Great job!  That looks awesome.  I bet it feels totally different when riding.  I like the way it extends the tank line.  Very nice.  Here's a bigger pic to see more detail.

Great idea about heating and reshaping the seat pan.  I never thought of that.  Cool.

diamond jim wrote on 04/15/09 at 06:13:25:


Being somewhat cheap and lazy, I stumbled upon an easy way to do it. I have a high output, halogen worklight that generates a tremendous amount of heat. So much so that I won't use it in summer, and in the winter I don't need any other heat source. I just put the seat up on its side next to the light for about 30 minutes and presto soft, malliable plastic. Secured it in the desired position, turned off the light, and waited about 45 minutes for it to cool. After cooling it was set in the new position.

Like a dream. Toatally different bike. Of all the comfort mods I've made, this one hands down beats all of them. Even EdL's forward controls (which I love!) The trip to Lubbock was usually an ecercise in how much discomfort my backside could take, and for how long. Now I'm looking for excuses to take long trips on the bike. The comfort is that good. All I have to do now is make slight adjustments in my hips to take pressure off my backside. The whole 300 miles back from Lubbock, I didn't put my feet on the rear pegs once. Didn't need to! I even caught myself filling up a gas stations without getting off the bike. I had to remind myself to stretch my legs.
I would like highway pegs and a larger gas tank now; so I can make longer trips. Uh oh. Looks like more mods in my future.

I trimmed out the stock foam on the riders portion using an electric bread knife (Thanks Honey!). I left the pillion alone. In the second of my lousy pics, you may be able to make out the blue in the center of the original seat foam. After carving, that ring you see around the blue was all that was left of the original faom. Nothing but a ring. I left that to help the new seat fit on the pan. In the fourth pic, you'll see what I cut away. It was a lot of foam. The line running through the middle of the cut out portion is from when I sliced off a layer thinking I would use it on top of the blue pad; but it turned out to be totally unnecessary. The blue foam is nothing more than a campers sleeping bag mat purchsed from Wal-Mart for under $6, and cut to the desired shape. Single thickness. Using Elmer's spray adhesive, I secured the blue foam to what was left of the original seat foam, layed down polyester batting over that to help smooth the result (Diamond Jim recommended cotton, but polyester was all I could find at Wallyworld); and recovered the seat using the original cover.
Now this is very important! When it comes time to recover, START AT THE FRONT AND WORK YOUR WAY BACK!! It looks so logical to start at the rear, since it's already preshaped, and the cover slips over it so easily; but this would be a BIG mistake, and was the reason I had to do the recover twice. Start at the front and work your way to the rear. A couple staples on one side, a couple on the other, then back; and so on til you reach the rear of the seat. Alternate, alternate, alternate. That's how you'll ge the best result.
Over all, a fairly quick, easy, and inexpensive mod. My biggest expense was the $30 I shelled out on an electric staple gun. I could've done it with my mechanical gun, but the electric made it a lot easier. I also recommend that you make the reupholstery a two person job. It made it much easier and quicker, that second time around, having my wife's help.
It would have looked cooler, and more like DJ's, if I'd shaved the pillion too; but leaving it alone resulted in a little more lower back support for me when I'm riding, and I like that. I like it alot!

I just did this mod on my 2 piece seat as well.  Take off the staples holding stock vinyl cover, take off plastic cover on foam and throw away, take off foam and throw away.  Take seat pan and spray all over with Dow Great Stuff (got it at Lowe's in insulation section for $4) and let dry over night.  It will fill in all the low spots on the plastic seat pan.  Take a hacksaw or (electric break knife) and trim down the hardened foam sealer til the seat pan is flat.  Then cut a yoga mat or camping pad to the right size and glue in onto the seat pan.  Repeat this step as many times as you see fit the correct amount of padding.  (next step is optional, and I left it out but will make your seat more professional looking)  Take some cotton batting from on old pillow and lay it over the yoga mat and then cover it with a plastic bag to keep it from getting wet.  Then staple the original vinyl cover or get some new waterproof vinyl at the fabric store like I did and to the bottom of the seat pan and VIOLA a new "saddle-like seat"  HTH

p.s. Much more comfortable and just like DJ said, now I dont feel like I'm gonna go hurtling over the handlebars when I hit the brakes hard.

diamond jim wrote on 04/17/09 at 07:28:06:


I've often thought of doing this very thing. I wante to leave it as a functional pillion, but have a hinged lid for storing small items. I could never find a workable material that would accomplish both tasks, so I left it undone. I could have constructed out of wood I guess, but I didn't think I would like the finished product, or the wieght.