best luggage for my new 2004 klr-650 nklr

[kenglena]

Hi everyone, I bought a '94 klr650 3 weeks ago and enjoyed riding on my daily commute of about 3 miles of dirt/gravel road and about 23 miles hwy to work everyday. My only problem is that stock seat height is too tall for me to control walking the bike on muddy dirt road after the rain. I'm 5'7" with 32" inseam and I'm able to flat foot on one side and tiptoe on other side or both tiptoe on straight up. I was wondering if anyone has worked on their stock seat by trimming the foam down to lower the seat height? I need details for homemade lowered seat without the expense of buying lowering link and corbin seat. Thanks, Kenneth

[Mark St.Hilaire, Sr]

> I'm 5'7" with 32" inseam and I'm able to flat foot on one side and > tiptoe on other side or both tiptoe on straight up. I was wondering > if anyone has worked on their stock seat by trimming the foam down to > lower the seat height? I need details for homemade lowered seat > without the expense of buying lowering link and corbin seat.

I know that this has come up in the past, but I can't seem to find anything relevant in the list archives. There was a suggestion that raising the fork tubes 1.5" in the clamps would get you closer to the ground. If that doesn't work, and without having ever done anything like this, *I* would try the following: - carefully remove the saddle covering for reuse. - measure down the amount that you want to remove, and mark the foam from front to back, on both sides, with a Sharpie, or whatever. - wearing gloves, setup a propane torch, or something like it, and heat a strand of wire that's long enough to easily go from one side of the saddle to the other. - I'd guess that you wouldn't be able to far at a time * IF AT ALL * but I'm thinking that you can use that heated wire to follow the "cut lines" that you made on the foam for a pretty neat, surgical cut. Just make sure to keep the wire on the mark on BOTH sides of the saddle as it melts its way through the foam. I hope that helps, Mark Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage; Genuine lives on from age to age. - Goethe's "Faust" KLR650 Motorcycle Pages: http://klr6500.tripod.com/ HomePage: http://users.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If you don't get a response, please try: KLR6500@...

[Judson D. Jones]

I always used a razorblade to trim the foam, but I have read that an electric carving knife works well (as if anybody still has one of those). In any case, if trimming down the KLR seat, I would trim a half-inch or so farther than I wanted to go, and fill in with some denser foam, as from a foam sleeping pad. The KLR seat is too soft as it is, and if you trim it down, you will just be sitting on the pan, unless you firm it up. Jud (Haven't tried it myself on the KLR; it's just a thought.) --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Mark St.Hilaire, Sr" wrote:

> > I'm 5'7" with 32" inseam and I'm able to flat foot on one side

and

> > tiptoe on other side or both tiptoe on straight up. I was

wondering

> > if anyone has worked on their stock seat by trimming the

foam down to

> > lower the seat height? I need details for homemade lowered

seat

> > without the expense of buying lowering link and corbin seat. > > I know that this has come up in the past, but I can't seem to

find anything

> relevant in the list archives. There was a suggestion that

raising the fork

> tubes 1.5" in the clamps would get you closer to the ground. > > If that doesn't work, and without having ever done anything like

this, *I*

> would try the following: > > - carefully remove the saddle covering for reuse. > > - measure down the amount that you want to remove, and

mark the foam from

> front to back, on both sides, with a Sharpie, or whatever. > > - wearing gloves, setup a propane torch, or something like it,

and heat a

> strand of wire that's long enough to easily go from one side of

the saddle

> to the other. > > - I'd guess that you wouldn't be able to far at a time * IF AT ALL

* but I'm

> thinking that you can use that heated wire to follow the "cut

lines" that

> you made on the foam for a pretty neat, surgical cut. Just make

sure to keep

> the wire on the mark on BOTH sides of the saddle as it melts

its way through

> the foam. > > I hope that helps, > > Mark > > > > Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage; > Genuine lives on from age to age. > - Goethe's "Faust" > > KLR650 Motorcycle Pages: > http://klr6500.tripod.com/ > > HomePage: > http://users.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html > > My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If > you don't get a response, please try: > KLR6500@h...

[Alan L Henderson]

At 09:12 AM 10/11/2003 -0400, you wrote: snip

>> lower the seat height? I need details for homemade lowered seat >> without the expense of buying lowering link and corbin seat. >

snip

>- I'd guess that you wouldn't be able to far at a time * IF AT ALL * but I'm >thinking that you can use that heated wire to follow the "cut lines" that >you made on the foam for a pretty neat, surgical cut. Just make sure to keep >the wire on the mark on BOTH sides of the saddle as it melts its way through >the foam. > >I hope that helps, > >Mark >

snip

>

I always used a razorblade to trim the foam, but I have read that an electric carving knife works well (as if anybody still has one of those). In any case, if trimming down the KLR seat, I would trim a half-inch or so farther than I wanted to go, and fill in with some denser foam, as from a foam sleeping pad. The KLR seat is too soft as it is, and if you trim it down, you will just be sitting on the pan, unless you firm it up. Jud (Haven't tried it myself on the KLR; it's just a thought.) .................................... An elec carving knife works wonderfully on foam. If you don't have one they can be had cheaply then keep with it with your other tools. I think someone in the past cut their's down and inlaid a gel pad, If you do use sleeping pad foam buy a high quality one to cut up as the walmart variety doesn't hold up at all as seat foam. Compresses and stays compressed. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

[Mark St.Hilaire, Sr]

> can be had cheaply then keep with it with your other tools. I think

someone

> in the past cut their's down and inlaid a gel pad, If you do use sleeping > pad foam buy a high quality one to cut up as the walmart variety doesn't > hold up at all as seat foam. Compresses and stays compressed.

HEY! I just an ad for Tempurpedic (or something like that) that sells the fancy NASA foam mattresses. In the ad they said that they send you a sample or the foam. I wonder how BIG of a sample they send...? It seems like that would be great stuff, although I'm sure you'd be on their mailing list for life. Mark Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage; Genuine lives on from age to age. - Goethe's "Faust" KLR650 Motorcycle Pages: http://klr6500.tripod.com/ HomePage: http://users.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If you don't get a response, please try: KLR6500@...

[Jim The Canoeist]

Yes, I did exactly that. I had an unexpected problem though since I wanted to only cut down the front part of the seat foam using a hacksaw blade to do the rough work. I went all the way to the base and contact cemented a new pad of closed-cell foam like I use for canoe knee pads. Shaped everything with a sharkskin foam sander. I rode the cut-down seat foam and it seemed to be comfortable enough and my 5'6" could touch the ground semi-flat both sides. Then I ran into my 'duh'. The existing cover was not long enough to cover the new shape! I didn't see this coming thinking 'less foam, more slack'. I was wrong, there is a step down (think about it). So... I realized I would have to trim down the rear of the seat too or completely recover it - even bought a yard or two of material. But then I read where one of us had a dished Corbin to trade and my project sits to the side because I am too busy riding and detailing out other stuff. A 1.5" suspension lowering completed the job and I can now apply the feet at will and have them actually touch something. -Jim in AZ

----- Original Message ----- From: "kenglena" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 11:50 PM Subject: [DSN_klr650] lowering seat > Hi everyone, > > I bought a '94 klr650 3 weeks ago and enjoyed riding on my daily > commute of about 3 miles of dirt/gravel road and about 23 miles hwy to > work everyday. My only problem is that stock seat height is too tall > for me to control walking the bike on muddy dirt road after the rain. > I'm 5'7" with 32" inseam and I'm able to flat foot on one side and > tiptoe on other side or both tiptoe on straight up. I was wondering > if anyone has worked on their stock seat by trimming the foam down to > lower the seat height? I need details for homemade lowered seat > without the expense of buying lowering link and corbin seat. > > Thanks, > Kenneth

[Alan L Henderson]

At 09:56 AM 10/11/2003 -0700, you wrote:

>Yes, I did exactly that. I had an unexpected problem though since I wanted >to only cut down the front part of the seat foam using a hacksaw blade to do >the rough work. I went all the way to the base and contact cemented a new >pad of closed-cell foam like I use for canoe knee pads.

snip I wonder if this is the same material you can get for standing on in the bottom of bucket truck buckets. They also sell it for kneeling pads. Black closed cell neoprene foam I believe. It does break down over time from standing on or kneeling on but sitting on distributes the weight more evenly. snip

>Then I ran into my 'duh'. The existing cover was not long enough to cover >the new shape! I didn't see this coming thinking 'less foam, more slack'. >I was wrong, there is a step down (think about it). So... I realized I >would have to trim down the rear of the seat too or completely recover it -

Seems to me I remember someone talking about people that apply vinyl upholstery using steam heat (hot water vapor) to soften the material while it is being stretched around odd shapes. snip

>will and have them actually touch something. >-Jim in AZ >

[Guest]

Go to the show Repair and add 1/2" to the boots. They do it all the time. My inseam is 29"..... 32" gezzzz big guy. Peter Sutherland [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[robert bowman]

On Saturday 11 October 2003 15:17, Alan wrote:

> Seems to me I remember someone talking about people that apply vinyl > upholstery using steam heat (hot water vapor) to soften the material while > it is being stretched around odd shapes.

I've used a heat gun to work vinyl. It's one of those things you want to practice on a piece of scrap becuase there isn't a long way from working nicely and 'oh shit'. The better grades of material work much better. For a relatively simple shape like most dirt/dp saddles you can do a professional looking job with a yard of good Naugahyde and a heat gun. Steam would be a lot more controlled. There used to be steamers to shrink in car headliners and remove wallpaper, but I'm probably living in the past again.

[Chris]

I was just going to suggest trying 'minicell' foam, as they outfit kayaks and canoes with. It's a bit of a pain to find it but the firmness makes for great kayak seats and if you can sit immobile on it for 5hrs in a kayak I can bet it would be a great bike saddle. Also it won't really absorb water by design which is also a nice bonus. The trick tool to shape it is the surform (?) shapers that Stanley makes, sort of a flexible rasp like sheet of metal. Does a nice job, particularly if you want to put some but shaped contours into it. This is yet another project I want to do should the winter get me off the bike in Jan/Feb.

On Sat, Oct 11, 2003 at 09:56:05AM -0700, Jim The Canoeist wrote: > I went all the way to the base and contact cemented a new > pad of closed-cell foam like I use for canoe knee pads. -- ___ ______ _____ __ ________ ___ / _ |< < / == / ___/__ / /_ /_ __/ / __ ____ _ ___ /__ \ / __ |/ // / ****/ (_ / _ \/ __/ / / / _ \/ // / ' \/ _ \ /__/ /_/ |_/_//_/ == \___/\___/\__/ /_/ /_//_/\_,_/_/_/_/ .__/ (_) 8600 miles*Russel Lines*Supertrapp Race* /_/ http://www.panix.com/~cesser/mybike/