seat replacement

[darkbane]

I just purchased an '83 gs650g cafe style. I love everything about the bike so far, except for the seat. it was homemade, and not bad for the fact that it was homemade, but I would like something a little sportier looking. Here's a picture of the bike.


Does anybody have some suggestions for an easy replacement, preferably an easy bolt on. I wouldn't mind a two seater even as long as it still had a sporty look to it.

I'd appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

peace

[txironhead]

Wow, I've never seen a seat like that in my life, and I've seen some insane ones. Looks like the quality of the craftsmanship isn't too bad for a homemade seat, but the design definitely should have been thought out a little better. Maybe his wife had a tender butt?

Anyway, I'd take the bike to an upholstery shop and see if they can shorten (height and length) that seat. Since it's a "repair" and not a full recover it shouldn't cost too much. But make sure to take the bike and not just the seat so they can see what the lines of the bike are and modify the seat accordingly.

[t3rmin]

Looks like the PO was trying to get the "cafe hump" on the seat there. But the rear fender ruins the lines. Besides I've never really liked the look of trying to make the hump part of the seat like that. You could just take off the cover, chop off the hump and re-stretch the cover onto it. Then make a hump out of your material of choice (fiberglass?).

[hp1000s]

I think that thing looks cool-as-hell....no accountin' for taste, huh?

[koolaid_kid]

Oh my. Well, it is certainly unique. I do like the overall look of the bike, though. IMO, I would lower the fender first. It is causing the ummm, particular look. Since the rear subframe been chopped, you could follow the frame line straight back and perhaps angle down. Then your seat pan would be allowed to be more parallel with the ground, and give you lots of leeway for tailoring the seat. If you do want the seat to end with a cafe-style hump, then it would make it much easier to go the way suggested by t3rmin.

[beergood]

If I could make a suggestion. That little fender actually looks pretty sweet. I don't know what you are doing about a rear brake light (more pics would be helpfull). I would keep the rear fender, chop that seat and put an old bucket style tail light on it. Something like this:



I think this is a winning classic look. And mount the license plate sideways on one of the rear shocks.

[onchiman]

I think it looks pretty cool either way frankly. Some rearsets would be "da bomb" on this! By the way what's up with the angle of the driveshaft? Isn't it supposed to be pretty much straight at rest? Are the rear shocks longer than stock or are the upper mounts moved because of the chop? I'm curious to know how it handles. Seems like it would be kinda "twitchy" in the corners.

[fat_sac]

I'm not sure about twitchy but it definitely looks more aggressive that stock. How does that thing handle?


Edit -- Come to think of it, mine is lowered and sits pretty level. I got the lowering shocks from oldbikebarn.com.

I think it looks pretty cool either way frankly. Some rearsets would be "da bomb" on this! By the way what's up with the angle of the driveshaft? Isn't it supposed to be pretty much straight at rest? Are the rear shocks longer than stock or are the upper mounts moved because of the chop? I'm curious to know how it handles. Seems like it would be kinda "twitchy" in the corners.

[bhppy101]

you should try building one...

That bike is very clean shape!!!!

[7th day]

hotwingglass.com

[darkbane]

First off, thanks for all the replies, it's nice to get some feedback.

In response too:

beergood > I like your photoshop touch up, and I do like it with a smaller seat, but the tail light is not necessary, I do have one mounted on the rear shock.

Here are some extra pics.



I do like having the little fender, I think it is a nice touch, but I'm looking into a different placement of it. I'm still trying to figure out how the previous owner mounted the seat. I can't seem to get it off at the moment to see what else is in there.

As for the drive shaft, I'm not familiar with how the angle should be, it doesn't seem like the PO moved the mounts. I don't have a manual right now to compare it to and I can't seem to find a descent picture of a similar model on the net. Would the angle of the drive shaft cause me some problems now or in the future?

As for the handling, I have no complaints at the moment. Every turn I take I try to take it faster and sharper and I haven't had any scary moments yet. I actually really like the handling of the bike, except for maybe the braking. With two discs in front and one in the rear you'd expect it to be a bit more responsive. Hopefully I can remedy that with some better quality pads.

I'm waiting on a Service Manual so that I can dig into things a little more.

in response to bhppy101 > the bike is in very good shape. It only has 2800 original miles and is very clean. I may try and make my own seat, but I don't have many tools readily available to me and I wouldn't know where to begin with fiberglass.

I have a few projects in mind for the bike, but I'll probably have them done over the off season where they can take more time on it and maybe give me a better price.

Again, thanks for all the replies. Please keep them coming if anybody has anything else to add.

I do have more pictures available upon request.

Peace

[bhppy101]

I am really diggin' that color scheme......I might just have to try that on my nex zooki!

[beergood]

Ha ha, couldn't see the tail light and plate in the original pic. I love that tail light/plate setup. A friend has a similar deal. Gotta say I like a round light on the offset a little better, but what you have is still sweet.

As for not knowing where to begin with fiberglass, you begin at the beginning. It isn't hard to work with if you have some patience. There are plenty of people to help you with it, as long as you aren't afraid to f'up a little at first. The materials are cheap, and building a prototype part won't keep you off the road, just replace your existing stuff when you get a part where you want it.

With your current fender/light setup, I would just use a straight, simple flat seat that goes into the tail. It should bolt on as well as what you have and make a really clean line from tank to tail.

I also agree with bhppy101, that is a great color scheme.

Good luck and keep with it.

-josh

[darkbane]

Just to answer Onchiman's questions about the shock mount. I found this picture of a gs550 and it looks like the mounted is in the correct spot. The PO just put some larger shocks on it.


I think I asked this questions earlier but don't remember if I got a response. Would the angle of the drive shaft on my GS cause any problems for me?

[thingk]

Check out Omar's :http://www.omarsdtr.com/cafe.html