I rode in this Ride for the first time last year, and I will continue to Ride in it every year I can. There are lots of rides out there for good causes, and this is one of them. At the end of the ride they have some of the children who have, or have had, brain tumors tell their story, and it really brings what you are raising money for into focus. These are kids, just like your kids, or grandkids, who weren't delt the life cards of good health and no problems. They tell their story of what they want, and what they like to do, and what they dream of doing, and its just what every other kid wants. They want to go to the Prom, drive a car, go to school, have friends, and just live a normal life. Donating a few bucks and going for a ride seems like a very small thing to do to contribute.
The ride starts and ends at Pellissippi State Community College. Registration starts at 8:00am and closes at 9:30. Kickstands go up at 10:00am sharp, rain or shine. Registration is $50 and includes a light breakfast, beverages, lunch, and puts you in the drawing for a Free Honda motorcycle which will be given away at the event. More info at rideforkids.org
My old 400 KTM is a pretty versatile bike, great on the trails, and after adding some dual sport tires and some lighting, a street legal dual sport bike that gets 55mpg and has a 150+ mile range. The one thing about it that did NOT work was the stock KTM seat. Not so good. Actually, it sort of sucks.
Oh, but a solution was just up the road at Dual Sport Touring in Friendsville, Tn. They can take your existing seat and build it just the way you want it. What I did was pick up an old seat on e-bay for $15 bucks, and let them use the stock seat pan to rebuild from scratch something that was wider and flatter. Basically something that you could sit on all day while riding back roads.
Francois and Megan delivered my new seat to me just before we started what was to be a 161 mile day of riding forest service roads, along with some asphalt sections. The difference between my new seat and the stock butt punisher was immeasurable. The only way I could have ridden 161 miles on the stock seat would be if I stood up for 100 miles. The key is the increased width. As you can see in the pictures, the "Sitting area" was increased from 4 1/2" to 9 1/2".
The fit and craftsmanship are excellent. I've had higher priced seats before, and they weren't any better than this. They can also do custom colors and different textures, I chose solid black with the carbon fiber look on top, but KTM orange was available. I really like the way it looks, but the side panels in orange would look pretty sweet too. Total cost was $175, and I had it back within a week! The good folks at Dual Sport Touring picked it up in Knoxville on Tuesday, and brought it to me on Sunday. No shipping cost. Heck, I bet Francois would have put it on for me if I had asked!
If you're interested in getting a seat made just the way you want it, give Dual Sport Touring a call 865-995-9505
Thanks to all the people who helped make the 2 Wheels for Meal fundraiser a success. Over $1500 was raised for the Mobile Meals program, and some money is still coming in. Pretty good for an event that was planned in three weeks! We had a lot of non-riding folks who came out to support the event, and while the numbers from the motorcycling community weren't what we were expecting, the people who did come were VERY generous with their contributions.
Thank you to everyone!
