Test ride report...cafe seat project almost complete!

[ronboskz650sr]

Well, I PM'd BuzZz yesterday, so he know about this, but I tested my seat cushion the past two days in some gusty wind conditions. I hadn't ridden in over a week, and was pretty shocked at all the wind buffeting I was feeling. I even thought it might be me from not riding, but I didn't think I was that rusty. Anyway, today was much more calm in the wind department, and I rode again. The new seat is great! I can use the passenger footpegs very comfortably for highway cruising and back road highways. I took it up to 90 mph, and can hosestly say it felt the same as 60! Very stable and comfortable, although I can easily see a possibility of clubman or clip-ons in the future . Today I did some shaping of the tested cushion and prepared the seatpan for the upholsterer. Still some finish work on the tail to do first, but the bike is rideable, and I'm riding it for a few days before the weather turns .

[BuzZz]

Success Right On Dude!

Glad it seems to just be the wind screwin' with you. And that it feels the way you envisioned it feel. Too cool.

But I'm still gonna take bets that there will be a custom made hugger on that swingarm by next spring.

[TechTMW]

Good Job Ron !!!

I'm glad it's turned out well for you, after all that work !

You're an inspiration

[ronboskz650sr]

You guys are too kind . I forgot to tell you, I can initiate a turn with foot pressure on the opposite peg now. It hardly worked at all before. I guess when you move 220 pound 2-3 inches lower (still need to measure, having too much fun) in the cg...things change dramatically. When you think about it, if it's 3 inches, that's almost a 10 percent change!

Hugger? Hmmm....I can almost smell the fiberglass! Next up is the front fender chop/repaint, though. I've decided to just chop the steel one to keep the fork braced without all the design and molding hassles. I haven't posted the seat cushion buildup, but I will when I finish the seat/tank junction. The top is good, but I need to add some at the bottom to close a gap between the seat cushion and the frame. The air intake is there, and I got a little carried away yesterday in the carving...didn't want to waste any more riding time, so I'll fix it after church and a little riding today.

Thanks for the kind words guys...actually it's you guys who are the inspiration...this has been almost two months since the first bend in the mesh, and this is the third version of the tail, fourth seat cushion and third cover I've hand-sewn just to get a rideable seat. Frustration really set in last week when I took the tank off and had to wait around for paint and weather, too. So, thanks for the continuous support...it really helps!

And this bike is a BLAST!

[rstnick]

Looks great Ron. I keep getting ideas everytime I see your bike. As far as a shorter front fender, I had a bad experience with one. I noticed on wet days, I would get spray up under the gas tank and onto my coils and wires. On a group ride, it was raining on and off, my bike started to die. Finally pulled over when she completely died. Pulled my gas tank and found my coils were dripping with water. I dried them up with a piece of towel I had, and she started right up. I have since switched back to the stock front fender and spray sealed the electrical bits.

Keep up the good work and ride safely.

[ronboskz650sr]

Good tip... thanks, Rob. How shot was the fender? Maybe I can find a compromise one that looks good but still works.

[rstnick]

The fender I used was a 900 LTD fender. Not that short, and I liked the look but I don't want to have my bike die again.
Hers's a pic with the LTD fender:

[ronboskz650sr]

Okay, that helps...thanks for the pic, Rob! i'm probably going to focus most on the front, to expose the tire a little. I think I'll bring the back up about an inch and a half and seee what happens in the rain, then go from there..or not.