ABS vs Fiberglass Cafe Seats

[Doublehelix2010]

I was wondering if anyone had seen some of these ABS cafe seats in person. They're now being sold on mikesxs, but are also available at

http://www.legendary-motorcycles.com/caferacerseats.html

I was wondering if these are strong enough to be suspended on mounting bolts like fiberglass pans are. I was going to use a mounting system seen on this dotheton post at the bottom of the page.

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=22762.0

Will the ABS be stiff enough to support a rider's weight? Fiberglass is correct?

Is ABS as easy to paint as fiberglass?

Thanks for your help everyone,

Wes

 

[mixtacy620]

im subscribing bc im thinkin ABOUT DOIN THE SAME..

 

[Mharrington]

Both are easily painted. Fiberglass is easily repairable with more fiberglass- ABS is NOT EASILY repaired. I am installing a fiberglass Tracker seat on my 650. I have made mounts supporting it in 4 areas- this way the fiberglass is not having to support ANY of my weight.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

That's going to be a nice looking bike.

As a side note, I see XS650Direct is slowly but surely falling behind MikesXS in terms of products on offer.

 

[Doublehelix2010]

Both are easily painted. Fiberglass is easily repairable with more fiberglass- ABS is NOT EASILY repaired. I am installing a fiberglass Tracker seat on my 650. I have made mounts supporting it in 4 areas- this way the fiberglass is not having to support ANY of my weight.

The ability to be repaired is something I hadn't considered yet. Thanks for the input Mharrington.

-wes

 

[Mharrington]

Wes you are welcome but I need to add- the seat pan- cafe or tracker is not weight bearing (at least it shouldnt be.) If you are a racer and will be beating up the item then fiberglass is the way to go. If you dont plan on competitive abuse it would be fine- in my opinion- to go with ABS. I spent a little more money and bought a fiberglass unit. I considered an ABS unit from a seller on ebay but I liked the positive references to Gopherglass. Many bikes from the factory (and automobiles) use ABS extensively with success.

 

[Doublehelix2010]

Just to update...I ordered the bug eye from Legendary Motorcycles with the low-profile pad. It's a nice piece. Very easy to do the cut out for the tank and whatever cat eye brake light you want to put in (Dremel bit for gross removal plus hand files for finishing). Hopefully will get the mounting mocked up soon, i'll post some pics then. Just letting everyone know that these people have a nice seat, with upholstery options for a good price.

 

[pa23driver]

for the legendary motorcycled abs seat do you have to chop off the rear frame hoop?

 

[Doublehelix2010]

for the legendary motorcycled abs seat do you have to chop off the rear frame hoop?

Yeah, for the bug eye I did. Otherwise the seat would have to be mounted a few inches above the frame, which would not look very clean. Some of their more bulky seats might fit, like the phat tail.

-Wes

 

[lidirtrider]

Any pics of that seat all mounted up yet? And pics of your mounts too? I'm considering the one with out the taillight hole(not the bug eye), and would to see it mounted up. I was also looking at this one http://www.caferace.com/Merchant2/m...ode=C&Product_Code=CR-0100&Category_Code=RRBT from www.caferace.com but I havent seen any pics of it mounted, and I don't feel like spending $200 bucks on something I don't know that I'll like.

 

[Doublehelix2010]

Hey guys,

Finally got the tabs trimmed off from the stock seat, the rear hoop cut off, and my mounting system worked out. I'm going to be using the system I found on dotheton link below (bottom of the page, using rubber stoppers and hose clamps) since it needs no welding, is cheap, and seems very sturdy. The ABS seat has a slight amount of flex when mounted to these 4 points, hardly any at my 150# but if a heavier rider was on it, it might be enough to deform the seat. Therefore I got a cheap plastic cutting board from IKEA (also linked below) and chopped it to fit the seat pan. Right now its afixed to the underside of the seat with velcro, but I'm not sure if I'll continue with that mounting system.

I would really recommend getting either something like a cutting board/wood or some other template to get your alignment and everything worked out, so then you can drill the holes in the expensive seat pan with confidence that they will be right.

The follks at Legendary Motorcycles were very nice and I was pleased with the thickness of the plastic as well as the low profile cushion I got from them. Also, turns out that the test mule they use to design the seats is an XS650, so they have many seats that fit our bike well.

The trimming I had to do on the seat went easy, I used a dremel cutting bur for gross removal then hand files and rasps for finishing off. I'd imagine you could get a nicer edge on plastic than on fiberglass, although I've never had to do any after cure finishing on the latter.

I would like some feedback as to whether the seat looks too high with the cutting board support. The slightly lower pic is without the board under it.

Hope this is helpful and I think we have a good source now for ABS plastic cafe seats.



http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=22762.0

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90202268/

 

[mwp309]

Looks better mounted lower. Any way to use something less thick for reinforcement?

 

[ReycleBill]

I've been playing with repairing ABS fairings using ABS pipe glue which is actually made of ABS soaked in Acetone. I've found it's pretty easy to glue together but harder to sand to a smooth finish as tiny air pockets form inside. If building up or filling is needed you will need to do lots and lots of very thin layers. Put it on too thick and the outside dries hard while the inside stays soft.

 

[twinrider]

Very nice!

I was hesitating on ordering one of those of Dime city cycles, but now Ive made my mind!

Any pics of the whole bike with seat mounted on, just to see proportions?

Thanks, very helpful review!