Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Custom Corner Wild seat customization Questions

I've been tooling around the forums and have found nothing on this subject. I would like to know if any one has ever modified their Speedmaster/America to accept a t100 bench style seat or re-upholstered their stock gunfighter or touring seat with additional foam to seat the rider higher off the bike.

I have two goals in mind, buy a low profile single seat because the lower ride height is quite comfortable and second, mod my touring seat so I have a higher ride height so the bike feels like I'm riding more of a scrambler/bonneville style bike because I have adjustable handle bars.

I understand if this is a wild and out there question but it would be one I would love to tackle with the assistance from more of you Speedmaster/america owners and modders.

Yep Sam, that's exactly what I did with the seat on my BA. I added a couple of inches to the Gunfighter/Speedmaster style seat. I also narrowed it a bit by cutting off the sides by a few inches also, as you can maybe see from these pics of my bike.







It really is pretty easy to do. Just remove the seat cover by prying off the staples, then add the foam using 3M 90 spray adhesive, cut the foam using an electric carving knife, and once you have it cut the way you want it and smoothed out using a wide and somewhat flat piece of heated metal(I used an old gardening trowel), then apply a large 1/4 inch thick piece of foam across the entire seat and use the spray adhesive to apply that.

I found a local auto interior shop that then made a new cover for it, and all for just 75 bucks.

first time i seen a pic of your bike Dwight, nice :-)

Thanks, Mike.

I hate you for having midcontols... haha

Sure makes ridin' around the twisties up this way a mite more confidence inspiring with my feet under me and not out there in front anymore.

And with the added seat height, my knees are bent at just the right angle while I have my feet on those mid-pegs.

Dwight, killer response and thanks for the advice. $75 is well within my budget for this project and I think i'll be going this route for sure.

I've been meaning to ask you about your mid mount controls you managed to outfit your Triumph with. From the looks of where they are versus where the front pegs are mounted, don't you have less clearance regarding your lean angle when taking the twisties? I like to throw my Speedy around in the corners and i've already hit the peg feelers with the forward mounted controls.

I have it in my head to make the same mod but Im concerned with this issue as well as ensuring a comfortable ride height. Im 6'5" so Im wondering if this would be a logical route. I figure once i go this route, Im not going to go back but I see that you kept the front pegs for the long hauls. That would be my only saving grace.

Samuel, good luck with your seat mod. Should be easy enough!
I also had a look at your website's pictures, very nice!

Sorry to hijack a touch here... but it is also the first time I see Dwight's bike, I believe...
Dwight, are those the stock mirror lollipops that you've inverted?

I tried to invert mine, but there's a ridge in the stem... did you sand it off?

Angeles crest, mulholland, sunset blvd, mandeville canyon...etc. I've been known to take normal right hand turns like a bit of a banshee.

Getting that response from you about the mid mount controls is making me smile ear to ear. It will surely be my next big mod, I just hope I can tackle the job and not muck it up. The gear shift side seems fairly straight forth as the shifter knob looks like it bolts directly to the gearbox, it's mounting the right peg and rear brake cylinder that's got me a bit worried. I'm gonna have to go over you mid mount photos and post with a fine tooth comb.

Jeff, I purchased the mirrors from Bengt(piper) a couple years ago. They're re-pop old style outside rearview mirrors for '60s era sports cars such as Austin-Healeys and such, and because of that they come as left-side and right-side items. They're kinda like these here:

http://www.spridgetmania.com/part/MIR110-FLAT-LH/MIRROR-ASSY-LH-FLAT-WING-OR-RH-DOOR

And yes, once I switched to the taller Speedmaster risers, I was able to then fit them under the handlebars like that and without them hitting the gas tank when the handlebars are at full swing in either direction. They're bolted through the holes in hand controls that the stock mirrors use.

Sam, I wish the detailed pics I took a couple years ago and while I built the mid-peg controls were still around, but unfortunately some time a while back I must have accidently deleted them somehow, because I just can not find them anywhere.

And yes, the harder part was designing the right-side rear brake master cylinder bracket and making the pivot point for the stock brake lever. The shift lever on the left side is off a standard Bonneville and just slides right on the spindle.

Hahahaha look what I started! And sam your a giant.

I keep going back and forth on if I want mids or to keep the stock kind or forwards. Im doing a foot clutch and hand shift soon so ill probably stay stock.... I need two bikes....

Thanks for this, Jim.

I used our search function to try to find a pic of my mid-peg bracket to show to Sam here, but because it can only go back no more than 3 years I couldn't find 'em. Looks like that wayback machine comes in quite handy.

Ah! Thanks Keith. I always thought the time range was a mandatory field. I guess not, eh?!

Works for me.