Topic: NOS vs After Market Seats?

[TideWater2]

How do you guys tell the difference in a NOS seat and a cheaper after market seat if they were on a bike, not in a ad?

I was going to post a eBay link of two seats, but the link was fifty miles long, not sure how to do that. There is a NOS K1 seat listed on eBay for $1.200. Is that the market?

Thanks

[newday777]

How do you guys tell the difference in a NOS seat and a cheaper after market seat if they were on a bike, not in a ad?

I was going to post a eBay link of two seats, but the link was fifty miles long, not sure how to do that. There is a NOS K1 seat listed on eBay for $1.200. Is that the market?

Thanks

Post the link

[newday777]

Well I found the NOS seat. And the aftermarket seat.
The NOS looks very legit. Notice the stamped numbers on the pan and the puffy pillows between the pleats.
The aftermarket has flat non puffy pillows. There's usually a difference in the naugahide texture too.

Is it market value? Have you seen another recently?  It's an open market. Offer him $800.

[grcamna2]

What's the quality of foam in a Repro seat?  How do they feel after a few years ?

[Lucien Harpress]

I grabbed a repro seat for my '70 a little while back.  The biggest giveaway is the pan.  Stock (I'm pretty sure) is a gloss black, while mine is a hammered finish.  It looks a bit flatter as well.

Foam is pretty hard.  I still need to break it in, but I'm shocked at how little give the padding has.  It's also a bit tight up front, and pushes my tank forward a bit.  I'd like to fix both, but it's still worth it for me to find a "correct" K0 seat.

[TideWater2]

Thank you guys for your comments.

So how much does it affect the value or desirability, positive or negative, if you replace an original seat in good shape with a NOS seat? 

[jlh3rd]

notice the nos seat has an embossed design in the pleats of the seat.
The aftermarket seat is smooth, no design, in addition to flat pillows.

value is subjective....depends on the individual... If you want a rider, then why pay $1200 for a seat you might tear up.
A bike is worth more with nos parts.

If a bike is 100% original, maybe even unrestored, I'd consider nos even at a high price...that's me.
I can only speak for myself as an example. I have such a bike, and it isn't for sale at any price.

It just depends on you

[Rookster]

A few words about the NOS seat.  It is an OEM seat sold by Honda but I wouldn't call it NOS.  Honda produced parts and contracted parts for the CB750 in the 1990s and 2000s.  This seat is from that time frame.  There were subtle differences in the newer produced parts than parts made during the lifespan of the CB750.  Essentially Honda made reproduction parts but since they come from Honda they are OEM.  But don't confuse this with a seat produced by Honda in the 1970s that sat on a shelf for 50 years.  it isn't that.  Honda is no longer making OEM seats or body parts or exhausts but that doesn't mean they never will again in the future.  In my opinion this seat is priced like an actual NOS seat from the 1970s.  New these sold for $300-$500 but they aren't being made anymore by Honda so maybe its value is in the $400-$600 range.  Just my opinion.  This seat is more desirable than a repro seat from Vietnam but it won't make your K1 restoration priceless.  A Yamiya K1 seat would be just as nice and desirable on a K1 restoration.

Scott

[newday777]

Thank you guys for your comments.

So how much does it affect the value or desirability, positive or negative, if you replace an original seat in good shape with a NOS seat?

If you keep the original seat with that nos seat, it should be positive.
🤔 How much will depend on how you sell it and the prospective buyers.
So what are your intentions for this bike?

[MauiK3]

And remember
An actual NOS seat from the day has 50 year old foam in it. That foam may not be very resilient any more.
I used a Yamiya seat, nice product, it's my aging butt that isn't resilient.

[jlh3rd]

A few words about the NOS seat.  It is an OEM seat sold by Honda but I wouldn't call it NOS.  Honda produced parts and contracted parts for the CB750 in the 1990s and 2000s.  This seat is from that time frame.  There were subtle differences in the newer produced parts than parts made during the lifespan of the CB750.  Essentially Honda made reproduction parts but since they come from Honda they are OEM.  But don't confuse this with a seat produced by Honda in the 1970s that sat on a shelf for 50 years.  it isn't that.  Honda is no longer making OEM seats or body parts or exhausts but that doesn't mean they never will again in the future.  In my opinion this seat is priced like an actual NOS seat from the 1970s.  New these sold for $300-$500 but they aren't being made anymore by Honda so maybe its value is in the $400-$600 range.  Just my opinion.  This seat is more desirable than a repro seat from Vietnam but it won't make your K1 restoration priceless.  A Yamiya K1 seat would be just as nice and desirable on a K1 restoration.

Scott

Is there a way to tell this is not a NOS seat? I'm aware that OEM parts may not match an original or NOS part. Usually there is a size difference or some other identifying mark. Is there a date somewhere? Sometimes the box shows something. Just curious.

[Rookster]

A few little things like the lettering on the box and the bar code.  Honda didn't use bar codes in the 1970s.  The original seat would not have had the part number rubber stamped on the pan either.  There is a date on the label that is on the box.  It is conveniently covered by a little sticker so you can't see the year.  All these things tell that it was made in the 1990s to 2000s.  I believe the K1 seat was available from Honda as late as 5 or 10 years ago.  Honda did not produce fully painted body kits, seats, and exhausts continously.  These items were unavailable in the 1980s.  At some point Honda decided to produce these items again and they came back into production. They were never cheap but they were available from Honda for about a decade. 

Scott

[jlh3rd]

thanks...I just looked at the one posted pic. Bar code, yep...

[TideWater2]

I really appreciate all your comments, I'm learning.

Rookster, I believe what you are saying, however, do you know for a fact that Honda didn't use bar codes in the 70's? Bar codes showed up in US grocery stores in the early 70's, hard to believe Japan would have been that far behind. No part number on the pan makes sense, I think, isn't there part numbers on most of the other installed parts?

Newday777, I owe you a double thanks for posting the links. You ask a very good question as what my intensions are with this bike. I would like this bike to score as high as possible by the experts, even though I don't know who or if they do such scoring. I have another bike located and I may end up with one high quality and one of lesser. Riding both just to keep them exercised. My age and it being illegal to shoot stupid motorist, will limit my riding.

Everyone has brought up good points. Just need to figure out where I'm going. Thanks again.

[willbird]

I really appreciate all your comments, I'm learning.

Rookster, I believe what you are saying, however, do you know for a fact that Honda didn't use bar codes in the 70's? Bar codes showed up in US grocery stores in the early 70's, hard to believe Japan would have been that far behind. No part number on the pan makes sense, I think, isn't there part numbers on most of the other installed parts?

Newday777, I owe you a double thanks for posting the links. You ask a very good question as what my intensions are with this bike. I would like this bike to score as high as possible by the experts, even though I don't know who or if they do such scoring. I have another bike located and I may end up with one high quality and one of lesser. Riding both just to keep them exercised. My age and it being illegal to shoot stupid motorist, will limit my riding.

Everyone has brought up good points. Just need to figure out where I'm going. Thanks again.

My recollection of the early 70's was cashiers ringing up price tags, and those tags had to be changed to change the price.

"Their two-year effort resulted in the announcement of the Universal Product Code and the U.P.C. bar code symbol on April 1, 1973. The U.P.C. made its first commercial appearance on a package of Wrigley's gum sold in Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio in June 1974."

The definition of "early" might come into play here LOL.

[BenelliSEI]

10 years ago I bought an “NOS seat” for my cb750K1. It was in a Honda box (just like the one in Stu’s picture) and bag and the fellow told me it was +25 years old. He’d bought it from a dealership and then never used it. My original K1 seat had a split seam and the foam was crumbling. This one is identical in every way and I love it. Been on the bike since I bought it and still perfect and very comfortable. I think I paid $300 and it was a LOT at the time. I’ve used it enough and am glad I did!

The K6 I’m renovating right now also has an NOS Honda seat. It’s a unique style to that year and correct. I’m guessing the previous owner bought it from a dealer in the last 15 years. It looks great, but is as hard as a rock! Obviously there are differences.

[newday777]

Having been a parts manager in the mid 70s, we didn't have the codes on parts at that time. Just went by part numbers. Honda didn't institute it during the 70s.

[Rookster]

Rookster, I believe what you are saying, however, do you know for a fact that Honda didn't use bar codes in the 70's? Bar codes showed up in US grocery stores in the early 70's, hard to believe Japan would have been that far behind. No part number on the pan makes sense, I think, isn't there part numbers on most of the other installed parts?

Yes, I know for a fact that Honda did not use bar codes on their parts in the US in the 1970s.  Possibly very late 70s but I don't think they showed up until the 1980s.  The labels on the boxes looked different as well.  Here are a few pics of genuine 1970s Honda parts boxes with labels.

NOS +.25 Piston and Ring Sets


NOS K2 Speedometer Box underneath some junk bushings.


Notice the labels; old wing logo, Japanese characters, lines for handwritten notes.  This is what Honda parts boxes and labels look like from the 1960s and 1970s.   

Scott

[newday777]

Very true Scott.

As to how to tell an original early 1970s seat from later made seats, this K2 seat I bought locally was taken off early in it's life and put on a shelf. It has the original date decal on the metal side drop under the seat.
I was looking for a picture of something else when I saw these in my phone tonight.

[newday777]

It looks like that $1200 seat doesn't have the date decal, but I couldn't see the hook latch side of the seat where my K2 seat has the decal.

[TideWater2]

I looked at my original seat that is on the bike right now, it does not have a date decal, nor a parts number stamp.

[newday777]

I looked at my original seat that is on the bike right now, it does not have a date decal, nor a parts number stamp.

Did you buy the bike new yourself?

[TideWater2]

No, I didn't buy it new. The seat is in good condition, the pan has some surface rust mostly over the battery area. It has 9,000 miles and I have documentation starting at 3,000 miles. I had it a motorcycle show last fall and a couple of the "go to" guys there thought it to be all original.

[jlh3rd]

what's this?...on a 550 seat.
FWIW ...I purchased a '76 550F brand new in '76. There was no sticker anywhere on that seat base. I also can't recall seeing any stamped #, but I have to say I was never looking or cared.

[andy750]

I have a NOS K1 seat for the 750 if interested.

cheers
Andy