Pit Replica seat cover for GS850GD 1983

[davegs850]

I wanted to get a new seat cover that as closely matched the original as possible. I even e-mailed TC from Pit Replica and told him I had a 1983 GS850GD and he sent me a link of what cover to buy. I got the cover today and it does not look like my original. I am confused on where I went wrong. I googled images of the 1983 gs850g and my seat looks like most of them,yet I did see a pic of one that had a cover like they sent me but it did say Australia in the description. Was there a different seat for Australia?? I realize this would be easier with pics but my skills are lacking. Hoping an 850 guru will help me out.

[eil]

I'm afraid there may not be much in the way of advice unless someone can see some pics of what you're working with.

The easiest possible way to get pics up here is to upload them to imgur.com (no account required) in another browser window and then literally drag and drop the image into the same text box you type your reply into. What you get is something like this:

[davegs850]

Thanks Eil I will work on learning to download pics on Sunday. The one they sent me is like the one with the orange helmet on it at www.suzukicycles.org if that helps in the mean time. You must then search 1983 gs850g sales brochure you will see the one from Australia has a different seat then the brochure from the USA.

[Steve]

It's hard to see the seat in that picture.



.

[davegs850]

This is the one from the Australian brochure and this is the cover they sent me.


This is what my seat looks like.

Steve, I believe the picture you posted is of a 1982.

[bwringer]

That's pretty much what an original US '83 GS850GD seat looks like.

Here's my original (minus the grab bar, which is the same as in the Australian photo):


Here's my seat after installing a seat cover from MotorcycleSeatCovers.com -- same shape, but different material (by the way, don't get the material I did -- it sucks. Get the premium plain vinyl.):

http://www.motorcycleseatcovers.com/order-item.asp?ColorID=1&Item=4592&Make=SUZUKI&HP=

Here's how I made an insert from Supercell foam -- original shape, just replaced part of the sagged stock foam:

[davegs850]

Click on the Australian picture which is the one with the helmet on it. The seat is completely different than the USA version. Mine looks exactly like yours.. Pit replica is trying to tell me mine is the L version for 1983. I wish I were better at posting pics but if you look at their L version at Pit replica it is much closer to a G. and I dont think it is even an L.. If we could get this straightened out it may even help members in the future.

[Steve]

Here are the pictures of Dave's seat that he sent me to post for him:





The cover he received:


.

[bwringer]

In the Aussie pic, it looks like the "across" lines are continuous; not separated into two areas. Plus, there are only two lines running fore and aft in the center instead of three as you see in my pic. You'll see the same in the pics Steve just posted.

So yeah, it looks like the Aussie seats were very slightly different than the US seats. I didn't even see a difference until I stared at them a while.

Is this what's bugging you? Is there any indication that the seat cover won't work, or is it just this slight cosmetic difference?

So the big question is: does it matter? I can't recall ever hearing of an 100 point 850G winning awards at a Concours d'Elegance -- unless you're trying to be the first.

[Steve]

What I see, Brian, is that there is a bit more of a lip between the two halves of the seat. The '82 American seat and the Aussie seat have a bit of a rise, but the '83 seat has a definite lip to define the front seat. Not enough to make it look like an L, but still not as flat as previous years.

.

[davegs850]

No it would not matter to me that much though I am trying to keep the bike looking as much like original as possible. I guess my biggest problem is I don't want to Start to put it on only to find it does not fit and then I am out $90. Was hoping to find maybe someone that had used pit replica for this year and model and maybe save some future gs'ers some problems. Exactly what Steve is saying is the point I am trying to get across to Pit Replica but they keep insisting that what I need is their L cover.

[eil]

Pit Replica's whole gig is that their covers are supposed to be replicas. I would send them the three photos that you sent to Steve and tell them you want that exact cover. If they won't budge, send the thing back and demand a refund. If they don't go for that, your last resort is a credit card chargeback.

[bwringer]

No it would not matter to me that much though I am trying to keep the bike looking as much like original as possible. I guess my biggest problem is I don't want to Start to put it on only to find it does not fit and then I am out $90. Was hoping to find maybe someone that had used pit replica for this year and model and maybe save some future gs'ers some problems. Exactly what Steve is saying is the point I am trying to get across to Pit Replica but they keep insisting that what I need is their L cover.

Ah, now I see what the issue is. Several points:

1) No, the 850GL seat cover won't work at all. Very different shape.

2) The Aussie seat is indeed slightly different in shape than the US seat. It's unknown whether you could squash the Aussie-style seat into place on the US seat foam, but personally I wouldn't try.

3) The Pit Replica guys don't seem to understand what's going on. I speak, read, and write fluent American English and it took me several tries, so I guess I can't blame them... you need a US GS850GS seat cover, not the one made for Australia.

4) If you still have it, you could send your old seat cover to Pit Replica and they would indeed be able to make a 95% exact replica.

5) Or, you could order a cover from motorcycleseatcovers.com (mom & pop shop in Texas) and you would receive a seat cover that would not have the correct molded lines, and would be sewn rather than molded, but it would be the correct shape for a US GS850GD. Your butt would never know, and the bike would look great.

[1980GS1000E]

Minus one on the stitched cover. I bought one of those once and tore it to ribbons when I was installing it. Compared to the Pit Replica piece, the material is thinner and the stitching allows water through.

[Joe Garfield]

I just ordered a seat cover for my '82 GS1100gz so I was interested in this thread.

The major difference between the seat covers that I see is what Sargent calls the 'division band' between the rider and passenger positions and associated stitching (see here for reference: http://www.sargentcycle.com/Custom-S...Styling-Guide/)

I looked at pics of '83 GS850's online and it seems that the vast majority have a seat cover similar to what was sent to the OP. This includes most pics on SuzukiCycles.org website, including '82 and '84 bikes. Also, I went to PartsOutlaw's fische and see the illustrations show seats with the same cover stitching as what was sent by Pit Replica.

I understand why the OP wants the same seat cover - for fitment, original style, and overall aesthetics of the seat cover he previously had. However I don't think that Pit Replica sent him the wrong thing.

Is it possible the seat on the bike was from a 750T, or a different model or year? I don't see that seat pattern on many pics at all, but it does come up on a few bikes. It looks more like a 750T or an 1100gk than it does an 'L'.