Open call to Vivo~!!

[Stig / Major Tom]

Dear Vivo,
Do you think you could put your scootering gurus out there in the Philippines on to the issue of the LIKE seats?
A significant number of us gringos are having a deuce of a time getting comfortable on these LIKE 200i seats~!!
What we need is a flat, padded surface halfway back on the seat.  What we have instead is the mother of lumps right there - coming from the hard plastic seat pan under the foam. The issue is that our rear ends are forced to sit up against that lump - plus the seat has little support on the outer edges, left and right, which in turn gives us little stability left to right, and feels sort of like sitting atop a ball rather than a flat/padded surface, or even better a slightly concave padded surface- jeez wouldn't THAT feel wonderful!?

Most American LIKE owners of any healthy size love our scoots but hate the seat - and we envy almost every other scooter rider on the planet for their comfy seats!

OK, Vivo, so - IS there a fix that your friends have been using that we could duplicate? Yes, I know....but there must be some larger fellows riding LIKEs out there, yes? Photos, drawings, advice - would be much appreciated. (I recently sat on an old filthy barn-find Honda Elite 80 - and it brought tears of envy to my eyes. It was wide, supportive edge to edge and even a little concave in the center! As though it was made for human bottoms!)
Can I get an "Amen~!!" from other LIKE 200i riders?

[Vivo]

Stig, I don't see or hear any big issues about the Like seats here... There are more issues with the Super 8 seats... I'm five foot, seven and I have ridden a Like and I know what you mean...  Most of us here can live with the uncomfy seat and those who cannot can always shave, reshape, or do a full custom... it's easy here because of many upholstery shops around and a lot of imagination... Maybe it's a different culture here... Scooter seat issues are not  group issues, they are personal issues that are not discussed with others.  If I don't like my seat, I'll have it fixed.

One disadvantage of a custom job is that there are lots of sewn edges and water seeps in during  rainy rides.  Shaving and reusing the original seat cover is better. 


Here's a seat I will never do on a Like, but since it's his Like, this guy can do whatever he likes...

[SonicSix]

Yeah, the seat is rough on long rides.  Often times I will sit on the passenger spot and put my feet on the passenger pegs to give my rump a break from the normal position. I would love to have a seat like the Big Ruckus has!  If I could find one at a reasonable price, I would modify it to fit my Like.

[tclhb]

I'll have to try the passenger peg trick. I always sit in the passenger half anyway.
I have found my limit is about 35 miles or so of continuos riding with mostly stop and go traffic. At hat point it stops being fun. I will need a meal or some other lengthy break.

[kriden]

OMG Vivo...great picture...now THAT'S a comfy seat!!!  Funny thing, notice the leg shield the rider is wearing...looks just like a leg shield an American baseball player would wear.  10 will get you 20 that he needs that because of how his knees must hit the handlebars now due to how high he must sit because of the new seat.  (I'm joking of course).  But man that seat looks awesome.

Thanks for posting.  Wish my first attempt at a seat mod worked...for a brief several days, I actually experiences "Butt Nirvana".  I will figure this one out...it must be done...this scoot is too nice to let some crazy seat design effect it.

[JOB]

Stig, I finished my seat rebuild on my 2012 Like 200 Saturday and have taken 3 rides of 25 to 75 miles and it is much better. I removed the old seat cover and replaced it with a heavier cover made of marine grade Naugahyde cut about two inches larger using the original cover for a pattern. I shaved the stock foam to a flat surface with a  rotary wire brush on a drill. I then used 3M spray adhesive to attach the 1 1/2 " thick memory foam ( a twin mattress memory foam pad from Walmart) to the stock foam. I used the wire brush and drill to contour the memory foam and then reattached to new cover. There are no seams just like in the original seat. I shaved the front hump down to give me more leg room and that is the only real telling feature. See attached picture for finished product. I got the idea from a video on u-tube.

[Dolemite]

Last week I stopped by a local leather/custom seat shop and was quoted $100 for exactly what JOB did, shave down the stock foam, add 1-2" of memory foam and wrap it in marine grade leather. Not a bad price to have a professional do the job. Just not as brave as you JOB! I keep waiting for 2-3 days I can not have to ride the scoot to take it over. Good news, i'm expecting rain for the rest of the week.

[91cavgt]

I've ridden 90 miles in one day on my Like on some country back road highways and felt a bit cramped, but otherwise was ok because I was sitting on the front part of the seat.  It is more comfortable for my legs to ride farther back on the seat at the expense of my hind end.

[TroutBum]

Last week I stopped by a local leather/custom seat shop and was quoted $100 for exactly what JOB did, shave down the stock foam, add 1-2" of memory foam and wrap it in marine grade leather. Not a bad price to have a professional do the job. Just not as brave as you JOB! I keep waiting for 2-3 days I can not have to ride the scoot to take it over. Good news, i'm expecting rain for the rest of the week.

If you do get it done, please report back to us. I for one would be interested in your assessment of the mod.