Has anyone had an oppurtunity to check into seat cowls for 05-06 models? Would it be possible to look into other model bikes seat cowls that might fit?

Thanks!

Quote from: mattford11 on April 19, 2006, 07:14:42 PM
Has anyone had an oppurtunity to check into seat cowls for 05-06 models? Would it be possible to look into other model bikes seat cowls that might fit?

Thanks!

The GS has a banana seat, which means it's essentially permanently two-up capable. In order to have a seat cowl you need a removable passenger seat, which doesn't exist on our bikes. If you can find some tail that fits the '01+ bikes (none that I know of without heavy modification) that has a removable passenger seat, THEN you can find a cowl to use.

What alpha means is that we wish you luck on the research you're about to embark on and please get back to us with results. 

Quote from: DMac on April 19, 2006, 07:25:42 PM
What alpha means is that we wish you luck on the research you're about to embark on and please get back to us with results. 

Naw, I've done the reasearch  , there's just nothin' out there.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 19, 2006, 07:26:46 PM

Quote from: DMac on April 19, 2006, 07:25:42 PM
What alpha means is that we wish you luck on the research you're about to embark on and please get back to us with results. 

Naw, I've done the reasearch  , there's just nothin' out there.

that means you're going to have to engineer us one.   

Quote from: mike_mike on April 19, 2006, 07:36:38 PM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 19, 2006, 07:26:46 PM

Quote from: DMac on April 19, 2006, 07:25:42 PM
What alpha means is that we wish you luck on the research you're about to embark on and please get back to us with results. 

Naw, I've done the reasearch  , there's just nothin' out there.

that means you're going to have to engineer us one.   

Hmm... I've never worked with plastic before. Maybe I'll talk to dgyver about carbon fiber and plastic work. I wonder how much this would cost

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 19, 2006, 07:17:56 PM

Quote from: mattford11 on April 19, 2006, 07:14:42 PM
Has anyone had an oppurtunity to check into seat cowls for 05-06 models? Would it be possible to look into other model bikes seat cowls that might fit?

Thanks!

The GS has a banana seat, which means it's essentially permanently two-up capable. In order to have a seat cowl you need a removable passenger seat, which doesn't exist on our bikes. If you can find some tail that fits the '01+ bikes (none that I know of without heavy modification) that has a removable passenger seat, THEN you can find a cowl to use.

I've seen bikes that have banana seats with a rear seat cowl... it slips on the back of the seat and its just held down by friction between the seat and the fairing. Looks pretty cool too. Here's an example on a VTR1000

If I knew how to work fiberglass I'd make one. 

my father acually has a banana seat on his YZF600, but the track fiberglass trail turns it into a single seater and fits overtop of the seat, its kind of neat, someone who had the bike before him made it. i'll take pics one day

Quote from: joedude on April 19, 2006, 08:45:29 PM
I've seen bikes that have banana seats with a rear seat cowl... it slips on the back of the seat and its just held down by friction between the seat and the fairing. Looks pretty cool too
If I knew how to work fiberglass I'd make one. 

Those are typically bolted on, actually. For example, the one on the Ducati Monster. There are very few like that, too.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 19, 2006, 08:47:41 PM
my father acually has a banana seat on his YZF600, but the track fiberglass trail turns it into a single seater and fits overtop of the seat, its kind of neat, someone who had the bike before him made it. i'll take pics one day

There was one of those made for the old GS by someone on here (JamesG & dgyver, I think). I don't like those though, as you have to replace the tail to ride two up. It's best to have one that bolts over so you can remove easier to ride two-up.

what about a seat cowl that hinges up and doubles as a back rest for the passenger?

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 19, 2006, 08:49:51 PM

Quote from: joedude on April 19, 2006, 08:45:29 PM
I've seen bikes that have banana seats with a rear seat cowl... it slips on the back of the seat and its just held down by friction between the seat and the fairing. Looks pretty cool too
If I knew how to work fiberglass I'd make one. 

Those are typically bolted on, actually. For example, the one on the Ducati Monster. There are very few like that, too.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 19, 2006, 08:47:41 PM
my father acually has a banana seat on his YZF600, but the track fiberglass trail turns it into a single seater and fits overtop of the seat, its kind of neat, someone who had the bike before him made it. i'll take pics one day

There was one of those made for the old GS by someone on here (JamesG & dgyver, I think). I don't like those though, as you have to replace the tail to ride two up. It's best to have one that bolts over so you can remove easier to ride two-up.

Yeah - it is a pain in the ass to ride 2 up, he basicly rides 2 up with no tail faring which is pretty rare

many bikes back in the late 80's-early 90's had removable seat cowls i used a cut down (90?)gsxr cowl on my 90 model racebike
fzr 1000's gsxr's and others had these.

Quote from: budget speed demon on April 19, 2006, 08:52:38 PM
what about a seat cowl that hinges up and doubles as a back rest for the passenger?

good Idea........hmmm  I wonder though, you'd have to hide the hinge when shut and make it sturdy enough to support the passengers back.........hmmm

holy flickable zuki Gs's , bikeman.......to the bike cave......

tune in next time, same bike time, same bike channel...

as much as I hate to admit it.  this would be a real challenge to make sturdy enough to support someone pushing against it.
without other supports, the hing would take all the weight.  meaning a bigger hinge, meaning hard to hide.

It could be made with plugs that slide into the side fairng to hold it down, but that would make it a permanent mod. when you removed it you would have holes in your fairing. 

it could also be made to clip the seat, like wrap around the bottom of it. the fiberglass would flex around the seat and snap in place.

If I were to build this, I'd suggest using it as a storage place not a rear passenger support..ie...sissy bar.

Plausible though.  I may give it a shot.

I'm in the prosses of making a seat cowl that slides over the passenger part of the seat.  I started by making a mold of the area I wanted the cowl to cover. I'll use the mold to lay up the glass that will slide over the seat and lock it in place.  I'm still in the process of getting the shape and all that worked out for the raised portion of the cowl, and that's the biggest pita so far.  After I'm done with shaping the foam that's to be the raised part of the cowl,  I'll cover it with bondo and use that as a mold for the second part of the cowl.  Once That's taken care of nearly all of the hard work will be done.  It wont be as innovative as a flip up cowl that doubles as a support for passengers, but I'm pretty sure that its going to be cool enough when its all finished and painted.

Can I get a "ghey"?

I'm sorry, but that seat cowl/ backrest is a terrible idea. I suppose I can see how it would be good in theory, but in actuality it would be a big, bulky piece of crap. Like 3imo said, the hinge would have to be like 12 inches long and 6 inches wide to support someone (except you sub-150-pounders). And you'd need to create stops to hold the rest at an upright angle and not let it just open 180 degrees the other way, making an extension to your tail. And the rest would have to be tall so it didn't just poke into the passenger's middle back.

That's just me though. It sounds poor.

Dave

First:

You do not need to have a seperated/dedicated passenger seat to be able to use a cowl.  Both the Superhawk (pictured above) and the VFR are two examples of bikes with banana seats that have OEM rear cowls.  (I'm pretty sure that the later model F4i's have them as well).

Second:

Seat cowls do not always "bolt" on.  The Superhawk (VTR-1000) cowl and the VFR cowl (my roommate owns both of these bikes) have plastic tabs on the bottom that hook onto/around parts that stick out on the underside of the seat to hold them in place.  (So the cowl can't come off the bike unless the seat is removed).  The only bolt on cowl I have ever heard of was on a '97 GSXR-600 (i'm sure there are many others, though).

Last:

No manufacturer that I have heard of currently makes a cowl for a GS-500.  IMHO, the aesthetics of the GS500 tail doesn't really lend itself very well to a cowl.   The angle of the seat isn't all that acute... the passenger grab bar is kind of in the way, and you would end up with a huge raised plastic portion on the back of a bike much resembling the tail section on a Hayabusa.

Quote from: TarzanBoy on April 20, 2006, 01:08:28 PM
The only bolt on cowl I have ever heard of was on a '97 GSXR-600 (i'm sure there are many others, though).

CBRs, all modern GSX-Rs, R1/R6, Ducati Monsters, Ninja 600/636/1000, Z1000, old F4is, SV650/1000, Hayabusa, TL1000, RC51...

Yeah, lots more.

You could make one that slides in from the back and put a couple screws on the bottom.   

The Thruxton has a Bolt-Over design. http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/3351.aspx

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 20, 2006, 01:51:07 PM

Quote from: TarzanBoy on April 20, 2006, 01:08:28 PM
The only bolt on cowl I have ever heard of was on a '97 GSXR-600 (i'm sure there are many others, though).

CBRs, all modern GSX-Rs, R1/R6, Ducati Monsters, Ninja 600/636/1000, Z1000, old F4is, SV650/1000, Hayabusa, TL1000, RC51...

Yeah, lots more.

Don't all those bikes have a seperate seat for the passenger? and NOT a banana seat like ours...
In that case yes they would have a bolt on seat cowl, but I also know for a fact that the VTR1000's seat cowl simply slips on the back of the banana seat and is held down by friction only.