Seat covers

[rphillips]

Where's the best place to get a new seat cover for an "83" GS1100 E? I want the orig. design, but if it's not the orig. olive/grey color doesn't really matter. I always thought black would look better anyway.

[Mysuzyq]

Check out Motorcycle Seatcovers by B & H specialties if you want to approximate the stock OEM look. AFAIK, all colour schemes in 82/83 1100E had a black seat from the factory.

http://www.motorcycleseatcovers.com/order-model.asp?Year=1983&Make=SUZUKI

Tony.

[67fire]

I got a Travelcade Seat Cover over 5 years ago, still looks new! On source:

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/seat_covers.htm

Eric

[rphillips]

Yours may have been black, but if it was, I don't think it was a factory cover. The "80" & "81" models were black, but if I remember right the "82" & "83" models both were kind of greyish green. If you looked at the bike out by itself, the color wouldn't jump out at you, it appeared to be black, but if it were sitting next to another bike, with a black seat, you would notice a big difference. Thanks for the tips.

[GS1100ez]

my 82 one is black

im not the original owner
but it looks like its 27 years old

[rphillips]

I'm confused again, I distinctly remember us guys & the local dealer talking about this back in the day, when the bikes were still in the showroom. Thought Suzuki was nuts using that old off black color for the seats. They kind of looked dirty all the time. I don't remember any other models being that color. Like I said, the bike out by itself, the seat will look black, but in the showroom, beside other bikes with black seats, it really showed up. I've always thought the seat on my "83" 1100e is the orig. cause it is this off black color. kind of a dark dark oilve/gray.

[Mysuzyq]

Hmmm, can't say I've seen the off-black seats you speak of? My bike still has the factory stock seat, which has never been re-covered.

The only 1100 I know of that came with a non-black stock seat was the Katana. Can you post a pic of your bike, or the seat?

Tony.

[GS1100ez]

Hmmm, can't say I've seen the off-black seats you speak of? My bike still has the factory stock seat, which has never been re-covered.
Tony.

thats what my seat looks like

[rphillips]

Hey, mysuziq's in your pics, your seat doesn't look at all as black as the rear tire or rear fender, or am I seeing things. Let me look again.

[Mysuzyq]

Hey, mysuziq's in your pics, your seat doesn't look at all as black as the rear tire or rear fender, or am I seeing things. Let me look again.

I went out today, and inspected the seat, both with natural light and a very bright flashlight held 1" from the surface. I think I know where you're coming from.....the material is not jet black under a bright light (though I would still call it black, as opposed to olive etc.).
The B&H seat cover link I posted earlier, offers stock-ish covers in a mind-bending variety of shades, so they may be able to do a cover that is close to the original, but I'd just go with jet black, myself. I had decided to try one of their covers if/when my seat split, inevitably, along that front seam, but now I'm leaning toward the Sargeant item, after seeing Mr. Whelan's sharp seat cover.

Tony.

[rphillips]

Your explination is much better than mine. You're right, not JET BLACK, as most bike seats are, but still black. Most seats would be as black as the tire or rear fender in your pics. How do you keep that eng. looking so new???? Both yours & GS1100ez's look great

[Mysuzyq]

Simple Green is the shizzle!

How do you keep that eng. looking so new???? Both yours & GS1100ez's look great

I bought this bike in 2002 with only 14 (fourteen) miles on it, so in a sense, it is somewhat new (although I'm a blond one away from hitting 25,000 miles today, with many mods along the way).
Apart from hosing the engine down at the car wash, once/year before putting the bike away for winter, I don't do anything special . I used Gunk for this in the past, but finally tried some Simple Green last week, to clean up before opening the valve cover to check/adjust the valves. Gunk works well enough, since the engine doesn't have any significant leaks (I'm using the Real gasket, with no issues), but diluted Simple Green and a 2" paint brush work really well, without the petroleum smell (probably a bit more gentle than Gunk, on the engine paint.) I avoid using the 'high pressure' trigger on the car wash hose around the engine, but use it to clean under the fenders etc.



Tony.