Same seat 82 vs 80?

[Jimcg]

Hi!

I'm thinking about replacing the seat on my 1982 CB650 RC03. I like the look of the stock seat but it's to big in my opinion. I don't want to cut the frame brace so I will either have to build my own seat or buy one. I have seen some really nice looking seats from Texavina but I can only find 79-80 listed among their products.

Do any of you know if the seat, hinge and lock is the same on 79-82 models? I don't mean the US or Custom version.

This is my bike:



/Jim

[GeorgeSweety]

Hi Jim, I don't know anything about Texavina seats as I'm in the UK. Your model is the only SOHC CB650 with a hinged seat and a lock, they were produced from 1979-82 so if a seat has a hinge and a lock it should fit your bike.

[Jimcg]

Thanks for your answer, sounds good.

I havent made up my mind yet. The seats from Texavina looks really nice but with shipping and swedish custom fees the total amount carries away.
https://texavina.com/cb650-four-1979-1980/

Other option is to make my own seat using the stock seat pan as a template for a fiberglass version.

/Jim

[GeorgeSweety]

I only clicked on the first seat in the link and there appears to be provision for something other than a straight bolt on seat, I would have to check the seat base on my CB650Z to confirm if it would fit but the bike is buried under a ton of stuff in the garage and has been ever since I bought it in the middle of a house move.
The other option would be to use your own seat pan to make your own seat? There are plenty of videos on YT about making/reshaping seats and fitting covers etc. I am working on making a few seat covers myself as I cannot find a Nighthawk seat in the UK and Importing one from the US is just a no go with Import Duties and shipping. It seems that everyone but old bike/car guys are making all the money, I only want an old seat For Gawd's Sake!

[Jimcg]

I would have to check the seat base on my CB650Z to confirm if it would fit but the bike is buried under a ton of stuff in the garage and has been ever since I bought it in the middle of a house move.

Don't start digging after that for my sake!

When I compare Texavinas picture of their 79-80 replacement seat pan with my 82 seat pan underside their bolts for hinge and lock seem to be correctly placed even for a 82 seat.

I had another look at my bike yesterday and I think I want a seat that is more narrow and also shorter at the back, both than the stock seat and Texavinas versions, so I will probably end up having to make my own or buy a cheaper one. When you start to count the numbers together for material doing a fiberglass version, like special glue, foam/padding, vinyl and lots of small things (many on youtube use electric bread cutters to shape their seat foam and I don't have that) - the difference isn't as big as when you think about it from the beginning. And the price tag for not having to be frustrated when things go wrong during the seat build is also worth considering.

/Jim

[GeorgeSweety]

I would have to check the seat base on my CB650Z to confirm if it would fit but the bike is buried under a ton of stuff in the garage and has been ever since I bought it in the middle of a house move.

Don't start digging after that for my sake!

When I compare Texavinas picture of their 79-80 replacement seat pan with my 82 seat pan underside their bolts for hinge and lock seem to be correctly placed even for a 82 seat.

I had another look at my bike yesterday and I think I want a seat that is more narrow and also shorter at the back, both than the stock seat and Texavinas versions, so I will probably end up having to make my own or buy a cheaper one. When you start to count the numbers together for material doing a fiberglass version, like special glue, foam/padding, vinyl and lots of small things (many on youtube use electric bread cutters to shape their seat foam and I don't have that) - the difference isn't as big as when you think about it from the beginning. And the price tag for not having to be frustrated when things go wrong during the seat build is also worth considering.

/Jim

Yeah, I get your point Jim but after asking a few seat makers for a price to make a copy of a Nighthawk seat and being quoted around £100 GB pounds for the cover and £50 to fit the cover x 3 (I have two Nighthawks and a spare seat) plus a seat cover for my CB650Z it works out to being damned expensive. Besides which, I'm one of them stubborn buggers that like to master new skills, every day is a school day, I've already learnt how a sewing machine works, I just need to find the time to sit down and have a go at a cover.

[Jimcg]

I decided to make my own seat as well. I will put up some pictures when I'm done. Could end up to be a guide to show how not to do. =)

/Jim

[Jimcg]

Okay, I finished making my seat. As I wrote earlier I limited myself buy making the decision that all my modifications to the bike have to be reversible to stock, so the seat had to fit the stock hinge and lock and I wouldn't be cutting anything from the frame. That way it had to be wider than the usual aftermarket seats. I also tried to give it a shape that in my eyes made it fit the bulky tank design wise.

I am actually very pleased with how it turned out, when it comes to height, length, shape and overall design. But I'm not happy about my own sewing skill and unfortunately it shows, so don't look to carefully on the final pictures! I think of it now like I made a template and if I can afford in the future I'll have a professional do what I tried to do, using mine as a reference. That way I can live with it.

Anyway, I made two flat seat pan plates from scrap aluminium and glued and riveted them together. First two pictures below only shows one layer with separate raised part over the rear taking shape. Last of these three pictures shows finished seat pan with reinforcements in place. It's very obvious that this is low budget project - I used pieces I had laying around:






Then I glued a thick rubber mat onto the pan:




Next I glued the foam and shaped it. After final shaping I also glued a 5 mm thin foam over that (not in the picture below) to try and hide any inperfections of the main foam. That almost worked...




Then I started to measure and make paper templates for the vinyl. I still had the image of one of the Texavina seats mentioned above and that made it very difficult for a beginner to figure out, cut and not to mention sew togehter. At one spot there is 8 layers of vinyl in a junction and that was to much both for my wife's sewing machine and me. I had to hand sew that part I used up all the patience and bad words I know for a long time ahead.






Anyway, this is how it turned out. Now that I know, I don't think that professional seat cover makers are expensive any more, considering all the work and skill that comes into this kind of work. And I really admire them!






/Jim