Cafe Seat
I just can't get into how the "custom" seat on my XS400 looks...I really like the look of 1950s road race bikes. My wife thinks I'm crazy for going on and on about replacing the stock seat...I think, for her, listening to my opinions on the subtleties of motorcycle seat aesthetics is like listening to the microscopic details of haircut styles is for me.
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a sweet road race tail from and cafe tail light from Hotwing Glass. I still need to cut it down to fit and make a mount for it, but I put it on just to see how it would look.
Before:
After:
(I've been riding a fair amount -- hence the generally filthy state of the bike)
I was a little worried about my order because I just sent a paypal payment to some guy in Florida who happened to have a site that showed some cool pictures of motorcycle parts for the most reasonable prices I've come across...but he shipped the parts quickly and they're great!
I'm a little hesitant to cut the seat to length just yet...because, well, I've been thinking about getting a bigger bike. My XS400 handles great with the bronze swing arm bushings, tapered roller steering head bearings, and fork oil changed to Bel Ray 5wt...but I think it's just too light to feel really stable in a cross-wind at speeds above 60 MPH. It has no problem getting to that speed, but it's pretty easy to get blown around.
I've been focusing on counter-steering and relaxing in major crosswinds at speed and that has helped a lot...but I think a substantially heavier bike might help too. My XS400 is great for zipping around the city, but I'd also like a bike that would be easy to do cross country trips on.
So, I'm thinking about getting a 1978 Suzuki GS750 with a GSX750 16 valve engine that I found on Craigslist that needs a lot of love...and the cafe seat would look awesome on that (although I admit I'd have to make a pretty substantial pad to make the cafe seat comfortable enough for a day-long ride). We'll see if it works out.
Either way...I think my XS400 is great. We'll see if I end up keeping the xs400 and continuing to modify it, or if I'll start a GS750 blog instead :-)
Anyway, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a sweet road race tail from and cafe tail light from Hotwing Glass. I still need to cut it down to fit and make a mount for it, but I put it on just to see how it would look.
Before:
After:
(I've been riding a fair amount -- hence the generally filthy state of the bike)
I was a little worried about my order because I just sent a paypal payment to some guy in Florida who happened to have a site that showed some cool pictures of motorcycle parts for the most reasonable prices I've come across...but he shipped the parts quickly and they're great!
I'm a little hesitant to cut the seat to length just yet...because, well, I've been thinking about getting a bigger bike. My XS400 handles great with the bronze swing arm bushings, tapered roller steering head bearings, and fork oil changed to Bel Ray 5wt...but I think it's just too light to feel really stable in a cross-wind at speeds above 60 MPH. It has no problem getting to that speed, but it's pretty easy to get blown around.
I've been focusing on counter-steering and relaxing in major crosswinds at speed and that has helped a lot...but I think a substantially heavier bike might help too. My XS400 is great for zipping around the city, but I'd also like a bike that would be easy to do cross country trips on.
So, I'm thinking about getting a 1978 Suzuki GS750 with a GSX750 16 valve engine that I found on Craigslist that needs a lot of love...and the cafe seat would look awesome on that (although I admit I'd have to make a pretty substantial pad to make the cafe seat comfortable enough for a day-long ride). We'll see if it works out.
Either way...I think my XS400 is great. We'll see if I end up keeping the xs400 and continuing to modify it, or if I'll start a GS750 blog instead :-)
posted by veloandy at 8:44 PM
16 comments
