How To Make Custom Motorcycle Seat
Video How to make motorcycle seats on demand
How to Make the Perfect Café Racer or Scrambler Seat.
Contents
“Hey man, I have a chair on eBay that fits my bike but I can’t get it right, can you fit it for me?” Hell. God damn it. No. A lot of people fall into the trap of the online cafe racer chair, made specifically for your bike. In a nutshell, they’re not usually made for your bike, they’re made for your bike with some modifications to the frame and massaging the mounting points. For the most part, they will cost you more with modifications and yield poorer results. My advice is to have someone make one for you, or get your own and make it yourself. It takes time but the finish is always exactly how you want it and it will fit perfectly every time.This example will show a bike with a custom tail, which you can learn how to make by clicking here. This method will work with any style of chair whether it’s a chopper chair, floating bobber chair, or brat style chair. All the same, just make the necessary adjustments to your bike. Those are some of the quicker and easier chair holders to make from sheet metal but for this one I have upholstery on the frame so fiberglass is my weapon of choice.
What you need to make your Café Racer chair:
- Metal plate to cover seating area or similar brace
- Hardcover cut off
- Rasp files or slabs
- Bandage
- Micro scale (kitchen scale in a pinch)
- Cup for measuring capacity
- Paint brush (cheap and nasty is okay)
- 1 kg fiberglass resin + Catalyst
- 1m fiberglass mat (2m if you are also making oxtails)
- Goggles or goggles
- Dust mask
- 3” cutter or grinder wheel
- Glossy paper or sandpaper.
- Seat foam
- Link
Personally I prefer to use microfiber mats, but woven will also work, in my experience this weave is a bit more flexible after laying and requires more layers. Microfiber rugs also tend to fit shapes better.
1. Arrange the mounting outside
To prepare for the seat pan, you need some way to fix it. The best way for my mind is to weld 2x tabs to the frame rails and 2x M6 bolts to a 15mm flat bar piece to fit them. On a short seat, 2 is fine on something longer, you might want a third tab + latch in the back. If you can’t weld, try using some existing fixings in the seating area and instead of soldering bolts to the bar, drill holes and use a lock nut and some thread glue. Put some beeswax or release agent on the thread and set the fixing stick aside when you are ready to make the fiberglass. Here you should also think about the electrical tray and where it will attach or be soldered to.
2. Put your base down
Read more: how to prepare the ground for a trampoline This can be as simple as some cardboard cut out to show the shape. If you are making a pan to place on the rails of the frame, cut your shape out and make fiberglass for it on a bench. For this seat, I want to hide the frame rails so I can do it on the bike. If doing it on the bike, I put some sheet metal down on that area and tape it up.
3. Cover the tail, barrel and frame rails.
Make sure the area is taped thoroughly. To cover the tank fixings and frame rails while leaving enough room for the upholstery, I used some cardboard cuts glued along the frame rails and over the fuel tank bolts. This allows a small buffer to cover and secure the outer upholstery without affecting the seat’s fit. When the dressing is finished, apply a thin layer of beeswax or release agent on top of it. The final step is to mark and punch holes for the fixings.
4. Prepare for fiberglass.
Trim your mat and cover any areas where plastic could drip if finished with bike seat pads. The 3-6 layers here will do the trick, with your bracket and fixing screws inserted midway.
5. Time to get the glass.
Mix your turpentine at a ratio of 1.5-3g Catalyst to 100g GP Resin. This will vary depending on your climate, best ask your supplier what they recommend when you buy it. On the Gold Coast, I get all of my supplies from a surfboard manufacturer, but hardware stores generally also sell fiberglass kits. I would usually mix 100-200g at a time depending on the size of the pie. You want to complete 1-2 layers for each mix, let it start setting then move on to the next section. Each mixture will last 20-40 minutes before starting to clump and harden. For a first coat brush on some plastic before putting the matte finish down, then work from the top with your brush soaking the matte in the resin and removing any air bubbles. Use a dot with the brush and don’t swipe from side to side as it will pull the opacity and cause weak spots. In between layers, I’ll let the resin begin to “stick” before placing the next layer. On Layers 2 or 3, place the rod in place, use a knife or screwdriver to gently move the threads from the top of the tab hole to the side and place the rod in. Make sure you apply another layer on top and plenty of resin to create air bubbles. You can see the plastic starting to look a bit more translucent and sticky as it starts to set. Allow each resin mixture to harden before starting a new mix. Repeat this until all your layers are complete. Read more: how to keep wax worms alive | Top Q&A
6. Remove the seat pan and cut.
After letting the fiberglass cure for 1-3 hours, remove the seat base from the bike or bench. Remove all tape and discard any used metal supports and cardboard. Put on your safety gear and trim the rough edges off the seat carefully little by little and use a finisher or sandpaper to finish off the edges as you see fit.
7. Be comfortable.
Once it has been sanded, you should be able to place the seat on the bike and secure it perfectly. It will match the tank style, conform to the frame angle, and can be fixed down and removed easily. This is the fruit of doing it right the first time. Now cut some foam and shape your seat. You will need some contact binder and your rasp file here. I would always glue a few pieces together, glue to the seat pan and then cut it back to get the right shape. Always finish on the bike so it runs true to my idea of the overall look of the finished product.There you have it, right from the start for a few hours and as many beers as you like. A chair designed specifically for your custom cafe racer project. If you want to learn how to make a cowtail for your bike, Click here. As always, feel free to leave any comments or questions below or email me. Always happy to hear your feedback. Thank you for your time.
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