custom seat designs

[backdraft51185]

im lookin for a good quality place that will do a custom seat covering for me, flat black leather with red crossed axes on the back half and a firefighters maltese cross up front, anyone know of a good reliable place to get this done?

[Mojoe]

isn't wisconsin the dairy state? or am i wrong about that? seems to me that is what is on the license plates, no? yes? if so, well.....cows are the biggest source for leather aren't they? you must be swimming in leathersmith in that state, i would think. try the yellow pages. some of those life-long leathersmiths probably have more talent and cheaper prices that some site you might find on the net.

[backdraft51185]

lol sure there's lots o cows, but i cant just go pluck one out of a field. im sure there's leathersmiths around here, was just searchin for someone with a bit more motorcycle seat/customising expierience.

[Mojoe]

don't be fooled by the "lack of experience" of these guys. i had the interior of boat seat done by a guy about 10 years or so ago....and all he did usually was fix shoes and ladies purses. he was an old guy of about 60. my seats were trashed. they were two-tone....red/white. he charged me $400 to do the 2 back to back seats (fold down into a bench), the 2 seats in the rear and the engine bonnet and the 2 side panels. the places that specialized in this stuff wanted over double the price. i was totally happy with the results. some of these simple little guys have a good eye, talent and imagination.

besides...i saw on american chopper how these guys did it.....it wasn't that difficult. i mean i would screw it up for sure cuz i never tried such a thing....but someone who worked with leather long enough should be able to do it no problem.
I am just saying you should at leat make some local calls. it doesn't hurt to at least look for something close. that way you can keep track of the progress and not pay before seeing the finished work...like would happen if you sent it away somewhere.

[The CyberPoet]

If that doesn't pan out for you, you can also seek out corbin, who will do it on their saddles for your bike (for a charge, naturally).

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

If that doesn't pan out for you, you can also seek out corbin, who will do it on their saddles for your bike (for a charge, naturally).

Good Luck!
=-= The CyberPoet

will they do that to his seat? or would he have to purchase theirs?
the seats alone are expensive enough, so i would imagine a request like that would pretty much double the price. he could be looking at $500.
so i guess the question is.....how much do you plan on spending?
if money is no object, here are a few sites you might want to take a look at.

http://www.alligatorbob.com/

http://billmayersaddles.com/october25homepage.html

this guy has a good rep. won't be cheap i wouldn't think

http://www.bikernet.com/garage/coxseat.asp

good luck

[The CyberPoet]

will they do that to his seat? or would he have to purchase theirs?
the seats alone are expensive enough, so i would imagine a request like that would pretty much double the price. he could be looking at $500.
so i guess the question is.....how much do you plan on spending?
if money is no object, here are a few sites you might want to take a look at.

http://www.alligatorbob.com/

I've never heard of aligatorbob before, but Bill Meyers is superb. He's also about twice as expensive as Corbin on custom work like that based on quotes I've gotten in the past.

Another idea:
Find a local seamstress that can make a set of fitted slip-covers, preferably lycra over foam.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[backdraft51185]

i emaild corbin to see what they'd say about price, because i was thinkin about buyin their gunfighter and lady seat for the kat anyway

[backdraft51185]

seat covers would be cheaper, but i want something that truly stands out, and sinse firefighing/ems is my love i figued that worked into the seat would be cool

[Mojoe]

seat covers would be cheaper, but i want something that truly stands out, and sinse firefighing/ems is my love i figued that worked into the seat would be cool

do you have a pic of what you are talking about?
you have to ask yourself this question.....how long will you keep the bike?
the reason i ask is that it doesn't make much sense to dump 500 into a seat based on a design that only appeals to a select few. if you go just with a nice basic custom seat, you can always pull it from the bike and put your original back on to sell the bike....and then sell the custom seat seperate. a corbin will not get you more for your bike....maybe just help it sell faster is all. but you can re-coup 50% on the seat when you sell it on ebay or something. see my point?
and another thing....god forbid...if you ever wreck your bike and part it out, you have to ask if this design will appeal to buyers.

then again, you should do whatever you feel like doing. add your own flare in any way you choose. i am only offering my advice as someone who has spent (lost is more like it) $1000's of dollars through the years on "my own designs". and i only say this cuz unless you can get lucky enough to find someone cheap who can do an excellent job, it will cost you some coins when it comes to seats. blame the custom bike/chopper craze for that. they guys who are really good at it get big bucks to do custom seats. it is becoming more in demand cuz of shows like american chopper.