PURPOSE:
To inform motorcycle restorers of the vast differences
and variations in all aspects of restoring vintage motorcycle seats
including seat cover kits and seat restoration services.
One
of the most varied yet most elusive aspects of restoring any vintage
motorcycle is obtaining a correct looking seat. The seat on any
correctly restored vintage motorcycle is the FOCAL POINT more than
any other part of the bike. Why? Everything else can be correct
on the bike, but if your seat is WRONG, others will notice and be
quick to point it out to you! Why? Simply because ANYONE can get
a bike painted correctly, assuming you have a good painter who can
either find OEM paint or reproduce colors with state of the art
scanning techniques used by paint suppliers. ANYONE can get parts
re-chromed to restore their bike. And ANYONE can buy NOS parts,
when available, to replace old parts. ANYONE can track down even
vintage tires, emblems, reproduction decals and other cosmetic and
mechanical parts. Prices vary for all these items, but in the end
these items are fairly 'black & white ' cut and dry in nature
with few variables. Their is no 'true old world artisanship / old
school craftsmanship' going into any of these parts or services.
There is not NEAR the amount of variables involved in any one of
these restoration aspects that there are in seat repair and restoration
and seat cover reproduction. Not even CLOSE! Think about it in these
terms. Paint is custom mixed to match an OEM color and 99% of the
time the color is right on the money. Vinyl however is only available
in certain shades of colors and grain patterns. There is no such
thing as calling up the vinyl supplier and saying: order me
up a batch of vinyl in HONDA DREAM Tomato Red and while
you are at it make it without any grain pattern lines, like the
original OEM vinyl, OK? So those in the vintage motorcycle
reproduction seat cover business have to sometimes settle for what
is READILY available. However...NOT JUST ANYONE can painstakingly
repair a seat or reproduce a seat cover as authentic as COOL RETRO
BIKES ! We HAVE that OLD WORLD CRAFTSMANSHIP approach to vintage
motorcycle seat covers! We have literally spent countless hours
tracking down vinyls that are as close of a match as possible from
all over the world. We dont SETTLE for what is EASY or readily
available. Some of these vinyls end up costing a PREMIUM and can
easily cost TEN times the normal price (or MORE!) of readily available
vinyls. Sure it would be simpler to take the 'EASY WAY OUT"
and offer less accurate seat covers for less money, but that is
NOT what COOL RETRO BIKES has ever been about! Check out 'THEIR'
seat cover kit and , assuming you are KNOWLEDGABLE , you will realize
'their' details are all wrong! Take a look at any one of Cool Retro
Bikes auction listings. We offer EXTREME CLOSE UP photos that are
enlargeable to full screen so that the prospective buyer can actually
see what he is getting in the way of matching vinyl grains, colors,
logos, hardware etc. Have you ever wondered why 'they' offer only
small photos with no extreme close up shots that won't show fine
details like grain patterns, welt cord type, logo colors etc? It's
because 'they' dont want you to really see what you are getting
for your money! The vinyl grain is INCORRECT on 'theirs', the welt
cord / piping is often the WRONG SIZE &/or WRONG COLOR, and
the bottom mounting skirt on 'THEIRS' is most likely a NON MATCHING
material (unlike OEM). We go the extra distance to make certain
a cover is as accurate and historically correct as possible. For
instance, that HONDA Dream Tomato Red color vinyl we mentioned earlier
is NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE AT ANY PRICE. So we start with a red vinyl
and correct small size red welt cord / piping that is as close as
possible to original OEM color, then we DYE brand new vinyl the
correct shade of HONDA OEM Tomato Red so the seat color will be
the exact museum quality correct OEM shade of red. This is just
ONE example of how far we go to produce the highest quality seat
cover kits available anywhere. Our kits are also CONSTRUCTED correctly.
Some seat cover kits sold on ebay have welt cords that end in the
front with a piece of vinyl over the joint where the welt cord /
piping ends meet. This is NOT CORRECT. Most vintage seats have the
welt cord ending under the belt where the piping joint will be hidden.
Its the EASY way out to end the piping in the front and center,
but it is far from correct. Cool Retro Bikes offers the ONLY COMPLETE
seat cover kit on the market. Just ask 'them' BEFORE YOU BUY! 'Their
seat cover offers ONLY a cover and belt THATS ALL? That spells INCOMPLETE
in OUR BOOK!
COOL
RETRO BIKES kit includes all the hardware you need
to restore your seat to OEM standards like belt re-enforcers, or
in this case NEW BELT BUCKLES, or new hardware to re-install chrome
trim strips moldings, or alternately, HIGH POLISHED CHROME BUTTON
RIVETS that are the closest match available (no longer available
from Honda) ..or even better, we offer the ONLY REPLACEMENT CHROME
TRIM STRIP MOLDING as an option in our seat cover kits. Have you
seen any one else going to these lengths to offer the BEST , MOST
ACCURATE, MOST COMPLETE SEAT COVER KIT ON THE MARKET ...ANYWHERE?
Thats what we thought..no you wont find this kind of quality
anywhere else but thru COOL RETRO BIKES!
If
you spend $50 on one of 'THEIR' seat cover kits for your fine restoration,
plan on DEVALUEING the price of your bike by a few hundred dollars
AT LEAST, (enough to PAY FOR OUR KIT !) because again, the seat
is the most variable item and the focal point of any bike. Most
any enthusiast that knows these bikes will recognize IMMEDIATELY
a CHEAP INFERIOR reproduction seat cover because it wont look even
close to original! Look...You put in hours and hours scouring ebay,
the internet, and bone yards to find one single part. TIME = $$$MONEY$$$.
You dont have to look far and wide to find the BEST SEAT COVER AVAILABLE
ANYWHERE. ITS RIGHT HERE! So dont waste time AND $$$ buying theirs.
We have already had customers that went thru this process, only
to end up buying our cover &/or sending us their seat to be
restored! Instead of DEVALUING your Bike, make the investment now
and your bike will INCREASE IN VALUE to MORE THAN PAY for the price
of COOL RETRO BIKES seat
cover kit!
We
also are possibly the only shop in the entire world that offers
the unique hard to find restoration services offered at CRB including:
vinyl and leather repairs, dye services, seat logo replacement using
custom color matched to OEM color laquer based vinyl dyes, foam
repairs, reproduction hardware to full pan up seat restoration services.
Half of our business is repairing, and preserving original OEM seat
covers that are impossible to replicate accurately (particularly
seats with heat seam embossed patterned top panels) You will find
our SEAT REPAIR and RESTORATION SERVICES listed on ebay. Don't forget
to check one of these auctions out. The SLIDE SHOWS are entertaining
as well as educational as to just what is possible in VINTAGE SEAT
RESTORATION when done by the most experienced seat restorers in
the world,
COOL
RETRO BIKES where Our Motto is:
If We Cant Save Your Seat
NOBODY
CAN!
Please see our Referals and Testimonials
page to view our many satisfied customers.
- Use
the Part Locater provided on the left hand taskbar
to find the seat, repair, or restoration services you are
looking for.
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