Vulcan 800 to Bobber wheel and seat question

[MagillaGorilla]

Hi everyone!

I have a 1996 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 with the 21" wheel up front. I want to swap it out for a 16" wire wheel.

Does anyone know if it can just be swapped out with no problems?

Also, where could I find a 16" front wheel? I've checked ebay and they seem to be rare. I've seen some for around $500.00 or more but I don't want to spend more than about $150-$200 for the wheel.

Tons of Harley stuff pops up of course. So, other question is would I be able to use another wheel from a different manufacturer so long as the axle fits?

On to the seat question... would love to see examples of solo seat conversions (bobber style) that others have done without using the blue collar bobbers kit. They have a great kit but it's way more than I want to spend at this point in time. I've been thinking of using a vintage tractor seat that's been upholstered but am looking for ideas for mounting it on the bike, or any solo seat for that matter.

Thanks everyone!

[Bob Myers]

Are you adament about keeping spokes? 500 Vulcan wheel can be fitted quite easily to the front of an 800A. There are also 500 with spokes but I am unfamiliar with what size they are.

[MagillaGorilla]

Yes I am adamant about keeping the front spokes. This is what my bike looks like now, minus the front fender and crash bar. I removed these items already. (This isn't my actual bike however. My color is grey.)




This is the look I'm going for. I'm going to keep the color of my bike grey since it's already been painted by the previous owner. Having the front wheels 16" instead of the 21" makes a huge difference in appearance since it allows you to put fat tires up front. This look was achieved by a kit from Blue Collar Bobbers in case anyone is wondering.

[mully52]

Sent you a pm may have just what you need.

[davemn]

I have the BCB seat and the sheet metal to cover the battery area. I must say its really good stuff. I bought the seat as a discontinued item from Ebay. It was pretty cheap. The sheet metal to cover the frame/battery is very high quality and in my opinion, unless you are a very good fabricator it is well worth the money. It fits perfect and really looks nice on the bike.

[furnaceguy]

Originally Posted by MagillaGorilla

Yes I am adamant about keeping the front spokes. This is what my bike looks like now, minus the front fender and crash bar. I removed these items already. (This isn't my actual bike however. My color is grey.)




This is the look I'm going for. I'm going to keep the color of my bike grey since it's already been painted by the previous owner. Having the front wheels 16" instead of the 21" makes a huge difference in appearance since it allows you to put fat tires up front. This look was achieved by a kit from Blue Collar Bobbers in case anyone is wondering.

You may have to change the front end on your bike to fit the wider tire. The blue collar bobber in your picture is an 800B which comes with a 130-90-16 front wheel and yours is the A model.

[Moto Mez]

If you find a B model front wheel all you have to do is put your bearings from your 21" in. The hub is exactly the same, just different axle between A and B models. I will post pic of seat later. Don't have any on my iPad.

[MagillaGorilla]

Thanks for all the tips! Someone contacted me about a 16" front wheel for it and I look to be buying it soon. I look forward to seeing a pic of the seat Moto Mez.

I'll post pictures as I make changes to the bike.

[Moto Mez]

My latest seat mounts have been welded on. Don't know if you have access to a welder or not.

Made the seat pan out of 16 gauge steel. Welded the rear mounts directly to the frame.




Latest one I did was make a new front mount/battery hold down.


I welded rear mounts on again.




This is what my seat used to look like. Bolted brackets to the crossbar that would reach the studs on the back of the seat.


You can use this set up to mount the front of the solo seat. just screw the mount to the top of the battery hold down.

[MagillaGorilla]

What an awesome job Moto Mez! I really like that first bike with the posts welded on the side of the frame. I do know someone who can weld. I may go that route. I'm just trying to do it without having to weld to see if I can do it.

I started taking the rear fender apart today and see where I can possibly feed two bolts through the existing seat where the plastic posts are that fit on the bracket that holds the female end for the posts.

I was planning on taking the existing original seat to an upholstery shop that my dealer uses and seeing if they can cut the seat and reupholster it. I'm just not sure how the end product would look. So, I want to see what ideas they come up with.

Thanks for posting those pics Moto Mez.