festerandolini
XS650 Enthusiast
Hi, hello there.
I have been away from the forum for a while and just keeping myself distracted from working on the xs650 by looking at buying a new bike. I have since gotten so distracted i managed to find the bike i wanted and made a move on it. Hopefully it only takes a week or so to get it all sorted and on the road, and now i have confused you.
So the '80 XS650 special, does not run yet, and is a while from even having the engine turn over. I have been working through the progress of rebuilding the worn out stuff and creatively assigning different locations for the nuts bolts and washers depending upon application, uniform availability and aesthetic.
The seat that was with the bike when i got it, is the wrong seat, it appears to be from an xs250 or xs400 and has been modified to bolt straight to the mudguard with a rough looking hand made bracket. When i took the old cover off to fit the new seat cover, there was a lot of rust and rot falling out of the nooks and crannies under the vinyl. I dismantled the entire assembly as carefully as i could and found a world of hurt hidden beneath the sponge and seat cover. The base was cracked, had been seriously eaten into by the corrosion and had some odd looking brackets pop riveted onto it to suit the mounting method.
I have blasted the rust off the pan, ordered new foam (i have a cover) and was trying a mock up when i discovered that it won't fit great once it does go back, it hits the grab rail and the chance of it cracking and deteriorating more only increase...
Pricing up a second hand seat is more than a rear tyre, and i am drawn to 2 options.
1. I can cut and bend up a new base from plywood and figure out a novel mount...
2. I can draw up a steel or alloy pan design and tig weld up a lovely new fabrication.
But then a third option presented itself on eBay from a drop shipper. I could buy a new flat base with "mounting brackets" included and sweat and curse and drill and grind until i nearly spend the same amount of time bending up an alloy base plate...
The major problem is, the latch mount system on the 1980 model is different to other earlier models, that have the hinge and lock (the xs250/360/400 is the same mount, but i think its actually a shorter seat). The latch system on the bike i have is missing, along with the key barrel and obviously my seat has no pivot and latch.
What's the best way to work around this seat situation?
Most other seats on other bikes i have had have either been latch locked or bolted to the rear guard or hanger bracket and slid into tabs at the front near the tank.
Has anyone got any tips for making a new seat base?
Or will the chinese seat fit just fine with the supplied brackets?
I have been away from the forum for a while and just keeping myself distracted from working on the xs650 by looking at buying a new bike. I have since gotten so distracted i managed to find the bike i wanted and made a move on it. Hopefully it only takes a week or so to get it all sorted and on the road, and now i have confused you.
So the '80 XS650 special, does not run yet, and is a while from even having the engine turn over. I have been working through the progress of rebuilding the worn out stuff and creatively assigning different locations for the nuts bolts and washers depending upon application, uniform availability and aesthetic.
The seat that was with the bike when i got it, is the wrong seat, it appears to be from an xs250 or xs400 and has been modified to bolt straight to the mudguard with a rough looking hand made bracket. When i took the old cover off to fit the new seat cover, there was a lot of rust and rot falling out of the nooks and crannies under the vinyl. I dismantled the entire assembly as carefully as i could and found a world of hurt hidden beneath the sponge and seat cover. The base was cracked, had been seriously eaten into by the corrosion and had some odd looking brackets pop riveted onto it to suit the mounting method.
I have blasted the rust off the pan, ordered new foam (i have a cover) and was trying a mock up when i discovered that it won't fit great once it does go back, it hits the grab rail and the chance of it cracking and deteriorating more only increase...
Pricing up a second hand seat is more than a rear tyre, and i am drawn to 2 options.
1. I can cut and bend up a new base from plywood and figure out a novel mount...
2. I can draw up a steel or alloy pan design and tig weld up a lovely new fabrication.
But then a third option presented itself on eBay from a drop shipper. I could buy a new flat base with "mounting brackets" included and sweat and curse and drill and grind until i nearly spend the same amount of time bending up an alloy base plate...
The major problem is, the latch mount system on the 1980 model is different to other earlier models, that have the hinge and lock (the xs250/360/400 is the same mount, but i think its actually a shorter seat). The latch system on the bike i have is missing, along with the key barrel and obviously my seat has no pivot and latch.
What's the best way to work around this seat situation?
Most other seats on other bikes i have had have either been latch locked or bolted to the rear guard or hanger bracket and slid into tabs at the front near the tank.
Has anyone got any tips for making a new seat base?
Or will the chinese seat fit just fine with the supplied brackets?
