The business part of Christmas was completed yesterday so being home by myself all day watching good ol' John movies I decided to start on my dirt bike seat. These are the most uncomfortable bike seats you can sit on and I am not much of a stand-up person. The Airhawk has seen it's use, but I am trying to make the seat a little more comfortable and forgo the Airhawk.
A fellow, Multisurface Rider modified his seat in a similar fashion, I am taking his ideas and adding a wider seat pan for mine. He was kind enough to purchase this foam for me and helped relay it to me in Dallas.
Cover removed, raw seat.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9309.jpg)
Under the back of the seat you see a little fill.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9306.jpg)
After the cut.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9311.jpg)
Too shallow, ran out of foam, to cut all the way to the line.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9314.jpg)
Merry Christmas Hoot!
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9222.jpg)
This will be the foam used for the seat, X-Firm.
I looked for foam all over Dallas and had a company who offered to pour some foam to my liking but I figured that would cost too much so this was relayed up from San Antonio.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9319.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9318.jpg)
Looks like you will have a finished product pretty soon.. Keep up the great work!
Quote from: Greg Cothern on December 25, 2010, 07:32:11 PM
Looks like you will have a finished product pretty soon..
Hopefully....
Working on the seat again, decided to make a wider seat pan support, not pretty, hopefully functional.
Riveted in from the bottom, I have 1 1/2 inch overhang on each side. The side piece foam is 2 inches wide and I will cut a slit for the overhang to fit into after I put auto trim around the edges of the pan.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9376.jpg)
From the top. I put epoxy around the rivets to smooth it out some. The piece of foam will fold back over and than the new piece of foam over the that.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9374.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9373.jpg)
Had to form the front to fit the bend in the original seat pan. Seemed impossible at first, I didn't have the tools and nothing I was doing worked, came out good after all.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9385.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9383.jpg)
looks good did you make it larger because your butts getting bigger? LOL
LoL.. You just knew someone was going to go there!!!
Great work!
Are you planning on putting any gel packs in to help make the seat conform a little better. It's looking good so far.
Quote from: Jerry G Turner on March 07, 2011, 04:37:10 AM
looks good did you make it larger because your butts getting bigger? LOL
Jerry,
I didn't think of it like that but I guess that is a real reasonable thought along with 50 pounds too much sitting on the bone doesn't help. Yes, I can't handle it any more and the Airhawk helped but I gotta have a wider seat! :lol:
Quote from: Greg Cothern on March 07, 2011, 03:53:31 PM
LoL.. You just knew someone was going to go there!!!
Great work!
Thanks.
Yea, I was so focused on the seat this weekend I just let myself in for that one!
Quote from: Jigger on March 07, 2011, 06:05:30 PM
Are you planning on putting any gel packs in to help make the seat conform a little better. It's looking good so far.
No sir, I thought about that but plan to use the foam Multisurface Rider bought for me and relayed to the Dallas area. The foam I have could not be found in the DFW area so it was imperative to get this foam from San Antonio.
Thanks for bringing that up in case I failed to consider the idea. I had the luxury to try a neoprene gel pad like the one below, although it was nice I still have to have the wider seat, nothing worked.
http://www.cli-maxridinggear.com/servlet/the-104/AMS-Comfort-Max-Sheepskin/Detail
I laid and glued the top foam down after filling in the cavity with the green and white piece of what looks to be foam rubber.
The sides will be cut, glued and shaped next. I am no craftsman ie: carpenter so my lines are about as straight as they get and the curves will not be even. Being hidden it will not matter much, the large issue is the metal is cut back far enough so when you put your legs down the metal pan is not noticeable and cut into your thighs.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9388.jpg)
Haven't updated in a couple of days....and that's too long.
Added-Glued the black protector around the seat pan.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9391.jpg)
After cutting a slit in the foam for the seat pan I glued the side pieces on. I used the piece of wood to keep the foam from rolling up too much over the top.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9396.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9397.jpg)
Cut the side pieces down even with the seat top, glued and ready for the top foam.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9401.jpg)
Top foam piece on and found a good use for telephone and parts books with my used oil container on top as the final piece to this make-shift contraption for pressure while the glue drys.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9403.jpg)
Finished product, ready for cutting the foam down and shaping. No Jerry, I'm not at this stage yet, it will not be this wide for my backside. :-P
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9407.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9408.jpg)
You can see in this photo what part will be cut off, than the shaping begins. Shaping is where I need help, as said before I have no eye for proper lines, I'm likely to butcher this. Once shaped the seat will be ready for a cover.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9410.jpg)
That's looking awesome ! Can't wait to se the final result.
I might have some seat work for ya Terry..... :lol:
Rode the WR with the new seat, felt great. Put the original seat back on, it wasn't because I haven't ridden this bike in a while, the original was like I remember, not good. Put the new seat back on, it was all good, riding up on the tank is much better also.
I set on this seat without the top foam and the original for comparisons sake, the new was much better. I trimmed small amounts at a time, I can trim more, don't want to go too far.
The seat could be shaped nicely but being a dirt bike seat I plan not to do much more to this at the moment, sand some parts of the foam for experience and see how it works, than add the cover. I believe I could cut the top foam down if needed and still be alright. I might find another seat and do a second seat in similar fashion but shaped differently.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9418.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa214/TLRam1/Motorcycles/WR450F/DSCN9420.jpg)
That looks great. A little more cushion really helps a lot. When I was riding dirt. I rmember that seat feeling like a 2X4 was placed there.