The Dreaded KZ440 LTD Seat (yet again)

nightmoves

New Member
Hello all,

Time to tackle my 1982 KZ440 LTD's wretched seat and try to make her something she was never intended to be. I know this topic pops up now and again, but I've decided to have a go at it myself and learned from experience that I should ask advice from you guys first before getting in over my head.

I've included a couple of photos for inspiration, can't remember where I snagged these, but they were most certainly from other kz440 builders on their respective forum threads.


This is a rockin' Kawasaki 750. Love this bike. I mean. SERIOUSLY. Love this bike.
steve_mcqueen_on_KZ.jpg



This is what I'm dealing with now, including proposed cut points (in green) and estimated new seat height / length (red).
KZ440_seat_mod_cuts.jpg



This is what I'm going for (image credit to NW440pdx of another forum)
kz440_modified_seat_profile.jpg



And this is the rough mock up of the shape and dimensions of the seat hoop I'll need to come up with.
kz440_seat_mod.jpg




So, my questions would be this. What is the best way to come up with a seat hoop for this project? And, do you guys have any suggestions for the concept itself, before I start cutting?

I know I can hit up the local junk yards for an old parts bike that has a similar seat hoop profile to what I'm needing, but I figured there's gotta be a better way than that. I have little to no metal working experience but know good folks who are reputable welders. So I guess the main issue is getting my hands on a hooped piece of metal that's close to this size.


The alternative route would be to just chop the seat frame where the up slope meets the horizontal plane of the bottom of the tank and fabricating a single seat, but that gives the bike a whole different look that I'm not super sure I'm crazy about.
kz440_mod_idea.png
 
1sttimer said:
Just my $.02 but 10" seems wayyy wide as an inner dimension.

You know, I think you're right. I was measuring the OEM stock seat at the time, not the frame width underneath. I'm thinking it's going to be closer to 8-ish inches than 10, definitely need to double check that measurement next time I'm in the garage, just to be sure. I'll change that dimension in the above image to avoid further confusion. Thanks!
 
hey man, I am planning on making the same cut as you but I am leaving the up sweep hoop at the rear. good stuff, I just need to find some steel and a welder (outsource it of course)
 
danker16 said:
hey man, I am planning on making the same cut as you but I am leaving the up sweep hoop at the rear. good stuff, I just need to find some steel and a welder (outsource it of course)

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more likely I am to do an up sweep, as well. Maybe something subtle, like 10 degrees or something. 1sttimer (above) pointed me in the direction of SONIC, a fellow DTT member who does some fine seat hoop work and I contacted him about a custom job. He's already been awesome to work with. Might want to give him a shout if you don't have the means to fab one up yourself (like me haha).

Keep me posted on your build! This is my first "major" project, so I'm really interested in what other KZ owners have going on.


Also, other than dealing with the actually fabrication of the seat / seat pan itself, my next hurdle will be to deal with cleaning up and minimizing the battery and wiring cluster that's currently lurking under my seat. Not really sure how I'm going to tackle that one, yet. So, if you happen to have any thoughts on that specifically, feel free to send them my way!
 
If you want your seat level. Make sure your bike is not on its center stand
during fabrication. Not doing so will cause the seat to be rearward sloping.
I do not recommended a seat that slopes to the rear. Because it will affect
the riders ability to control the bike, especially during acceleration.

Motorcycle riding is not fun when your in a hospital bed. Been there, done that.

.
 
Some great plans you have. I had all the same intentions before. I opted to make the ltd frame work and made a seat pan to the shape of the frame and made a simple brat style seat.

3yge8uva.jpg


Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
Nebr_Rex said:
If you want your seat level. Make sure your bike is not on its center stand
during fabrication. Not doing so will cause the seat to be rearward sloping.
I do not recommended a seat that slopes to the rear. Because it will affect
the riders ability to control the bike, especially during acceleration.

Motorcycle riding is not fun when your in a hospital bed. Been there, done that.

.

That's a really great tip. Definitely wouldn't have thought of that until it was too late. Thanks!
 
M.B Co said:
Some great plans you have. I had all the same intentions before. I opted to make the ltd frame work and made a seat pan to the shape of the frame and made a simple brat style seat.

3yge8uva.jpg


Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Awesome job on utilizing the stock frame's geometry! I may be asking you about some tips on cleaning up the battery / wiring mess under the seat. I'm not ready to tackle all of that yet, but your bike looks super clean and is definitely what I'm going for.

Thanks again for the inspiration! Great looking bike
 
Why don't you just reuse the existing hoop on the bike? Just de-tab it cut it off then you just need the straight section with a crank. It will already be the perfect size.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 
M.B Co said:
Some great plans you have. I had all the same intentions before. I opted to make the ltd frame work and made a seat pan to the shape of the frame and made a simple brat style seat.

3yge8uva.jpg


Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk



How did you secure the material to the seat pan?
 
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