Question about seat pan materials...

[kayakguy]

Thinking on my first build, maybe a '78 CB550 if the guy calls back. I've got ideas about the bike, first and foremost I want it to run well and be safe as it will likely be my wife's. But eventually I will want to change the tank and seat, and therein lies the question.

Please tell me of the advantages and downfalls of metal vs. glass. I searched on here a bit but had no luck.

Thanks in advance.

 

[cafematty]

You're talking about just the seat in glass, correct?

Because if you're considering changing the tank to fiberglass, and then putting your wife on it, you should reconsider... Heaven forbid she ever goes down, but you definitely don't want her covered in gasoline if she did..

Or maybe I'm just overly cautious..

If you're just talking seat pan, I cant see any major disadvantage with going with a glassed seat pan. It's very light and strong enough to meet the demands of your bum... It's fairly easy to work with with a little practice and you can be about as creative as you want in regards to final looks. Or.. You can just leave the stock metal seat pan and carve the foam down and recover it which will allow you to use the factory hinges and locks.

 

[kayakguy]

Yes seat pan only. What is an idea of weight savings, are we talking ounces or a couple of pounds?

 

[cafematty]

You can lose lbs easy with a fiberglass seat over the stock metal pan. Of course that all depends on how elaborate you go with it.

I don't really come from a super lbs savings camp.. I'm definitely all for ripping off anything you don't need.. and certainly want to make good material choices if I'm adding something.. But I'm a big dude.. and saving 2lbs in my seat isn't really going to make that much difference in the end for me. My bike is plenty quick, and If I wanted to go faster I would probably start with myself before I started shaving things off my bike.

It all depends on what you're going for. If you decide to make a fiberglass seat, there are tons of threads on it.

Here's how I did mine..
http://www.cafematty.com/making-a-cafe-racer-seat/
http://www.cafematty.com/cafe-racer-seat-part-deux/