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.