The seat is just a temporary set-up until I can get the cowling made for the rear of the bike. I have used floral foam to make a form and I am going to hand lay the fiberglass on it to make the seat cowl. I went to a rally last Saturday called "British in the Blue Ridge". It was basically Triumph, BSA, and Norton bikes. There were vendors there that had parts and aftermarket fiberglass items. It was really helpfull to see how the cowls were made and how some of the seats were attached. One of the dealers, Hotwing Glass
www.hotwingglass.com , has several choices and I could get the cowl and an upholstered seat pad for around $175, thats pretty competitive. I am probably going to just make my own because I have spent a pretty large amount of time preparing to do it already.
The rear tire is what was on the bike when I got it. 140/90 15 on the original wheel. No I have not had to mod the swing arm.
I bought a set of cast wheels from an 83 GS450T to use on the bike. I may still use them at some point in time. The specs on that bike said the bike had 18 inch wheels front and rear. When I got them they were 19 in. front and 17 in. rear. I will have to have the front rotor machined to work on this bike. The rear hub brake fits perfectly but the drive side is different and I would need to change to a chain drive setup to make it work. The wheel has a carrier and a 43 tooth sprocket. I know that a 17/43 gear set would really throw the speedo off but the front wheel has a slot for a mechaical speedo. Every change has consequences so for now I am going with the stock wheels. I really like the look of the fat rear tire and the outside diameter is almost as large as the Kenda tire RYCA sells. That big cushy tire is pretty comfortable to ride on. I am pretty cost concious and as an earlier post stated the tank and wheel mods are pretty pricey so for this project, I am going stock. I also don't want to give up any fuel volume either. The best description for where I am headed with this project is "Sport Cruiser".
I have toyed with the idea of making the rear bubble seperate from the seat mount and having some type of a rack configuration inside it. Then I could pop it off and throw some soft bags over it with a tail bag and have a light weight sport tourer or bolt a small top case for helmet storage. One thing I am deffinatly going to do is use the factory helmet lock somewhere on the bike. I have also thought about using the fiberclass process to make a fear fender that bolts to the top of swing arm and fits close to the rear wheel. When I change the tires I can use the old tire as a mold.
Dave, How was the seat on your bike on your trip?
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