This particular motorcycle has an 'S' seat, with its characteristic rear cowl and, more importantly, extra storage under it compared to the one found on the first version of the /7. I've always appreciated the styling of these, and it's interesting to note that all the twin-shock BMWs that came out from the very late 70s until the end of production (I believe in 1984) had these as standard. It is rumored that designer Hans Muth took inspiration from the svelte sports seats found on British sports bikes when he created this seat for the R90S, originally (it's worth pointing out that on the R90S, the bodywork is slightly smaller than on the /7, though this may not be so easy to spot at first). Ours is not in great shape, though I have seen much, much worse. While initially, as for many other components on this motorcycle, the idea was to leave it "as is", we decided to refurbish the seat at least partially. I truly think this motorcycle will turn out to be a worthwhile addition to the stables, so any time and effort spent on it isn't wasted in my opinion. Aside from the obvious (the foam has seen better days, the cover shows some small tears here and there), there is also some damage to the fiberglass edge of the seat, probably from it being swung open many times and banged against the subframe (which has matching dings and scratches near the hinges).
There is also something going on with the seat pan itself: the underside looks all gnarly, resembling the result of heat distortion, which obviously can't be right:
I wonder if it was damaged and repaired at some point (not the neatest repair if so, as the hinge brackets are positioned so that the seat isn't level when it's closed, and the rear cowl hits against the tail light on one side). There are some cracks visible that could be repaired with all manners of different materials (epoxy, steel, aluminum or even fiberglass patches). So, seeing that it wasn't properly positioned prompted us to remove the seat and dismantle it as we attempt a repair. Our go-to upholsterer has been consulted, and he says the foam is actually good enough to re-use, while the small tears in the cover can be repaired.
As for the seat pan, it was sand blasted to reveal a severely banged-up base and badly bent hinge-hooks.
Below, although it may look like a broken gasket, these individual aluminum strips are used to fix the seat cover in place by riveting them to the seat pan before the seat itself can be mounted to the fiberglass cowl. They are not available as spares as far as I'm aware, so care must be taken when handling these so they can be reused.
We also have a replacement foam pad that goes under the cowl, to seal the rear storage compartment:
Here you can see the seat after an initial good buff but before we realized it was going to need some extra work; you can spot a new roundel applied and the integrated luggage rack that was re-painted:
Visible in the background are an Aladdin kerosene heater, and a hand-operated pump to spray Bordeaux mixture fungicide on plants. These weigh a ton even when empty, then you have to fill them up, load them on your back, ergonomics be damned, and work your way through the fields in the heat of a Mediterranean vineyard. Tough gig.
Outsourcing jobs is something we do only when our equipment and expertise isn't sufficient. Add to that a chronic shortage of free time and the only thing we could do was hand this mess over to Marcellini, who did a good job of reshaping metal (including fabricating brand new hinge hooks) until everything lined up again:
Above: it is once again possible to leave the seat open without having to hold it open by hand. Note that this will not be possible if the right-hand luggage case is mounted, which is true of probably all twin-shock 'R' beemers.
Foam and finished product at long last:
Though not strictly part of the seat, what's under the seat is possibly the best storage compartment to be found on motorcycles of this vintage. There is ample room for the famed BMW toolkit, and a few small items if needed. A new sealing strip was applied (not an easy task!) and it is ready to go back into the frame.
Once in position, this has the added job of keeping the battery retaining strip in place, so there is absolutely no risk of the (heavy) Bosch battery going anywhere.
I have read and heard about these bikes being "built around the battery", and it's an amusing way of describing the fact that the battery is not the easiest to remove or install; in reality, as long as you remove the airbox and the inlet tracts to the carburetters, it's not that bad, and it shouldn't be something you'll need to do too often. Hopefully this old-fashioned (though brand new) lead-acid battery will have enough cold cranking amps to turn the big flat twin over reliably. I'm really not a fan of these as they require constant monitoring and maintenance, but for the time being it will have to do.
And back on the bike, at last!
It may be hard to spot, but I'd encourage you to notice the perfect continuity of the pinstriping between the seat and the tank. Tremendous.
Here's another look under the seat, where you can also find a handpump for the tires tucked into the frame. Probably very hard work but better than nothing if you're stranded:
Yes, I see it too, that cable stay has popped out of its locating hole in the mudguard, I'll put it back right away, I promise.
That giant sticker on the rear mudguard contains useful information about tire pressure and sizes.
The rear storage compartment, only available on the 'S' seat as far as I'm aware, is reserved for a first-aid kit, and there is a red arrow-shaped sticker on the side panel, pointing to it.
Unfortunately the side panel was damaged at some point (they are held to one another via a heavy gauge rubber O-ring across the frame, and these were known to fail at times, meaning a side panel could work itself loose and fall off), we'll see if it makes sense to have it repaired. We do have a new decal just in case.
