The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: livingdeadhead on December 18, 2012, 02:45:44 PM
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got the seat back from TONY ARCHER at huddersfield , supposedly the best bike upholsterer in the biz, didnt look quite right, when fitted , got out the tape , 3/4 of an inch higher on one side than the other, also neglected to put the infills back at the front of the seat , can see the back of the tank, they were good enough to have the pattern hot printed into the seat but can't get it straight? ffs taking it back tomorrow 40 mile round trip .....
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thet fed up, forgot to turn cam pic quality down.....
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new pic
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Just goes to show, all professional actually means is.........They'll want paying.
Looks like he has an apprentice........Not a very good one and he still wants to charge full price.
Rev. Light.
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Wow, that looks crummy. Bummer.
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It's not easy for the likes of us to get everything straight on the other hand for someone who does it everyday it should be.
I did a better job of mine than that. No doubt it took me 5 times longer but the secret is you have to care. A professional who doesn't care is not a professional.
When I stop caring in my own job I'll know it's time to retire.
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Hello !
Frankly, even an apprentice should have done better. And if not, his boss shouldn't have let the job go out in this shape. The whole shop is responsible.
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took seat back , of course he said it was 0nly 1/2" out of position , should a pro get it spot on? lol also they didnt replace the bits of leather under the front edges which makes the seat join the tank , his lard ass son accused me of LYING!!! they are going to fix it (i hope) i'll never use them again or recommend them . f£$%^g lowlifes ...
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Your meal is only slightly dirty. The paint only has one run in it. We only forgot to tighten one bolt. 1/2" wrong is good enough. Contempt for customer and/or having to work up to a level. Sad commentary on the typical normal.
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good comment.
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they didnt replace the bits of leather under the front edges which makes the seat join the tank ,
I remember thinking it was a bit odd to have bits of stiff leather fastened to the front of the seat pan with split rivets but they were definitely needed to shape the front edge of the seat.
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I just had mine redone by Russell Day Long Saddles. If I knew how to post a picture I'd include it.
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That's why I do most of this stuff myself - I know it probably won't be absolutely perfect, but should be pretty close - and in this case, much much closer than the (alleged) PROs. And when I do it, the price is right!
I've got an industrial sewing machine so that's no problem, and I've got paint equipment and know how to use it - but painting is one of those things that requires a bit of dust-free space - something I lack these days.
My SO recently got her 71 Bug Convertible repaired and I went through the roof looking at the paint quality. Fish eye everywhere! We took the car back to the body man/painter and his handling was along the same lines as you got - "she told me it was a daily driver..." and some other excuses, besides attacking me for being so picky.
If you're near me, I can certainly let you know where NOT to get your paint work done!
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My brother re-did the seat on his 1983 R65 utilizing a kit I believe purchased from eBay. He said it took a bit of effort but no special tools, was not THAT big a deal - it's not rocket science or surgery - and he ended up with a seat that looks like a new BMW seat. Cost was under fifty dollars.
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actually , i've done dozens of seats myself ! from old hondas to modern sportsbikes . unfortunately i'm suffering from arthritis and its really bad in my left thumb joint or i'd have done it myself , before you ask i can still pull a clutch in! i just cant manipulate stuff, you know its been a month trying to get this sorted what with the advice they gave about the used seat! (see other posts) if it's not right this time i'll contact trading standards . if i'm paying shouldn't it be done to my spec and standards ? cant believe they sent it off to be heat imprinted then fitted it lopsided.
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DgM - any idea the vendor your brother got the cover from?
livingdeadhead - I've done a fair number of seats myself and there's one thing I know for a fact - doing upholstery works the fingers!!
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if i have to get my cash back i'll get one of those , cheers!
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I got my seat cover from NW Classic Motorcycle Seats, who are in Canada.
Available through Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-R65LS-1981-85-REPLACEMENT-SEAT-COVER-/370668426869?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item564d8f5675&vxp=mtr
Pretty straightforward installation. I had no experience, so if I can do it, so can you. It would have been a little easier with an assistant but I managed just fine.
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I bought a R65LS seat cover from this Canadian supplier a couple of years back. It is of top qualtity and good value.
Once you have stripped the old seat cover off and cleaned up the retaining plates and the seat pan (check for rust and paint it!), warm the seat cover up in the sun or with a hair dryer and stretch it on to the seat pan.
You'll need an awl to poke the holes for the rivets and a pop rivet gun to secure the plates.
My seat cover came out as good as original. (I am a little anal about this stuff, though).
Suerte, quillo,
Teo
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Si Teo, prep is super important. When I recovered my seat I made certain the seat pan sides were straight which is easily done with some flat pliers. And make certain you have the correct sized rivets. Go to the hardware store and test fit for depth with pan, cover, and rivet plates if you have any doubts. The front of the cover is cut to fit but mark the back side for alignment.
It is a bit of a ballet to stretch the cover with the edges covered in adhesive while keeping it away from the outside of the pan which is why I suggest an assistant.
Monte has posted a procedural with photos. Required viewing.
Happy Holidays.
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It's not a bad idea in preparation to mark the centre line of the pan at the front and back and the centre line of the cover so that they can be accurately aligned.
The technique I used was to fit the cover dry using up to 20 bulldog clips all the way down both sides of the pan. When the alignment looked right I unclipped and glued a small section at a time. The front and back were secured only when both sides had been completed. Excess material was trimmed off after the securing plates had been riveted in place.
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still waiting on the upholsterers for the seat, took it in in november i think..... >:(
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rang every day last week and today, answer machine ... have phoned trading standards , they say write to 'em ! they've had it nearly 3 months , any thoughts or ideas? >:(
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Well, you might want to consider just getting the seat back from them and start over or purchasing another seat from ebay so you can use your bike while exploring your legal options, which I'm not too clear on in England. I'm sure they didn't intend to do a poor job, but from what you've written, that's what happened. If they did a poor job the first time around can you expect a great job the second time? It's a drag, and really irritating, but move forward and get your bike ready to enjoy in the spring.
Just my two cents.
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In the US, there is a government sponsored agency called the Better Business Bureau (BBB), if a consumer has a problem with a business, you file complaint and they look into it, contact the business with the issue ans most of the time things get taken care of .
Other route, is if your local television stations has any sort of program, usually on the evening news, a consumer complaint/help with problem businesses .
From what I've seen, as soon as the business gets some 'bad' airtime, the issue is quickly resolved .
Good luck, I had problems with two businesses about 7 years ago, one rebuily the transmission on my '81 R65 and the other relined the clutch, they nade mistakes on both .
One letter from the BBB and the issues were resolved to my satisdfaction .
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rang every day last week and today, answer machine ... have phoned trading standards , they say write to 'em ! they've had it nearly 3 months , any thoughts or ideas? >:(
Drive up and see them, i've not heard good things about him from a few people now.
Guy in York built mine, took 3 weeks, nice bit of kit too.
http://www.smartrrrs.biz/
Have a look around, i recommend him.
Elliott
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LivingDeadhead
Where abouts are you?
I'm in Leeds, i don't mind going in to collect if it helps.
Elliott
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thanks for the advice and offers of help guys, i'm in sheffield mr e . i'm going to try and ring the guy this week . if i cant get him, i'll send a letter registered . wish i'd done it myself now. at least it would have been straight AND cheap! watch this space!
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managed to get through to the upholsterer, had to ring the bmw specialist next door , went to answering machine all the time on his phone , apparently he's starting again from scratch, hope its ok this time, :-/
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Well fingers crossed, any reason for the radio silence?
hope you get it sorted
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rang every day last week and today, answer machine ... have phoned trading standards , they say write to 'em ! they've had it nearly 3 months , any thoughts or ideas? >:(
Drive up and see them, i've not heard good things about him from a few people now.
Guy in York built mine, took 3 weeks, nice bit of kit too.
http://www.smartrrrs.biz/
Have a look around, i recommend him.
Elliott
i had a seat done by smartrrr's on a varadero i had some years back he did a great job bit slow but very good can't recomend him enough
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yeah he takes his time, think mine was 6 weeks
& i made the seat pan!!
Thanks
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got seat back at last, changed the pattern without telling me , fortunately for the better! cover is level slight issue with the seat tank interface (see pics) give it 8 1/2 out of ten. what say you? (radio silence?)
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Looks nice to me. Not perfect but...
It seems you miss the plastic back at the rear ?
looks like he unplugged the phone to concentrate on the job at hand !
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took the metal cowl off to have the seat done ! will refit soon , its 5 below where the bikes parked!
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That looks much better. The pattern is the same as my replacement cover except I didn't get a grab strap.
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looks well
Come out quite nicely.
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just noticed, the straps not between the pattern bits! oh well... i think the lesson here is , if you can diy it!
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At least you got a strap. My identical looking cover from Motobins came without a strap. If I can find some black vinyl with the correct pattern I might try and make one.
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get some 1 inch nylon webbing and have an upholsterer wrap vinyl round it . you might have to melt the hole in tho with an old hot screwdriver.
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OH GOD! the pain continues! he's put the plates on wrong ! cant get the cowl on! f%^&*^%%^G m%^&G. can someone post me a pic of seat base so i remove them and rivet them on in the right places? WILL NEVER let some one do any upholstery for me again . especially this moron.
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Go to the forum photo gallery. Open up my photo essay on seat recovering.
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To get it wrong the guy has either drilled new holes (dumb) or used the ones intended for securing the cowl (not quite so dumb if he didn't have the cowl to hand).
I've just been out to look at my 79 seat which is the same model as yours.
I was hoping to take a pic for you but of course the rear cowl is in the way of the important bit so that wasn't possible. What I can see is that your seat is definitely wrong. On your lower pic there are two strips missing left and and right and I don't think that top strip should be where it is. The strip at the front of the seat is also wrong and probably the mate of the rear one which as a pair are the missing two already mentioned.
Not being a professional with a photographic memory I took several pictures of the original from underneath before I did my seat. I'm at work at the moment so I'll check if I still have them when I get home tonight.
Can't remember the login to the photo gallery but bear in mind Monte's seat is a later model.
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you jogged my memory, dont the small strips sit under the edges of the cowl? i remember there where rivets and washers where the small ones are now , would really appreciate a pic or two ! thanks
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I think that's correct. Your man has used the short strips where there should have been just rivets and washers.
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do the long strips look in the right place? thanks
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Nope,
the long strips at the front are one hole too far forward. The last hole on each side and the two in the middle at the front should all be just rivets and washers.
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Thought I had before and after pics of my seat recover but I can only find the after.
I had a look under the cowl and the two short strips go either side. There are two rivets and washers where your short strip currently is.(http://)
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yes they are too far forward , i think i'll have to leave them , it'll make a mess moving them again. i'll move the small ones tho , and replace them with rivets and washers . i'll do my own in future ... BIG thanks for the pic mate, really appreciate it. (you too montmil!) btw your bike looks reeaaly mint , you could eat off it! AND i know where my new toolbox seal goes! lol
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just noticed why they've moved it forward, so as t not used the rivets and washers . i took all the old washers and bits over too tch! have to find washers the right size too, just moved house, my workshops in boxes.....