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Seat to go with small export tank

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Does anybody have any good information regarding the seats that go with the small slimline tanks on US market Atlas', ES2s, and, (dare i say it) Manxmans etc?

Were they simply longer at the front, carrying on in front of the clip for the rubber bushes, or did they also kick up a bit at the front to clear the tank strap? Do they continue to taper, or go forward parallel? Also exactly how much longer are they?, all the bikes I have seen still have a gap between the seat nose and the tank, albeit smaller than it would be with a standard seat.

I have made a few seat bases in my time but if anybody could provide a picture it would save on trial and error, thanks.

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I posted this a couple of years ago, but never got any reply, a certain lady member would have known, but failing that can anybody else help?
Since I posted I have seen factory pics of such bikes, definitely with a longer seat.

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Hi Niall,  dont think there should be a tank strap, as we are talking slimline. I will be able to take a photo of the seat sooner or later as a contact is building a Manxman with many new orriginal   parts .

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Hi Robert,
by tank strap, I meant the rubber ring at the back, which, although I have only ever seen one, I think was originally a rubber strap with loops on each end, rather than actually an O ring, or the more usual band cut from a 4.00 inner tube .
With the small tank positioned on a standard slimline frame with the L-brackets to locate the seat, and a standard seat added, there is quite a large and very unsightly gap, not present on original factory pictures, so I would be very interested to see the underside of an original Manxman seat (especially with a measuring tape laid on it).
If I have to make a suitable base and get it covered there is great scope for artistic expression, I have a fantastic seat I had recovered by a local firm, Bootleg Bike Seats, standard except for a faux-snakeskin top, I fancy tiger stripe or leopard spot, who remembers those leopard stretchy seat covers everybody had in the 60s and early 70s?

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A friend on mine in Seattle has one of those export 1962 red ES2 singles, and his one has the correct dual seat. This is the Manxman one in red. I have the correct Manxman dual seat, in red as i am in the process of building one, and my one is a brand NOS one that has never been on a bike.  

 



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