Switching Seats ?

[Backroader]

OK I am sure this question has been asked before....as I still am not the owner of an XS, soon I hope.
What does it take to change out the seat off a 1978 Special to a D model seat ?
OK if this is a DUMB question be gentle, it's my first time.
I am asking, as I may have found a sweet heart...I don't really want a special, however if a seat swap is possible and I find some spoked wheels, it should be close to what I am looking for.
A kind gentle response would be appreciated

 

[inxs]

-the mounting points are different, the special lifts on and off-has a front clip it hooks into, a lock at the rear and sits on a raised support bracket at the rear

- the earlier models were hinged and the seat base had a flatter profile

- to swap you need to remove the special brackets and weld in the standard hinges

- then the side panel lines may not match the seat line - their mounting points dont fit the earlier side panels

- also the rear shocks are set a little more forward - get ones a little longer

- the differences arent great but they are there-a days work with a grinder sander welder and paint will sort it out

- although the special wheel is 16 in, the overall height is not so different to the standard, the tyre is wider though, which, from a performance point of view, isnt so optimal

 

[crash]

i agree with inxs, about a day with min.tools and skills and it can be done

 

[Backroader]

Thanks guys, that answers an important question.... with the parts not being interchangeable, the bike would no longer be stock.(returned to stock)

I truly prefer the classic looks of the D model, however I have found a special with 3000KMs, all original except for tires, stored indoors and running.

Oh well time to toss a coin !!!!

 

[shaas]

Buy it if the price is right. Use it and keep looking for what you ultimately want. Chances are you can get your money out of it.

That's what I'd do but that is how I ended up with seven bikes in the garage.

 

[crash]

i agree ,thats how i got the nine bikes that i have ,for some reason i buy more then i sell , i just seem to like them all.maybe this spring i will thin them down some ,yeah right lol

 

[Backroader]

You guys are an insperation, why buy one when you should have more

I tried to convince my wife that we needed a big road bike, so I found an HD, road king classic with 40K, a 1999, nice shape...fully loaded. Her response, "no more fucken bikes" (can I say that ), so as you can see it's been an up hill battle just to get an XS.

Oh well, I tossed the coin and if I can grind a few more bucks off this Special I found, then I will pick it up. With less than 2000 miles on it, it shouldn't need much wrenching for a while.

 

[inxs]

- careful..i had to go through 10 or more female liasons and build myself a bigger shed just to indulge in this addiction...now i live half way round the world from my girls...naya rugby world cup is in 2011

- heads i win, tails you lose

 

[Gordon]

My '80 Special doesn't have the lift off seat, it has the side hinge's. I believe that the 'G' model was the last for that type of seat. Also, my seat doesn't have that big bump from the front to rear, only a small bump. Seat is not flat, but a slight rise in the rear for the skirt.
And you can not ever have enough 'rides'. I got three, one Yammy, 2 HD's.

 

[Travis]

Backroader, if you want that look, I'd buy the correct year for that look. If that bike is too good to pass up, you're just going to have to buy it along with the one you really want. No such thing as too many bikes. Well, that's what I think anyway… my friends and family tell me otherwise, but my girlfriend understands. I finally sold 4 bikes this spring but bought 4 more! ... 3 are just parts bikes though so those don't count in my book. I've been doing that for past few years... sell three or four, buy three or four. I've been fluctuating between 5-9 bikes and that number feels about right to me! Usually only 2-3 are rideable though...

 

[tonyc]

I agree with Travis. I have two 1978 Standard and a 1976 Standard. I am building the 78 and the 76 is in the shed. I bought them as a package deal. Could not pass on the bikes.

 

[inxs]

- nice seat at rickman in gb rickman motorcycles parts-and-prices TT flat tracker

 

[danno]

Oops! Misinformation posted...my bad!