Is it just me, or are scooters extremely bumpy??

My husband and I just bought a pair of brand new Honda Elite 110's. I'm 4'10" and all of 97 lbs. I realize I'm no heavyweight but does anyone else, especially the lighter-weight gals, get tossed up and down on their scooter while doing even low speeds (25-35 mph) every time they hit the slightest bump?? I am a wreck when I ride this thing, which in all fairness has only been less than a week. I rode a small motorcycle before this and only got tossed around a bit. I was assured by the dealership that my Elite's tire pressure is accurate. My husband has no problems riding his at all (He is about 157 lbs).

Our Elites have one 10" and one 12" tire. I am literally coming off the seat with the slightest bump, and find myself spending almost as much time worrying about bumps (and being thrown off) as I do focusing on other vehicles on the road...and that's not good!!

I hope that I didn't just make an expensive mistake. Will this get better in time?

Opinions? Suggestions? Similar experiences?

Thanks!

Does the Elite have any sort of shock setting? I'm guessing it does? If you soften it up it might ride better for you, maybe it set hard for two up or a heavier rider.

Alter...No, unfortunately the shocks are not adjustable. The service tech at the dealership said that I could replace them with another type, but he didn't even know what type that would be! He did say that the suspension should "loosen up" after a while, but I'm not sure I could hold out for too long.

This situation, combined with a too-high (and wide) seat despite using thick-soled riding boots, is making for a real buzz kill! I'm in the process of getting places/estimates to have the seat shaved. I'm afraid to do it myself and ruin it.

Some of the students in the school where I work have autism, and one particular student was given a huge ball to bounce on that her therapist thought would be a blast for her to use. Instead, this basically non-verbal student loudly cried out, "NOT FUN!!" ...and that is exactly what I think of when I ride this scooter....

This might be kinda of dumb but you could try it once and see if it makes a difference....What about if you add weight? Fill the trunk with something heavy and see if it makes a difference in the ride for you.
I've carried 50lbs of dog food in my Burgman trunk. I didn't really pay attention to how the ride changed but I know there is a significant difference when I carry a passenger.
Extra weight might also compress your shocks and lower the seat.

Ya know, I did think of putting weight in the huge compartment under the seat to see if that helped. But now that you talk about compressing the seat (which weight UNDER the seat wouldn't), I'm thinking seriously of a weight belt! I will have to check stores that sell exercise/gym equipment. In addition, my husband and I can switch off scooters now and then so that his 165 lb. body (which I thought was 155....LOL) can naturally compress my seat!

SkutaMama - The Elie is a light bike, 250 lbs. Combine that with a 29.1 in. seat hight and less than 3 inches of travel on the rear shock over a ten inch wheel, and you have a very unstable ride for a person weighing 97 lbs.

The adding weight idea is best. Will two 20 pound barbell weights fit under the seat? You could also lower the tire pressure by a couple of pounds. You cannot actually "shave" the seat enough to make a difference, although you might help the width issue.

You did not make a huge mistake. At 4' 10" & 97 lbs. there just aren't scooters designed specifically for your size. Next time around consider a scooter with larger wheels. The suspension on them will be longer and usually adjustable. Seat height will be about the same.

Good luck. - Fabini

Fabini...thanks for the tips. As far as shaving the seat height and width, I would be doing that just so that I could be more flat-footed at stops. Right now I can just barely get the balls of my feet on the ground. That has made me feel even more unstable on it. I'm light enough that I couldn't even get this scooter on the center stand (even though this is a "light" scooter) so I ordered, received and installed a side stand for it. It made a HUGE difference, so that's one problem down and two to go!

I do hope you're right that this wasn't a mistake.

You do have quite a quandry. I'm short too and can only have toes on the ground at stop lights with my current scoot. There may be another optional Honda seat that's less thick and could be ordered and switched out with yours....or maybe your dealer has a used, previously squished one that you might have him install.
As far as the ride, your weight sure could be part of the issue. Have you ever switched with your husband to see if his scooter rides just as rough? Or, have you ridden 2-up on yours, to see if that makes a big difference? That could give you a bit of an idea if the weight change helps. Also, as others have mentioned, the wheel size and type of shocks can really make a difference. I went from 10" wheels on my first scoot to 14" wheels on the current one and couldn't believe how great the ride actually could be. Does your dealer have other models that you could test drive, just to see how they feel? That may be something to investigate.

Bigger tires might help the bounce issue but would seem in conflict with your need for a low seat height.
Plus I've found that smaller tires give better maneuverability on turns and such - less need to slow down.
I wouldn't add the weight belt to your body- I'd put it under the seat- maybe wrapped in a towel so they won't shift while riding.
It won't crush the seat down but it might make the bike sit lower on it's shocks.
Sliding forward on your seat when stopping can help get a better footing.. you can even practice (like in a parking lot) popping to a standing position by sliding forward as you stop.
What about experimenting with your foot position as a way to feel more secure and anti-bounce.
Perhaps bracing them differently- or pushing them against the front area of the bike?

Update: My husband put 28 lbs. worth of weights in the underseat storage area. It did help, unless it was just a placebo effect! I did find that by pushing my feet to the front of the scooter against the plastic rather than more to the side as I had been doing, it planted me more firmly on the seat. I've got to say that the bumps were not bothering me nearly as much this past weekend. I also told myself to stop being a whiner and just deal with it!

As for the height, I did the opposite of what I should have done. I traded in my hideous 1" platform frankenstein boots for an attractive pair of icon riding boots. The soles are definitely thinner, but at least they're not an embarrassment!! I figured that I'm going to have the seat shaved down (quite a bit) anyway. I have toyed with the idea of doing it myself, but not sure that I should. It was suggested that an area be hollowed out to put in a gel pad after the shave-down. I brought the seat to an auto-motorcycle upholstery shop for an estimate. They are pros that do all of the area dealership work. The downside: $250!!!! I nearly swallowed my tongue when I heard the estimate. At a different shop, the estimate was almost the same and the shop had little experience with motorcycle seats. Now I'm really torn. Myself=risk, Expensive=done right!!

Has anyone tried seat-trimming or taken their seat to be done professionally? If so, how much did it cost? I'm afraid that there are no bargains on ANYthing here in NJ.

There are many things in the world that I will try to do myself.. shaving a motorcycle seat down is not one of them.
I would take it to the pros. If you screwed it up you'd see it every time you looked at your scooter and be bummed.
Then you might want to replace the seat and end up spending more in the long run.. and still not have it the right height.
The pros would probably be able to advise you on how far you can go and retain enough cush for the tush.. or if you'd need a gel pad.
It's interesting to hear your estimate. I am going to be looking into the same thing shortly. I love the seat on the bike and don't want to mess it up.. but I'd like a firmer footing! Some people customize with paint.. others do it by fitting the bike to themselves better. I think $250 to make the bike much safer for you is a sound investment.
While frankenstien boots might help.. they have their own ankle twisting dangers.

llaziest:

Thank you for being the voice of reason! In all fairness, I should say that the seat-shaving ONLY was quoted at $150 from this particular shop, and $160 at the other shop. The shop that quoted $150 just for the seat trimming-and they are the pros, told me it would be $250 with the price of the gel pad (a whopping $125 extra, which includes installation). He assured me that the gel was the "good stuff;" not the "junk" like Saddleman! The guy was giving me a "discount" as it should have been $275. This shop made no secret of the fact that they charge $95 per hour labor.

For me, the gel pad is a must because so much foam will be taken away. I have a small body and a relatively "bony butt" and will no doubt notice all that foam being shaved!

Out of curiosity, please let me know what kind of estimate you receive. I will bring my seat to them on Monday and hope that the results will be worth the high cost. It should be done by next Thursday.

Before you spend a rather large chunk of change having the seat shaved, try this:

Go to a fabric store (JoAnn Fabrics or Pat Katan's, etc.), or a place that reupholsters furniture, and get a big ol' piece of stiff foam - the type that's used in couch cushions and the like. It'll be much less stiff than the foam that your seat is made of, so your bum will sink down into it a bit more, lowering your ride-height. However, don't make the mistake of getting something too soft, as this will cause your bum to hit the seat frame, which of course will be rather unpleasant.

Be sure to get a piece of foam that's at least the same overall dimensions as the seat on your scooter, then cut the foam to the same size & shape as your scooter seat. I've found that an electric knife (the kind used to carve a Thanksgiving turkey) works great for carving foam. If you don't have one of those, you can use a very sharp serrated knife. Don't try to do this with a razor knife, or anything else like that, as you'll likely end up butchering the foam. After you get the basic shape cut out, you can get it to a more precise shape by using sharp scissors to trim off what's left.

After the foam is shaped, remove the seat from your scooter, then remove the cover from the seat frame by pulling the vinyl cover over the retaining clips located on the "under-inside" of the seat. Replace the factory foam with the piece that you made, and stretch the cover back over the whole thing.

Also, letting a bit of air out of your tires will help, but don't let out too much. If your Honda is like my Yamaha Vino, the recommended tire pressure is around 32-35 psi. You can safely take it down to 20 psi, but be sure to ride around slowly, and close to home for a few miles after you do this to be sure that the drop in tire pressure doesn't adversely affect the handling characteristics of the scooter. If you notice that the scooter is handling "funny", then add a bit of air, a little at a time, until the handling feels right.

If you go to youtube and search something like "shave motorcycle seat" you'll see at least 1 pro job vs a home job.

foamynozzle: Thank you for the thoughtful tips! I already dropped the seat off at the pros today after work. When I showed the guys pictures of myself sitting on the scooter from various angles and how I can barely touch toes to the ground (with my new Icon boots), they both said, "That's not safe!" My "Frankenstein boots" help, and so do the 24 lbs. of weight under the seat, but still not enough. I was also able to show them how on the Elite 110, the seat fans out wide on the sides and show them how it sits in relation to the scooter bottom sides. This gave them a very good indication of where they needed to shave and also an idea of how much should be shaved in all directions.

I am going with llazyiest's wise words along with my own gut on this one. Let the pros do it. The place where I took it sometimes takes care of 15 scooter/motorcycle seats a week for different reasons, including lowering. I feel more confident knowing that they are giving their expert opinion on what would work out best based on the seat's pan size/shape and my size. If it gets messed up, they will be responsible.

I am attempting to post a picture to show my current setup where my booted foot barely reaches the ground (and hence the bike teeter-totters when stopped). I've tried leaning it to one side to put one foot down, and I've tried quickly shimmying myself up towards the front of the seat where it's more narrow to stop. Neither is a good option for me.

I'm hoping that my process in this adventure helps out other "height challenged" gals.