Solo Seat Question

[dwhendri]

I want to put a solo seat on my '48 Chief, but I have a few questions:

What was most common leather color on post war Chiefs, Black or Tan? Did the new seats on factory delivered bikes come with fringe and/or skirts - or were those aftermarket items?
I know the seat pans on Buddy seats and Chum-mee seats are slightly different, but what about the solo pans/mounts?

Reason being is I see a heck of a lot more HD solo seats on eBay than Indian (unfortunately).

Thanks,
Dave

[Chris Haynes]

Michael,
Are ya gonna give this man the 411?

[chiefj48]

Originally Posted by dwhendri

I want to put a solo seat on my '48 Chief, but I have a few questions:

What was most common leather color on post war Chiefs, Black or Tan? Did the new seats on factory delivered bikes come with fringe and/or skirts - or were those aftermarket items?
I know the seat pans on Buddy seats and Chum-mee seats are slightly different, but what about the solo pans/mounts?

Reason being is I see a heck of a lot more HD solo seats on eBay than Indian (unfortunately).

Thanks,
Dave

hey dave,

post war chiefs had tan solo seats, with NO fringe or skirts. anything else was added at dealerships.

[dwhendri]

OK, tan it is - thanks.
Any differences between HD and Indian solo pans?

Dave

[Chris Haynes]

Originally Posted by dwhendri

OK, tan it is - thanks.
Any differences between HD and Indian solo pans?

Dave

Yes.......

[worshamcastle]

There is quite a bit of difference in H-D and Indian solo seat pans. Indian solos were made by Mesinger, but I do not have a pic that I can post. Look on eBay and you usually can find one. They were tan and as posted did not have any skirts or fringe contrary to what you will see at the AMCA meets. The Chummee came in black and did have a patterned plastic binding ( the strip that is rivited to the pan) and fringe skirt. If you look at the reinforcing ribs on the bottom of the pan H-D buddies are curved while the Chummee pan's are " straight as an arrow". The pommel bracket is a bit different as well between the two but an H-D pan can be made to work on a Chief.---Michael

[chiefj48]

the biggest difference is the distance between the two rear studs. the harley pan has a greater space between them, whereas the indian studs are closer together. alot of guys would put harley seats on their indians, but would need to put a piece of flat stock to get them to work. they would bolt the flat stock to the tee, and drill holes to match the harley studs. some would put a twist on the ends to make the seat sit a little higher....

[Chris Haynes]

Michael was too modest to tell you that he is the premier seat restoration man in the world. Visit his website at Worsham Castle

[dwhendri]

Thank you all for your valuable input. As anyone looking for a solo seat (on eBay, Craigslist, or similar) can tell you, most of the sellers don't seem to know what they have - because they advertise the seats as fitting HD, Indian, or even (shudder) Drifter. Pretty frustrating if you're looking for a specific seat pan.

Thanks again, I appreciate your collective knowledge.

Dave
'48 Indian Chief

[worshamcastle]

Dave--I have sent you a PM --