Whether you buy a used or new bike and ride it, everything feels awesome ♬
but I think finding the right fit is tough. After all, body shape, preferences, and experience all differ…
When you list out each little annoyance one by one, I think your love for your bike actually goes up.
Writing things down doesn’t cost anything. Why not start by pondering and having fun with it?
Wouldn’t an afternoon like that be nice?
(´∀｀*) Hehe. The year’s one big sale—Amazon Prime Day 7/12 & 13
Write down even the smallest things (*´Д｀)
For example, when I bought an Inazuma 1200 and rode it, the first thing I thought was…
• Starting is super rough
• Engine feel is sluggish overall—I really want to do a carburettor OH
• Pads and disc are shot, brake feel is poor
• Clutch lever is too far away
• Tires are in death mode
You’d be surprised how many issues show up just from a light ride.
The more you ride, the more improvement points you notice.
It’s like food. That desire to find something even more delicious (‘;’)
Ever experienced that?
The happiness you feel when you notice a dramatic change. Maybe that’s the pleasure you can’t forget.
Honestly, it’s a world without end, so it’s good to draw the line somewhere and think about maintenance going forward.
Start with the easy stuff… (things you can do yourself for free)
• Pump up the tires
• Left and right lever position—height and where your fingers land
• Left and right pedal height
• Throttle cable slack
• Chain lubrication and adjustment
Just these alone bring a bike back to life.
If you feel any stiffness in operation, lubrication and similar fixes will make things even better.
Finally, polish your bike and observe it with your own eyes—you’ll often spot oil leaks and other issues. Getting into the habit of wiping it down yourself as much as possible raises your safety awareness too.
Come up with ideas, take action, and feel the results yourself
Seats are definitely like that—sending them to a seat shop and saying everything is perfect and complete just isn’t realistic.
Since preferences, body shape, and experience all differ completely, it’s important to tailor things to the rider’s actual needs.
We don’t take outside seat orders here.
When I make a seat for myself, I tell the seat shop the foam firmness I want and have them build it up overall on the higher side.
Then I repeat test rides and cutting over and over until the foam shape finally settles.
Without doing it this way, finding that perfect-fit position is really tough, and it changes between long rides and short ones anyway. There’s also the relationship with other position parts, so the balance is extremely difficult.
If you want to have fun with it?
You can stick some protective tape on the seat and then stick double-sided foam on top—you can pseudo-experiment with positioning that way (*’ω’*)
Even just thinking about it in a daze before bed or during lunch, all sorts of ideas will come to you.
Seeing is believing → Experiencing is believing.
I think what’s good or bad, and what you like, is always in flux.
What you taste firsthand becomes an irreplaceable experience.
When small tweaks pile up, they become a big change, and I think that’s how you end up with something truly your own.
