Not bad for an afternoon's work + pics

[mortation]

Kinda what I'm coming up with too. Not really a job I wanted to tackle but I guess I'm gonna have to practice my non-existant glass skill...Wonder if BG wants to drive across the state and help...I can pay in beer

Just make sure you make 2 cause I'm gonna want one

[beergood]

If by BG you mean me, I'm tempted to take you up on that. I haven't been to the west side in a while. Spent a couple of good drunken weekends in sleeping bear, and a friend used to work at a boatyard in Holland.

I think a solo springer style seat could look pretty cool with that setup.

Good lookin' progress so far.

[ron bayless]

Hmmm. Looks to me like the seat is just plain to big. It doesnt look right. I think you should scrap it and fab a custom pan. Doesnt look like the fender is lined up right in those pics, did you change the position?

Perhaps a solo seat....

i agree with this guy.These are short wheelbased bikes.I say shorten the total length fron to back of the fender,bring it up more under the seat,then make the seat much smaller,even solo sized.

[ron bayless]

I dunno if I got it, its not there now and I dont recall If I didnt respond to you please resend.

I dont know what i sent you.but,you can take a jig saw,cut the fender more so it doesnt stick out past your tire so much,make it hug closer to the tire.The subframe will be in the way of lowering the fender,so cut the old subframe seat support out and make a new mounting tabl to lower the fender down some maybe? i had one question,how did you strip your tank to bare metal.i need to do the same thing.I think your bike is looking really good.One more thing.You can google fiberglass motorcycle fenders.Look at oldie's fenders.Might give you some more design ideas or possibilities.Also google independen gas tank.They have fender blanks if you feel the fabbing bug biting you.Ron B

[Mike_H]

Spent all night thinking about this, and I think that I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet, and fab my own seat. I got the fender where it needs to be, and it looks good, so now, its a matter of covering EVERYTHING and slapping some cloth and resin on whats left. I've already done one seat cover, and the seat design I'm thinking about is pretty simple, so I'm not too worried about that. Gotta get some closed cell foam though. Anyone have a source?

[Mike_H]

So, I have decided to fab up my own seat. I know a ton of people have done cafe conversions here on the forum, and posted very good articles on how to make that type of seat. Unfortunately, seat mounting doesn't seem to come up very often, or if it does, they use bolts to hold the rear panel/seat combo on. I am looking to make more of a smooth, crusier style seat. Low profile, and flowing with the lines of the bike. I have some pretty good ideas on how to fab the pan up, but I'm running out of creativity when it comes to clever ways to mount the seat. I have already gotten rid of the stock mounts...due to a failed attempt at grafting a Harley seat on.

Wondering if any of the many great minds out there can help me come up with a good way to mount a seat of this type. I want it to be easily removable, cuz I keep my air pressure gage, ins. papers, fuses, registration, etc under there. I'm thinking about using a 1/4 turn fastener at the rear, (Dzus type) but I'm struggling with the front of the seat. Slide in? more 1/4 turns on the side? Any ideas will be considered. Thanks

[johnnay]

I've been looking into this issue as well, and figure the best way to go for the front is to use a tab that slides under the rear tank mount. For the rear, newer seats have a barbed post that fits vertically into a latch - kind of like a hood latch on a car. You can pick these up from ebay easily, and just bolt the male portion to the underside of your pan, and fab a corresponding mount for the female part on the frame - might have to weld in a crosspiece or something.

Of course, make sure you get the key when you get the mechanism.. ](*,)

[Mike_H]

yesterday progress

Got my carbs cleaned up, and painted. Some pics...

All taped and plugged



After paint, Cook at 150 degrees for 30 min....




(For the love of all that is holy, no one tell my wife that this occured...She was sleeping at the time )

All Finished



On the plate for today is to make a seat pan, and finish the mounting of my rear fender. The fender won't be too difficult, I just have to find a Uncle with a welder. Since its Maple Syrup time here in MI, I know exactly where to find him!

[tkent02]

After paint, Cook at 150 degrees for 30 min....

What type paint, and why only cook for a half an hour?
Will it be gasoline proof?
Looks very nice.

[Mike_H]

It's Duplicolor's High Temp Engine Paint...It doesn't have to bake, but I did just so I could work on them faster without getting fingerprints on them (it was kind of an experiment). The paint hardened up nicely though.

[tkent02]

(it was kind of an experiment).

Have you given it the gas test yet?
Curious about that particular paint.

[denydog]

It's Duplicolor's High Temp Engine Paint...It doesn't have to bake, but I did just so I could work on them faster without getting fingerprints on them (it was kind of an experiment). The paint hardened up nicely though.

Just a side comment here: I recently used some VHT Universal Aluminum Engine Paint on my motor. The directions on this product require you to cure the paint at 180 degrees or it will not be durable around things like gas. The directions state you can either bake in an oven, or just let the engine come up to temp.

Warning! The fume cloud that developed while I warmed my engine up was unbelievable. I had a hard time with the smoke even in the open doorway of my garage. I would have had a serious problem if I had tried to bake it in my kitchen. Maybe I should have let it dry longer before heating, but it seems to be doing well now.

[Mike_H]

Have you given it the gas test yet?
Curious about that particular paint.

Nope, I haven't. Technically, Gas should never come into contact with the outside of the carbs, (Technically )and I've never had any kind of leaks, so I'm not too worried about it.

[tkent02]

Technically, I'm not wondering about your carbs.
Technically, I'm wondering about my gas tank.
Which I'm painting today.
And which I don't feel like popping in the oven for 1/2 an hour at 150 degrees.
Technically, Gas should never come into contact with the outside of the gas tank either.
:-)

[Mike_H]

Ahhh. I see. I think you'll be better off with a base coat/clear coat, which you can also get in a rattle can, but since I haven't painted any of my body panels, I can't speak to that either. Good Luck!