Looking for a flat seat

shade · Sep 19, 2013

I've got a 1983 xs650 that I've finally got running. I would like to replace the seat that comes with the bike for one of the flat seats that seems common on the older version.
Anyone know where I can get one?
Thanks

tonyc · Sep 20, 2013

Have your seat re-contoured.

Tomterrific · Sep 20, 2013

Tony has given you the best option, make a new seat using the original pan. Mikesxs sells a cafe seat for the late specials that looks nice in the pictures. $$$ but ready to go.

Tom

JP50515 · Sep 20, 2013

I have one. PM me.

JP50515 · Sep 20, 2013

That's the one I got.

Tomterrific · Sep 20, 2013

And it won't fit. That seat is for a standard. It looks like a 77 to 79 standard at a glance. The last very desirable three years of roadster styling.

Tom

shade · Sep 21, 2013

JP50515 said:
That's the one I got.

That's exactly what I am looking for.

shade · Sep 26, 2013

Tomterrific said:
And it won't fit. That seat is for a standard. It looks like a 77 to 79 standard at a glance. The last very desirable three years of roadster styling.

Tom

Is there a seat like that for my '83? Or a simple way to adapt one?

JP50515 · Sep 26, 2013

Not a simple way.... lol

JP50515 · Sep 26, 2013

JP50515 said:
That's the one I got.

and i'm still kicking myself for doing this to it....I was thoroughly uneducated on these bikes when I chopped it....unforgivable....I know...

member16874 · Sep 26, 2013

It didn't take much to fit a Kawasaki W650 seat.....

It was a spare I got with my W650. I got hold of another fixing mount and rigged it up and it works fine :laugh:

Not my first choice - but it was "cheap & cheerful" :wink2:

nj1639 · Sep 26, 2013

JP50515 said:
and i'm still kicking myself for doing this to it....I was thoroughly uneducated on these bikes when I chopped it....unforgivable....I know...

Admitting your sins is the first step to redemption LOL.

Shade, I agree with your quest for a flatter seat, however, if you continue to run the stock Special air box side covers you will have an angled gap between the flat horizontal line of the seat and the custom angle of the side cover. A fashion faux pas to this anal eye!

The Special seat pan has that angle built in to flow the lines of the bike. The ultimate solution is to find yourself a Standard model to work with, and considering the experience that you have in getting that old Special to run it's now just a matter of money and finding the bike.......

All bets are off if you get rid of the covers, grind off the mounting tabs, get some Unis, hide the solenoid and the wiring and then try to do something with the battery box.

shade · Oct 2, 2013

I would get the seat, and work on it from there. It's not just the look of the stock seat it's the way it feels as well...

nj1639 · Oct 2, 2013

I found that the '79 Special seat flows well with the lines and is a comfort to ride......the issue is either adapting the foam to the later models lift off contraption or trying to mod the '79 pan to fit the later frame. Then with the '79 seat the tail light becomes an issue.

The W650 seat is going to be a rare bird in the states.

Looking for a flat seat

shade

XS650 Addict

tonyc

XS650 Guru

Tomterrific

XS650 Junkie

JP50515

XS650 Junkie

JP50515

XS650 Junkie

Tomterrific

XS650 Junkie

shade

XS650 Addict

shade

XS650 Addict

JP50515

XS650 Junkie

JP50515

XS650 Junkie

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member16874

XS650 Enthusiast

nj1639

Paleo-simplistic

shade

XS650 Addict

nj1639

Paleo-simplistic

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