Road Toad seat pad & cover

[viclioce]

Does anyone know if SH is still selling seat covers & pads? I need these two items for my RT project. I have no cover left at all and the pad on the seat is nearly as hard as a rock. If Paul doesn't is there another resource or should I try to outsource it locally? I could always silk screen "HODAKA" on the back of another seat cover. Thanks! ; D Victor.

[dirty_rat]

The seat cover and foam combo is still listed on the Strictly Hodaka site, it is listed as below:

Seat Foam and Cover combo- Part# 979022FC

It is listed for the Super Combat, but the seats were the same for multiple models, including the all of the Road Toads.

[Bill2001]

As D_R says, SH is still selling them, and sometimes you have to look at alternative models. My new-to-me Resto has the SH seatcover and foam and the "fit and finish" of the cover looks good. FWIW.

--Bill

[viclioce]

OK! So glad I asked! Now to go look up the part #!!! ; D Victor

[---]

When I looked for the seat part under the schematic for the RT, it came up with both the seat assembly and the cover alone, no problems. The seat cover and foam together, no seat pan, is found under Products, Body Parts, Seats and Covers.

[viclioce]

Well, I'm getting it done locally for $80.00. So don't yell at me. Got to go with the $75 savings after shipping.

[---]

It won't say Hodaka on the back.....

[viclioce]

Greg. Though that may not be important to my grandson, I can make a small silk screen and add the name in white permanent ink if he wants it! None of the other bikes have it either, so I'm assuming they were recovered at some point. ; D Victor

[Bill2001]

And if you ever need/want to go "concours" in the future you can spend the extra money on the "correct" seat. Right now the RT is nickel-and-dimeing you to death. I bought one that had been finely detailed and getting it mechanically "perfect" is distressing.

--Bill

[viclioce]

Well, I wouldn't say "nickel & diming me to death!" It's more like $100 here & $100 there! I wish I could keep it to nickels & dimes. I'll probably have between $1,000-1200 into it, including the $400.00 purchase, when I'm done. Heck the paint and decals alone set me back close to $300.00. But I don't think I could buy a restored/rebuilt RT for $1200.00, fo you? And this one wasn't assembled either, like the Ace 100. But it wasn't nearly as complete either. But he did give me a bike and a half for the $400.00 I paid him, so I'm not going to complain.

I was luckier with the Ace. I only had to put about $800.00 into it including the purchase. The tire's were nearly new and the bike was nearly 100% complete. I'd say somewhere in the vicinity of 94-96% complete. And I gave spare parts for it as well and a second bottom end if I ever need it. Plus, painting stayed limited to rattle cans with the stainless fenders and chrome tank!

I'm still going to have to pull the Ace motor back out and split the cases. I think I have a cracked bearing retainer on the kick shaft. But I have at least 2 extra 100cc kick shaft assemblies in a storage container, not counting the one in the second bottom end. So that's just going to be my labor, no more $$$ unless I spend $86.95 to throw in a bottom end kit at that point, which I may do as well.

I was going to ask you another question, but I can't remember it now.

[taber hodaka]

Victor never use a galled or pitted kick shaft. And use the heavy duty retainer. --------------Clarence

[viclioce]

Yep. That's what I've got! ; D Victor

[---]

You knew going in that money would disappear rapidly. It's hard to tell where the money goes, and is always more than expected.

Here's a quiz: how much did it cost to build this 1985 CJ7, as it sits in the wilds of the Alaska tundra? Hard to tell, but more than you think, just like Hodakas.

Another view, this time in the Australian Outback:

No real point here, just that cost is irrelevant when building hobby vehicles.

[taber hodaka]

How do you see out the front window with that tire in the way?

[viclioce]

Got the seat back, done, in less than 24 hours. Looks great. He did the same seam patterns as the original. ; D Victor

[Bill2001]

How do you see out the front window with that tire in the way?

It's British? Nah, that is the rear window-- I got fooled, too.

Well, I wouldn't say "nickel & diming me to death!" It's more like

I was making an understatement-- it costs what it costs. I've got the stack of invoices on what the PO spent on mine. My going through and cleaning up a few mechanical loose ends is costing a chunk of change, but nothing like what it cost the PO to get good parts collected and then clean and assemble into a running motorbike. If I'd wanted something quick and simple to get going I'd have bought a newer KLR or a DR650 instead of a classic like the Hodie.

--Bill

[viclioce]

True Dat!!! ; D Victor

[---]

Vic,

That seat cover looks great. Very professional. Did they install it? What sort of foam was used? Soft, firm?

As for seeing out the window. It was a moon launch. 13' wall so I saw nothing until I landed. Gotta have faith. Not a stock Jeep. Actually the body and steering wheel are stock but the rest isn't. 5.0L Ford HO roller cam EFI, custom axles, transmission, and T-case, 36g fuel on board, dual air onboard, two comm radios, one 2 meter, one Australian band FM, etc. had to list all equipment and tools with particularity, with serial numbers where relevant and value, just to get across the pond from Seattle to Melbourne without paying duty. Ran to ten pages and glazed a lot of bureaucratic eyes, but no hassles.

What I ended up with is a specialty vehicle that will rock crawl in low range and do a bit over 100mph in high range even on 36" bias ply off road tires. I stopped recording costs at $50K.

[viclioce]

What he told me he did was this.

He said he removed half of the 41 year old foam. He wanted to leave the bottom half because it was molded to the seat pan shape. Then he added a slightly softer new foam to the top.

The vinyl used was a heavy duty grade upholstery vinyl. The top was gone off the seat, but the front stitching and the rear panel shape & stitching were still there so he could match it. He attached the cover with the pinch clips on the bottom and also glued the vinyl down to the pan. I also had to weld the front bolt bracket because the seat pan was cracking on either side of it. So I did that and repainted the bottom before I took it to him.

And the best part is, I didn't have to remove all the old foam, clean the pan, install the new foam and work hard at installing a pre-made cover. ; D Victor

[---]

One day turn around. How can you beat that, and in Santa Fe....

[viclioce]

Yeah! That's what I said! But this shop had been around for a long time, and I caught him when he wasn't busy. So he started on it as soon as I dropped it off and was done with it by 10 am the next morning. I paid him cash do he didn't even charge me gross receipts tax! ; D Victor