What the... new seat cover has HOLES???

[bwringer]

Dagnabbit!

I finally received my seat cover ordered a week ago from B&H, makers of really nice new seat covers for all sorts of motorcycles. They are the only ones I could find who could supply a new seat cover for my bike, and many others here have ordered and enjoyed their products.

I ordered the cool-looking "texture" pattern, which is a basketweave style like you see on ZRX seats and others. It looks gorgeous and is obviously very well made.

Imagine my disappointment when it turns out that this stuff is PERFORATED! ^%$#$#@!! If I hold it up to a light, I can see light through the texture holes in the vinyl.

Frankly, I'm baffled as to why a material with holes in it would be ever be used for a motorcycle seat. I looked through the ordering site again, and found no mention or warnings that the texture material is perforated. Furthermore, the inside of the vinyl has thousands of sharp points, so any water barrier layer I might use would quickly get destroyed.

I live in Indiana and I frequently ride long distances. Riding and parking in the rain are inevitable, so a seat cover with holes in it is fairly useless.

I'll definitely be calling them in the morning to get a replacement made from ordinary vinyl. I'll let ya know how that goes -- they had better not mention the 30% restocking fee. I didn't change my mind or order the wrong seat cover -- they simply used a totally unsuitable material.

rRggh. So, has anyone else encountered this problem? Am I crazy? I realize that motorcycle seats aren't 100% watertight -- the sewn seams will always leak a little. But I think using this stuff is ridiculous, especially when I know that unperforated vinyls are available in this pattern.

[kalessin]

Yeah, solid-vinyl seats have holes too, just fewer of them. Along every seam and piece of piping there's a series of holes where the sewing-machine needle goes through, and worse at the junction of multiple seams. The Suzuki OEM seat covers were really nice, I just wonder how badly they leaked even when new.

When installing a new cover, take some not-too-thin-but-make-sure-it's-flexible plastic dropcloth, cut out a slightly-oversized piece (bigger than the cover 1/2 inch all around when it lays on the uncovered seat), and put the seat cover over that. Sargent includes a piece of dropcloth when they send you a seat cover. I masking-taped it in place in a couple of key spots to keep it positioned when putting the cover on.

This way when rainwater penetrates the seat cover, it doesn't get into the foam and make things nasty for a week.

If I were truly motivated, I would have used the seam-sealer for camping tents on the inside of the seams, but i just wanted to get the cover on.

[ccratin]

Hey K, since I have the same bike as you, I'm interested to know which company you bought your cover from. Have you posted pics somewhere?

[AOD]

Are you sending it back Brian? That really sucks...I wouldn't use it.

[bwringer]

Are you sending it back Brian? That really sucks...I wouldn't use it.

I've thought about it a while and corresponded with the folks in Texas who make these. All the while, this really INCREDIBLE looking seat cover is sitting here, whispering to me. I also have a nice comfy slab of Supercell foam from Sargent calling my name... getting twitchy...

The people at B&H claimed that NO ONE had ever complained about this issue before, and they go through a 40 yard roll of the patterned vinyl every few months (that's a whole bunch of seat covers). I guess no one else rides long distances in the rain on a vintage bike. (Whaddya mean that's not normal?)

The idea that they came up with is crazy enough that it might work. So I agreed to try it and report back.

What they suggested was to cover the holy parts (the seating areas are the perforated vinyl and the rest of the seat is normal vinyl) with a layer of duct tape on the inside. The goo on the duct tape should seal the holes well enough, even if the tape shifts around a bit. And the duct tape will cover the pointy bits and allow me to use a moisture barrier over the foam. I plan to use a thinner foam-backed vinyl (headliner material) over the seat foam for the moisture barrier.

I'm also going to invest in a tube of McNett's seam sealer and apply it to the holes and seams before laying in the duct tape.

So here's the plan:

1) Use a roller to blunt and squash the pointy bits on the inside of the new seat cover.

2) Apply seam sealer to all holes and seams (OCD would make this more enjoyable, or I might try brushing or dotting the sealer on. The perforations are very small.)

3) While that's drying overnight, install Supercell foam onto seat, keeping stock shape but with much improved support.

3a) Apply moisture barrier covering to foam.

3b) Apply rubber trim to metal seat edge.

4) After the sealer is dry, apply a layer of the finest duct tape I can find to the inside of the perforated areas of the seat.

5) Put it all together and report back to y'all.

I'll take pictures of the whole ordeal this weekend. Wish me luck...

[Jethro]

My Sargent cover is like that vinyl that has holes everywhere, but they aren't sharp at all, the underside is completely smooth, the top side has a little texture to it. Sargent provides a good vapor barrior too. Did you check with them? I'd be suprised to hear they didn't have a cover for your bike. You saw mine in Asheville, is the B&H similar?

[bwringer]

Sargent does not make a seat cover for my '83 GS850GD, unfortunately. There are actually quite a few models Sargent doesn't cover, but B&H seems to have patterns for just about everything.

Of course, I could have just sent the seat out along with about $300 and hoped for the best from Sargent's custom shop...naah.

[Road_Clam]

I have delt with Corbin in the past, and to their credit they mfg. excellent quality seats. I had one made for my old Kaw ZX10, and I absolutely loved it once it broke in. I have one on order for my GS1100, I am planning on a feedback post as soon as I get it. Corbin isn't the fastest company as far as turnaround. Their seats typically take 4-8 weeks to be made. (but they are made custom to your specs, hence the extended time wait)

[kalessin]

Ummm...

What's to prevent the sticky stuff from the duct tape from coming up through the holes in the seat fabric (that is, if they go all the way through). Getting sticky tape gunk on your butt would be no fun....

[kalessin]

Hey K, since I have the same bike as you, I'm interested to know which company you bought your cover from. Have you posted pics somewhere?

You can read about my seat-recovering experience (no pictures, I regret to say, but I'll try to get some soon) at the beginning of this thread:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=81385

If I could do it again, I'd probably buy the B and H specialties cover (though in solid vinyl ) and see if it fits better. However, the cover is on the seat and staying put, and I'm dealing with other little things these days, like fixing electrics, fork seals, oil leaks, etc...

[bwringer]

The deed is done. Here are a few quick pics.

The victim before seat surgery. Not bad until you look closer and see it starting to split along the heat-sealed decorative areas.


Shortly before wrestling the new cover into place. The seat foam has been re-mounted to the newly painted seat pan. The pinkish block is Sargent Supercell foam, which replaces a hunk of the original seat foam.


The results. Not that impressive, really. The duct tape intended to seal the perforated parts also keeps it from stretching, so these parts are somewhat baggy and ill-fitting, while the sides are stretched drum-tight.


The bottom line:
If you order a seat cover from B&H, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ORDER THE "TEXTURE" MATERIAL. This stuff is great-looking, but it is simply not usable for motorcycle seats.

The workmanship and looks are flawless, but they simply need to use another material. Vinyl with this look but with no perforations is readily available, so it's a mystery to me why they still use this stuff and how they can claim that they haven't received any complaints about it.

Their suggestion for using duct tape to waterproof the seat cover makes it impossible for these areas of the seat to stretch, and thus there's no way to achieve a proper fit.

If you're happy with the standard or heavy duty vinyl, by all means order from B&H -- they do great work at a reasonable price.

I'm probably going to try to return the seat cover and get one made from heavy duty vinyl. I'll let y'all know how well they stand behind their products -- I'm not thrilled that I originally asked to return it and they responded with the duct tape idea. I gave it a shot, and it doesn't work, so hopefully they'll make it right.

[jimcor]

I can't believe they'd use a holey piece of vinyl for a seat cover. Makes no sense to me, and covering the bottom with duct tape means the adhesive is exposed to dirt and moisture thru the holes and would continue to bleed thru with heat from your body and the sun. Can imagine that would be a mess.

Was at the Kwacker dealer on Saturday, wanted to see the new blue color Concours. The brand new seat on the display bike didn't look much better than your 'after pic'. Totally unacceptable. Vinyl was loose and the stiching was bad at the right hand seam. I was ashamed for big K.