Cool Retro Bikes CB77 Seat Cover Vs NOS CB77 Seat

[maaseyracer]

Hey guys, this seems to be a popular question. I have found a number of threads on this subject. I have also read a lot of claims on this subject and because I have both in front of me at the moment I thought I would take the time to detail the differences. To clarify before I begin I purchased the seat cover kit, not the complete seat. My NOS seat is a Honda made seat for a 1961 CB77 it is identical in material to my other old stock 1961 seats however it does not have the buckles on the bike. Additionally I am not hear to sling mud, I am just show the differences. I honestly believe that Cool Retro Bikes is making the best seat cover kit out there. In my opinion it is not perfect, but it is better than the other seat kits I have seen. I cannot comment on CRB/TD Bash's completed seats as I have never purchased one.

First thing is first. Here is my NOS 1961 CB77 seat.

http://imgur.com/bcVImL9.jpg

Here is the CRB seat cover on top of my NOS seat

http://i.imgur.com/G8CYIIR.jpg

Here is the NOS seat next to the seat cover

http://i.imgur.com/QALAV7Q.jpg

Here is a close up of the grains in the vinyl

http://i.imgur.com/dXh04Qd.jpg

Here is the seam on the front of the seats

http://i.imgur.com/3og4fym.jpg

Here is the side by side of the finished product (NOS is left)

http://i.imgur.com/r0GyTfy.jpg

Here is a screen grab of the auction description

http://i.imgur.com/VS6j2GL.png

Not the best photo buy here the CRB seat mounted on my 1962 CB77

http://i.imgur.com/spJNgD8.jpg

The cover is the best pre-made seat kit out there that I have found. However, I would call it 75% there. The cover fit is surprisingly good and the vinyl has a stretch quality to it that makes it easy to mount. I really have to give CRB credit for the ease of mount and fit, the finished product looks good. The vinyl is really close to the stock pebbling as the photos show. I am not sure how much closer they can get. The black is a bit glossier than the stock seat, but we over restore these bikes anyway. The seat appears to be made with two panels unlike the stock three panels, but that might be a nitpick.

While there is a lot of good with this seat kit, there is some bad. The seat strap is not the same material as the seat, this is my biggest issue with the seat. The strap is the same strap you can find in strap replacement kits from Thailand on ebay. The buckles are not even close to the real deal in shape and along with the hardware are zinc plated. I had the buckles chrome plated on this seat which helps the overall appearance. I wish I had done the bolts as well. As the photos show the bronze Honda logo is more of a sandy gold color, that does not bug me that much to be honest. The piping is large compared to the stock piping and is not quite mounted as tightly to the cover as the stock piping (photo of this coming shortly).

Bottom line on this. If you want a good seat cover it will do the trick. If you want something that 95% or closer to the original seat there are several upholstery shops that will do as good of a job if not better for about the same price as this seat cover kit was (not including chrome).

[DCON]

Nice review!