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what "off the shelf" cafe seats fit?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jed.only
  • Start date Start date
J

jed.only

Guest
i dont want to make one. i want to buy one, that will fit with minimal modification. and i dont want to spend an ass-ton.



ideas? what have others used? i dont know how wide is too wide or how narrow is too narrow. id like input from someone who has bought one and modded it to fit.
 
What bike? GS's vary widely from year to year and model to model as to the seat pan design. How much is an "ass-ton"? Do you want Wal-Mart cheap or good quality for the money? If it's bike specific you can be sure it's not going to be cheap. Have you checked out caferacer.net to see what has been done there? I know there are a couple guys there that could make you a seat based on your dimensions but they might cost an "ass-ton".
 
gearman said:
I have no idea how much an ass-ton is, but they have some decent looking seats here for $285. http://omarsdtr.com/
Click to expand...

Maybe he means an Ass-ton Martin-that's expensive ...
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check out airtech streamlining. They have all there seat dimensions listed.
 
im astounded. ive searched high and low here, and havent come across a single person stating an off-the-shelf was used or modified. seems everyone builds theirs.

im a member of caferacer.net, and there arent many GS guys over there, mostly xs/cb guys. fwiw, i have a 79 gs1000. an ass-ton to me is >150. id build my own at that point, but i dont really have the time to mess with it, nor do i have a proper garage to work with glass.


really just looking for someone that has used one with success so i can cross-reference the measurements. i know the physical dimensions of the rear of the frame, but ive never messed with cafe stuff, so i dont know whats acceptable. i dont want to send alot of money on a piece of glass and it not fit or not able to be worked with.
 
I know you don't wont to build your own, but I would like to add something to this discussion on that point. You can get a great seat from airtech for roughly $135. I built my own, thinking it would be cheaper, and so far I have spent about $90 on materials and my seat will not look very professional when I'm done. Granted I f'd up a few times but In my case, I should have just bought a seat.

Just food for thought...
​
 
I built my own for the XS400. It looks professional and fits perfect. I actually built one for another guy too. All in, I think it cost me about 100 Canuck bucks or so with supplies. Just sayin, I have a GS1000 as well. :-\\\

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DSCF1673.jpg


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i bought mine from my local salvage yard for $120 and bolted it directly to the frame. i think its 10" wide at the front and close to 11" at the widest point. mine is a 750

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sark said:
I know you don't wont to build your own, but I would like to add something to this discussion on that point. You can get a great seat from airtech for roughly $135. I built my own, thinking it would be cheaper, and so far I have spent about $90 on materials and my seat will not look very professional when I'm done. Granted I f'd up a few times but In my case, I should have just bought a seat.

Just food for thought...
​
Click to expand...

very helpful. i really would like to build my own, but the caveats are exactly what you posted, not to mention the time factor. thank you.

rudy said:
I built my own for the XS400. It looks professional and fits perfect. I actually built one for another guy too. All in, I think it cost me about 100 Canuck bucks or so with supplies. Just sayin, I have a GS1000 as well. :-\\\

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PICT0465.jpg
Click to expand...


nice seat. interested in building another?

muskies666 said:
i bought mine from my local salvage yard for $120 and bolted it directly to the frame. i think its 10" wide at the front and close to 11" at the widest point. mine is a 750

l_29558cf4ca3745eaa103a58cd57e1e77.jpg
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thank you for your informative post. your measurements help me narrow down what i need in order to fit on the GS backhalf.
 
jed.only said:
similiar to that you have, minus taillight and studs, plain old rivets suit me just fine.
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They arent studs really. Stainless buttonhead cap bolts with matching nuts i do believe. Much the same as I am using on my home made seat. Wont ever rust or tarnish, and you dont have to dick around with rivets whenever you decide to change the foam out. Pretty good idea actually, he gave me the idea to do the same on mine.
 
TheCafeKid said:
They arent studs really. Stainless buttonhead cap bolts with matching nuts i do believe. Much the same as I am using on my home made seat. Wont ever rust or tarnish, and you dont have to dick around with rivets whenever you decide to change the foam out. Pretty good idea actually, he gave me the idea to do the same on mine.
Click to expand...



im okay with a little rust, my bike is older than i am. we call it "patina".
 
This is the thread i've been scouring the internet for...Rudy, did you ever consider building another seat for the GS? I have an 83 gs750e and i'm looking for that exact shape.

cheers

Hondo

rudy said:
I could be. If you have an idea of what you want (pictures), let me know.
Click to expand...
 
i am interested as well. from my conversations with hotwing at wold glass he has one that fits, and another that can be slightly modified to fit.

check him out: www.hotwingglass.com

the "bubble" seat his site fits, and the "xr" seat needs a slight trim at the front, but fits as well. I am in the process of ordering the XR seat with uphostery. seems to be what i am looking for.
 
Hey man, if you end up with it, let us know how it works...i'm more into the bubble seat, but i might steer towards the XR seat if it fits right
mr20turbo said:
i am interested as well. from my conversations with hotwing at wold glass he has one that fits, and another that can be slightly modified to fit.

check him out: www.hotwingglass.com

the "bubble" seat his site fits, and the "xr" seat needs a slight trim at the front, but fits as well. I am in the process of ordering the XR seat with uphostery. seems to be what i am looking for.
Click to expand...
 
The XS650 which those seats are made for is of different dimensions than the GS. I have one of both. While it might fit alright, it likely won't fit perfectly. The XS is narrower. Not trying to swing either of you either way, just telling you not to expect perfection.

To answer your question Hondo, if you would like something made, just let me know. Not really actively looking for extra projects, but always up for helping out a fellow GSer.
 
I want to add a new seat to my bike too! Previous Owner tried to fibre-glass his cafe seat and I'm not at all too impressed. I've seen lots but just found these off of the corbin site for the norton:
http://www.corbin.com/norton/nortongun.shtml
http://www.corbin.com/norton/nortonsmug.shtml

these for the 1972 & up Triumph Twins:
http://www.corbin.com/triumph/vintlist.shtml

for the thruxton:
http://www.corbin.com/triumph/bonnevillesmuggler.shtml

I would think there is some cafe seat out there that would fit the gs550-750 B frame (my frame has had the back end cut off). Hopefully someone on here owns a Norton or a Triumph and can let us know how the gs and British frames compare?
 
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