Need some seat info

[AgentBauer]

Hey there all, got my 1980 KZ 750 here and I need to replace the seat. Does anyone know of any good seats that will work for this bike? Preferably a tw person seat. Thanks

[herk]

Is the bike a Twin or a 750-4?
Does it currently have the stock seat?

[AgentBauer]

Its a twin, and the original seat died before I got the bike

[herk]

So, it's is a 750-G. According to the diagrams at Kawaski.com, your bike is the only one w that seat. However, the 77-80 750-Twins have the same hinge, so maybe an earlier seat will work - just a guess. I would also guess that an 80s seat wouldn't fit. Maybe steell will chime in. At any rate try ebbaayy & the mc salvage yards.

[steell]

Yep, 76-80 seats interchange, but anything newer won't fit. I had a 1980 750G stepped seat on my 79 for awhile, but I replaced it with the flat seat from a 76-79.

[herk]

steell, do you know if a 750E Standard-4 seat will fit a KZ650-CSR?

[northernman]

If the seat base is okay, take it to an upholstery shop and have it redone with new foam and cover.
Memory foam rocks, and you can have it custom made to whatever is best for you.

[StarGate]

Originally Posted by northernman

Memory foam rocks, and you can have it custom made to whatever is best for you.

Do most shops carry that or have access to getting it? I've been trying to find a gel insert to have put in mine when I get it recovered but hadn't heard of or thought about memory foam for a bike seat before this.

[northernman]

Originally Posted by StarGate

Do most shops carry that or have access to getting it? I've been trying to find a gel insert to have put in mine when I get it recovered but hadn't heard of or thought about memory foam for a bike seat before this.

Any decent upholstery shop should carry it in a few different densities, and it can be layered for you if you wish.
I prefer really dense on say the bottom 70% of the foam, and a slightly less dense memory foam on the top 30% or so.
I also like a middle ground as far as sliding on or no sliding at all of the covering.

Call a shop or 2 or 3 in your area, and ask them if they do bike seats.

If yes, ask if they can do it to your specs, and I am betting you will find a shop more than glad to help you.

I know of at least 3 shops in my town alone that can do great bike seat work.

And its way cheaper than those seats so many buy from supposed seat makers like corbin etc. that are whatever they feel like making, and are generally not nearly as good as a custom seat, and yet cost 3 times as much.

[kawpaul]

Step by step instructions make it look easy.
Recover A Motorcycle Seat pictures from motorcycles photos on webshots

[kawpaul]

I actually stopped by a local upholstery shop today to get a piece to cover my seat as it is too far gone. I have known the shop owner for years and he let me have it for about his cost which was 5 bucks.

[StarGate]

Originally Posted by kawpaul

Step by step instructions make it look easy.
Recover A Motorcycle Seat pictures from motorcycles photos on webshots

My seat requires multiple pieces of material sewn together to get the shape needed for covering.

[kawpaul]

Originally Posted by StarGate

My seat requires multiple pieces of material sewn together to get the shape needed for covering.

Well then you can either get creative or hire a creative guy.

To tell you the truth I believe for something like that I would go to the professional as I got zero upholstery experience.

[AgentBauer]

I don't suppose anyone has an extra seat pan for a 80 KZ 750 G? All this talk of memory foam has me quite interested. I cant use a stock seat as it is since I chopped a bit off the back end. And the battery box is in a different spot. Man I gotta find my camera, its kinda hard to explain.

[herk]

Is the relocated battery box going to interfere w a stock seat?

Be sure to read steell's reply above for the seat interchange - he knows these old bikes, particularly the 750-Twins. There's probably a pan or two on ebbaayy. If not, one or two will pop up soon.

[AgentBauer]

Not quite sure, the old seat pan was rusted up pretty bad and has been lost for a while now. My biker mentor is the one helping me work on it and he was the one who moved the battery box. I doubt he would have put it somewhere that would screw something up. At least not on purpose.

[AgentBauer]

Originally Posted by steell

Yep, 76-80 seats interchange, but anything newer won't fit. I had a 1980 750G stepped seat on my 79 for awhile, but I replaced it with the flat seat from a 76-79.

So a 76-79 is a flat seat, thats a good start for what I need. Do you know if the seat pan is metal? I am guessing it would be if it was from the same line of bikes

[steell]

Originally Posted by herk

steell, do you know if a 750E Standard-4 seat will fit a KZ650-CSR?

I don't have a clue on that one
I have a 750E but have never had a 650 CSR.




AgentBauer, 76-80 seat pans are identical, and I have at least one seat that would need stripped to the pan and rebuilt. So yes, I do have an extra seat pan.

[AgentBauer]

Ooooo... good to know. My build mentor over here just had to give up a build he was starting due to general brokeness, so we are gonna see if the seat he was working on will be usable. I am not getting my hopes up too high, since the bike he was working on was a honda cb 550, and our tastes in motorcycle styling tend to vary. Plus, it would be easier to customize from the pan up.

[herk]

steell, do you know if a 750E Standard-4 seat will fit a KZ650-CSR?

Originally Posted by steell

I don't have a clue on that one
I have a 750E but have never had a 650 CSR.

Here's a clue I should've mentioned - - the CSR has the same seat & frame as a couple of the 750-Ltd-4 chain drive models.