Did some more stuff (Now with pictures!)

[inanecathode]

I was feeling industrious when i got home the other day, so i finished the seat i started last year. The drivers butt part is redone with much stiffer (landau top in fact) foam, with the curve falling further back on the seat, and a bit higher. The passenger section has been raised to the level of the hard plastic bar on the rear of the seat (if you've ever ridden pillion, you've probably noticed it) and leveled out, again with stiffer foam. The cover is leftover soft(er) vinyl with a single sided french seam down the middle. I'll probably have to recover it some day as this isnt really outdoor vinyl, but its uv stabilized so hooray. Pictures:

(The red bike isnt for sale, this means you rick :P)


Some of the corners are a bit funky, i added a layer ontop of what was there and didnt really address the smoothness concerns, i'll probably do that the next time i recover it:


I like the dull(er) vinyl, it matches the dull(er) paint quite nicely ><



Santa was a bit late this year, and brought me a cat eye velo 5 bike computer to stick in my dash and provide some added trip data for this springs trip to rick g's  :D

See it?


Now you see it!



I dont remember taking this one, and its totally off topic, but its funny:

[Rick G]

Actually I had the choice of a RD400 or a XS400 Yamaha  plus a 400 Kwaker, in a trade for a '75 Wing,  I chose the XS , been regretting it ever since.

[inanecathode]

Actually I had the choice of a RD400 or a XS400 Yamaha  plus a 400 Kwaker, in a trade for a '75 Wing,  I chose the XS , been regretting it ever since.

Yeah, shoulda kept the wing for sure huh.

[YellowJacket!]

Looks good!  Should be permanently mounting my hardbags in a couple weeks.  The took a back seat to my exams.  The 'rents are gonna get the bags painted black for me as a graduation gift. :-)
I'll eventually get around to doing a different seat after I get all the honey do projects don around the house that accumulated during hte last two years.

Gotta love them cattledogs.  I may try sunglasses on mine.

David

[Kid Jedi]

Dirty is purdy! Good on ya for riding her! I approve, now where to duct tape on that turbo :D

[Night Vision]

looks like that CX is pretty close to being thawed out... when'ja get that?

[Kevin]

How is the RD coming along? Last I remember you were having trouble with the bore job.

[Rick G]

Ya sure Inane ,The Wing!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I should have gone for the RD , but I thought it would be easier to get parts and keep the XS running.

[inanecathode]

The cx is actually a gl thats been stripped, its my moms bike. I taught her how to ride last year and she seems to like it ok. I love that bike tho, its so smooth and it handles so well its solid as a rock in corners where the vision is a bit noodly.

RD is actually basically done, it needs paint, tires, and i think a shift shaft seal for the tranny. It still makes pretty gnarly piston slap noises but you know what, if it is piston slap the only way to fix it is to rebore it and put new pistons in it, and really i'd rather just let it blow up first. Worst that could happen is the piston slap gets unbearable or a piece of the skirt breaks off, but really i need to go through the whole motor anyway so its a win win either way. I'd like to, after i win the lottery of course, put lower bars, rear sets, and pipes/jets on it. It's so small and handles and stops so well i think it'd really come alive with some proper controls. It's a little too japanese-commuter-bike for me at the moment, but its still fun :) I'm not going to 'cafe' it cause i think thats dumb, just put some more advantageous controls on it and it'll be fine! Parts are actually really really easy to get for it, the 400 and the 350 were, as far as i can tell, the most popular two smoke street bike anyone ever put out (yes there's the suzukis, but they're crap imo) and tonnes of people make new parts for them, decals and all.

Dave: As far as seat stuff is concerned, its easy peasy lemon squeezy. Just get ahold of some of the thick, very stiff, carpet padding (i had the number i forgot it tho) or some landau top foam from an upholstery supplier and either do it by slices or stick a huge block on there and carve away anything that doesnt look like your seat (incidentally this is how you make a sculpture of an elephant). I just cut out a huge chunk of foam and made increasingly smaller slices of foam going bottom to top then finishing it out with one covering piece (save the slapped on piece that makes it look wonky in the pictures) Making a cover is almost as easy. Get some preferably outdoor, but definitely uv stabilized auto interior vinyl. Then just stitch together something that's laterally symmetrical (front to back being the symmetry line) (any commercial machine can do the thicknesses you'd deal with for an mc seat as well) Then just get it lined up down the center, staple the front horn first (just a few in the very top to hold it together) then bounce back and forth left to right tightening and stapling the edges up under the seat making sure that you keep the design centered, and pull the wrinkles out of it.
Seriously, thats it! The hardest part is probably getting it shaped the right way for your ass, and exactly where you want it to be. What i did was do some work to it, then take the stock seat off and set the new one in place and just throw some vinyl over it and ride it around a bit and see how it feels. Do that a couple times and you'll have exactly what you want!

[QBS]

Inane, who does the CMA sticker belong to?

[Brian Moffet]

carve away anything that doesnt look like your seat (incidentally this is how you make a sculpture of an elephant).

I think this is also how Michelangelo did his carvings.  Hmm, comparing inanecathode to Michelangelo.  I think I need another drink. 

Since I've had a drink, has anyone wondered about the name "inane cathode?"  Cathode is the part that spews out electrons, for the anode to absorb.  So does inanecathode spew inane electrons for the anodes to absorb?  And who are these anodes?  :o

It's all too subtle for me....

[inanecathode]

I would hardly say 'spew' brian, lets say... Emit :)

[Rick G]

No , I think there's  a bit of spewing , at times! ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[inanecathode]

The CMA sticker belongs to whoever owned the bags before i did. I havent taken it off cause i dont want to be struck by lightning or anything  :o