Hi All,
I am "reglorifying" an '82 R65LS, SWB, twin shock. Her seat is hard and cracked, and needs to go. The pan may be OK. BMW has discontinued the part. Mayer, Sargent, and Corbin don't do that bike. Assuming the pan can be reused, any idea who can set me up with new foam and Naugahyde? I would like it to look as close to original as possible which should be pretty easy since there are no pleats, straps, etc. If it feels better than original that would be OK ?
Thanks.
The pan may be OK.
That's one of those where you don't want to "count your chickens". Due to the highly absorbent foam, seat pans always rust out from the inside. The first thing to do is carefully remove the seat cover. Have the pan and hinges blasted and powder coated. Then you can take the seat to any upholstery place that does cars. They'll need the old cover as a pattern. They'll have several foams of different densities and you may want to sit on several. These guys usually love m/c seats because it makes them quick money, and they can "work it in" on a Friday when they don't want to start a big job before the weekend.
You won't know where one is, you'll need to Google it. They are always stuck way back in some out of the way place in an industrial area. Don't look at the condition of the shop or the person running it... look at the car they are working on. The shops are generally rat holes because these guys are typically starving artist and upholstery is their canvas.
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Good advice Richard, thanks. There is an upholstery place a mile from here that does a lot of car seats, boat seats, etc. I'll pay them a visit!
1. Have your metal work ready to go when you go to talk to them. "Ready" as in "finished".
2. Your bill will be cut in half if you'll save your old seat cover so they can use it as a pattern. It doesn't matter what shape it's in, any shape is better than starting from zero.
3. I'm sure those are the 2 keys to a successful job, but don't hesitate to ask them what all you can do to help them. If it's painless for them you'll get a better job back quicker.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Due to the highly absorbent foam, seat pans always rust out from the inside.
Richard, you called that one! the pan is Swiss cheese. I have had zero luck locating a replacement so it is at a sandblaster now and my plan is to take the cleaned up remains to a welder/brazer to see if it can be salvaged. if it can't, i have even thought about using it as a mold for a fiberglass replacement........
BTW, you probably already know this, but if you heat the pan with a heat gun the foam comes right off in one piece!
1. I would advise your welder to use the quicker and lower heat of TIG. Brazing and gas welding leaves too much heat on the pan for too long. The original stamping process imparted a lot of internal stresses, which the continuous heating of a torch will release within the metal. The object is not to have a potato chip shaped pan when you finish !
2. Also be aware that you may be left with overlapping layers of metal in some areas. Those would create another place for water to hide. Liquids just love to wick between 2 plates. You may need to think about a sealer that is not silicone-based to use before painting. There are some special fillers for powder coating... which is your best protection from water.
Gee whiz, aren't I a font of good news this afternoon !! ?
All the best.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Thanks Richard,
All good stuff. $10 I get this million dollar seat done and there will be a perfectly usable one on ebay for $100!
$10 I get this million dollar seat done and there will be a perfectly usable one on ebay for $100!
That's the way it ALWAYS happens for me.
Then you hang the first one on the wall for 15 years. After you get tired of looking at it and finally toss it, a week later another ad appears with a buyer willing to pay $20,000 for a correct seat.
All the best.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I am not a weldeer, but I have fiberglassed several seat pans. Cover the holes with fiberglass mat or very thin metal, then fiberglass the whole thing. No more rusted out seat pan fouty years from now!
Bob
That actually works Bob! Thank you. I had it blasted but the welders felt it would be expensive and would not look great - mostly because of the ridges and angles - not to mention the fact that the base metal was so moth-eaten. Fiberglass went on smooth as silk and conformed to the shape beautifully! It worked and looks WAY better than I ever expected.
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