Seat mods for my '77 750F SuperSport

[rafanomenon]

I've got the money for an aftermarket fiberglass seat, but part of me (most of me, rather) wants to get creative and fabricate one out of scrap metal and different pieces I may find in the scrap yard. I haven't made it far, but I plan on making some cuts this weekend. Here's where I'm at:

*note: yes, that is a plastic water bottle underneath the gas tank. Read here to get the full story. Doh. http://www.rjrcreative.com/bike/?p=76

As long as I'm using an OEM seatpan, makes sense to keep the hinges on there, so for now they stay on. I got inspired to do a seat like this from a friend of mine (Hezekiah), as well as Leon's tank/pan conversion. Clever stuff! Here are pics of my friend's mod using a OEM pan, and the OEM rear cowl:

Truly inspiring!

 

[rafanomenon]

Re: Seat mods for my '77 750F SuperSport: Round 2

I started where I left off with making seat mods. I put the pan on the frame and sat on the bike to get a feeling for it. I also got off and stared at it for awhile, figuring out the lines and where to cut. After about 20 minutes, I drew a line and made the first cuts. I used a Dremel, which worked pretty well. I made it through the entire seat pan with one cutting disc. What's crazy is that the cutting disc shattered as I was making the last cut. Not bad.

After making the initial cuts to the pan, I modified the stock rear cowl by making a few cuts and duct taping it to the pan to get a feel for how it looks. The rear tail light brace was bugging me, so that had to go. I snipped the rear signal and brake wires, and that thing was off. I then put everything back on the bike and started cutting the foam for cushioning. I plan on taking more off the top for a lower seat, but not until I get an electric turkey knife. Heard those work the best. It’s all starting to come together.

I'm partial on how the rear cowl appears to be a bit low, but that could be a little deceiving because of how high the cushion is right now. As soon as I trim that down and get some leather over it, hopefully it'll all make sense. Still trying to figure out with what I'm going to do about rear lights.

 

[rafanomenon]

Let me start out by saying that I wasn't going for a show quality seat build. this seat was created out of scrap i had laying around just to get it looking good enough to slap on the bike and ride around town. Took about 8 hours total from the initial seat pan cut, to mounting the tail and light, and upholstery. The latter is definitely a skilled trade. The next seat mockup I plan on doing will definitely be sent to an upholsterer.

Tail light: $20
Brackets: Free
Epoxy to mount cowl: $8
Denim patches: Free
Vinyl and batting: $30

I already have a seat, tray, and oil tank coming in from Benjie.

Pictures!

This is what it'll look like by July:
http://www.rjrcreative.com/bike/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/after-525x393.jpg