Seat dye with the right sheen for GS1100E?

[oldGSfan]

I've got a unicorn GS1100E seat, not split. I don't think I've ever seen one in the wild. Unfortunately it has silver paint spots on it and I don't see any way these will come out.

I'm thinking of spray dye, having used Mar Hyde a long time ago with great results on an entire interior, cough cough. It was actually pretty amazing stuff. The thing is I'd like to capture the original level of sheen if possible. VHT makes a satin, others make a flat. Has anyone done this to good effect on a MC seat and what did you use?

[oldGSfan]

Figured I'd try Goof Off, used a brush and wiped off quickly, took the paint off well. It's a bit more faded than the strap which is off my other seat as the metal fastening tabs and stitching are better.

[grcamna2]

That turned-out well,no more paint spots.

[Grimly]

Not a bad result, at all.
In fact, you can't see the clenching marks of the PO when he gave it max beans.

[oldGSfan]

Haha, yes, PO clench marks, yeah that's it...

Not a bad result, at all.
In fact, you can't see the clenching marks of the PO when he gave it max beans.

[Nessism]

Glad you got this sorted. I was cringing over the dye idea.

[rphillips]

Dang, that old "82" champagne color, gold wheels, shorter turn signals?? You got any complete pictures of it? That thing looks really nice. Now to get the new one looking like that. Good luck

[oldGSfan]

Sure here you go. Wheels are EPMs.

Dang, that old "82" champagne color, gold wheels, shorter turn signals?? You got any complete pictures of it? That thing looks really nice. Now to get the new one looking like that. Good luck

[oldGSfan]

Yeah I get it but I used the Mar Hyde stuff on a car ('71 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe) years ago due to discolorations that just wouldn't come out of the cheap thin vinyl, especially the headliner, and won most original of the Fiats at the Best of France and Italy show in Woodley Park in Van Nuys one year. I suppose if it were a German car show they would have been examining the threads and taking chemical samples

It lasted years and never transferred from the seats. I was stunned how well it worked, at least the Mar Hyde stuff I used, but I'm sure I inhaled a lot of carcinogens in the process and as it gassed out though.

Glad you got this sorted. I was cringing over the dye idea.

[rphillips]

That is really nice, I love the way it looks so close to orig while being so far from orig. Scale of 1 to 10, I'll give you a 26. Congrats, & thanks for the picture.

[oldGSfan]

Thank you. It was a race bike from day 1, Bonneville and El Mirage. I have a bunch of old paraphernalia on it. There's a thread here with some more pics

That is really nice, I love the way it looks so close to orig while being so far from orig. Scale of 1 to 10, I'll give you a 26. Congrats, & thanks for the picture.

[rphillips]

Where's the thread, how do I find it?

[Rob S.]

It looks pretty stock to me. If you don't count that detour in the exhaust.

[rphillips]

Yep, looks pretty much stock except for red plug wires & exhaust. Back in the day, I had a Kawa. KZ1300 with one of those detoured exhausts on it, knowing how that 700 lb. locomotive ran, it's hard to imagine how it would feel on this 500 lb. GS 1100. Hoping to find the thread he's mentioned.

[Rob S.]

Look for that thread, shouldn't be too hard to find using oldGSfan's screen name as it is fairly recent. You will not be disappointed. That 11E has a distinguished provenance, including photos of it's record breaking runs at Bonneville in 1982.