Seat bracket mount

[Brent Herridge]

I recently found a steal on a 2-up seat on eBay and got it. It was described as a 2006 Mastiff seat, but was supposed to be the exact same seat I would need for my K9. It's a little wider then my seat in the front, but seems like it will work. The front bracket looked too flat, but after bending it out it still would not go on. I then realized the front metal bracket is too close to the tank. I need to move it back about 1 - 2 inches. This picture shows how it's wider sooner, and the difference in mounting bracket position.



The original mount seems to have metal nuts glued or epoxied into the glass seat pan.

Has anybody moved them or had to re-do the originals ?

I think I'd have to Dremel holes in the pan and glue the nuts in, but looking for advice from the experienced, or at least advice on a good epoxy to use.

 

[Mr. Wright]

They make a nut insert, like a molly bolt. I forget what they are called, but a good body shop should have the tool to install them.

 

[PacoPetty]

I knew Shannon would know!

 

[chubs]

They make a nut insert, like a molly bolt. I forget what they are called, but a good body shop should have the tool to install them.

I had the tool for installing those “RivNut” inserts till I loaned it out and never got it back. They work pretty good for fastening things to sheet metal, like body panels and such.

 

[TapioK]

Something like this maybe?

 

[Brent Herridge]

I got it fixed. The seat is definitely not a pure K9 match, but I think it's close enough.

First, I thought the original bracket was mounted directly to the 'glass pan without any metal nut to screw into. Seems I was wrong about that.


After testing it, the correct position seemed to be able to use the old rear mount as the new front mount. I found this style mounting nut, drilled a hole in the pan, and epoxied it in with JBWeld Clear Weld (4400 psi).


With the new bracket position it fits OK, but there is a gap between the seat pan and the frame rails. It fits on the fender nicely, but you can see the gaps pretty well in this picture.


The question now, is it close enough to dump more $$ into. My wife says she's happy with the Butty Buddy (huge lick-n-stick), but I think this will be more comfortable and much more convenient. The current cover is rough, but if it's solid enough to invest another new hundred into a nice cover, it would be a nice option for solo vs 2-up riding.


What do y'all think ?

 

[41bigdawg]

I think if it was me and the cover is coming off anyway, I would strip it down to the pan and fiberglass an extension on the front to make it mate up with the tank flush and then do some contouring on those bottom corners so that it sits flat on the frame and then get it recovered. JMO, really depends on what you want and how much use it is going to get.

 

[Brent Herridge]

Agree - the gap between the tank is bad. Couldn't that be closed with padding instead of extending the pan ? The problem I have is I likely won't use a local shop, so they won't have the bike with the seat.

 

[aspen874]

If you use someone like Seatmaker here, I believe he can get it to fit perfectly plus anything else you want.

 

[Brent Herridge]

The 2-up seat makes all the difference in the world .the Butty Buddy was comfy and big, but you can't slide over it like a regular seat.

My wife is short, so she had to stand on the left peg and hoist herself over so she could sit straight down. I nearly lost it when she got stuck and stood out on that peg for what seems like forever. Problem solved with the proper 2-up seat .

Mean City Cycles did my solo saddle. I want this to match so I'll be sending this one to them too . We had some minor issues last time so hopefully this goes perfectly.

 

[KnotSo]

Let us see the solo seat next to your new "steal" seat

 

[Brent Herridge]

Here is the thread about my solo seat saga.

And this one gets better.....not really......just continues.

I sent Mean City Cycles a note asking about the new seat since they did the last one. I asked specifically about touching up the front so it would go straight across instead of indenting. We're talking 1/2 an inch, not a whole new seat pan.

Shockingly, they effectively said "Go F*$%^ Yourself" and that under no circumstance would they consider touching it. I expected quite the opposite since I got the short end of our last deal.

So now I'm stuck not only looking for another upholsterer, but one that can get the same faux 'gator vinyl AND fix the sissy bar pad that's crooked. Extremely disappointing............

Maybe I should go for the real gator this time ? Will the gap in the seat pan really matter ? Could it be fixed if there was trouble ? I've got most of a grand in the solo saddle and didn't want to do that again.....sigh...

 

[KnotSo]

Contact Seatmaker

 

[Jwooky]

^^I agree. @seatmaker ! Scott is great to work with and take care of you. Im sure he can get whatever material you want including the one you have.

 

[41bigdawg]

Here is the thread about my solo seat saga.

And this one gets better.....not really......just continues.

I sent Mean City Cycles a note asking about the new seat since they did the last one. I asked specifically about touching up the front so it would go straight across instead of indenting. We're talking 1/2 an inch, not a whole new seat pan.

Shockingly, they effectively said "Go F*$%^ Yourself" and that under no circumstance would they consider touching it. I expected quite the opposite since I got the short end of our last deal.

So now I'm stuck not only looking for another upholsterer, but one that can get the same faux 'gator vinyl AND fix the sissy bar pad that's crooked. Extremely disappointing............

Maybe I should go for the real gator this time ? Will the gap in the seat pan really matter ? Could it be fixed if there was trouble ? I've got most of a grand in the solo saddle and didn't want to do that again.....sigh...

Sorry that you had trouble with Mean City Brent...that is disappointing to me since I have always had good luck with them and recommended them on this forum.

 

[Brent Herridge]

Finally got it back. It wasn't cheap, but my local guy (Texas Steelhorse Saddles) came through.

Several pan modifications were necessary to get it to fit properly. The front gap is fixed, and also the gap between the bottom of the seat and the frame. It also had to be cut in half so the fender portion would lay down properly. And of course during the trial and error this had to be re-done. Clearly not a job that could have been done remotely.

I added the Pro Pad insert for me and the wife, but honestly it's still pretty rough after 50 miles, just like the other seat. Since I can directly compare...........I'd have to say Not Worth It.

But all's well that ends well. I love the final look, and overall, it's slightly more comfortable than the solo saddle.

Here's the solo seat thread:

http://www.bigdogbiker.com/threads/seat-finally-done.84015/

 

[Jwooky]

Great craftsmanship. Beautiful seat

 

[41bigdawg]

Very nice...the new seat looks awesome

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

[Mr. Wright]

WOW. Let me say that backwards. WOW.

 

[knothead]

Damn ... it looks really good