New Seat - What have I got here?

[RichV]

I purchased the following seat on ebay this week for a good price. It has been in storage for the last 20 years so it's in good shape. Only one blemish that I can find and I knew it was there before purchase.

My old seat had a rusted out pan which I basically rebuilt and put a saddleman seat on it since the foam was missing. I wasn't happy with it at all.

This seat looks like it has the OEM foam with a new cover. I'm just not sure how original it is. I'm trying to restore this bike as much as I can to factory condition so I would like to have a good, original seat. If nothing else, I like the seat better and the pan is near perfect (some slight surface rust in spots).

Your advice, as always, is very welcome. Here are some photos.

[motoman]

Looks to be original pattern style of 81Special.....missin' the rear bump-stops that go in the forward most holes....IIRC.

[RichV]

If you're talking about the rubber parts, I plan to use the ones on my original seat. Just haven't installed them yet. I also have quick releases for the mounting bolts.

[jetmechmarty]

Those rubber bumpers are available OEM. If you wreck the old ones, don't despair. Reproduction XS650 dampers my fit as well. Two part numbers for the bumpers.
Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 1980 XS1100SG SEAT Diagram

Your seat is a 1980 SG with original cover or extremely close reproduction. Most, if not all reproduction covers have a stitched pattern, rather than the original welded pattern

[RichV]

Those rubber bumpers are available OEM. If you wreck the old ones, don't despair. Reproduction XS650 dampers my fit as well. Two part numbers for the bumpers.
Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 1980 XS1100SG SEAT Diagram

Your seat is a 1980 SG with original cover or extremely close reproduction. Most, if not all reproduction covers have a stitched pattern, rather than the original welded pattern

This is definitely a welded pattern. I ordered a re-pro cover with what I think is the exact pattern for the 81 SH. I will post when it comes in.

As for the bumpers, I have them soaking in silicon right now. One of the back ones broke of the mount so I may need to replace it. Thanks for the link.

[jetmechmarty]

If it were me, I don't think I would replace that seat cover. Stitched seams won't outlast the welded ones. The welded seams won't pass water. I would run the SG seat on the SH. It will look great. The SG/SH seats have differently shaped cushions. The pans are identical.

[jetmechmarty]

I have SG and SH seats of the XS650 variety. I can post pictures of the seats side by side if that helps.


XS650SK -Seat appearance is a match to the XS1100SH


XS650SH wearing SG seat and sidecover badges. The seat matches your XS1100SG seat in appearance.

[motoman]

I have SG and SH seats of the XS650 variety. I can post pictures of the seats side by side if that helps.


XS650SK -Seat appearance is a match to the XS1100SH


XS650SH wearing SG seat and sidecover badges. The seat matches your XS1100SG seat in appearance.

Hi Marty,
No reference to your 650's, but the 80Special and 81Special had a different weld seam pattern, besides your noted difference in rise front to pillion portion . Also your noted different rubber bumpers...... Two taller ones are used in the rear, forward most holes on the 81H(Venturer), where as the Special uses the same shorter ones in the rear, rearest holes, not having the hinged raiseable fender for easy wheel removal the 81H has.
Also, the 81Special's seat interchanges with the 81Standard(H) seat.......Just know this since I had put a new 81Special double bucket tour seat on my Venturer 32yrs. ago. No longer have that, as I put a really nice condition Corbin on some 8yrs. back. Still have the Venturer's original seat safely stored, as I had removed it two weeks after buying bike new.....its still soft, supple and perfect, along with the instrument shade/shroud ..

[jetmechmarty]

Hi Marty,
No reference to your 650's, but the 80Special and 81Special had a different weld seam pattern, besides your noted difference in rise front to pillion portion . Also your noted different rubber bumpers...... Two taller ones are used in the rear, forward most holes on the 81H(Venturer), where as the Special uses the same shorter ones in the rear, rearest holes, not having the hinged raiseable fender for easy wheel removal the 81H has.

Special uses taller bumpers at rear position. I think that's right. Four bumpers of one size to the front and two of a different size at the rear. Right?

Yes, the patterns have some differences, but all the SG's got the same seat shape. 1980 is one year only for the 650, 850, 1100, and maybe even the 400 that I know nothing about. 1981 and up got a flatter seat area and an abrupt rise. XS650, 850, and 1100 Special seats all look pretty much the same, but don't interchange.

Here is an XS1100SH with what I believe is a Saddlemen cover.

The bike belongs to wingnut on this forum.

[motoman]

.....and the Venturer was a 'one-off' even deeper rider portion.....but, what else did you expect from an original factory Frankenbike? .

[GLoweVA]

The one thing I did notice about this pan is that there's no sticker showing the routing of the OCTY (fuel cutoff valve).
It's so shiny that it's probably been painted.

You'll like the bicycle seat quick disconnect set up. It makes it real ease to do/undo them getting around that rear grab bar.
I've got a set on my SG.

[RichV]

The one thing I did notice about this pan is that there's no sticker showing the routing of the OCTY (fuel cutoff valve).
It's so shiny that it's probably been painted.

It doesn't look like it has been painted. If it was, the PO stripped it first. I have the OCTY sticker from a different seat. It fell off so it may have happened here as well.

Since the original photos were taken, I have added the proper bumpers. I like the seat but it's not the one that came with this specific model.

I have a seat cover for the original seat foam that looks like the OEM pattern. It's stitched instead of welded. I'm thinking of getting seat foam and trying to cut the proper seat.

This, of course, will have to wait until the bike is running again. For now this seat will do.