GS seat re-covering

[Lorenzo]

#### Well, that was the state of the seat cover, pretty much in tatters and gone dry as a bone;








#### this was the solution, or was it...?

#### first problem. looking from behind, was the lack of the little hem, where the grappling material, in my case, plain simple steel wire, would be wound in;

#### So, the cover was supposed to be employed in a nylon saddle bucket, kept together by means of a staple gun;

How to tackle the issue, short of sending the item back...?
enters "the Ma" !!

#### Some measurements where necessary, in order to adapt the cover to the steel GS bucket;
a strip of vinyl had to be sourced and profiled according to the cardboard outline

#### The necessary fine trimming...

#### Finally fed to the sewing machine



[end of part one]

 

[Lorenzo]

#### Meanwhile, dressing the edge of the bucket, with rubber edging;
the hole for the metal stud and the little barb, where the vinyl is going to get pegged, are visible;

#### Detail of the piping work;

#### Installing the steel wire into the hem;

#### Heating up the cover prior to install;

#### Working the vinyl around the foam; the edge of the cover, is hooked in triangular spikes, sheared from the bucket side, C clamps are squeezed over, to clasp the steel-wire-backed piping; round studs, are applied to distribute the strain on the vinyl;

#### The seal of approval

#### The outcome of the "team" effort...

Not bad for a first try, I would say, also, let me point, all this would have not been possible, without the knowledge and expertise of "the Ma"!

 

[Gorminrider]

Wonderful! she's a treasure!

(true about the wire-I guess it controls any "gathering" or wrinkles from attachment points on steel seats..? )

 

[jsandidge]

Fantastic job! I've got a new cover still in the box. Does "The Ma" make house calls?

 

[Steve]

You KNOW she deserves a ride now, don't you? :-k

It may not be as impossible as you think. I took my mother for her first ride ever just a few days before her 85th birthday.

.

 

[Guest]

ha,ha,ha,ha,ha......sweat shop for bike seats!! when can I send mine over???

 

[Grimly]

Excellent job, and good point about the rubber or vinyl edging on the rim of the pan - I don't recall seeing that on the originals and I've had more than one cover start to tear on the edge. The edging may prevent that, or at least prolong the life of that section until the rest of it is a lot older and falls apart anyway.
I'm going to use edging on my next re-covering.

 

[Lorenzo]

Yes, that's right.
Keep also in mind that, the cover you are going to purchase, might be like the one I got;
So, no hem for the retaining material, which you will be expected to manufacture yourself, unless you got a nylon bucket.

 

[GSXR7ED]

Beautiful work! Thanks Ma!!!

The seat looks like my "T's". Nicely done!!!


Ed

 

[Guest]

I wasn't anal about my cover looking like factory, so I just took it to an upholsterer. Couldn't beat the $110 price, either.

 

[1978GS750E]

Where did you buy the original cover? I need one, and want to make sure I DO NOT get one that needs that much work if there are better options out there! Plus, my sewing skills leave much to be desired!

Anyone know where an original design replacement cover that will fit correctly can be purchased?

 

[Lorenzo]

I bought it over the bay, in UK; price was fair and shipping reasonably fast;
just search for old-school covers before closing, ask for a pic of the bottom.

I think is not fair to expect from a layman, to realize in advance, the work to be undertaken nor I think them made it stand out...
But, you leave and learn...

I might stand correctet but, I do not think you will ever find a drop-in replacement for your bike. Why?
suppose either you or the PO skimmed the foam or it just lost the original aplomb, then your newly purchased cover, would surely, look "distressed" and just fall off the hooks, making it difficult for them, to define what's standard for a given model.

It's more a case, of them, aiming their products, at upholsterers or people in the trade somehow.

Just my two stitches...

 

[Lorenzo]

You KNOW she deserves a ride now, don't you? :-k

It may not be as impossible as you think. I took my mother for her first ride ever just a few days before her 85th birthday.

.

You know Steve, the more I look at this picture, the more I see the love of a Ma for her son..

 

[ddaniels]

The Ma needs to go into business for herself. Well done!

 

[Lorenzo]

She says thanks to all of you and to the ones which will post hereafter!

May I ask who is in the condition to do so, details of the trim which goes along the lower part of the seat, i.e. height, thickness, fastening method and material is made of?

Thanks

This

Peter Wood ​

february 2015 B.O.T.M.

 

[fastbysuzuki]

hi the picture you show is of my bike the material is plastic, the fastening was via plastic lugs moulded in the strip and the pressed into
holes in the seat base over the years they broke so I glued screws onto the strip so they picked up with the holes in the base and put nuts on the back, the overhaul thickness is 6 mm at one point but the rear is not uniform as it is a moulding if you are going to make one from flat plastic then 4-5mm should be ample. The red centre is around 1mm recessed and the edges on either side are chromed.
CMSL has them for a price I assume they are not coloured and are €38 each viewing the link you can see how they were fastened
http://www.cmsnl.com/suzuki-gs850g-...-e39_model13500/partslist/FIG-56.html#results
Click on 8 or 9
if you need any more information let me know.

 

[Lorenzo]

Brill thanks!!
If I can find a not too demanding way of giving a chrome finish to ABS I might give it a try.

Very nice bike.

 

[jsandidge]

#### Meanwhile, dressing the edge of the bucket, with rubber edging;
the hole for the metal stud and the little barb, where the vinyl is going to get pegged, are visible;

Where did you find the rubber edging? I'm trying to do mine now.

 

[bonanzadave]

This is the coolest tutorial I have ever read/seen on this site. Kudos to you and Ma !!

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Looks great!