Scooter Storage Design (Part 2)

(Editor’s note, October 2011: If you like what you see, you make your own scooter bag from this free template. Have fun!)

Last I reported, I had developed a template for a beneath-the-seat bag for my Honda Ruckus (my adorable, er, rugged scooter). I had chosen some great mesh fabric, and was mustering the patience to hand sew the 7 custom-cut pieces together. I wrote about that right over here.

Emphasis on the “patience”. Lots.

I had cut out the pieces of mesh to size based on my previous measurements and template. That was the easy part. From there, I used a heavy piece of thread to secure the sections together. No needle was big enough for the thread, and the thread itself barely fit through the mesh holes (maybe it was more like a thin rope), so I methodically melted the ends of the thread with the candle beside me and molded it to have a pointy enough tip to poke through the mesh. Yes, I did this for approximately 6 hours. Fingers were quite sore. I didn’t opt for a smaller thread because I wanted to make it as taut (and heavy) as possible – I definitely couldn’t have worked with a thread that was any thicker than this one just because of how small the mesh openings were. Take a close look at this photo to see the black melted end of the thread (and the small mesh opening that I was working with).

Once the whole bag was assembled, it was really strong, but a little floppy. All of the rope seams are on the inside of the bag for a nicer sewn (not patchwork) appearance, but to add some extra reinforcement and aid the floppy situation, I found some fine wire and threaded it to the outer-facing seams. Worked well. The bag holds it’s structure nicely, and is a little more square-edged than it would have been without the wire support.

And not that I doubted my previous measurements, but it was nice to see the new bag fit under the scooter seat like a glove:

I had some zip ties that I hoped would work, but they ended up being too wide for the job. The new solution was to buy the smallest zip ties I could find, and I’m happy to report that they work perfectly (and only cost $3). The bag will be secured to the red bars you see all the way around the bottom of the seat, and will be enough space to carry my purse, and an extra sweatshirt or jacket.

If any other Ruckus-fans out there want measurements for the panels or material recommendations, send me a note.