Seat for 1974 ty250

[SlowDave]

Recently I purchased a beater ty250 and I am looking for a seat.  They appear to be unavailable so I guess I am going to have to have one made.  Have any of you done this?  Any recommendations as to who can make it?  I do have the fiberglass base but no seat.  I have made my own seat pans in the past but I would rater not reinvent the wheel if there is a supplier out there.  I am located in the US.  Thanks

[Trials-dabbler]

Is it like this?

ebay.com/itm/365822976402?_skw=1974+Yamaha+TY250&itmmeta=01KPV5YX13M48FFR2BAG0ZVDFH&hash=item552cbfa192%3Ag%3ATYAAAeSwHcRorLmO&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA0DKQclQvzFwZQpmMrsO4LurGqnycjbd5VkwylZMszIT7wKNntaYRkyc%2FYW8%2BcCnFT7EcmHMszpbwyKBSBChJZICvqQBQh9nSxjEaS7YQFEroUjCgoYMax4z4eKyNTaBA4K%2FRcHticXdmDZmB3iWm%2BfBE5MzgZWWAbKzVmPH0a%2FmCIvXOsBKUmgm5OKS3VeoDvFAyiS94z3rQIelBzQFVpj4uTEeglymppCI9RADj5faRJCqGn4zN%2FejPVOWkTjSUBrAtjm8RhhJL4HVUlaC3mPU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-jQ--W2Zw&fits=Year%3A1974%7CMake%3AYamaha%7CModel%3ATY250

[RonH]

You can get reproduction seat covers for cheap and all you have to do is replace the foam.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/152173175811?_skw=Yamaha+TY250&itmmeta=01KPVB8X7K75DWFQGXEMP05ASF&hash=item236e3a6403:g:m4UAAOSwxWxg~5Mx&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA8DKQclQvzFwZQpmMrsO4LurgsYX0OYtwnOHG1FqA1%2F4kKnkmO1Tf1vVMAj8S58n4mC%2BLYnlfInRqXIScPwtyzkobh23jam4E7Q9g2reOSh52rFIaNN4L0M9qqSfHPPaW4PSPqfenXRfb2Viv0owk1jo04zzjMlCGznp54xmySvlN4lXY%2BBlFCwrt9aEl1ky0oFIORYTYoP7KkHCURS5NmD%2FvEPsuFzic575YGiyrrX4VpKejiPf4A8dt5HADBGxFVo8pnWJt4rsvnQTq4lAzQPHqi%2FVzqGrbzzJi7qdb7bXYpPBWn%2BbHe%2BztGNRCHkB4sw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMyNSj67Zn

Edited April 22 by RonH

[SlowDave]

Thank you both.  I looked at the eBay item and it was in bad shape.  There is substantial damage to the fiberglass and the actual seat is in very poor condition.  I have seen the covers and I may have to go that route if I can’t find something better.

[guy53]

Did you buy a 434 or a newer model ? I always take the heavy fiberglass '' pan '' and replace it with a minimal seat. you should be able to find a lot of exemple on the net.

Guy

[mr neutron]

SlowDave,

I recently bought '74 TY250 which probably has a top candidate for "Ugliest Seat In The World" type of seat. Has a home made seat base of plywood on the flat portion, and some sorta plastic for the part that molds/curves over the rear fender/seat pan  hump at the back of the seat.

I'm kinda fortunate in that my bike's yellow fiberglass seat pan is actually in decent shape, but with some very funky mounts from the seat pan to the upper/inner rear shock mount. These will reqire some mild "engineering" and fab work, as decent used parts are tough to come by, as you know. I have had no luck finding very many parts here locally in the NW part of Oregon. One Vintage parts dealer in Portland tells me the fiberglass pan and the seat are among the first thing he sells when he gets a TY in........

I don't know how YOU plan to use a rear seat on YOUR bike, regarding whether you mostly stand while riding, or plan on sitting a lot while, say, trail riding. That would probably determine just how good of a seat you'll need. Mine will be a minimalist type of seat, since 1), I mostly stand while riding anyway, and 2), my last modern trials bike had no seat, so that's what I'm used to......... 

I've decided to make my own seat base from sheet thermoplastic. I'm still in the "Research Phase" of this, but it seems "doable". I watched a youtube video of a guy that did this for a road bike, which was helpful.

Our seats have what is a fairly simple base. Mostly flat, with an angled portion that molds over part of the seat pan. Heat a sheet of thermoplastic cut just slightly larger than what is needed in an oven at 325-350 degrees, and place it on the fiberglass pan to form to the seat's base. Wear gloves for this. If any parts of the thermoplastic cool too quickly to form correctly, a heat gun will give enough heat to form as needed. It will need to be trimmed a bit after it's formed and cooled. A bandsaw will be helpful for that, but a handheld jigsaw will work also. This stuff can be heated, formed and cooled, and reheated several times. A fairly understanding wife may be necessary to heat plastic in the oven, so  the heat gun might be the best way to do the whole enchilada. I've heated and formed a part for the airbox on my pukey little '92 Suzuki DR200 (needed this after a carb swap), and made several holsters for my handguns with this stuff. This plastic can be cut, drilled, sanded, and etc.. It's not too hard to work with.

I've found seat material/fabric at Guts Racing and Parts Unlimited (some fabric called "Texhide", which I know nothing about, but is cheaper than what's available at Guts Racing......  ) for the cover itself. I still need to find some suitable foam. Assembly will, hopefully, consist of stretching the seat fabric over the foam, folding it under the base, and stapling it similar to how other dirt bike's seats get re-covered.

Anyway, that's my plan for my bike's seat, for now. I should have some time to start on it in a few weeks, and hopefully will be able to report on any progress I may have made on the deal, if anyone is interested. Wish we didn't have to jump through these kinda hoops for parts for our bikes, but that's part of the charm, I'm told.......  Hope this might help some, or at least give some ideas and options!

Jimmie

Added in EDIT: A link to the video of making a seat base I mentioned above:

 

Edited 4 hours ago by mr neutron
Added a link to a video.......

[SlowDave]

Thank you. I have been thinking along the same lines. I was able to locate the fiberglass base and with a little cosmetic work it should be fine. I am toying with the idea of heat forming the seat pan out of a white plastic cutting board. I think it would hold the staples for the cover well. I have been sidetracked a bit working on my road bike, a vintage BMW.