Need a seat for my '81 LH

[Michael March]

I've searched the threads and I still am not clear on how to get a seat for my 1981 LH. The midnight seats all angle backwards in the back, conforming to the gold grab bar. I would really like to keep this look if at all possible. If I were to get a regular special seat, which seems to chop straight down in the back, could I recover it to fit the midnight by shaping the foam at the proper angle? In other words, will the special seat pan fit the midnight special, and can a new seat be fit to it? This is the last big cosmetic need I have, other than painting the heat fins on the jugs, and I'm ready to rumble. Anyone who can succinctly explain which seat pan will work with my midnight will be appreciated. I could of course redo my seat pan, but most of the jagged metal holders that hold down the fabric are weak or gone completely, and I'm not really a big fan of rivets on the side of a seat. What can I make work for the '81 midnight from another old xs? Thanks in advance--
Mike

[John]

There shouldn't be any difference between the SH and the LH as far as the seats go. They are both open in the back to accomadate the tail light. The hand rails should be the same angles. What was ever discovered to be the problem with your carbs?

[Michael March]

So I can use any SH or any LH seat and rework the padding it to fit mine?

The carbs were okay. My mechanic replaced the spark plug caps, which he said were arcing? He also enriched the carbs on the idle (I think that's what he said, I'm not too good at this). It's still hard to start when cold, but I think it's just a matter of technique. Lately I've been trying to start it with no choke and give it gas as I crank. Then once it fires up and revs up, I put it on half choke for a bit. That seems to work pretty well. I think if I can just keep practicing different techniques I'll figure it out.

I also had a bad vibration that kicked in on the front end right at 75mph. You could watch the front shocks just bouncing. He said the cheap tire (Kenda?) had a bulge and I believe it. He put a new dunlop elite 2 on there and balanced it (now I have new elite 2s on front and back) and now I can peg it and it's smoother than silk. Wow what a machine. Now if I can get the seat right, I'll be ready to post some pics of this beauty. I think I'm finally ready to stop pouring money into this bike and all will soon be well, that is if I can keep from getting my name in the paper with a speeding ticket!

[Ken Talbot]

Here are a couple of options for fastening a new cover to your seat pan:
Rivets....


Screws....


and more screws....


Unless you've got the seat off, nobody will know the difference...

[Michael March]

Thanks Ken,

How do you keep the screws from screwing you? Not to be too cute, but don't they go through the pan into the fabric and eventually into YOU?

[Ken Talbot]

Short screws, thick foam

[Michael March]

Ken:
I can understand how short screws would work on the bottom, but what about on the sides?

[Ken Talbot]

My seat with the fasteners fairly high on the side was done with rivets instead of screws, but even then the rivets were held 'down' a bit so they wouldn't poke out too far. On the seat with the screws, the upholsterer went to some length to sew on an extension (see the second and last photo) so he could use screws where there would be plenty of foam depth.