V-Strom Seat Cover Replacement

I have nearly 60,ooo miles on my ’05 Suzuki V-Strom and recently started noticing the stock seat cover beginning to split along the seams. A bit of searching landed me on the ebay store for Northwest Classic Seat Covers. Kevin carries replacement seat covers for the V-Strom as well as several Honda, Yamaha, BMW and BSA models. I ordered the V-Strom cover for $54 (plus $10.50 shipping). The new cover arrived in a few days and I have to say I could not be more impressed with the way it turned out.

The cover came with instructions that were simple to follow. I’m not blessed with the most patience in the world and it took me a bit of time to get the cover perfect but I am ecstatic about the new look, the time spent (only about an hour or so) was well worth it. This is really a quality product that fits perfectly. The driver’s area is a carbon fiber vinyl with a plain vinyl on the passenger area. Both are made with UV inhibitors to help eliminate fatigue due to weather. I noticed the carbon fiber material is slightly less slippery than the stock material, which I really like.

The installation is pretty straightforward. You start by removing the staples from the stock cover. I used a flat-head screwdriver and a pair of pliers. The instructions said to attach the front and back by aligning the included marks with the edge of the stock seat pan. The photo to the left shows the alignment marks that came pre-marked on the cover. The cover is cut so well and the material so pliable that stretching it over the seat pan is a snap. After a bit of stretching and massaging I got it as close to perfect as I could. I think it looks fantastic and the carbon fiber pattern is an upgrade to the old rather plain looking stock seat cover. If you take your time, tack the cover in place, then carefully stretch, pull and staple you can get it nearly perfect. Note: You’ll want to use a heavy duty stapler that allows you to get some force behind it (I used a Powershot stapler from one of the home stores).

Northwest Classic Seat Covers makes an excellent seat cover. I was not compensated for this post, I just felt compelled to give a hat tip to a class product. If you’re looking for a replacement seat cover, look no further. Check out the rest of the photos and if you order one tell Kevin that Zen Motorcyclist sent you. You won’t be disappointed.

1 Comment

  1. molson

    Nice. Looks good for another 60k miles.

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