PROOF OF THE RECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION.

Byline: CAROL ROCK

valleynews.com

Wearing a Jalama Beach T-shirt, Barry Shaffer didn't let low-cloud cover deter him recently from his favorite activity -- taking his overstuffed green recliner for a spin down Via Valentina Street outside his home in Valencia.

Shaffer, 49, created his unique form of transportation by attaching two scooters to the bottom of the chair, leaving one with steering gear intact. He also rigged up a brake and throttle connected to batteries concealed under the seat.

"Some people get real weirded out, but I figure I'm 10 years ahead of my time," he said with a laugh.

He has five motorized recliners. They include four 30-inch-wide, beige chairs and a deluxe green model, which he prefers to ride.

Shaffer's five-recliner fleet took first place in the Doo-Dah category at this year's Santa Clarita Fourth of July Parade.

All the recliners have tow hooks on the back. On the back of one, Shaffer hooked up a red wagon with decorations for the Santa Clarita parade.

His kids -- 15-year-old son Tyler and 17-year-old daughter Cortni -- have also used the recliners to pull friends on skateboards around large, paved lots both at home and when they go to the beach.

"We get a lot of people taking our picture when we take them out," he said. "I try not to use gas on Sunday, trying to conserve, so we take the recliners to Starbucks. We go through the paseos, cross the public street at Orchard Village and go down the sidewalk (toward Granary Square)."

Shaffer is also a consummate soccer dad and his favorite recliner is a great way to show his pride.

The big chair is outfitted with tubes on the sides to hold his son's soccer team banner and a beach umbrella, which Shaffer expertly attaches in minutes before taking a 12-mph spin down the street.

He's also spent time as a soccer coach. "I was coaching my son's team last year and, you know how 14-year-olds don't really want to do much," he said. "I'm not a tough coach, but I wanted them to scrimmage. I told them that they were lazy boys -- and they picked that for their team name."

Shaffer incorporated his favorite recliner into his coaching. "I used to bring the chair down and sit on the sidelines, then pull all the equipment home in the wagon behind me," he said.

His obsession with travel and tinkering started when he was a kid and he bought a go-kart for $12. He used to ride it around the playground of a Catholic church in Manhattan Beach.

Schaffer said he'd been thinking about building motorized recliners for six or seven years before finally constructing one. Five recliners later, his garage is lined with wheels, batteries and cables to build even more. He's also finished three motorized bicycles.

What's in store for Shaffer and his recliners?

"A friend of mine is going to get me in to Bonneville," he said, referring to the salt flats in Utah where land speed records are set. "Maybe they'll put me in the record books."

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Photo:

Barry Shaffer tools down the street on his motorized recliner.

Carol Rock/valleynews.com