How to mount cafe seat?

NoobZooki

NoobZooki

The night's on fire!
To all of you cafe people, how did you mount your seat? I got these plans from Hotwing Glass.

I would rather use bolts with a nut than machine screws though. Except bolts aren't flat :(
seatmount.jpg


Are there any other ways I can go about mounting the cafe seat? Give me some ideas! I like to look at all of my options first before doing it.
 
Velcro, button snaps, the aforementioned machine screws, or you can use carriage bolts, which have low profile, yet slightly domed heads with square locks on the underside to keep them from spinning. You can also mount small straps to the seat pan itself and either weld or JB Weld nuts on the straps, and then tighten the screws from the bottom through the strapping on the frame rails.
 
seatvx.jpg

Weld up the sub-frame, then use hinges to mount the seat. Use a couple magnets on the other side to keep the seat latched down. I would put a layer of rubber from an old inner tube over the magnets to keep vibrating noises away and to help protect the frame from getting scratched up.


I wouldn't trust velcro or JB weld to keep my seat in place. You don't want your seat coming loose when you're going into a corner. It might work for some people, but I wouldn't chance it.


Carriage bolts however are a great idea. They're smooth and they're sturdy enough to keep everything in place.


You could also make some sort of hook and latch system, but a drawing will have to wait. I need some sleep.
 
Eric P said:
seatvx.jpg

Weld up the sub-frame, then use hinges to mount the seat. Use a couple magnets on the other side to keep the seat latched down. I would put a layer of rubber from an old inner tube over the magnets to keep vibrating noises away and to help protect the frame from getting scratched up.


I wouldn't trust velcro or JB weld to keep my seat in place. You don't want your seat coming loose when you're going into a corner. It might work for some people, but I wouldn't chance it.


Carriage bolts however are a great idea. They're smooth and they're sturdy enough to keep everything in place.


You could also make some sort of hook and latch system, but a drawing will have to wait. I need some sleep.
Click to expand...

Wait.....You don't trust Velcro or JB Weld, but you trust MAGNETS?!
 
RoadRash said:
Wait.....You don't trust Velcro or JB Weld, but you trust MAGNETS?!
Click to expand...


Jb weld comes loose easily if you have improper prep. Velcro pulls off even easier. Having the seat slide is the problem, not having the seat pull up. I don't know about you, but I don't have much trouble staying on my seat. The problem comes in when you shift from side to side (like in a tight radius turn).


I'm not trusting the magnets to keep the seat from sliding around. The hinges do that. You have to make sure you have strong enough hinges, because they're the structural part. The magnets are just there to make it easy to access the underside of the seat, just like the latch that came on most stock jap bikes.


I had a Suzuki FA50 (yea, I know it was a scooter) a while back. The seat came with a mounting system that used hinges and magnets. It was sturdy and worked well. If Suzuki trusts it, why shouldn't I?
 
I threw JB Weld in there not as a support, but as something to hold the nuts while you tighten the screws down, since they'll be on the inside of the seat pan when you start wrenching. Kinda like a third hand during assembly only. The magnet idea is a good one, I've seen some magnets hold some decent weight. Rare earth magnets are supposedly super strong, and can be had for pretty cheap.
 
I bolt all of my seats. I usually hold them down with nylox wingnuts for easy removal. Never had one come loose.The bolt heads aren't an issue cuz they are usually under two inches of foam. I can post some pics but not til tommorow cuz I wont be home til then. And I never utilize the factory hinges. Those are usually one of the first things whacked off during the initial grinding frenzy
 
This method has worked very well over a decade on my street and road race bikes.
I needed simple/easy to remove and it's cheap, which I like too...lol. Plus it's non-invasive on the frame, unless you want to weld the screws to the frame. I do not use an underseat frame at all.

Self explanitory, I do tie heavy thread to the jesus clips and super glue the thread to the seat pan, so they don't get lost. The industrial velcro is super strong, so you don't need a lot, and the seat won't move, even when road racing.

seatmountseatgumby.jpg

seatmountframegumby.jpg
 
Hmm....Quite the interesting technique, Ja! I'm with you on the industrial velcro. Pretty strong stuff, but will come apart when you need it to.
 
NoobZooki said:
This is some great stuff! Keep 'em coming!

So the DZUS pin... How does it even work? Noob here :D
Click to expand...

There kind of a spring wire mounted on one part, and the other part, there is mounted a 1/4 turn screw, with a slot that captures the wire and locks it in. Do a google search.
 
Ja-Moo i think that is an awesome setup you have there. I believe I will borrow it from you. haha.

I have a bit of a novice question. I just got my first cafe seat pan (for my '78 CB750) and am going to install it shortly. With your setup do you reinforce the seat or do you just leave it as is. I'm refering to the way the pan only abs comes. I honestly have no idea whether I should reinforce it or not. So help from anyone would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help guys.
 
JDrawdy said:
Ja-Moo i think that is an awesome setup you have there. I believe I will borrow it from you. haha.

I have a bit of a novice question. I just got my first cafe seat pan (for my '78 CB750) and am going to install it shortly. With your setup do you reinforce the seat or do you just leave it as is. I'm refering to the way the pan only abs comes. I honestly have no idea whether I should reinforce it or not. So help from anyone would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help guys.
Click to expand...

I just use 2 layers of mat in my seats, and they are fine with this mount. Do it, and if you feel flex, then maybe some reinforcement is necessary.
 
I should have some pics up soon as I'm getting ready to glass my seat, but here's how my setup will work:

I'm using a piece of 1/16" aluminum plate as a base for my seat. The fiberglass seat will sit on top of this. For my seat pad, I will use 3/8"-1/2" plywood as a base with foam on top, vinyl covering on top of that. T-nuts will be placed on the topside of the wood base, under the foam, and I will be able to tighten screws from the underside of the top frame rail cross braces to hold the whole thing together. This will probably be easier to visualize once I get some pics up so look for my build thread in a few days.
 
Maybe I'm a little dense tonight but I don't fully understand your setup. Do you have a pic with the seat secured to your bike? Do you use nuts on the exposed screws? I don't understand what the clips are there for? Looks great I guess Im just a little confused.
 
HoldFast13 said:
Maybe I'm a little dense tonight but I don't fully understand your setup. Do you have a pic with the seat secured to your bike? Do you use nuts on the exposed screws? I don't understand what the clips are there for? Looks great I guess Im just a little confused.
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell, but there are holes drilled in the screws. Drop the tail section and put the jesus clips through the holes, done deal, Bob's your uncle.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DTT Light or Dark

  • DTT Light
    • www.jadusmotorcycleparts.com
    www.lostapostle.ca/
    www.sparckmoto.com

    Spread the Love

    Back
    Top Bottom