I know, I know . . . another seat question. (2-up with bags to solo seat)

[choppe3]

With a lot of frustration I got my 2 up corbin mounted.  I ended up needing to:
-Grind down the mount washer
-Grind a little bit of the seat cross bar down.
- put ~1/4 inch rubber spacer on the front rubber bumpers.

and the KEY
use washers to tip the small brackets forward to get them to reach the frame!

[Troll]

I'm thinking it's the injected model...starting in like '02 or so...two piece seat....

[Reveen]

Front half of the Nomad two piece seat is exactly the same pan as the Drifter solo. A nice cover or some custom work on it, and you have a Drifter solo for A LOT LESS MONEY!

Thanks Troll, I'm thinking of picking one up off of Ebay. Is there a certain range years of Nomad seats that will fit?

[Troll]

Front half of the Nomad two piece seat is exactly the same pan as the Drifter solo. A nice cover or some custom work on it, and you have a Drifter solo for A LOT LESS MONEY!

[rabbi]

If there is anything sticking out past the inside of the struts, they will gouge the fender! Threads, nuts, bolt heads, anything, it is close!   Hard to find a oem drifter solo seat. I too, hate the 2 up corbin! Rabbi

[Bucko]

I personally find taking the bag struts off a royal pain - not because of the struts but because I have a rear (Fire and Steel) carrier and the holes for attaching the  rack to the bag struts are not 'square' and it takes a certain amount of massaging to bend the rack into submission so that the holes line up.  Have the same problem with my Fire and Steel solo seat rail.  Terrible quality control (like the looks those accessories provide though  ).

[Reveen]

I'm thinking of making another set of the brackets so I can easily switch between the two seats.  Once I actually get my two-up mounted.  If I do, I'll make a quick CAD model so you can take it anywhere.  They are REALLY simple.

That would be awesome!

[moosewing3]

look forward to seeing the CAD model

[choppe3]

I'm thinking of making another set of the brackets so I can easily switch between the two seats.  Once I actually get my two-up mounted.  If I do, I'll make a quick CAD model so you can take it anywhere.  They are REALLY simple.

[Reveen]

Any halfway decent metal shop could fab those brackets in no time.

Matter of fact, I'd take those spec's over to your new bike shop and see if they can help!  This is one of those jobs I was talking about that has a high profit margin for them because the materials are dirt cheap and most of it is labor.  For a few bucks you all can hang out a bit more and you'll walk away with your brackets!

That is a great idea! I'm going to bring the specs in to them when I take my bike in and see what they can do. Thanks!
Here is a quick shot I took today from the top of the parking ramp where I work.

[pcarrell]

Any halfway decent metal shop could fab those brackets in no time.

Matter of fact, I'd take those spec's over to your new bike shop and see if they can help!  This is one of those jobs I was talking about that has a high profit margin for them because the materials are dirt cheap and most of it is labor.  For a few bucks you all can hang out a bit more and you'll walk away with your brackets!

[Reveen]

You can make the seat brackets if you need them.  You can follow this link ( http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=484&cat=52 ) or you can just cut them from some angle steel, like old bed frame rails.

You can also see the differences under the seat between the solo and 2up setups here, including the saddle bag rails: http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/oemsbsetup.html

Went and got my bike to day from my friend's garage . . . threw some Seafoam in her (could tell a noticeable difference after just 5-10 minutes of riding!) and got some dirt off of her. I took my seat off, and sure enough, I'm missing the brackets. I don't have the tools or the knowledge to make any, so I will try and track down an existing seat on Ebay with the brackets included or maybe one of you guys wouldn't mind making some for me in exchange for some cash!
Also, showed my bike to a work friend of mine who has a 2003 Kawasaki Mean Streak . . . lets just say he seemed a little jealous!  He said not only did my bike sound better and look better than his, it felt better to him when he sat on it. He almost purchased a sport bike but went with the meanie instead, so he is a little more into the muscle/performance bikes than I am. He loved the Drifter though!

[pcarrell]

You can make the seat brackets if you need them.  You can follow this link ( http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=484&cat=52 ) or you can just cut them from some angle steel, like old bed frame rails.

You can also see the differences under the seat between the solo and 2up setups here, including the saddle bag rails: http://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/oemsbsetup.html

[Reveen]

mines got little gouges and nicks too when I switched. I think they're from fender travelling up and hitting bottom of the seat. Happens when riding two up without proper shock adjustment.

Do you think its repairable with some fiberglass filler, sanding, and a new paint job? I'm considering getting it done at some point.

I think, Rev, that I've seen on the forum, that these brackets are easy to make if you don't have them.  I could be thinking of something else, but I was thinking it was these little triangle brackets.

I think that is what everyone is talking about as well. I saw a thread where folks talked about buying Nomad seats on ebay just for the brackets (and then re-selling the seat). I might end up going this route as I even have trouble fabricating a paper plane!

[greenbarn]

I think, Rev, that I've seen on the forum, that these brackets are easy to make if you don't have them.  I could be thinking of something else, but I was thinking it was these little triangle brackets.

[moosewing3]

mines got little gouges and nicks too when I switched. I think they're from fender travelling up and hitting bottom of the seat. Happens when riding two up without proper shock adjustment.

[Troll]

there should be a bracket on each side of the seat, just behind the top of the shock. It's secured to the bike with a single 6mm bolt. There are two studs in the seat with shake proof nuts that hold the brackets to the seat, itself. There should be a single 6mm stud in the back/center of the seat that attaches the seat to a flange on the horseshoe. Happy hunting...

[Reveen]

Pretty easy to do. I love the modular design of the bike. You need to remove the (looks like a F&S "Corbin") seat and, if it has them, transfer the two triangular brackets to the solo...Then remove the horseshoe...4 bolts. They are the same 4 bolts that hold the saddle bag rails on, so unless you have some help, I'd take the bags off the rails first...There are 2 aluminum spacers between the rails and the frame, so you can either leave the brackets off completely, or put the bags and rails back on...If you don't have the spacers, ten some 10mm flat washers can be used to make up the difference.

Awesome. Thanks for the help Troll, I appreciate it!

I'm not sure if I have the triangular brackets or not. I've only taken the seat off once, and didn't pay too much attention to the bracket situation below. All I had to do was loosen a large nut underneath the seat and slide the seat off of the bike. Does this mean I don't have the triangular brackets? Due to crappy SD weather (snow yesterday!), my bike is sitting in my friend's garage across town until we close on our house (living in an apt without a garage for another month). I've heard that these triangular brackets can be extremely hard to track down. Hopefully my seat has them. Then all I have to do is track down a solo seat that will fit!

I also am a newbie to Drifters and swapped mine out for the solo last week. Took 10 minutes once these guys told me about the angle bracket transfer. Same amount of time to switch back.

Good to know, moosewing3. I'm very technically illiterate, so even a small job like removing the windshield and adding risers probably took 3x as long as it would for anyone else! I definately don't mind switching seats/saddlebags depending on if my wife is coming with . . . I just love the look of the solo seat with no bags.
I did notice the other day that my rear fender has two 1/2 inch gouges in the plastic fender from something . . . kinda bummed about that. I'm assuming it was from someone putting on a seat without the proper brackets?

[moosewing3]

I also am a newbie to Drifters and swapped mine out for the solo last week. Took 10 minutes once these guys told me about the angle bracket transfer. Same amount of time to switch back.

[Troll]

Pretty easy to do. I love the modular design of the bike. You need to remove the (looks like a F&S "Corbin") seat and, if it has them, transfer the two triangular brackets to the solo...Then remove the horseshoe...4 bolts. They are the same 4 bolts that hold the saddle bag rails on, so unless you have some help, I'd take the bags off the rails first...There are 2 aluminum spacers between the rails and the frame, so you can either leave the brackets off completely, or put the bags and rails back on...If you don't have the spacers, ten some 10mm flat washers can be used to make up the difference. 

[Reveen]

So I have this seat . . . Not 100% sure what brand/model it is, as I can't find it for sale online. I'm interested in buying a solo seat to use when it is just me riding without my wife, as I love the clean look of the Drifter without this massive 2-up seat and saddlebags. How much of a pain in the ass is it to take off the saddlebag mounts and 2-up seat, and switch to the solo seat? Is it something I could do in 10 min or so whenever my wife wanted to go for a ride with me? Is there any extra hardware that I will need to find to be able to put a solo seat on?

Sorry for all the questions . . . I'm still trying to get acquainted with motorcycle parts/accessories in general.

This is probably my one and only gripe with the Drifter . . . the lack of seat compatibility/options. I don't like that my 2-up seat and saddlebags are hiding that beautiful back fender all the time!