i got the supplies for xmas. My lovely wife got me this sweet gel pad (I only used a little piece of it for this), as well as a "biltwell" hidden seat mount. Yeah, I picked'em out, but she did the rest. Thanks babe! I used the money my Nanny gave me to buy this awesome seat pan from Redtailleather. He makes'em good. It has an aggressive curve on the back, to keep my curve off the fender....
I bought a couple rolls of 1/8" neoprene closed cell foam... ebay score for $20 shipped. I cut out several pieces and glued them together.. I then cut out the insert for the gel pad.
I then took the pan down to the welding shop and had Bee hook it up.. we figured out where it'd sit, then welded in post for the springs. also a couple post up front for the new hinge mount, which we also welded to the frame.
I wasn't aloud to take the camera, my wife's, (i broke mine) to "that dirty grimey shop" for fear i'd break it. so i didn't get any pics.
back at the casa, I ran a strip of 'edge trim' around the pan to keep the edges from cuttin into the leather...autozone, $9.95 with about 15ft extra.
glued the first layer down and let it dry. then glued the rest, put the gel insert in, and covered with a top piece. I wanted to 'sandwich' the gel pad in there so it can't slide around. I sanded it down smooth with a rubber wheel thingy attached to my drill. Dad, I still have that thing...!
then I clamped it all down and waited for it to dry. Waiting=the hardest part for me.
glued the bottom piece on. I had already cut the holes for the post to poke thru.
My pictures sequence is shoty from here on out. Coincediently, My wife's camera DID break, and guess who caught the heat...! I lost 'Privileges ' for a few days and actually had to sneak these last ones in.
Bee gave me this line drawing and I used the printer at work to blow in up to size. It's our 'crew' logo that we came up with years ago. Really represents everything this bike is about, and was built around. Home-made with lots of help from friends. Can't think of a single one that hasn't helped us (me and The Pearl) in some way or another throughtout the years. From the original build, to rebuilding the motor, rewiring it 4x, to picking me up off the interstate 100 miles from home..!
Most of us have this permanently on our bodies.
after I got the top piece tooled, I glued the foam heavy and let tack up. then wet the leather and put it in place. molded around the foam. This isn't the most 'choice' piece of hide, kinda thick and marked up, but it's what I had in the scrap bin. More character, right? Wet then mold, repeated several times till it fits just right. Then I clamped'er all togther and let sit overnight.
Then I made a groove around the base, and punched the holes. I had to eyeball the groove and it isn't perfectly symetrical...character, right...? Then I laced it up while watchin a boring movie with the wife. This is really the only time my projects and I come out of our designated area. Makes for some good quality time!
after it was all stiched up. I trimmed off the excess and dyed it with my antique "saddle tan" to match the briefcase/saddlebag. Got a few more coats to go, then I'll apply a bunch of Neatsfoot oil to soften it up and protect it from the elements.
Me and Bee gotta 1400 mile 'test run' to Daytona planned March 1, so we'll see how comfy she is....!
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