Africa Twin Seat Modification

We decided to do our trip on a 2001 Honda Africa Twin, which came with a Touratech after market seat.  After a trip to Brighton Speed Trials it was obvious that the seat was too short but more importantly very uncomfortable.  Dee had a ‘numb bum’ by the time we got to Woodbridge!  So I thought I would write a bit about what we did to overcome it. 

We were given the name of a local upholsterer near Bury St Edmunds who also covered bike seats so I took the seat to him.  One issue was that the pillion section sloped so I asked if extra foam could be added in a wedge shape to make the rear part stepped and flatter so hopefully more comfortable.  Unfortunately although more foam was added, it wasn’t wedged so the step was still sloped and was no better.  The seat cover was originally riveted to the fibre glass base but was returned with the cover glued in place so modification was now more difficult!

We did some research on seat manufacturers and found a company called P&P Seating Ltd in Birmingham.  After a few e-mails with photos and sketches we decided that they could re-mould the seat.  Rather than use upholstery foam, they produce their own moulds and sculpture them to fit different seat bases.

So, I decided to remove the cover (very hard to get the cover off in good enough condition to sell separately but I managed it) and extend it.  I made up a template from cardboard and cut it to a shape that could be riveted to the underside of the seat base and fit when fitted to the bike.  The extended part will rest on part of the rack support.  I then made the real part from stainless steel and after lots of bending/bashing made it fit.  This was then riveted in place with mastic in between to take up any gaps.

Unfortunately, after moving the clasp on the underneath of the seat to centralise it better on the bike, the threaded inserts that were fitted into the seat when it was made came loose!  I couldn’t repair them properly so had to remove them leaving two holes.  I then made a cardboard template for new plates that fitted either side (inside and outside) that would clamp together.  This is hard to describe but the finished job was a much stronger seat clasp.

We took the extended seat to P&P and discussed what we wanted with them.  We also saw many seats that they had made and saw one design that we particularly liked that could be fitted to our seat.  We were also able to choose the material, which could be embossed if we wanted.  P&P then sent some e-mails showing photos of the rough mould fitted to our seat.

We tweaked the length of the rider and pillion seating areas until we were satisfied.  P&P then carried on to finish the moulding and then cover it for us.

The seat was returned and a very good job they made of it.  The whole modification from P&P cost approx. £180.00.  We could have added gel pads at an extra cost but decided against this.

The modified seat now had to be re-fitted to the bike.  Because I modified the seat clasp it fitted slightly higher than before so I needed to check the rubber buffers underneath supported the seat on the frame when fitted.  I also had to add some buffers at the back to make sure the extension was supported.  Once this was done it fitted very well.

Now for the real test, after all this would it be any better?  Dee has more room and her area was stepped so she was sitting on a flat seat rather than a sloping one.  We only had to sit on the bike to feel the difference.  We went for a spin and it felt very comfortable with more space on the back.  It will take a longer trip to see how far we can go between stops.  Next up is the suspension and a trial run fully loaded.