Seat Question

[dppeter]

Finally got a decent seat off of ebay. $198.00 but has a great pan, excellent chrome trim, and just a little tear in the rear. I don't understand, I can find parts all day long for a 1955 Matchless but locating CL77 parts is turning what little hair I have left grayer by the minute.

Don't tear that $198 seat down yet. The rubber inside is worth keeping intact for now, especially the "duck tail", which you will want to re-use if you have the seat recovered. I made the mistake of not telling my upholsterer to reuse it. Result: A nice looking seat that is not correct.

The rubber structure inside the CL and CB saddles is interesting to say the least. The central part of the saddle is made up of individual blocks of foam rubber with air spaces in between - all lined up in rows. This is then covered in a layer of foam rubber. The reason so many of the old saddles look squashed is that the blocks of rubber come unattached and fall down. I know this sounds a little strange but if you've ever opened one up you know what I mean. Reupholstering the saddle cover was never a big deal for me but getting the foam underneath to the exact shape was always a PIA. You almost always had to replace the foam or at least replace the central section. I'm a second generation upholsterer by the way and have done many of these saddles over the years.