Proudly wearing my M20 / M21 T shirt at Beaulieu I was asked if I was interested in a New Old Stock BSA saddle cover. This guy asked me that question because of the T shirt I received from Danny and he still had to get it from his van. I never would have had it if it wasn't for the T shirt, isn't that cool?

Henk

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email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

I'm lost for words.. ...I guess some people are born lucky...I had my T shirt on at Netley and something made a bloody hole in it...Ian

Yeah! And he ate my Krentebollen......But I told Linda and she said he's not going to get any for a long time. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The T-Shirt thing might work with M20s but it doesn't with Nortons. If the sellers see a Norton shirt then they double the price on the basis that it must be a Manx part....

Henk, does the cover have a maker's name ? Is it Rexine or a post-war leathercloth ?

There is no makers name on the saddle. How do I recognise Rexine? Here a photo of the back side of the material and a photo of the label.

Henk

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email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Henk showed it to me and it didn't look like anything other than Rexine.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Hi Henk, no thanks needed (but you can say it again if it makes you feel better). You paid your money, the credit was all yours. But if anyone else wants a little of Henk's good fortune, we've still got a few T-shirts in stock.

http://www.sump-publishing.co.uk/classicmotorcycletshirts/bsam20m21tshirt.htm

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

Hi Danny,

Leon was wearing his T shirt the day before, lucky me :-)

Thanks again.
Henk

email (option): ahum@quicknet.nl

Unbelievable !!!

:-D

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

we need a T shirt with henk's hero put on it and compusory wearing at any show or gathering

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

There has been another cover with the same label as Henk's on eBay recently. These seem to be post-war WD pattern replacements. The part number LV6/MTI TE suggests a Terry part but these covers seem to have been made by Brooks (Maybe by the mid 1950s, Terry's were no longer making saddles). Brooks were making this sort of saddle for bicycles into the 1950s.

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These are the same as the one that John O'B kindly sold me. Although the leathercloth seems coarser than a 1930s original and they lack the stitched panel around the rear, they do look much more in keeping than soft vinyl. It certainly fits the WD Norton Terry's frame perfectly.

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There is one on ebay at the moment :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121217952189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

In case anyone is wondering, the last wasn't cheap.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300997960042?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Ouch! Be careful It might be a smaller one for Bantams and such. Better to ask the dimensions before bidding. Pity some resourceful trimmer can't find some rexine or older material to knock up a hundred or so. I.ve found the closest looking material is what our local car manufacturers use for ute tonneaus.

Whilst on holiday in Cornwall I returned to my bike on the car park at Penzance and when I got to it a guy was beckoning me to follow him as he said he was in a rush and had to rush off as soon as he'd done the deed, we trotted over to his house and he gave me a perfectly serviceable and clean DR coat! How nice! I've had the same when I used to use my Jeep every day a lot of (mainly farmers) guys told me that they used to have one on the farm and my usual reply was have you got any bits left? The reply usually was ...no it went years ago, then I'd re-ask the same question and they usually said they had a starter motor or a reg box or something from when they did an alternator conversion, I got quite a lot of parts this way, I even got a Ben Hur trailer for £50 in pretty good order!

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

When I had a chair on my ZM20 I used park up in my local town and used to talk to a old guy who said he had the same bike years back and had still some spares somewhere, one day when I returned to my combo which I had parked in my usual spot I noticed a box in the sidecar and it contained a lot of new unused M20 bits.I knew where they came from and told this guy next time I saw him that I would pay for the bits but he refused any money but wanted a ride in the sidecar!! fair exchange I would say..

Back to the saddle cover....
with prices (probably) exceeding GBP60 and quite some people interested, it could be a good idea to find someone who can produce a batch of exact replicas?
Size of the one that's on E-Bay now (121217952189) is width 38cm and length 34cm.

Regards,

Sven

email (option): snvosselman@gmail.com

Back to the saddle cover....
with prices (probably) exceeding GBP60 and quite some people interested, it could be a good idea to find someone who can produce a batch of exact replicas?
Size of the one that's on E-Bay now (121217952189) is width 38cm and length 34cm.

Regards,

Sven [/quote]

A metric cover on my Norton ? No bloody way ! Britain fought numerous wars to avoid that sort of Napoleonic nonsense ! My arse is imperial and prefers to sit on something sized accordingly.

The problem with replicas, as we've discussed at length is not the upholstery work but that modern vinyl is soft and warm to the touch and no replica for the original leathercloth. If you can find a supplier of upholstery grade leathercloth then we're off to a good start. Unfortunately, NOS won't do as it deteriorates.

An imperial arse, Sorry Rik, but theres gotta be a joke somewhere,

Is that the imperial arse that lives in Belgium?
I can't remember Belgium as a part of the Great British Imperium...

Let's stick to the point and try to get a solution for these obsolete items. Measures were given to me by the person who offers this cover on Ebay and I shared them for info.

Regards,

Sven

email (option): snvosselman@gmail.com

Sven, it would be great if someone provide the patterns for the different parts that are eventually sown together.

email (option): unpob@yahoo.com

Sven, I think it is to the point that an exact copy of an item made in Britain during the 1940s will need to accomodate imperial measurements rather than rounded-off metric equivalents.

The problem is not copying the originals (there are enough around and a decent saddler or upholsterer can reverse engineer them) but simply one of materials. It has been a constant stumbling block.

Imperial Britain's presence in Belgium did of course include guaranteeing their independence in 1839 and marching to defend them in 1914. I'm here to ensure that the blighters remain grateful for it.