Helmets, seat builders, and Hartford Magic

I’m buying a new bike to haul the kids to school and carry groceries on. I am tall so I have been looking for something with a decent stretch from the floorboards to the seat. I also routinely carry a lot of weight and miscellaneous items so I need a 125 or bigger with some decent sized floorboards. During my search I have made a frustrating observation. The bigger a scooter gets, the more they cut down and narrow the seat in the front. In other words I actually have more leg room on a 50 than a 150 because the 50’s seat is flat and i can slide back on it. So… I’ll save you the drama and just say I have come to the conclusion that the only bike that will do what I need is the Hartford Magic. That has created another problem. I am in Hsinchu and none of the dealers have one in stock for me to even sit on. I don’t think it is any taller than any of the other bikes, but the seat does look relatively flat. I also was thinking I could find a good seat builder to flatten it out even more and possibly add a little height (Any ideas?). If anyone has or knows someone that has a Magic and would let me peek at it I would be in their debt.

Lastly, I also have a head that is not conducive to fitting inside the Taiwanese helmets. I am wearing a skull cap now, but have seen the ridicule heaped on others on this site for doing the same. I am willing to get on board with a full face helmet and have seen an older thread on the subject, but it wasn’t very helpful as far as a local solution. Has anything changed on this front?

[quote=“bullfrogwrestling”] I am in Hsinchu (Xinzhu) and none of the dealers have one in stock for me to even sit on. I don’t think it is any taller than any of the other bikes, but the seat does look relatively flat. I also was thinking I could find a good seat builder to flatten it out even more and possibly add a little height (Any ideas?).

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Yeah, this is easy to do and is incredibly cheap (only a few hundred NT$). There’s one place in Hsinchu that I’ve been to before. If you are on Zhong-Hua Rd. facing the train station, go right (south) on Zhong-Hua Rd. for about a few hundred meters. It’ll be on the left hand side of the street at 中華路二段579號 , and they will customize your seat while you wait.