1984 Katana 7/11

[Guest]

This took a bit more time than it looks, but got some shaping done on the mould yesterday.

I think I need to taper it in some more, and I'd forgotten I'd run out of spray adhesive so I had to call it quits a bit early, but it's definitely getting there.

Sanding that foam's bloody messy though!

 

[Big Rich]

I'll let you in on a secret Pete..... when it comes to sanding foam, tell your buddy that your air compressor broke / wife has allergies / the shop is getting sprayed for termites / whatever. And ask to use his shop!

Keep it up Pete!

 

[Guest]

Hahahaha damn good idea Rich! Now let me think who I can ask... haha

 

[Guest]

Finished shaping the foam yesterday... or at least I hope I did anyway. I'll really only find out when I make the first seat pan.

Got it all trimmed down to a size and shape I'm pretty happy with so I can put a couple of layers of fibreglass over it ready to finish the mould off.





I used some plastercene to straighten up around where the seat latch bolts on.



And wrapped the foam in a layer of tape to protect it from the resin, but of course no need for release agent etc. as the two layers that will go over the foam will be a permanent part of the mould.



I have some work to do tonight but hopefully before that I can get the matting cut to shape ready to lay down. I doubt I'll have enough time to actually lay it though.

 

[Guest]

Ended up having more time than I expected last night, so I got the two layers down.

I didn't do a good job with the corners/overlaps this time, so I figure the best way to deal with that is to let it cure then trim/sand those bits back and patch them up as necessary.

I'll see how it looks tonight but if I can get those areas sorted then it should be cured enough by the weekend to get stuck in to sanding it down ready to finish off and make the first pan.

 

[nvr2old]

You've put a lot of effort into this and it looks like it's gonna turn out great. This may sound like a stupid question, Pete, and maybe I missed an earlier post, but why are you going this route with the seat/pan instead of using the stock setup..?

 

[Guest]

Cheers Larry! Yeah I think it'll work out ok.

As for why, basically cheaper running costs. Over here we pay annual registration which includes a component of compulsory insurance to cover other road users and road facilities in the instance you have an accident and cause injury/damage. That insurance component changes if you have a passenger, so a single seat setup means almost half the cost to keep a bike registered. To keep the 450 on the road and get the Kat registered, I'll need to take both to single seat setup to keep the registration/insurance costs down.

I trimmed the excess from the rear of the mould last night then started sanding until my arms ached.

While it's not good, it's nowhere near as bad as I feared it might be.

Some more sanding and it'll be right to patch up. Mostly it follows the shape of the foam which is excellent.

I need to do the front yet but it's nowhere near as bad as the rear ended up.





Lining up the seat shows me the width and height should be ok, so for now I'm happy to proceed as is and finish the mould up.

 

[nvr2old]

Higher insurance cost for a passenger seat bike..interesting. Thanks for the explanation, Pete. Makes total sense now...carry on..

 

[Guest]

Yep, we like to do things differently here... not always for the best of course!

 

[Guest]

Beginning to feel like this is my life's work... again doesn't look like much but spent a few hours yesterday rubbing the whole mould back part by hand and part by the orbital finishing sander.

I got it to a point where I'm 95% happy to finish it up ready to use but will give it another once over yet.

I did the patching on the four corners of the pillion area where I screwed that up too, so I'll finish those areas up once they've cured too.

With any luck this is the home stretch on the mould and I've got the shape/size right.

 

[nvr2old]

Do you plan on painting it a light Grey satin finish so it sort of replicates the look of the original seat? You could even throw on the grab strap just for grins. Maybe it would be hard to convince the seat police it's still a solo saddle though....

 

[Guest]

Yeah the grab strap could be a bit of an issue

It'll be upholstered front to back to look like it's a stock seat, but of course no foam over the pillion area. The definition here of a seat is material over foam, so that'll be fine legally.

Colour wise, not sure if you saw the earlier photo I found on Google but the Kat will be all gloss black with a red frame (like came on the rare '87 SBE Kat) so to tie in with that the rider's seat will be red and the pillion area will be black.

 

[nvr2old]

Ahhh..I went back and looked. Must've missed it earlier. I like the red and black combo. It has a more sinister look to it. You know now though, Pete, every single panel has to be laser straight.....

I have complete confidence in you, man.

 

[Guest]

Hahah cheers Larry! I think I'll be ok with the straightness. I've learnt to be a lot more patient with paint prep since doing the 450, that taught me a lot.

I don't think I'll have issues with lumpiness after repairing the front cowl and the side covers and tail piece look to be in good shape in that regard. I think I'll get the tank professionally panel beaten though so it should come out good as well.

I really like the red and black too so I'm keen to make it work well.

 

[Guest]

Managed to make next to no progress on the seat yesterday unfortunately after buggerising around with one of our sliding doors for hours. They don't seem to slide real well when there's only half a wheel to roll on...

However, an acquisition was made on Saturday... thought I had no dust boots but turns out I do, they're just sitting there at the moment, not sure what to do about them at this stage but the fork brace fits perfectly.

 

[Guest]

From all the searching I've done it looks like that might be a "Chivo's" fork brace. Funnily enough the only pic I could find with it on a bike was a black and red Kat just like I'm planning... except the seat is all black and I'm not sure on the red stripes around the place.

This is from the Aus Streetfighters forum.

He somehow got dust boots to work...



And back to the seat...

After all the sanding and patching efforts, I've still got some bits that are a bit thin or have gone back through to the foam, and I wasn't happy with the gaps between some of the layers either side at the front. I think that would be compromising the strength of the mould.

The last thing I need is to be trying to separate the first pan from the mould and have the mould start falling apart.







I decided to try a trick learnt during the 450's tail piece creation (thanks again Dale!) and make a bit of a slurry using some trimmed up offcuts of matting.



Got it into all the bits I'd identified and also shoved some strips of matting in the gaps at the front.







I also used some to build up the sides of the toungue that sits in the hook behind the tank. The corners were recessed in a bit which would make releasing the pan from the mould a bit of a nightmare.



I'll see how it looks tonight, but hopefully that's the end of the patching and a quick rub down of those areas should be all that's left before coating it ready to wax and use.

Oh! Nearly forgot I do need to re-drill the holes for the mounting points yet.

 

[Guest]

Much better! Sanded until I was dripping with sweat and couldn't sand any more last night.

Happy with the patches, so a final once over, re-drill the seat latch holes, and it'll be good to coat ready for wax and use.

 

[nvr2old]

What grit sandpaper are you using, Pete? 36-40 grit would cut that back pretty quickly.

 

[Guest]

Just using what I have on hand Larry... 60 and 80. I'm trying not to sand it back *too* far on the corners, but just enough.

I tell ya' what, every time I do some of this my admiration for your patience with the Corvette just keeps increasing, I would've sent myself insane with that I think!

 

[nvr2old]

Haha..Pete. Sanding fiberglass sucks, to be sure. That's why I suggested the 36-40 grit. The less you have to sand on that stuff, the better. Those grits make short work of it. 80 is perfect for getting out the 36 grit scratches.

The Corvette took 3 solid years working on it 5 days a week..almost drove me mad. Had I not owned that car for 40 years and had such a sentimental attachment to it, after the accident, I should've maybe taken the $28,000 insurance money and the salvage price offered and just bought another one. You do crazy things for the ones/things you love...itchy as that can be sometimes.