DIY Fiberglass Seat Walkthrough - No Wood

[PHeller]

Can anyone point me towards a DIY fiberglass seat walkthrough that doesn't use wood as the base?

I'm thinking of building a custom seat for my XS650, without cutting the frame or modifying the hinges. I have not found any pictures of anyone else trying this. The key will be in the seat's ability to contour to the frame, rear fender (while in place) and over the stock airbox.

I don't want to use wood because it won't contour to the rear fender. This means more fiberglass and I guess more batting?

I intend for the seat to have a "cafe bump", so foam will be used to form that.

So, any threads already cover some of this?

 

[MotoMadness]

So are you looking to make just a seat pan? Will the cafe bump in the rear be using foam and leather over it or just foam for the mock up?

Easiest way to mock up a mold is to use foam blocks and 3m spray adhesive. Just keep trimming the foam until you get the exact shape and demensions you want.

 

[MotoMadness]

I do it like this and then use bondo over it to get a perfect surface. I make molds out of them so I can recreat the piece later but you can just do a rough layer of bondo if you are making the actually piece from it. I also like to use modeling clay (Plastina) to mold it into the lines of the tank etc...

 

[PHeller]

Where do you get the foam?

How do you build structural strength with the fiberglass?

 

[MotoMadness]

I like using the rigid insulation foam from like Home Depot because its a fine foam and can be cut and sand to a perfect shape easily.. You can buy it in large sheets for like $12-$15. Alot of guys also use foam from arts & craft stores like Micheals etc... Also some spray adhensives will actually eat away or dissolve the foam so just be cautious of that too.

As for the structural part, I just make sure the mounting points on the frame are sufficient and build it up with 1.5 or 2 oz chop stranded mat. You can also run small rigids down the length of the seat pan which will add to the structural strength of it

 

[MotoMadness]

Search youtube also, there are a couple of seat building DIY videos on there. Herm from Dime City has one also.

 

[speedfourjoe]

I'm thinking of building a custom seat for my XS650, without cutting the frame or modifying the hinges. I have not found any pictures of anyone else trying this. The key will be in the seat's ability to contour to the frame, rear fender (while in place) and over the stock airbox.

You could just make something on a stock seat pan. This is one I did using an old gas tank for the bum stop, but you could do it in fiberglass.

 

[edukaycheon]

http://www.dimecitycycles.com/dccdiatribe/2012/01/dcc-tech-tip-building-your-own-fiberglass-cafe-seat-video-w-herm/

I'm sure you've seen this?

 

[MJPriceisright]

Can anyone point me towards a DIY fiberglass seat walkthrough that doesn't use wood as the base?

I'm thinking of building a custom seat for my XS650, without cutting the frame or modifying the hinges. I have not found any pictures of anyone else trying this. The key will be in the seat's ability to contour to the frame, rear fender (while in place) and over the stock airbox.

I don't want to use wood because it won't contour to the rear fender. This means more fiberglass and I guess more batting?

I intend for the seat to have a "cafe bump", so foam will be used to form that.

So, any threads already cover some of this?

man i absolutely love this bike.

 

[kicker]

You could just make something on a stock seat pan. This is one I did using an old gas tank for the bum stop, but you could do it in fiberglass.

This is a good idea.
I suppose you could also make a fiberglass mold of the back of your tank then make plugs to experiment with.

 

[Flugtechnik]

Check out CCRider's seat build.

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=7890.0

 

[PHeller]

Thanks folks. Herm's videos helped me visualize a little bit more of the process.

One thing I did notice is that he used a flat seat base.

CCRider started by forming to the contours underneath the seat, which I liked.

Any suggestions on where to get materials?