81 XJ550 seca into a cafe racer

mrkil

mrkil

Coast to Coast
well i'm slowly turning my xj550 into a cafe racer.

so far i've got new clubmans, grips, levers and a freshly painted tank, and a cafe tail light is on the way

i'm looking for a new seat idea that can still be 2-up
i was thinking of this one for the xs 650
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i saw one a couple days ago on an xs650 parked at the dufferin mall. it's a very nice seat

i'll keep posting pics as it progresses

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More secas!
;D

Yeah that XS seat is awesome. Not sure how close it comes to mounting up on our bikes though.
 
i'm sure mounting the seat is just a matter of fabbing new hinges and lock.

but on the other hand i could strip the stock seat and build my own.

question is which is the smarter way to go.

and the clubmans are nice. like others have said the welds look less than stellar, but i'll use them until i decide to go with clip-ons
 
mrkil said:
i'm sure mounting the seat is just a matter of fabbing new hinges and lock.

but on the other hand i could strip the stock seat and build my own.

question is which is the smarter way to go.

and the clubmans are nice. like others have said the welds look less than stellar, but i'll use them until i decide to go with clip-ons
Click to expand...

Yeah I just meant the width. I'm sure you would only have to move the hinges (I think to the other side) to mount it... I'm not a welder so I wouldn't be able to do it.

Depends on how much $$ you have or how good you are at sewing I'd say... something else I'm not good at. :D
If you can find someone locally I'd bet you could make a similar shape out of your original seat foam/pan and get it covered.
 
i'll probably go with the 2nd choice. it's cheaper ;)

i'll retool the seat this winter, and have it reupolstered before spring hits.

i would love to put on a single seat but i'm sure my with would think otherwise ;D
 
mrkil said:
i'll probably go with the 2nd choice. it's cheaper ;)

i'll retool the seat this winter, and have it reupolstered before spring hits.

i would love to put on a single seat but i'm sure my with would think otherwise ;D
Click to expand...

If you really want a single seat just do what I did!

Keep your stocker and get a shabby seat on e-bay for cheap (look for something with a good seatpan and some foam)... Seca seatpans are plastic composite so no worries about rust (at least my 82 650 is).
Trim the e-bay pan and put a cowl on it, then throw a removeable pin in the hinge and you have a quick release swap from single to double seat.
 
well i should update this a little bit.

painted the seat tail to match the tank. now i'm just looking for a spare seat pan so i can cafe it.

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also received the tail light for my seat project

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also got my new rubber, bridgestone spitfires

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also polished up the 4 into 1

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i've had some problems with the bike running.
it was in storage for about 4 years, till the resurrection.

it will start and run but only with half choke. once the choke is turned offf, it dies.

so the carbs are off for cleaning and bench syncing.
 
very cool! i used to have an XJ 750 cafe... love that bike! here are some crap pictures i have of it... if you wan any good ones i hav those on my lab top... I put on a round headlight, drags/or clubmans (depending on what i wanted that day) bobed the front fender, rear sets, cleaned the hell out of it
sw4htg.jpg

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mrkil said:
well i should update this a little bit.

painted the seat tail to match the tank. now i'm just looking for a spare seat pan so i can cafe it.

IMG_4372Small.jpg


also received the tail light for my seat proje

also got my new rubber, bridgestone spitfires

also polished up the 4 into 1

i've had some problems with the bike running.
it was in storage for about 4 years, till the resurrection.

it will start and run but only with half choke. once the choke is turned offf, it dies.

so the carbs are off for cleaning and bench syncing.
Click to expand...

Really like the shape and color combo on your tank and tail piece,very nice indeed.
 
well here is where i'm at now.
it runs with only 1 hickup (something is hanging up the throttle cable)
waiting on signals from 911moto
still not 100% in love with the seat, but it's functional right now.
and i need to do a good clean and polish on the engine and some bar end mirrors.

IMG_4542.jpg


oh and a couple DTT stickers for the side covers ;D
 
I had a 550 Seca way back in the 90s. It was someone's weekend racer, so it had the dual-disk front end from a 750, braided brake lines, and a sweet Kerker 4:1. Really great bikes. I'd say go for the Thruxton flyscreen, I had a strap-on flyscreen in tinted black plexi and it looked awesome. Considering the rest of the bike, what do you think of a racey fiberglass front fender, it'd look really great against the flyscreen and the tail section. I'm picturing the TZ fender style, like on this page:

http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/vintage/vintagefendersstreet.htm

And yeah, if you thin out the seat it would flow a lot better. WTH were they thinking back in the 80s? Some of those big tractor seats are ridiculous.
 
made a solo seat pan from an old seat today.

this way i can swap between single seat and 2-up

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the entire seat and hump will be covered.
sort of like the Giuliari seat
 
here's the solo seat foam covered and ready for upholstery

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hopefully i can find a good shop here in T.O.
any suggestions?
 
more progress

took off the clubmans
put on my clip-ons
lowered the light and gauges
took out old airbox in prep for pods
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just need to pick up pods and oil breather
relocate battery and rectifier
clean out my tank and line it and reclean my carbs
mount new rubber and tail light
 
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