Author Topic: Check out my homemade cafe seat  (Read 4043 times)

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550_ko

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Check out my homemade cafe seat
« on: November 19, 2005, 07:06:40 AM »

I had tried out a few cafe seats for my 350 twin and they all sucked.   I  made one the old school way with some plywood and  foam that looked a bit funny.  I bought one of off ebay for mucho money . . .  didn’t fit well and wasn’t so comfortable.  A friend let me mount his mucho money seat. . .  also not so cozy and not a great fit.  Tried the stock seat but it sat way to high for the rear sets and clip-ons and it meant reinstalling the battery box which I had hacked . . . 

So I decided to make one out of  fiberglass.  Fiberglass is really nasty stuff.   I spent a couple of days out in the shop in a chemical suit and gas mask.  I wonder what the neighbors were thinking.

So here’s how I did it:  (I am sure there are better ways)

Carved + mold out of  florist Styrofoam.  $15.00 and 2 hours
Wrapped mold in tape and Aluminum foil.  Free.
Bought glass and resin from an idustrial supply. $ 60.00 enough for  2 seats and a fender.
 Sprayed mold down with light oil.  Free.
1st try..  Mixed resin wrong.  Seat has still not set up in parts.  3 hours.
2nd try.  Mixed resin right.  Had a few air bubbles but looked okay, if a little lumpy.  2 hours. (plus set up time between layers)
Removed seat from mold.
Bondo-ed a little bit (not enough to smooth it out entirely) $20.00 1 hour
Painted with rattle cans in the shop.  Free.  1 hour plus dry time.
Bought some closed cell foam and  1 yd. black vinyl.  16.00
Upholstered seat with girlfriends help.  Took  all day and them some.


I now have a seat that fits my bike and me.  Not bad for $111.00.  I know it doesn’t look so great, especially up close.  But upholstery is really hard to get right and I would’ve had to spend a lot more time with body filler and sandpaper to really make it smooth.  By that point I was tired of fumes, dust, uncomfortable clothing, chem suits, masks, and noise.  Plus, I was really aching to take it for a test ride.



 

Offline Bob Wessner

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2005, 08:24:20 AM »
Good work, sounds like you learned a good deal along the way as well.
We'll all be someone else's PO some day.

Offline 6pkrunner

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2005, 09:11:08 AM »
Looks terrific, and you got the bonus of doing it yourself!!! ;D Congrats.

badabing

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2005, 10:04:47 AM »
looks good....I'm going to have to try it

Offline cbjunkie

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2005, 11:22:04 AM »
hey, man - that's tits! i am on the verge of doing the very same thing, so i appreciated especially your photos and explanation...

i hope mine comes out that nice the first go-round

j'lo...

p.s. are those drag bars? i'm going the drag bar direction, but i plan to pick up a set of clubmans as well...
1971 750K1
1972 CB350 (deceased)

sometimes naked, sometimes mad -
now the poet, now the fool -
thus they appear on earth,
the free men.

Offline cbjunkie

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2005, 11:26:08 AM »

i see you hail from east TN! excellent. i picked up my 750 a few months ago from a guy down south of Nashville. i live in saint louis now, but still have plenty of love for ETN  - specially Nashvegas.

lovely weather and nice riding - are you  in the mountains?

oh, and how about a couple more pix of the bike?
thanks,
j'lo...
1971 750K1
1972 CB350 (deceased)

sometimes naked, sometimes mad -
now the poet, now the fool -
thus they appear on earth,
the free men.

Finbar20

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2005, 02:02:45 PM »
Thanks for posting the info. I've been wanting to try my hand at that for awhile. Your bike is inspiring to say the least, I especially like the air filter housing!

Offline 74cb750

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2005, 02:11:32 PM »
Like my kids would say "sweet!" ;D
Laugh at least once a day.
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Offline cbjunkie

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2005, 04:08:44 PM »
ha-ha! hell yeah...

i'd love to help you "build" a set of air filters for mine...   :D

homemade clip-ons? pray where the hell did you get the brackets? ...i bought a set of draggers today just so i can push the bike around - i had tossed the ape hangers a couple of weeks ago and the bike has been really challenging to move around since then  ;D - i thought about just wearing gloves and gripping the forks to steer - really put me "in touch" with the machine!

j'lo...
1971 750K1
1972 CB350 (deceased)

sometimes naked, sometimes mad -
now the poet, now the fool -
thus they appear on earth,
the free men.

Offline Uncle Ernie

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2005, 05:18:50 PM »
Those are exactly the shape of clip-ons I was looking for for my GB500!!!!!   Well. I finally got some Telefix bars, but I bet those wouldn't be as wide.  You just might have a market for those...
Dude- your 8 layers are showing!

Offline MRieck

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #10 on: November 19, 2005, 07:35:42 PM »
Oh my God man...that stuff made your hair fall out!!! :o :o
Owner of the "Million Dollar CB"

Offline pmpski_1

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Re: Check out my homemade cafe seat
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2005, 08:54:01 PM »
Sweeet! The clip ons made from 550 rods are ingenious. How "fitting".

I have a question about this process of making the seat. I've never worked with 'glass before... Once you make the mold\form and cover it so the fiber glass doesn't stick, do you just lay the fiberglass over it? It comes in sheets, correct? So the process looks like this:

1. lay the sheet over the form so that it "forms" to the shape
2. cover it with some resin
3. repeat until you have a specific thickness

I was thinking about this process when I saw a DIY carbon fiber bicycle. I thought that you could do the same thing with carbon fiber. It would be trick if you wanted a carbon fiber look, but if you wanted to paint it the fiberglass would be a much cheaper way to go. Here's the link to the bicycle I was talking about: http://www.rqriley.com/xr2.htm
Beast   I: 1974 CB550K
Beast IV: 1976 Chevy Blazer
Beast  V: 2003 Buell XB9S