alcantara upholstered seat ???

[joelvaughan56]

hello there just thinking about upholstery options for my cb350 project and was thinking about alcantara for it anyone have any experience with it? how does it hold up? does it give nice grip ?

 

[Rider52]

I have no experience with alcantara but I did have a seat on a race bike with a strip of suede down the middle. It sometimes provided too much grip when I tried to slide front to back to adjust my weight.

 

[joelvaughan56]

thanks rider52 id imagine it would be pretty similar i suppose and thinking about it all though the bike probably wont really get wet it wont be ideal for a bike seat and its similar money per meter as a half hide of decent quality auto leather so i think i swayed myself away from the idea all though i think it looks really nice on some bikes i have seen.

 

[SONICJK]

It's used on some ADV seats and it seems to be pretty nice. I haven't ridden on one but the seat on my DR is vinyl and man it's slippery. I'd love to have some more grip.

 

[joelvaughan56]

yeah i like the look of it still unsure yet mainly because of how it will hold up over time but i got a fair bit of work to do before i decide anyway

 

[NoRiders]

Maybe turn the leather over? What I can tell you is, Alcantera is lighter than suede/leather.....the suede hide used on the seat below was a leftover hide when Williams F1 team changed from suede to Alcantera as it's lighter lol.

This is a suede seat pad I've just had trimmed...with matching tank pad too.

I've not ridden on it yet and hadn't thought of the extra grip it might offer...hmmm?
I've protected it with leather waterproofing spray....but don't plan on riding in the rain too much

 

[joelvaughan56]

Maybe turn the leather over? What I can tell you is, Alcantera is lighter than suede/leather.....the suede hide used on the seat below was a leftover hide when Williams F1 team changed from suede to Alcantera as it's lighter lol.

This is a suede seat pad I've just had trimmed...with matching tank pad too.

I've not ridden on it yet and hadn't thought of the extra grip it might offer...hmmm?
I've protected it with leather waterproofing spray....but don't plan on riding in the rain too much

that looks absolutely stunning! the colour goes lovely with the white .I’m just at the time when I need to get something to do it .a upholstery place I know recommend Alston technosuede it looks like suede but wears a bit nicer apparently have you had a ride on it yet ?it is a great looking bike

 

[NoRiders]

that looks absolutely stunning! the colour goes lovely with the white .I’m just at the time when I need to get something to do it .a upholstery place I know recommend Alston technosuede it looks like suede but wears a bit nicer apparently have you had a ride on it yet ?it is a great looking bike

Ha..thanx. not ridden it yet but getting very close I hope.
Not heard of technosuede but if it works and your trimmer is happy to suggest it....

 

[joelvaughan56]

yeah think thats what im going to go with if they recomend it they must like it to work with bet you cant wait to smell that 2 stroke burning its nothing quite like the smell of it always reminds me of starting my dirt bike up when i was a kid

 

[NoRiders]

yeah think thats what im going to go with if they recomend it they must like it to work with bet you cant wait to smell that 2 stroke burning its nothing quite like the smell of it always reminds me of starting my dirt bike up when i was a kid

yeah think thats what im going to go with if they recomend it they must like it to work with bet you cant wait to smell that 2 stroke burning its nothing quite like the smell of it always reminds me of starting my dirt bike up when i was a kid

Technosuede looks to be a synthetic material which resembles suede but is washable and breathable. Used in the equine world.
The Suzonda is a runner and it does smell good. I'll be adding a cap full of Castrol R to the fuel or oil.

 

[joelvaughan56]

Thanks for that sounds like it should suite a bike seat well then really.if it will hold up on a horse I would think It should be fine on a bike . Castro r now your bringing back memory’s borrowing next weeks pocket money to get a new clutch or brake lever and fixing all the punctures

 

[chickenStripCharlie]

Looks great? Any idea if alcantera is more expensive than regular vinyl? Curious by how much?

 

[joelvaughan56]

in the uk i had a quote for genuine alcantara and it is around £60 for 1.5 x 1m there is lots of imitation stuff on ebay and the like but very unknown quality the Alston techno suede is around £45 for the same size piece so both more expensive than even high quality vinyl