Hey everyone. I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I would like to pose a question regarding tank bibs and rear fender bibs for my 800. I found a tank bib with a pocket on Ebay that is reasonably priced, but have not been able to locate a model specific rear fender bib. Any ideas? I appreciate everyone's input...my wife needs some Christmas ideas for me.. ;)
Chilhowee Leather is the place to go! https://www.chilhowee.net/
hey...right here in Oregon! about 200 miles away.....might be worth a drive down to look before buying....thanks :)
Any rear bib that work on any other Vulcan will work... most will work with some modification of how it sticks to the rear fender. I have one from a hd on mine... with two sided tape holding it in place... been there for about 5-6 years or more.
or-seedman, I have a studded tank bib made for the 800 classic and studded rear fender bib made for the Nomad. They fit and match perfectly and IMO look great. Both are made by Kawasaki parts/ Fire and Steel. They are getting harder to find but worth the effort for factory accessory quality for your scoot.
:o I just sent the last of the tank bibs I had to the UK for a rider over there.
Quote from: OR_Seedman on November 30, 2016, 13:13:35 PM
hey...right here in Oregon! about 200 miles away.....might be worth a drive down to look before buying....thanks :)
Chilhowee is quality stuff! Good Buffalo hide with a felt backing to protect the paint. Top quality stitching and all at a reasonable price.
Quote from: pcarrell on December 01, 2016, 06:47:58 AM
Chilhowee is quality stuff! Good Buffalo hide with a felt backing to protect the paint. Top quality stitching and all at a reasonable price.
+1 I bought lots of leather stuff from them and nothing but high quality. You can customize with reasonable costs.
I have made my own tank bibs since my first HD back in the olden days. The one on my drifter is handmade right now.
since I will be going down to Northern CA on a business trip very soon, I will swing by Chilhowee and check their stuff out.....there is a non-leather one on ebay, but doesn't really look that good....
I have a 2-up Fire and Steel seat on my 800 right now, but have been unable to find the matching tank fender bibs.....
Quote from: CDNRatMan on November 30, 2016, 19:49:46 PM
:o I just sent the last of the tank bibs I had to the UK for a rider over there.
The bib looks great on the tank, with the springer seat that I fitted as well
8) Glad it worked out for you my friend.
How about some nice clear close ups of the seat mounting mods.....
Will sort it out on the week end, as it is dark when I go to work, and dark when I get home on week days.
Quote from: CARPE DIEM DRIFTER on November 30, 2016, 18:49:55 PM
or-seedman, I have a studded tank bib made for the 800 classic and studded rear fender bib made for the Nomad. They fit and match perfectly and IMO look great. Both are made by Kawasaki parts/ Fire and Steel. They are getting harder to find but worth the effort for factory accessory quality for your scoot.
I just found an NOS black studded one for my 1500 this morning. You're correct, they are getting harder to find and don't come up very often. Especially for the '99 & '00 1500.
What I done was bolted the seat to a steel plate , then used the 2 holes in the cross bar that is under the seat, and bolted it to the plate, with a bar under the cross bar as well, and yes I did cut the long bolts down.
Picked up a tank bib and a 24 inch rear fender bib from PHcustoms.com for a total of $96 with free shipping. Also got a buddy seat rail for my springer seat at JP Cycle for $83 brand new. Mounted it to the seat with 4 exploding-type wide flange rivets and viola! the last picture is before the rail and bibs....makes a big difference in appearance....and sorry for the messy garage background....I am moving out my Paramount Universal gym in my 3rd garage bay this winter to make room for my bike and shop tools..... ;)
Looks awesome! What a difference from the before look.
Those stuff really compliments your bike!
Well done...
Dam that looks very smart :),
thanks....the only things I have left to do are the front fender Indian Head light and I am having a custom rack made that mounts to the top bolts on each side of the saddelbag mounts and spans the rear fender with enough room for the fender to float. It is being formed for the chrome rack I used to have on the rear....should be done soon and then I can get it mounted up and see how it works.....pics will be posted when done...
It's coming together well and looks fantastic
The seat looks great...nice job!
the seat wasn't as hard as I thought it would be....I added the fringe by using self-adhesive velcro and pulled the longest fringe off of the Fire&Steel 2 up seat that I have.....it's a couple of inches short in length on each side...but it works for now. I am trying to find some longer (about 40 inches end to end) black leather fringe for a REASONABLE price, but DAMN! that stuff is expensive!!
I am amazed at how strong the exploding rivets are...and you don't need a back plate (washer) like with regular rivets....I have put some real force on the rail to see if it works loose, but is hasn't yet....should be fine with normal riding....
suppose to snow here today..I have NEVER looked more forward to spring than I am right now!!! if my work didn't require me to live here, I would move somewhere that I could ride year-round....can I get an AMEN?
LOL
Seedman - That seat and seat rail combo really looks great.....nice job.
thank you...I appreciate all the positive comments..I have more fun tinkering on that ride than I ever thought I would.....my wife thinks I am nucking futz...but at least I don't hit the bar every afternoon instead....LOL