Are there different length seat rails?

[nhmaf]

For those of you who have or owned a /6 or /7 motorcycle - do you know if the chrome passenger grab rails on the seats are all the same part?   I ask, because I bought what was claimed to be a stock /7 seat on ebay, and I *think* that it is, and I also bought a grab rail from someone else on ebay who claimed that it would fit the seat, but trying to put the rail on the seat seems to result in the bolt mounting holes on either side of the seat being about 1 inch further forward than the arms of the grab rail will reach... unless somehow I am supposed to bend the rear 2 legs of the grabrail to try to make up the distance (doesn't seem right)??

Any clues?
-Mike

[badbmwbrad]

I have a long wheelbase (LWB) /5 model; referred to as 1973 1/2 model year.  Its seat rail is longer than the earlier 1973 short wheelbase (SWB) /5.

I learned this after purchasing a similar looking replacement seat rail which apparently came off an SWB model.  The rail straddled the rear part of my seat but the rail's forward ends would not reach my seat's threaded fastening holes.

I suspect you have a chromed seat rail from an SWB /5...   

[nhmaf]

Thanks, Brad.
I'm beginning to suspect the same thing, though I bought this seat rail from Duncan's beemers and I'd have thought that he would have know/recognized if it was for a shorter seat.   I've sent him an email to find out more about it.

[nhmaf]

Yup, it appears that he mistakenly sold me a seat rail for a short wheelbase /5 - it was in nice condition and I understand that they are not easy to find - but- it definitely is too short to work on a /7 seat.  So, back it goes....

[nhmaf]

YAY!   Duncan (of Duncan's Beemer's in Maynard, MA) mailed me the proper seat rail today, and it is in even nicer condition than the first one (which was for a short wheelbase /5).   They look exactly the same, except the side "arms" on the LWB /5, and /6, /7 grabrail part is about 1.25" longer, so I can see where one could make a mistake if one didn't have another seat rail to compare to.