and I look over the windshield seated normally. I'm 5'8" tall with a 29" inseam; however, I have never measured my seated height.

I decided on a paint scheme and had my two children critique my design and then started hunting a painter. I had the Parabellum painted at a custom bike shop. It probably cost a little more than an auto body shop, but they knew exactly what to do to prep the molded Parabellum for paint. I took my tank to them for color matching. On my way home, I had my son take me by the Triumph dealer and I ask him if he had a spare tank laying around that I could borrow for a couple of weeks--he said, I do have one, and went back to retrieve it. It was the ugliest green color I have ever seen, but I was riding for the two weeks that the paint shop had my tank.

I tried this one more time, successfully, when I took my cam cover to the platers to have it powder coated black--the dealer loaned me a cam cover for the three weeks mine was at the platers.