KZ1000-M1 CSR

[Dark Skies]

Chaps.

I'll post a pic of the foam in a while. I reckon because of the extra foam attributed to the passenger that I could probably take off an inch or two off the stepped section without it affecting comfort to a noticeable degree. Fortunately I have two seat foams - one that came with the bike and one from my disappointing Ebay purchase. So if it really does prove to be uncomfortable for the passenger I can always go back to standard.

However ... it does mean that I'd have to either make up a new cover myself or send the seat off to be upholstered by a pro.

As for attaching the seat cover ... I meant to stick it on the underside lip of the seat pan - like a Giuliari seat (it doesn't have the little barbs of a standard seat). I still may do but ... I was thinking there's nothing to stop me from drilling some small countersunk holes every two inches or so, putting in some small stainless screws then glassing over the heads to keep them in place and maintain the outer surface's integrity. These could then hold the seat cover in place like the original barbs but would make replacing the seat cover much easier than using Sikaflex. It depends how lazy I feel nearer the time I suppose. How often do you need to replace a cover? I never had to on my ZRX in the five years or so I owned it. I had 70,000 miles on my Z1000-H when I sold it - I'd replaced the seat with a Giuliari item early on in its 15 year use. Not because it needed replacing - purely for style. It was still in good shape when I parted with it. I think I stripped the engine three times during its life which puts things in perspective.

I'm talking myself into taking the lazy option here, aren't I?

[Dark Skies]

Still waiting for the seat cover.

In the meantime I've stripped off the carbs and removed the airbox and Calif. emissions junk in preparation for fitting the K&N kit sitting on my bench.





At this rate I'll not be far off a total stripdown / restore!

[Dark Skies]

At last the seat cover has arrived!

Spent the evening doing the first half of the refit. Tacked the foam onto the pan with 3M glue to stop it wobbling all over the shop whilst I'm grappling with the cover.

Because it's a stepped seat I glued the cover to the foam at the point where it rises up from the rider's seat up to the pillion's seat. That way you avoid that horrible saggy hollow in the middle.

During a trial fit I felt sure the cover would never stretch over the lip of the seat pan. It was really really tight. So tight I figured I might even have been given the wrong cover.

Anyhow I figured it was GOING to fit regardless after all this waiting. So I cranked the central heating up to 'tropics mode' in my study and then set about cinching it down. After a lot of trial and error I found the best way to deal with the stepped seat is to do the rear section first, glue it and let it set - then do the front half another day. Otherwise you're constantly fighting the front and the rear.

I discovered the best way to get the rear portion on good and tight was to put it upside down on my bench and then kneel on the pan and gently tug the cover around over the lip evenly then clip it in place with a modelling clamp. I was surprised that once it was over the lip it all stayed in place pretty well - didn't slip at all. In fact once I had left the plot to go make a coffee I found that the warmth of the room made it possible to tighten it all down that little bit more for a factory finish.

With a few strategically placed clips I was able to paint Sikaflex around the pan lip and fabric edge and then hold it all in place with a generous handful of clips and pegs. I used thick cardboard strips to stop the pegs dimpling the outside fabric.

Tomorrow, when the Sika has set, I'll do the exact same thing to the front. At last I seem to be making some progress from one end of a job to the other. Of late it's been frustrating to have to keep leaving work unfinished for the want of a part or because someone on Ebay hasn't been entirely up front about what they're selling. My workbench has a plethora of half-started repairs littering it. At least this job seems to be going my way.

[ollie]

This is great ,i am well impressed ,your doing a super job there and i think its going to turn out very nice .Theres summat to be said about taking your time and not rushing ,it for one gives you time to think about the task and how best to go about it.
Your right about the bike it does look like a strip down ....lol
keep those pics a coming i'm enjoying this
ollie

[Dark Skies]

Cheers muchly. It's been a satisfying side project.

Here's the finished article.

[Ed Z1-R]

Excellent job and craftmanship.

[RoyNorway]

This is nice, looks really good!.

Because this is not gonna rust, its better then new, and the seat cover is better attached to the pan now!

[Dark Skies]

Cheers.

I'm very pleased (and not a little smug) with the way it all panned out in the end.

Flushed with the success of making a reproduction seat I am now turning to something a little more ambitious - making a fibreglass rear mudguard.

I like the existing chrome mudguard but I don't like the rear light arrangement. You've got this lovely shaped rear fender with a huge light tacked on as an afterthought. It looks wrong. Especially with the style of seat the CSR uses. A huge slab of foam that ends in a blunt edge overhanging a flowing mudguard that then ends in a massive rear light on a pillar. Ugly stuff indeed.

I couldn't do anything about the way the seat ends without affecting the comfort of my pillion. However, I can do something about the rear light.
So I propose to make a mold of the rear guard, losing the raised plinthe the light sits on, and place a light further up the guard, just behind the seat.

To this end I've bought some black pigment to stir into the fibreglass resin and a rear light that I feel will blend in well with the lines.



I bought it on Ebay from the Classic Scooter Shop for about £12 It's an LED type. The pic shows it upside down but you can get an idea from the dimensions how tidy it'll be.



As yet I've not decided whether it will bolt onto a numberplate bracket attached to the rear mudguard mounting point (just underneath the rear of the saddle) or be let into a pod molded into the guard. It'll depend how hard it is to get the mold to look right.

[RoyNorway]

Sweet little thing that one, what are you doing with the lightning for the numberplate?
Or isn't that an issue?

LED lights are really nice things, with their low power consumption.

[Dark Skies]

I'm going to fit one of these at the bottom.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRIPLE-LED-NUMBER ... m153.l1262

[Dark Skies]

I bought four new carb slides with diaphragms for a steal whilst I was Stateside last week. I've also bought a Dynokit. Bigger main jets and the air correctors have been fitted and the new slides were duly modded as per the Dynokit instructions. The carbs have been refitted and now await my fitting of a set of K&N pods I've had sitting around for the past month or so.

Mindful that the carbs are usually given extra support by the (now ditched) airbox I have made a support kit to take the strain off the inlet rubbers (so they won't split). It's just something I knocked up out of 4mm duralium and a car exhaust rubber hanger I had kicking about. Should do the trick though.

[RoyNorway]

Clever that rubber thing!

I guess most of it will be hidden behind the pods, and also underneath the tank.

[Dark Skies]

Clever that rubber thing!

I guess most of it will be hidden behind the pods, and also underneath the tank.

Yes, the tank hides all of the upper bracket and most of the rubber hanger. The pods hide the lower bracket. I figured the rubber that is visible was a small price to pay in comparison to having to get some more inlet rubbers some time hence. Having said that, I don't think most people bother with any support and I haven't heard that it's an issue with other (Z thou) pod users. Way back when I had an old Suzuki GT 500 with K&Ns the inlet rubbers on that used to split until I supported the carbs - I just thought better safe than sorry this time around.

[RALPHARAMA]

I notice from your pics, (I know this is sad) that you too have a "Tradesmans Bench" I discovered these benches many, many years ago, when they were being sold in Bugger & Queer for less than you could realistically buy the timber for. I told my mate and he rushed out and bought two! I still have mine and John still has his!

Yours is very clean! Mine isn't ! I use my welder on mine and have stripped a number of bike engine on it, so it's pretty black! For stability they have to be glued together. I have moved mine on a number of occasions and have ahd to dismantle it with my trusty 14lb sledge. Despite this abuse it is still a very solid and dependable bench. Not oft you buy summat decent from Ellen McCarther's sponsors

OK, I'll grab my anorak and leave by the back door

[Dark Skies]

I also bought two of these excellent benches from Big and Queer - I think they were £20 a pop at the time. The one in the pic is clean because I usually just use it for stripping / cleaning my rifles on and as a reloading bench. It's been pressed into service because I have too much bike strewn about at the mo.