| Author | Message | ||
     Gowindward |
I have been slowly working on turning the Corbin seat I traded with Frank into a custom saddle. The seat was a little banged up so, it was pretty easy to start gutting it, unlike it would be with a perfectly good $450 saddle. List of work; Strip seat, Fab new cover, Custom embroidery, Repair seat pan cracks, Fab and install pillion backrest bracket, Install memory foam or gel pad inserts, Fab and install custom seat latch on bike. About all of this is in process and as the saying goes all I have to do is finish. Here's photos of the work so far.   Corbin does a very nice work on their covers. The stitch is done very well, and some real craftsman ship goes into them from what I seen when gutting the cover to use as a pattern for the new cover.  The seat pan is well...Let's say not nearly as nice as the cover. It's a smear job of fiberglass. I was not impressed.  This seat has been in a wreck or someone didn't like it. It has some pretty bad cracks that were hidden by the cover. (Frank had no one of knowing it was like this.)      This was the first cover I made using the original leather seating surfaces and some vinyl I already had for the sides.   After seeing how the gloss and textures didn't really fit (okay I'm picky) I decided to do a complete new cover in all leather. Here's the start of it.   (Message edited by gowindward on April 30, 2009) | ||
| F_skinner |
Loren, I had no idea the seat pan was cracked. I am real sorry about that. I look forward to seeing it when you are done. Or in person in June. | ||
| Gowindward |
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| Gowindward |
Frank, I really didn't care about the cracks. You wouldn't have known...they were all covered by the seat cover. I'm patching the cracks up with epoxy putty. Spread the cracks and force some putty in the crack and then build up the outside a little. It's easy work! (Message edited by gowindward on April 30, 2009) | ||
| Easy_rider |
I am in awe...... and would like to know your address to ship mine to!!! | ||
| Phelan |
I could give it to ya Roger  . My Corbin will be under his knife when I find the rest of the materials I'm looking for and and funds to reward such craftmanship. | ||
| F_skinner |
Loren, it looks like you are going to mount the seat with a butterfly screw under the rear fairing. Great idea. It looks like you are making that bike ready to ride to the Gathering!  | ||
| Gowindward |
Frank, I was going to adapt the seat latch hardware from an S3, but looking at the price for all the hardware, I decided to use a little more KISS method to it. I'm adapting Al's Firebolt seat pin idea and will be putting the bullet nosed pin in the seat bracket.  I'm using a seat strike plate from the S3 and will bond a stainless steel doubler on the underside of the tail body work and then through bolt the strike plate and the bonded doubler plate. That should spread the load well enough to prevent any fatigue cracking of the fiberglass. Then use a hairpin Cotter pin under the tail into the bullet nose pin. (Message edited by gowindward on May 01, 2009) | ||
| Gowindward |
Roger, what do you want done to a saddle? | ||
| Easy_rider |
To tell the truth I hadn't given it much thought beyond wanting to put gel pads in some day. I've heard of them, don't know where to find them. I'd come to terms with the seat being something that wouldn't be done any time soon. After seeing your pics I asked my wife if she thought she could recover mine. She thinks she can if it's vinyl, but doesn't have the needles to do leather. I'll have to show her the pics. If you're for hire it's something I'd consider! | ||
| Gowindward |
Roger, Here are the gel pads I have used on two of my bikes. http://www.thepropad.com/c-10-polymer-inserts.aspx I have installation photos in the KV for my Firebolt seats. Would this be for your S2 or S3 and is it a stock seat? I have been thinking of doing some custom seats on speculation since I enjoy the work. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Thanks for the link!! I've wanted to do the S3 for more than a year. I'm sure the S2 needs it as well, and that's the one I was actually referring to. I never did actually sit on the bike, but it's got 22,000 on the odometer. Outside of the backrest, have you got a rough idea of the time involved? I'll have to PM you later... | ||
| Buelltours |
Hey Frank, is the seat Loren is skinning the one which came with your S2T? Because then it would have been the one which I got on the yellow S2 and traded with Eric (the PO of your S2T). I thought it was in great shape.... Anyways, does anyone have a suggestion for a good spray paint white which matches the 95 frame? I have some spots which I would like to touch up.... Any suggestion highly appreciated! Thanks guys and happy riding-weekend! | ||
| Newbuellertoo |
Loren, You do great work. Your backrest mount is a thing of beauty! | ||
| F_skinner |
Cornel, no it is not the same seat. I think Eric had plans for the corbin. I think I picked that one up on ebay.... Frank | ||
| Gowindward |
Roger, a lifetime of experience is going into the seat, but I would say I have 16+ hours in the leather cover with running down leather, UV resistant thread, needles...etc. The double row top stitching is also very slow with my machine. Cornel, No idea on the white frame paint, but I think I would start with rattle can Epoxy White Appliance paint. It would be a bright white and it's a tough paint. On any small chips etc, I would spray the and paint onto a paper plate or the like and use a brush to do the touch up work versus masking and spraying. Gary, thanks! I'm lucky I have access to my brother's shop for the metal fab work. | ||
| Gowindward |
I had some time today to get the latch pin and mounting plates fabricated and installed. I needed to get this done before I could close up the seat cover. I still need to epoxy bond the plate on the underside of the tail and install a lanyard cable (that's on order) to the hairpin Cotter.       | ||
| F_skinner |
Looks great Loren. Great write up and pics... Frank | ||
| Oldog |
pix of finished project please! | ||
| Gowindward |
Thanks, Frank. Jim, wish I could post finished photos. It's just not done yet. The tail section in the photos is a NOS tail, and spent this week taking my time fitting it out with the hardware and bonding the plate to the undertail with epoxy. I fitted it to the bike last night with a NOS tank cover. The new paint looks SWEET!! Next is finish up the repair work on the seat pan and paint the under side black. Then do a little foam trimming to fit around the back rest mount, and then make a leather cover to for the backrest hole in the seat cover and finish that off. I also need to order gel inserts or memory foam for the rider and pillion and install. Really nothing left but finishing. Hopefully by the end of next weekend I'll have the whole thing completed. | ||
| Gowindward |
It's finally done after a time out for Mother's Day, two H.S. graduations, and one college graduation, starting a new business, and doing a rocker gasket job on the S3T. It has been busy!!! Here is the new shop workhorse! A German built walking foot unison feed with servo motor. This thing would sew through plywood.  Well almost.  Here's the seat completed with Pro Pad gel inserts in both the rider and pillion positions.    With the backrest the pillion postion is a little tight. Passangers have to pass the thumbs rule to ride.    | ||
| Smoke |
nice job, good looking seat. how's the feel? tim | ||
| F_skinner |
Time to break it in! Looks great.  (Message edited by f_skinner on June 16, 2009) | ||
| Gowindward |
Thanks guys. It feels real good with the gel inserts, and yes it is getting "broke in". | ||
| Court |
That looks FABULOUS! Are you doing any Ulysses seats? The stock 2008 and I only get along so-so. I've got a couple others here I want to try but I sure want to know if you dig into a Uly seat. Good work. | ||
| F_skinner |
Are you doing any Ulysses seats? Yes, he just did mine and it is better than the stock Uly seat and the Buell "low" seat. |
