5/12/2008
Myrtle Beach Bike Week has kicked off and unfortunately we are not there but we do have several people lined up this week for ride ins from Myrtle Beach which is alway great getting to meet new people but as I say that and look at the schedule 2 of the 5 people riding is are repeat customers who have purchased new bikes which is really great.
We have a new modification that we are offering now. The Bar Hopper. This modification moves you down as low as we can and back as far as we can, no memory foam in this one and its not built for comfort but its just like the name states, its for bar hopping. This new modification is available with a Comfort Cruizer gel pad just in case you want to ride it for more than 20 minutes at a time. This modification inclues reshaping the seat to the very max back and down and a new custom fitted cover.
The scheduling has really smoothed things out around the shop and everything is flowing great. Thanks to everyone who has scheduled, I know it helps you guys as much as it does us and we will most likely keep it in place year round from now on. Last year when things slowed a little we let up on the scheduling and while everything worked out great during November and December it started getting hectic around the first of January and got crazy in February and we are just now coming out of that hole and not having to work 14-16 hours a day.
Speaking of Ride ins, be sure to call or email us about what days are available. We have had a few people just ride in and want their seats done and unfortunately we have had to turn a few people way. We book our days solid with very little time for even a quick break, so when someone shows up wanting their seat done right then 9 times out of 10 we have to try to get them scheduled and they usually end up mad at us....sorry.
Since we have Ed at the shop some now working on custom covers, I am trying to get some of the extra seats I have collected over the years fixed up and we are making custom covers for them. These seats are going to be listed on Ebay. Most of these seats are from metric bikes but I do have a couple others that we will be doing as time permits so be sure to check out what we have for sale on Ebay. Our Ebay user name is meancitycycles.
That should do it for this week.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
5/5/08
What a great week we had this past week. Robbie came up from Atlanta and was here all week helping out and we got a lot accomplished. We made a pretty good size dent on the seats that are unscheduled which is great but we still have several that we need to get out this coming week and once those are gone we should be on a much easier path.
Ed worked several days this past week also cranking out some awesome new custom covers for orders we had and man this dude ROCKS on that sewing machine. I can't wait till we can get him in here full time because the man has skills and we have only touched the tip of the iceberg of his skills.
I know I have said it before but I just want to emphasize how important it is to schedule your seat work. By going doing this, it allows you to keep your seat right up to the last minute and if you plan accordingly the most you will be down is the shipping time plus it helps us manage our limited shop space but I have started looking at few different options on either adding on to the shop or just moving into a larger facility but personally I think adding onto the shop is the right route for us.
Congrats goes out to Brent, he took the MSF course this past week and passed with flying colors. The MSF course is great for beginners and veterans and I highly recommend it.
Something that I keep hearing more and more in emails and phone calls is, about the rising cost of gas and more people are starting to commute on their motorcycles instead of their cages. I know I personally prefer riding my 45mpg motorcycle over my 15 mpg truck and The truck is sitting parked while the bike is starting to play a even more important role helping me save money at the pump.
Last thing and I am outta here. Thanks to everyone who has been spreading the word about us...I know, I say it all the time but you guys and gals work about as hard we do spreading the word around and I just like letting you know that its appreciated...thank you!
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
4/25/2008
Finally,.... finished all the seats from February this week that were unscheduled and we have started on the March unscheduled seats. We aren't getting near as many unscheduled seats right now and that is great. I would recommend scheduling your seat to be worked on versus just sending it in to be done. The advantages of scheduling is you keep your seat till it's time to send it to be done and the seat don't have to be at the shop till the day before its scheduled. The day before we actually start on it then on its scheduled date it is completed and shipped that day so the turn around time could be a day if you plan accordingly.
While I am on the subject of unscheduled seats, Robbie is coming up from Atlanta next week to give me a hand in getting some of these out so we should be able to knock out a good many if all goes as planned.
The next new air compressor arrived this past Saturday and she is a beauty. 7.5 HP 26.5 CFM and she pumps the air and keeps all the air tools moving nice and steady. I have to thank Brent for helping me move the 500+ pound monster in and getting it all setup.
If you haven't seen the custom cover section of the website then your missing out. We are on our third sewer and I believe we found a keeper. Ed Hopkins is at the shop part time for now but if things go as planned and as the word gets out that we are back offering custom and replacement covers I feel sure Ed is going to get even busier at the shop and eventually become full time. Ed's eye for detail is just like mine and he fits right in with Brent and I plus he rides so he knows how picky us bikers are about our bikes and he wants each seat to look its best.
Well, that should do it for this week.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
04/12/2008
On this episode of As the World Turns, another sewer bites the dust, drama continues for the MCC crew and the hours of a day just isn't long enough.
Well, that is how it feels anyways. This past week as the previous weeks has been a real challenge but I think we are sitting pretty good right now. As mentioned another sewer bites the dust, not sure why she just never showed back up for work so we moved on and I am actually excited about it because while she could sew good the other skills on making the covers weren't that good and I was having to do all that plus all the work on the seat modifications but things have taken a huge turn for the better and I will make this short but very sweet. The word finally got to the right person that we were needing help in this area and we now have it. Ed Hopkins started part time this week and with well over 30 years of sewing experience and upholstery experience Ed turned out custom cover area around and we have all the custom cover jobs that have been in house for the past few months completed. With the addition of Ed, we are now offering recovering and custom covers again. What use to take us a couple weeks now takes a day to do which is outstanding so if your wanting to make your seat that one of a kind seat, get in touch and we can hook you up. I will be posting a few pictures of some of the seats we did this past week in the customer rides also.
The scheduling format is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing. When we went to the scheduling format we had well over 150 boxes of seats sitting in house and right now we have about 60 boxes of seats. This has helped give us more room in the shop so we can move around and it helps you keep riding up until it’s time to get the seat done. You know what day your seat will be shipping back to you on(your scheduled date).
As I have been mentioning in previous updates that with warmer weather we are getting more and more request for ride in service. Yes we do offer ride in service and in most cases we have your seat completed and have you back on the road in a few hours. You do however need to set up a appointment to do this so be sure to call and set this up. We schedule ride ins Mon-Thur after 2 PM and Saturdays between 7AM-12PM.
With the growth this past year I decided it was time to take the business to the next level and Mean City Cycles LLC has been formed. It don't really mean much really other than we are a official business. The past few years we have been working as a DBA(Doing Business As)but now we are a legitimate corporation, it probably means more to me than it will you guys but it’s all part of the growing process.
I think we have about out grown the new shop we built last year...oh boy! This past week it has been pretty crowded in the shop, right now there is no plan on moving or adding on to the shop but I am starting to look at different options but it’s going to be a while before anything is done I think. I am trying to re-organize the shop some which will help with space some but we need the shop to be at least two times bigger than it is now maybe 3 times bigger that way we will have some growing room.
Thanks to everyone who has sent their seats in and have been spreading the word about us.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
4/7/1008
Just when you feel things are going great...BOOM! your world gets turned upside down. Monday through Wednesday went pretty smooth and we got a lot done then first thing Thursday morning our air compressors motor burned out and we came to a screeching halt. The compressor was only a year old and luckily was still covered under warranty but it took us about all day to get it un-hooked from the air lines and moved out of the shop and loaded on the truck. Then we get back with the new compressor which was a different model but the only one they had with a 80 gallon tank and then when we were hooking it up I saw it was less horsepower and less CFM so it looks like I will have to go buy another compressor when I get a chance this week that can handle heavy use because this one won't last a year as hard as we run one.
We are starting to get more and more request for ride ins which is no problem. If you want to do a ride in all you need to do is call and schedule with us and we will get you fixed up and back on the road the same day. All the ride ins are scheduled for after 1 PM Mon-Fri and between 7-11 on Saturdays. This will allow us to get the scheduled shipping seats completed for that day and shipped.
I want to thank the crew for their hard work this past week and the long hours put in this past week we are close to being able to get to a regular life again but we still have a few more weeks before we are where I want us to be though. Any thanks again to everyone spreading the word about Mean City Cycles. We are still getting a lot of emails and phone calls daily which is great.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
4/1/2008
Another month past and we are still running wide open here at Mean City Cycles. This past month we have made some good headway in several different areas. We are still running behind on the seats that arrived the last part of February but I am working the crew 6 days a week and I am in the shop 7 trying to get things cranked out.
Since bringing all the custom cover work in house I feel like we have made great improvements in this area also. I always felt that the custom covers was one area we lacked strength on but I think this is really going to be one of our strongest areas. The covers we have done so far look a 100 times better than the past I think and we keep getting them better each time we complete one which makes me really happy.
I do want to thank everyone who has been spreading the word about us and our work. We are getting well over 400 emails every week and the phone calls are to numerous to count. So thank you all for spreading the word, they say word of mouth advertising is the best and you guys are working overtime like we are.
A big thanks also to Brent and Deb for their hard work and putting up with me. Only they know how hard it can be to work for me but luckily they are quality driven and customer service oriented so they fit very well into the scheme of making comfortable seats.
Last but not least, it looks like we won't be setting up in Myrtle Beach this year for bike week. We just have to much work in house right now and not enough people to run the shop and work on the road. What we are going to do though is set the trailer up here at the shop and get it up and running and make sure everything works as it is supposed to then look at some local rally’s and other events to go and set up at just make sure everything operates on the road then start lining up the rally’s for next year.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
3/26/2008
Hey guys this is Brent. Allen ask me to update everbody on whats new this week. Another busy week here at Mean City. No way we could have predicted the amount of seats that would come in on the dates of Feb18th-25th. Those were the dates we decided we had to go to the scheduling system.
We know you all are anxious to get your seats back and we are working 6 days a week to get them completed. In fact the Boss comes in on Sundays.We don't have a mass production system here, every seat is custom shaped and then the Comfort Cruizer pads and memory foam is added, and as you know anything worth doing right takes a little time.Your understanding and patience with this would be appreciated.
Our new sewer Deb working out real well. It is just taking a liitle time to get her up to speed on what we do but she is catching on fast and we should start offering the Comfort Rider Plus modifications again shortly plus some other new stuff the boss has been working on burning the midnight oil.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
3/17/2008
Ahhh...another week has quickly passed and I keep wondering where in the world does the time go? This past week we have made some very good progress but unfortunately we are close to being a month behind on the seats sent in and most likely we will be over a month before it starts going back down but when it does it should go down pretty quick.
One area we made a lot of progress this week was on the custom covers. I don't know how I got so lucky but I finally had something go right this past week. I've been advertising in the local paper for a upholsterer with cutting and sewing experiance but had no luck. I've been talking with some connections I have in the local furniture plants and word got to a sewer who just moved here last year from Florida. She had worked 19 years for a custom seat builder in Florida and has done about everything in the motorcycle seat business for them. So to get a rare find like that was heaven sent. Currently we are working on seats that are already in house and getting the feel for the way each other works but she is the best sewer I have ever met and trust me I have met thousands of sewers. She always thinks quality first and that is exactly what I have been looking for so I am pretty excited to have her at the shop. Currently it is part time but the little time she is at the shop it has helped a lot and I only see things getting better. The sewing machine I have is a 1975 Consew 225. I personally can't sew all that well but I have been trying to teach myself and have made some pretty good improvement on my sewing skills. One thing though is I would have trouble with the material wanting to do a little twist. I thought it was the way I was letting the material feed through the machine. Well, the new sewer said its the machine causing that and recommended getting a better machine so this past Friday I ordered a new machine and it should be at the shop sometime Monday and it will get its first test that afternoon sewing a custom cover with flames doubled stitched in it.
I want to thank everyone for spreading the word about Mean City Cycles. We get so many phone calls and emails each week from guys who have been referred to us by previous customers. Without you guys doing this I don't think we would be as busy as we are so thank you all.
I gotta thank Brent for his hard work. While Brent has been helping since the start he still has a lot to learn and having someone at the shop who wants to learn and help as much as they can is a great asset to have. I know the past few weeks, he has spent a lot of time on the phone scheduling and talking to customers answering questions but that really helps me out by letting me stay focused on getting seats completed and ready to ship...Thanks Brent, you ROCK man! I just wish I could figure out how to get him around the school buses on the way to work because it seems every morning he gets stuck behind one...Hmmm?
While I am in the kudos mode I need to thank the guys at Carolina CyberSolutions. The week we started scheduling I emailed Ron with the plan and told him I needed it up ASAP! Well, I figured it would get posted that following Monday but Ron dug in there and got everything added to the website that weekend which included adding a new page or two. Thanks guys for your hard work that is seen everyday but most people don't know what kind of torture I put you through changing the website all the time.
I do have one favor to ask. If your calling to check on your seats status, please have a tracking number or know what day the seat arrived. It takes a lot of our time when someone calls and says you have had my seat for 3 or 4 weeks and don't know when it was delivered or has a tracking number so here we go looking at all the boxes that came in weeks ago only not to find and we move on to the seats that came in 3 weeks and then we finally find it and its only been at the shop 7-10 days...So that just wasted about 30-40 minutes only to say it has only been at the shop 7 days. Please be patient, we are working as hard as we can to get as much done and need every minute of the work day. I am not complaining just asking you to work with us.
That should do it for this week. I hope everybody has a great Easter next weekend. I am still not sure what day we will be closed for Easter yet. I doubt I will get a day off but I have to let the crew rest.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
3/7/2008
Well, this week is coming to a end but we still have one more day to go here at the shop and as usual I will be here on Sunday trying to get even more seats completed so they will be ready to ship on Monday.
The scheduling hasn't really effected the flow of seats coming in the past two weeks which is good but it kind of sucks because I know once we start hitting the scheduled seats we are going to be getting a lot of calls from people who did not schedule their seat to be done.
One question that we keep hearing is "if I schedule my seat what will the turn around time be?" Here is the quick version of the answer. If you schedule your seat for April 1st, your seat would have to be at the shop no later than the day before the scheduled date which would be March 31st. Then on April 1st your seat has all the work done to it and it is shipped that same day. So basically the turn around time could be overnite but I would recommend not waiting till the last minute and taking a chance of your seat being late.
I want to thank Brent for all his hard work this week, we have gotten a lot acomplished and we have been really knocking some seats out and getting them shipped. Brent is working the phones and other stuff that has to be done so I can stay focused on the seats all day but there has been several times where we both are on the phone at the same time helping customers and answering questions.
We did pick the trailer up Thursday from ASR Graphics and it looks fantastic. We are still a good ways from having everything setup for the rallys but one of my good friends is going to help me out on getting it ready...thanks Matt.
Now I do have some bad news. The person who has been helping me with the custom cover seats and doing all the seat covers for the comfort rider plus modifications has quit. I have some friends trying to help me out on these right now but until further notice we are not offering the comfort rider PLUS modifications only the comfort rider. I am currently searching for someone to fill this void. I have really enjoyed doing these in the past and feel this is one part of the business that has a lot of room for growth but its all about getting the right people in and it will just take some time before I find the right fit but I feel sure we will.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
03/03/08
Allen asked me to write something for this weeks "What's New" part of the web site. My name is Brent and I started full time today at Mean City. I've been helping on weekends and nights as needed for about a year and a half. When I was asked to come onboard full time I jumped at the chance. Allen and I have been friends for a long time and I was telling him today that I can't believe what started as an idea in his dad's garage has grown so much. Only in America! My initial duties will include helping with the phones,scheduling,payments etc.Fell free to e-mail me and I will do my best to give you a fast and complete response. I will be helping with the seats some and hope my role will expand in that area with experience. Right now I just want to help in areas that will free the big guy up so he can work his magic. Allen wanted me to pass along his Thanks for the positive response we are getting to the new scheduling system. If your seat was sent in before we started scheduling be assured we are working hard to get them completed and sent back as soon as possible. We know riding season is fast approaching and working 6 days a week to get you guys ready! Looking forward to talking to everyone and helping to make your seats the best and most comfortable they can be. I’ll finish up with the official Mean City closing.. Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
It is great having Brent come on board here at Mean City Cycles. One thing I really like about having Brent here now is he knows the seats just as good as I do and getting someone who understands motorcycle seats is a great asset. I have been getting so many phone calls and seats in that I had to do something and we aren't finished growing yet. Last year was our busiest year to date and while I was expecting some growth this year I wasn't expecting to be this big. Last year we had to build a new shop and during last year we expanded on it twice and it looks like now we should have gone bigger. Its funny how you never can have too much room. We are trying to get caught up and the scheduling format is going to be great. One thing I have done in the past and will continue to do is answer all emails as quickly as possible. I know I hate it when I as a company a question and it takes them 5-7 days to get a reply, that don't happen here. We answer all emails the same day and most people are shocked at how fast we reply.
The Comfort Rider Modifications are really thriving. The Comfort Cruizer gel pads and memory foam has be a huge success and I think that it is only going to get better. We have been developing these products for quite some time and nobody else offers anything even close to the comfort level these products provide and what is so good about them we have kept the cost down on them so you get a BIG bang for your buck..
2/25/2008
Well another busy week has past and this past week broke the record of incoming seats and we are going to change our policy on shipping in seats. One thing that has been really difficult is to know how many seats are coming in each week and this makes estimating turn around time very difficult. We have been working over everyday and no matter how hard we have been working the seats keep coming in faster than we can turn them around. With this being said we are going to go to a scheduled appointment system now. This will help us manage the number of seats coming in each week and make the turn around times very acceptable.
I know some people are not going to like having to schedule an appointment and I am sorry but I feel the mass is going to find this very acceptable.
The way the scheduling will work is like this
- You call and schedule your seat to be done. We will tell you what dates are available. The dates are first come first serve.
- A $25 appointment fee must be paid up front. This will be non-refundable if you cancel your appointment. The $25 will be applied to your total. So if you get the memory foam modification which is $90 plus return shipping, all you will be left owing is $65 plus return shipping.
- You will need to complete a modification order form after your appointment is made Click here for the motorcycle seat modification order form.
- Your seat MUST be at the Mean City Cycles no later than the day before its scheduled date. So if your appointment is for Nov 8th the seat MUST be at the shop no later than Nov 7th. On the scheduled date the seat is completed and shipped that same day
- We will work with you all we can but once you have your date set it is up to you to make sure the seat is on time. If your seat is late we will try to work it in as soon as we can but it will most likely be 3-5 days because we will be operating on a schedule and our time will be limited.
- If you do not care what the turn around time is feel free to send the seat in anytime but it could be as much as a month turn around time on seats not scheduled.
I think I have covered everything. This is the first time we have gone to a schedule only format. Last year we were scheduling some and it worked out very well. I really feel you the customers will be very happy not being without your seat for a extended amount of time and we won't have a shop full of seats sitting around waiting to be worked on.
If you have your seat at the shop already do not worry. We are going to make sure your seats are completed first before any of the scheduled seats start arriving.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
2/20/2008
A wild week has started and we are very, VERY busy. Did I mention we are busy? We have gotten over 40 boxes of seats in so far this week and have only been able to ship about 20-22 boxes so as you can see they are coming in faster than we can get them out. Our turn around time is currently 3 weeks but I am afraid that the seats coming in right now are going to be around 4 weeks because of the large number. I am currently trying to get more help in at the shop and hopefully it won't take too long to find someone as dedicated as we are on making the seats the best riding seats around. So with that being said to help speed up turn around time we are currently going to stop taking orders for custom covers. They are just taking too long to do currently and I want to get the seats back out as quick as possible. We will resume the covers as soon as we get the turn around time back down to 2 weeks. If your seat is already here at the shop and getting a custom cover that is no problem, we are still going to be doing these as discussed, also if your seat is already shipped thats fine too.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
2/18/2008
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s day. I took the wifey out to eat and got her a little something just to say I love you, I wish we could have rode the bikes but when we left the restaurant it was snowing so its a good thing we didn't ride and it was cold as crap too.
Current turnaround time is running 3 weeks and I don't see it getting any better any time soon with the number of seats we are getting in. The new comfort rider modifications take about 2 times longer to complete which has slowed us down a little but the number of seats we are getting in right now has been about 3-4 times as many as we did a year ago which is great in one aspect but bad in the turnaround aspect. I knew we would probably get a few more than last year and we were geared up to handle about 10 extra seats a week but we have been getting about 20-30 extra a week. We have been working 6 days a week and I have been in the shop 7 days a week working trying to get seats turned around. If your wanting to check on your seats status please have the date of the seats arrival so we can locate it easily. We have over 100 boxes of seats currently at the shop and all are lined up by date of arrival along with the date written on the box. I really don't think a three turnaround is bad for this time of year and most likely it will hit 4-5 weeks by the time we get to March, I hope not but it most likely will.
In March we will start scheduling again to help knock off some of the turnaround time and I am considering going to a schedule appointment only basis to keep the number of seats at the shop down. We did this last year and it worked great.
The seat heaters are on back order but I should be getting them in next week. I don't think they were ready for the demand they have been getting this year, I know I wasn't expecting them to sell as well as they have. We have already sold out of our first shipment and the next order I doubled before the order got filled in hopes to compensate for the surge of sales we have had for them.
The Comfort Rider modifications are doing great and like the seat heaters they have been going out like hot cakes also but I thought these modifications would do really well. Nobody else offers anything comparable to these and really none of our modifications. Most people use either a gel pad or memory foam and when they offer the combination the memory foam is only 1/4" thick which is nothing more than a smoothing foam which is really useless. All our comfort rider modifications utilize the Comfort Cruizer gel pads and Comfort Cruizer 2" memory foam.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
2/11/2008
WOW! What week last week was. We received in a record number of seats for a week and even broke the one day total of boxes coming in Thursday with 19.
This week has started off very fast and furious. We had over 30 phone calls and have received over 40 emails.
Turn around time is running right at 3 weeks. One thing about the turn around. The way we calculate turn around time is from the time the seat arrives to the time it departs not when the seat ships to us. We are working very hard to get the seats out as quickly as possible but we are getting a lot of phone calls from guys stating their seats have been at the shop over 3 weeks and when we start looking for the seat, it ends up the seat just arrived or hasn't been at the shop as long as the person thinks. Please if you call to check on your seat, if you can provide the date it arrived at the shop when you call that will be a great help to us locating your seat quickly and lets us get back to work on the seats. I am certainly not complaining, just asking for a little help.
Well, this past Saturday we picked up our new trailer that we will be using as a mobile shop for the ralleys and the Myrtle Beach Rally is looking good right now and we should have a crew there working. Currently the plan is to offer all the modifications there except the Comfort Rider Plus modifications which requires new covers be made. We will be installing the seat heaters, memory foam, gel pads. The seat heaters we will be offering a complete install of wiring the heaters up as we install them on the bike wired in.
Thats it for this week. We have a busy one ahead of us this week and will be putting in some long hours trying to get the seats turned around as quick as possible.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
2/5/2008
Another busy week gone and this one looks to be even busier. As announced last week, we are now offering electric seat heaters and I have been overwhelmed by the response of these. I can't remember if I stated this before but these are used by one of the largest American made motorcycle manufacturer and the top of the line motorcycle heat manufacturer so I am very happy to have them in my line up. The same people also make them for about every car manufacturer in the US also and they of course are American made...GO USA!
I want to give a shout out to all the troops serving over seas who visit the website. I've been getting a lot of emails from the guys in Iraq and Afganistan inquiring about getting their seats done. To all my Army buds out there heres a big Hooah!
I was hoping to have the new trailer this week but it's been pushed back at least a week and hopefully it will be at the shop next week so we start getting it ready to do the rallies. Last week I said I was doubtful about making Daytona and this week I will go ahead and say it, MCC will NOT be at Daytona this year but everything is looking great for Myrtle Beach and it looks like we will be at Colonial Mall setup. This is where all the Boss Hoss dealer's are and Boss Hoss factory demo rides. So plan on stopping by and visiting us and if you need your seat done thats a even better reason to stop by and while you wait you can take a Boss Hoss for a spin....you won't be disappointed.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
1/29/30
I have some really exciting news and wanted to share this. We have our new shirts in and they look AWESOME. ASR Graphics in Maiden did the screen printing and their work is top notch. The Mean City Cycles Evil Clown looks pretty mean on there, but he don't bite. The girl on the bike design may or may not be offered any longer. I've been having many guys stating their wife's wouldn't let them wear anything like that so we came up with something cool but not offensive (unless your a clown...sorry to all you clowns out there. Next time we'll pick on somebody else).
The second big thing happening this week is...drum roll please...We are now offering motorcycle seat heaters. These things ROCK! Talk about keeping your tush warm on these cold winter rides, these will lite your hiney up! What is really cool is, these are the same seat heaters used by Harley Davidson® and Corbin® in their seats and the same people who supply most of the major car manufacturers with seat heaters so these are not some cheap-o seat heaters. The suggested retail is $189.95, but I have been able to negotiate a sweet deal and will be selling them for $95 plus shipping, but it gets better. If you get a seat heater at the same time of a modification, we will install the seat heater in your seat for FREE!!! When you get your seat back the heater will be installed and the switch mounted on the left side of the seat. All you will need to do is finish the wiring on the bike to plug it up, which is really simple and instructions are included on how to do this.
I know I love my trucks heated seats. I have installed a few of these heaters this past year for customers when doing their seat modifications, and all the feedback has been nothing but positive. Now if you just send your seat in to have the heater installed unfortunately we do have to charge a fee to do this but, I don't think your going to find a better price than what we charge. If you want to bring your bike in for use to install the heater in the seat and do the wiring on the bike we can do that too.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
1/29/30
Another busy week has past and we are getting ready to head into February wide open.
Daytona Bike Week is quickly approaching and starts the 29th of Feb. and I can't see things getting setup for us to be there but Myrtle Beach should not be a problem. I am hoping to have the new trailer by the end of this week if everything works out where I can get down there and finalize the deal. Once we get the trailer and start getting it setup for a mobile shop I will have a better feel on Daytona but right now I am about 60% sure we wont be there.
I can't put into words how excited I am about the new website layout. Many new features have been added and probably the one I am excited the most about is the customer testimonials. I get countless emails every week with guys and gals saying how happy they are with their seats and after some persuading I decided it was time to share these with potential customers and previous customers. I would say 85% of our business is motorcycle forum generated which simply amazes me because if your familiar with them, they can kill you quickly and we have been very fortunate to have a great customer base who simply can't stop talking about how great their seats are after we are finished with...Thank you all for spreading the word about our work.
Turn around time right now is running right at 2 weeks but quickly growing and I am afraid by the end of this week we will be at or very close to 3 weeks. I am very sorry that it's gotten this bad and trust me we are working very hard to get the seats turned around as quickly as possible. I have really been surprised by the way the Comfort Rider modifications have taken off. These are the best modifications we have to offer in my opinion and would but these seats up against any seat out there for comfort without a doubt.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
1/22/2008
This month has been the busiest month for us ever. The phone has been ringing off the hook, the emails have been coming in hot and heavy and seats...well lets just say we have a couple waiting to be worked on right now but this all good because it means we are doing our job right and people are spreading the word about us.
There are some very exciting new things going on around the shop and we are working on getting our new trailer that will be set up as a moble shop. I don't think we will make Daytona but should definitely be ready for Myrtle Beach or atleast thats the plan.
The Comfort Cruizer gel pads are selling like hot cakes and all the feed back has been very positive. I believe these are the best motorcycle seat pads made and I am glad we were able to get these developed. Comfort Cruizer gel pads and memory foam is available only at Mean City Cycles currently, but I feel sure there will be other people offering these great products soon.
We are doing a little revamping of the website and thanks to Carolina CyberSolutions for all the hard work. I am really excited about the new layout and look.
T-shirts, are on back order currently and I am working with a local screen print shop on getting some new shirts in house and these will also be sporting a new look.
Thats about it for this week. I want to thank everybody who has sent their seats in and spreading the word about our work.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
1/13/2008
WOW!!! What a week this past week was. We got over 50 boxes of seats, the number of hits the site got this past week was very good also and broke the one week record for number of hits. This coming week looks to be a real challange getting seats turned around, answering emails and the phone.
A huge announcement for this week. One thing I am always doing is trying to improve what we do by either the way we do our work or shape the seats and of course using the best materials I can find for the seats. Well, I am very happy to announce we now have our own gel pad and and foam line. If you haven't noticed all of our new modifications have the name Comfort in them and that is because our products are using Comfort Cruizer foam and gel pads in them.
To be honest I have never been a big fan of gel pads and I have stated that in the past but after a lot of research and development Comfort Cruizer gel pads are the best pads on the market in my opinion. Most gel pads are very soft and when you press on them you can feel what ever is underneath them quickly. Our pads are differant, they are not liquid gel pads but are a synthetic blend. I am very excited about offering these and very happy to bring something advanced like this for our customers. All the R&D has been done and all the seats that have been ordered such as the comfort rider series of modifications will have these new pads in them. Another thing I like about these pads are the size, your entire contact area has this pad covering it instead of like many of the gel pads offered. Most people just put a small gel pad in and you have a small contact area, not with ours. But the best thing I like is all of these products are made right here in the USA and not some cheap China or Taiwan import. Be sure to keep your eye on www.comfortcruizer.com for more information.
1/7/2008
Well with the holidays behind us its time to get to work again. The phone has been ringing off the hook this past week and it carried over to the weekend and the emails have been pouring in with over 350 recieved this week. One thing on emails, if you sent a email and never got a response it's most likely the response is in your spam folder or sometimes the mail will bounce back to me saying it can't be delivered so just call 866-550-SEAT. I reply to all emails in less than 24 hours and its usually within a few hours of getting it.
There are some new modifications listed. The Comfort Rider for both driver's and passenger's seats. I wanted to get these offered mostly for guys with one piece two up seats since the comfort rider plus is for two piece seats only and I have had a lot of people with the one piece seats asking for it.
I am going to start to accept PayPal payments for the seat modifications also. I have been using PayPal mostly for people buying our T-Shirts but again many people are asking so its happening.
One quick note on turn around time. Right now turn around time is roughly 7-10 days. I try my best to get the seats out quickly but some of it is out of my control. I usually get 5-7 seats a day but as we get more into the off riding season more seats come in each day sometimes up to 20 seats a day and that really throws the turn around time off pretty quickly to. Please understand I want you to get your seat back as bad as you do but I don't want to cut on quality and I won't. I want you to be happy with your seat and if it takes a little longer than the quoted turn around time please be understanding as we are working very hard to make your seat the best seat you have ever had.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
01/02/2008
Happy New Year!!!
Thanks to all MCC's customers for making 2007 our best year yet and 2008 looks to be even better. This past year new modifications became available and more are in the works to make the most comfortable seats. I personally feel the seats modifications we are doing today are much better than what we started out offering and are improved from even a year ago.
January marks the start of our busiest time of the year. With everybody putting bikes up for winter and people spreading the word about us, MCC gets very busy this time of year and the turn around time will start to get a little longer. Currently turn around time is running just over 7 days.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
12/16/2007
Seats have been coming in like crazy and I am starting to fall behind the posted turn around time. We worked this past weekend both Saturday and Sunday trying to knock out some extra seats and I swear I think the seats are mating when we aren't there because it looks like we didn't make any head way and are just as far behind now as we were Friday but I guess thats a good problem to have.
I know I say it all the time but I am truly appretiative of you guys and gals spreading the word about my work. Thanks to all on the VTXOA, HDForums.com, VTwinforums.com, CafeVTX and all the other forums out there spreading the word. I know there are many more like the HD Tech group on MSN, the Aero 750 Delphi forum, the VMC Victory forum and just to many other to mention...Thank you guys.
MCC will be closed Christmas Eve and Day but we will be working Saturday the 22nd and will be back open the day after Christmas getting the seats turned around. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and enjoys the time spent with their families.
Till next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
10/12/07
Its been a very busy week and the seats have been pouring in. On the 5th and 6th we got in over 20 seats in those two days and that has caused the turn around time to back up a little. I am currently still working on seats that came in on the 5th but I am working over every day trying to get caught back up. When you call and ask about how long the turn around time will be I always give the current turn around time but sometimes after your seat arrives it may be a little longer or a little less because I never know how many seats are coming in on any given day. Some days we only get 2-3 seats while we have gotten over 20 seats in a day so those days will really throw the turn around time off some.
I have found a great supplier with a very good selection of exotic faux vinyls. These look just like the real thing but compared to the cost of the real skins these are affordable. Probably the most requested is Ostrich, a good Ostrich hide will run over $350 and you can get maybe tw0 seat covers out of it so that really drives up the cost. The vinyls are more exspensive than just plan vinyls but they look and feel like the real thing and I am very happy with them.
MCC has been getting over 300 emails a week and about 10-20 phone calls a day. I try to personally take all calls and I do answer all the emails. The only problem is remembering what someone has said two weeks prior when they send their seat in. To help me and help you out Cyber Solutions has made a Modification Order Form. Please fill this out completely and in the additional notes put any and all information that you think is needed to make your seat the best fit for you. It has been up for a few weeks now and the new forms are to the point for me and has all the information I need to make your seat the best.
Christmas is quickly approaching and I want to wish every one a Merry Christmas.
Till next time be safe out there and enjoy the ride.
12/2/2007
The winter rush is starting early this year, another week of 300+ emails and the phone has been ringing off the hook. Turn around time is still running 2-3 days and I am hoping to maintain that till atleast the start of the new year but working 7 days a week does get a little old.
Under doctor's orders I have to start excersising more so I am going to change the shop hours a little. The new shop hours are 7 AM till 12 PM and 1:30 PM till 6 PM Mon-Fri and 7-12 on Saturdays. Emails still run 24/7 and I answer them as quickly as I can. One thing I always do my best at is answering emails the same day I recieve them unless they come in after bed time. Personally I hate it when I send a company a email with a question and it takes them several days to finally answer it so I try to provide service that I would like to recieve.
Two new modifications have been released. I am offering the Comfort Rider Plus modification for two piece seats. These new modifications are the best of the best but they are a little pricey but for these are the best modifications I have developed. These new modifications include installing a ProPad in your reshaped seat, our 2" medical grade memory foam and a custom fitted cover for the seat. While there are many places offering gel pads and such with memory foam one thing you need to think about is they are using 1/4" memory foam where we use 2" thick medical grade memory foam and yes there is a HUGE differance.
I have to say thank you to everyone spreading the word about MCC. 2007 was a great year here and I have all my previous customers to thank for that. They say word of mouth is the best advertisement you can get. Till next time, ride safe and stay warm.
11/26/2007
I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. This past week my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and I cannot believe how quick the years go by. Mean City Cycles is here really because of her. A few years ago I had a job offer in Phoenix Arizona and it was a once in a life time deal or atleast it felt like it. The motorcycle seat modifications was going okay back then but word was quickly spreading. My wife and I discussed the move to Phoenix and she kept asking me about the seat buisness and what I would do. My plans were to put them on hold, move to Phoenix and once we were settled in start it back up. Well, to make a long story short she said you really need to stick with the motorcycle seats so I did. I will have been doing the motorcycle seat modifications for 4 years in March and will have over 22 years of upholstering experiance...nah I don't think I am that old I started upholstering when I was 19.
I missed out thanking all our service members past and present a couple weeks ago. Being Ex-Navy and a member of the NC National Guard I know what its like to sacrifice time away from family. Thanks to all of our service men at home and especially abroad.
Back to buisness. Don't forget we now have gift certificates available and what better way to show your favorite biker that you care by giving him or her a gift they can truly enjoy...getting their seat custom fitted to them.
I don't really post a lot about our custom cover work but we do offer custom covers. One of these I always get asked about is doing a seat with alligator, Ostrich or some other type of exoctic skin but once people hear the price they usually opt for something a little more tame like vinyl or leather plus the exotic skins look great but they need a pretty firm foam because they are more apt to crack and don't flex very well.
Till next time you guys and gals ride when you can and be safe out there.
11/8/2007
Another great week here at MCC. This week we finalized two new modifications for the metric rider's. We are now offering the Comfort Rider Plus modification. This new modification is a little costly but well worth its price in value to have a seat custom built just for you.
We have our turnaround time down to 2-3 days now and hopefully can maintain this type of turn around. Although if you’re getting a custom cover that will take a little longer, usually 1-2 weeks as there is a lot more work to be done on these seats.
We are still scheduling some seats also for the people in warmer climates to ensure a very fast turn around (over night) so if your waiting for cooler weather we can help speed up your back to you.
That's it for this week, thanks for stopping by and be safe out there.
