SHEEPSKIN SEATCOVER

[Anonymous]

Hi fellow GSers,
My 80 850 G is in need of a cooler seat.
Here in Aus., it sure gets uncumfy when strid'n the old girl with the vinyl bare. I don't recall seeing any pix of American bikes with sheepskin on the seat, it is common here, I do have a skin but I need to learn to attach it properly.. at the mo, I have two springs which are fitted with twin hooks at each end... these are fine until it rains.
The skin gets real soggy then the hooks I mentioned simply rip the now soft leather.
Has anybody got any ideas on how to do it so I can remove the skin for cleaning but have it sit well for riding... and so it won't rip ?

BTW, this is my most fav. site in the world

Looking forward to some real ingenious ideas.

stay upright

[retrex]

Try Wooden Bead Seat Cover

I have an alternative suggestion if your open to it, try a wooden bead seat cover. I have made two cross country (USA) trips on my GS1100, one with and one without the beaded seat cover. There is no comparison. Without the beaded seat the trip was torture, especially in the desert states. With the cover it was much, much better. There is no maintenance and you use it in the rain with out the baaad smell.

[Poot]

try making a pope-mobile type enclosure.


its your best bet.

[Dink]

Wide Elastic, like an inch wide and be sure to stitch it on over a longer length, abouyt 3 to 4 inches should do it.
Dink

[earlfor]

You could glue magnets to the underside edges of your seat pan and sew some into the edges of your sheepskin. Then you could attach it in the same way as a magnetic tank bag.

No hooks, no straps and easy on and off.

Earl

[Anonymous]

Well I was right again... some good ideas there... no doubt about this forum ay, not bad at all.
EARLFOR... very interesting concept, have you used it or seen it before ? well worth a dabble with.. thank you.

DINK So simple, I should have thought of it.... now I got to find a woman who can sew !!!! lol seriously though, it makes sense to me.. thanx.

POOT not real sure what u gettin' at... but thanx for the input.

RETREX I'd forgotten about those beaded jiggers, I had one in my tintop many years ago.... if it's good across the U.S. of A. then it must be OK here too. I'll try to find one... havn't seen them in stores for years. Oh, do they damage the vinyl at all ? all that weight in many small areas ?
Thanx to you too for the idea.

Seeing how I have a skin at the moment, I will try Dinks idea first but will search for a beaded one too, sounds good.

Thanx again to all.

stay upright

[earlfor]

I havent seen one or tried it as I dont use a seatcover. Just noticing my tank bag and how it is held on. The bag is very secure even though it only has magnets holding it down. Just a thought.

Earl

[quote="swampfox"]
EARLFOR... very interesting concept, have you used it or seen it before ? well worth a dabble with.. thank you.

[Jackrp]

Re: SHEEPSKIN SEATCOVER

Hi fellow GSers,
My 80 850 G is in need of a cooler seat.
Here in Aus., it sure gets uncumfy when strid'n the old girl with the vinyl bare. I don't recall seeing any pix of American bikes with sheepskin on the seat, it is common here, I do have a skin but I need to learn to attach it properly.. at the mo, I have two springs which are fitted with twin hooks at each end... these are fine until it rains.
The skin gets real soggy then the hooks I mentioned simply rip the now soft leather.
Has anybody got any ideas on how to do it so I can remove the skin for cleaning but have it sit well for riding... and so it won't rip ?

BTW, this is my most fav. site in the world

Looking forward to some real ingenious ideas.

stay upright

In my tours of the deserts of America, I bought a sheep skin, that I tucked the head end under the tank bag straps and bungee corded the rear part and the sides kinda flapped in the breeze, But it also doubled as my sleeping bag pad when I camped.But it was nice in the 110 degree heat.

[bwringer]

White Horse Press has a beaded seat for $19.95:

http://www.whitehorsepress.com

It's black so it doesn't look goofy on a black seat. Methinks I need one.

[Anonymous]

bwringer,
Thanx for your info, I looked at the link you gave me, the beads do look good ay, if you get a seat cover as shown before I do , please let me know what you think of it.

regards to all



stay upright

[retrex]

I have actually just bought the $20 beaded seat from Whitehorse. It is looks to be better in quality than the original one that I had purchased 20+ year ago. I still have that one and it has held up very well. I just wanted to pretty up the old gal a bit. Er, not that you can see it when I'm on it though.

[highmileage]

I posted this info elsewhere on this site some time ago.

I've made several sheepskin covers for my bikes over the years. I use a sewing awl (available from leathercraft shops) and fishing line for thread to stictch them.

But for my current ride (a GS 1000 GLX) I went to a Wal Mart and bought a black bathroom carpet for $10.

It stands up to the weather better than genuine sheepskin (doesn't get matted down and hard) and the rubberized bottom keeps it from sliding around.

A little trimming with scissors and a couple of stitches and it fit the seat nicely.

I sewed on a piece of elastic at the rear to tuck under the seat and I just tuck the front into the area betwen the front of the seat and the tank (just unlock and lift the back of the seat to slip off the elastic, then the cover comes right off when I want to remove it).

Looks pretty good and works perfectly, IMHO...



Yes, that's the Washington Monument peeking out above the trees.

[KyCaveman]

Sheep Skin Rocks!!!!

I have used one of these for a couple of years, and they are GREAT!!!!, you can believe what they say about gaining an extra 100 miles. They are also great for the HOT days to keep the butt cool... It is worth it to spend the extra bucks for the Deluxe model, it hold up a little better.

http://www.alaskaleather.com/index.html

[JHawkins]

I just bought a second sheepskin, my first is a small one that covers just the drivers seat and is white and ugly, ... I just tuck it in under the seat and take it off when i get where i am going.

My new one is black and is very nice, covers the whole seat, and just tucks in in front and back. I have just gotten this one and have not gone on a long run with it yet, but it is very thick and i am sure it will be awesome.

On a side note, I just recovered my seat and put more padding in the front and flattened it out some (the l model is curved and not too thick in the front). It is great now, just picked up a yard of vinyl at walmart and a can of spray adhesive. Stretched the vinyl over the sprayed foam and it looks pretty darn good for a 12 dollar vinyl job!

[speedy400]

Hi, I have basically a piece of sheep skin that just fits where my butt goes on the seat. I only put it on for longer trips. Man that thing is very comfy though. It absorbs your sweat(but dosnt smell) and it adds a few hundred miles to your butt. I helped my uncle with his sheep at his farm so he gave me a piece. Highly recommended for function, dosnt look so cool though, looks like I'm hiding chubacha in my a$$-darren