Cafe seat thoughts - haters please move on

[80GS850GBob]

While I like the stock look of my '80 GS850G, the idea of a semi cafe appeals to me too. I just got the oddball start of said idea...just tinkering at the moment...my proposed seat idea arrived mid last week - an early era HD V-Rod seat. The lines mate up to the tank great as well as my spare oem tail piece. The V-rod has the same side twin pins for the seat hinge {just closer together location} but uses a spike to latch that, at the moment, hits dead on over the frame rail....I just took the whole seat apart a few moments ago and will remove the hinge and spike tomorrow {kids are aspleep and the dremel is noisy}.
My thoughts are to shorten up the oem look of the seat and tail, finishing the assembly a little past the middle of the rear wheel. A member here did this very concept with an early '80s E model and I thought it looked good.

The seat was had for very cheap, so I'm out very little if this doesn't work.

Anyone ever try this set up on their GS with any of the HD solo seats?

 

[tkent02]

Show us a few pics when you get it done.

 

[WolfworksCustoms]

Im actually gonna be doin the same on my GS700ES....i cant stand that bulky bs they tacked onto the back.....dont go Vrod style though....check out the seats/fenders from the 70's HD XR 750s....i used to race one dirt track sometimes....

Im going to make a modded version of that from my GS seat more to mimick the 70s British cafe racers.....more of a rounded fender, clip ons, rear controls, etc....theres a British website that deals specifically with cafes.....sheit....wish i could find the link....search a lil....you'll find it....way past my bedtime....

Im gonna start working on mine next few days....will post pics to THIS thread....actually, I put a pic of my proposed mod in my intro thread which apparently few read because many thought I was either a Harley or Kawi jock....

Oh here...found the pic...its just done in Win Paint(comp got hacked by a California ***got who didnt like i knew more than he did) so excuse the junk....but you get the idea....Ive been modifying seats since the late 70s btw....so if ya dont wanna do it yerself, I work cheap, but i aint easy, lol.... *wink*....

I tried to put up a larger pic....didnt work....i guess they disallowed HTML tags for me....mebbe a good thing, mebbe a bad thing....lololol.....know they not with whom they toy with....

....anyway....if ya want me to do up yer rear end, (oh my god)....PM me with yer email and phone....i run a custom shop that does stuff like this regularly at an affordable rate (its a part time shop just to supplement my pension)....oh...by the way....i ****ed on Paul Jr Designs building when i was there (former OCC)....I knew i was on cam, but i didnt care....flashed Paul Sr the bird at OCC when me and guys from 4 states showed there....he was clueless....I known hin since before OCC......if yer up that way vist Motorcyclepedia instead.....run by a good friend, Ted Doering....that in Newburgh, NY btw.....Im goin off on tangents arent I ?....its th meds and blood sugar levels....sorry guys....I post on boards like id be talkin to yer face in a bar....I ferget that im talkin to hmmmm how many countries ?....
When I was a mod on another board, i had a counter that showed a list of about 30 countries, and how many members were from where....pretty cool.....we actually had ONE fron Botswana.....i thought that was awesome....where the hell's he gonna get parts /....and they aint got no real mail there....tried to delete the post and try again, didnt work....wtf ????....(someone else asked me that same question recently..."Wolf, wtf ???"....)....I gues it must be contageouss....

 

[WolfworksCustoms]

Im tryin to delete them last 2 thumbs, aint workin.....i dont get it....mebbe this board is run on an Apple (theyre only good for pies btw)....

One more try and i give up....now I got it....i gotta delete the part that says "thumb" and the = and all after it.....YEEEEE HAAAAA !!!!!

But anyway, you can kinda see my design on this more vintage style cafe type....picture lower clipons....and controls mounted near the passenger pegs....

Lowering the seat foam....and of course modding to install my own exhaust....and thinking about a 4 into 1 intake with mebbe a 2bbl automotive carb like a rochester or carter....

 

[WolfworksCustoms]

...and to all you balbusters that bashed me for havin Harleys and a Kawi....here's my "SuzyQ"....soon to be named "Evangeline" when finished....so thats the answer to you clowns asking "why im here"....ok ????....get off my back now !

Fookin motor looks huge in that thing, dont it ?....its gotta be 70% of the total weight of the bike.....so, Im gonna drill fins, cut off all the nonessential doo dads....strip her bare....that chrome front fender gotta go too....

Gonna diamond out the fins....and bring her back to the original (title) color....sort of....just enough to make it legal, lol....

But hay, 80GS850GBob....if ya need any mod help, its what I do and have done since the 60s.....

 

[Guest]

Bob I have been bouncing the same idea around myself. I was thinking of a seat of an 82 GS550 or 650M if I could find one. Let me know how yours works out.

 

[80GS850GBob]

With the foam off...seat cover removed, the foam snugs the tank great.....tailpiece, not as well - either the seat foam needs under/back cut to snug in, or the top of the rear seat foam needs filled to close the void.
...I'll have to snap a pic to better explain....

 

[WolfworksCustoms]

Im gonna be posting some pics of my mod soon....still need to do some cutting and glassing....I been working on my tank lately....
Hint to cutting the foam (done it 100 times)....use an lectric carving knife....I tried a Ginsu type but never worked out even....Im gonna go thru all the steps in my build thread. Im gonna be using whats there, because its just for a flip, if I was gonna keep it, Id pound ut a rear section from steel....yeah, I still live in the 60s and 70s....but the style is coming back....

 

[80GS850GBob]

Im gonna be posting some pics of my mod soon....still need to do some cutting and glassing....I been working on my tank lately....
Hint to cutting the foam (done it 100 times)....use an lectric carving knife....I tried a Ginsu type but never worked out even....Im gonna go thru all the steps in my build thread. Im gonna be using whats there, because its just for a flip, if I was gonna keep it, Id pound ut a rear section from steel....yeah, I still live in the 60s and 70s....but the style is coming back....

...the old H-2s had a nice steel tail style close to the Suzis.

 

[Guest]

Have a Suzuki GT550 with a Hotwing Glass cafe seat.
http://www.hotwingglass.com


Their website has pics of a few GS-series bikes with their seats. Here?s two:

 

[LarsKroghStea]

I would think about using the "golden ratio" (Google it if you're not familiar with the term) to get the size of the tail more proportional to the rest of the bike. Especially if your not going to run a wide rear tyre. Aside from that I think it's a good idea

 

[Lorenzo]

I would think about using the "golden ratio" (Google it if you're not familiar with the term) to get the size of the tail more proportional to the rest of the bike. Especially if your not going to run a wide rear tyre. Aside from that I think it's a good idea

I do agree; a clever use of paint, can also help smooth some "edges".