My "new" seat! (caution, picture heavy)

Finished my seat tonite! Total time about 3 hours. Pics and captions below.

The "Before" pic. Comfy ride overall but a bit chunky....


Removed the cover using a flathead screwdriver and needle nose pliers to pull the staples...


The inside of the seat cover and the remains of the plastic liner...I hope that wasn't totally needed as it ended up in the trash, it was totally unsalvagable.



Drawing out my lines using various bolts and such to measure accurate distance on both sides.


Lines complete! (and my PF Fliers...coudn't bare cropping those out )


My cutting tools of choice: Titanium bladed knives and 150 grit sandpaper.


The first cut. I made it shallow to get a feel for the foam and how it worked with the blade.


Coming along nicely...soon after this I begain sanding down the rougher bits. It made a helluva mess but was worth the extra work I think.


The aftermath! Thats a lot of foam! The two "oops!" spots were due to me getting a little overzealous and tearing away bits of the foam...resist doing that at all costs. I replaced said torn chunks and taped them up


After 1 1/2 hours of fighting with the seat cover I was able to get it stretched back into place. I used Arrow150 10mm staples in a Stanley "sharp shooter" staple gun. Stretch, staple, restretch, staple again, remove previous staple...etc etc. As long as you don't look under the seat pan I think it came out pretty damn fine
The red area I have circled there is where the seat previously met with the tank, looking closely you can see where the paint has worn away from it.

 

Nice job! I like it much better than stock. How is that rear end coming?

 

Thanks I wanted to make it thinner but the damn seatpan is huge!

I tried working on a way to get that massive brake light up behind the seat but it's just not happening. I'm going to order a round one later this week and get that hooked up.

I did remove the passenger pegs and seat-handle thingy....it's amazing how such small changes can make a such a huge difference in the overall look of the bike.

 

nice work mate
cheers brenton

 

nice work mate
cheers brenton

 

I agree with posts above... Good work.

I have been considering shaving my seat down, but I mainly just want to shave down the rear of the seat, to get away from the drastic step in the seat...

Also considering moving my bike towards the streetfighter look, and if so, the back half of the seat may end up getting chopped off totally...

 

I did the same thing at first, just smoothing out the bump. It looked good but I just kept on going. I wanted as low a ride as possible and being as I don't take long distance trips the reduced comfort wasn't as huge an issue.

I can actually use both mirrors now! Each looks just over my shoulders but I'm sure that will change once i get my drags on.

 

very nice!...i tried to do a curved look but you really cant tell the difference between mine and yours.... i picked up a single round bulb at wal mart that will bolt directly into the license plate mounts..wanna pic?

 

yeah!

I'm perusing ebay now looking at my brake light options...the wal-mart special would be nice considering the amount of cash I'm slinging at the girl

 

Here's the back end now, sans handle. I tried modding the plastic toolbox so I could mount the light into it....total failure, so no more toolbox.

I love the look without the handle but I need to find something to do with those naked posts.

 

the brake liht im goin with....gotta keep the grab bar or my g/f will never ride with me again....think about using the naked posts to mount your turn signals on either side of this light....sounds sweet

 

That looks like it could work for me. With my toolbox gone the only thing I have in place is that bracket, I'll play around with it and see what works.

Thanks for the pics

 

cant beat it for five bucks...get an LED bulb to make up for one less icandescent bulb and your rockin!

 

I have the problem of my seat killing my butt and I just had it reupholstered, shaving would only make mine worse so after great consideration I'm thinking of shaving and rebuilding with a jell insert.
I'm told that they make life nice and comfy!?
My XJ 700 has a 2 part seat and has button tufting, has me wondering what would happen when I poke a hole for buttons though.
Any take on this?
Mike

 

You mean poking holes into the gel insert?

 

yup, does the gell run out?

 

Erhhhh, no clue but I'd imagine so.

I did have a nail go through a Dr. Schol's gel insert in my boot once, wasn't pretty.

I'm guessing it would totall depend on the style of insert you were talking about.

 

That's what has been holding me back.
Not enought info..

 

Well, if its the gel filled type, physics is against you...

I'd say try and find one of the more solid yet squishy ones, that would be ok.

 

Thanks Hess, I'll look into it.

What a country we live in, guess where I am..... yep

 

Hey, heres an idea.

Have you ever seen the foam they make nicer futon mattresses out of? Ikea sells them. The stuff is really comfy and molds to your body but returns to it's original rigid form quickly. It doesn't really compress over time either.

Might want to try and track down a few inches of that stuff, would work wonders for any sore back.

 

I'll see what I can do, who knows.
Thanks