Flat seat on 79 special

[Maxx650]

Hey everyone I'm new to the forums but have been reading for a while.

I've got a 79 Special that I just finished rebuilding the engine for and I'm looking to replace the seat. It currently has the 'stepped' seat - but I'm a fan of the flatter seats from the years just before.

I was seeing if anyone has successfully put a 75 xs650 seat on a 79 or something similar - or if anyone knows some flat model seats that will fit a 79 special. I figure I may have to do some drilling and get creative to make the latch / seat lock work but hopefully not much more?

Thanks for the input!

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UPDATE
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Hey everyone,

Thought I'd give an update as to what I did. Instead of shaping down my original one I found a 74/75 seat from my mechanic for $40. It looked like it had been traced and re-covered at some point by a PO from material they had got themselves.

I purchased a replica 75 seat cover from ebay (~$70) and some naval jelly and cleaned all the rust on the seat pan and recovered it using the new cover. The cover fit really well and despite not being perfect, it's pretty close and I think looks nice. [pics included: one of full bike with old 'plain' cover, one of new fitted cover on table]

The only trick now is I have trouble getting the seat to lock into my 79 special frame. The locking mechanism fits, but I believe is too "low", as the locking mechanism on my '79 seat was on a raised hunk of metal and the '75 mechanism is flush on the pan. The weird part is I can get it to fit by undoing the hinges, locking in the mechanism, and the pulling down enough to place the pins back into the hinges... but I cannot for the life of me doing the other way around.. the proper way.

I'll be putting on the 'raised hunk of metal' that the locking mechanism on my '79 sits on - onto the '75 seat pan.. but while UNscrewing the screws on the '75 locking mechanism, one of the very rusted screws snapped off clean inside the threads and I cannot remove it. I'll need to get my mechanic or someone who has the right tool to drill it out and rethread it so I can place the raised piece on and hoepfully have no troubles with it.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and offers to sells me seats, recovering it was super simple.

 

[PHeller]

Trade me bikes.

Seriously though, the Special and the Standard had completely different seat mounting. The Standards had hinges and an outside locking mechanism. Many (myself included) find these (Standard Frames) irritating because you have to remove them in order to run an aftermarket seat. Once you remove them, there isn't any going back.

Now if you want more a "classic" looking bike with that big seat for you and your girl, the Standards and their whale-tail seats will fit the bill.

If I had a Special, I'd probably just remove the cover from the seat, shave down the foam, and reapply the cover.

 

[Maxx650]

I had also thought of that option - shaven it down - but wouldn't that leave me with too much cover left over? Or I suppose I'd stretch it to be tighter and restaple or however it's held in place.

Have you heard of this being done successfully?

 

[strohk]

Ebay has foam and cover sets that go over the stock seat pan. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-XS650-Special-Cafe-Seat-Cover-Foam-1978-1979-/320872704087?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ab580e857&vxp=mtr

 

[coughing skunk]

I have a 73 flat seat. Its your for $50 plus shipping. PM me if you want pics, etc. I ended up molding my own custom glass pan and such, so its doing nothing but sitting in my garage.

 

[Maxx650]

Strokh - I was looking at items like that on ebay but was a bit confused, perhaps because of the photo and what seems to be lack of texture on the cover? Is that item actually covered in leather or is that simply a foam shape that I would have to cover up myself? Was a bit confused.

Coughing skunk - awesome! I just sent you a PM.

 

[Tron]

Build it, dont buy it!

See my thread "Bratstyle Seat on the Cheap"

 

[XSLeo]

Pull off the cover on your seat, cut the foam as flat as you want. Recover.
Leo