Upholstering a buddy seat

There are days when you don't think about buddy seat covers. But when you do think about it: 'Back in the day' you could buy or order them at many motorcycle shops. Afterwards it usually turned out that tightening such a jacket wasn't that easy...

That comes to mind when you're sitting with a buddy who needs to be covered. The thing was bought as a 'project'. For €100. The bottom is hard. The foam is still good. But what's on top as a cover? That looks most like a used condom.

Then you get talking to someone who had his buddy upholstered 'custom style' by a professional who also upholstered the seats of a few motorcycles of celebrities. He shows some pictures on his phone. And names the price for that undoubted craftsmanship.... What the average (?) celebrity pays for something like that? That's above my budget.

Finding a used buddyseat for a 1967 V7 is not easy. Here in NL I found nothing (according to my budget). On Subito.it I saw two within a few weeks: one for €345, and the other for €450. And that was without shipping to NL. New, reference copies are for sale for €500+. Excluding shipping. A Guzzi contact reported that he knew of a few NOS copies. But that was also in Italy.

Then you look for it in your network of people who are not so careless with money. And where do they think more sharply about rates than at the (almost) local motorcycle dismantling company/motorcycle scrapyard of Joost Woesthoff? He had – I remembered from the past – an address where excellent work was delivered for a nice price. That upholsterer 'did it as a hobby'. To earn a living, he travelled on assignment to all kinds of nursing and care institutions where he provided wheelchairs, mattresses and such with new imitation leather. His greatest motivation to upholster buddies? He also wanted to work on imitation leather and foam filling that did not smell of urine.

But that address was out of the picture. Fortunately, Joost had found another address. Nick Mulder is also in Eerbeek, which is less than eight kilometers from here. Nick has been doing this work for about 25 years and is an old-fashioned professional who does not dare to ask trendy prices in the Randstad. He sometimes does a few hundred buddies a year, but also provides the (complete) upholstery of classic cars, USA Vans and campers, car seats, canopies, bicycle saddles, living room chairs, you name it. For that he actually needs an affordable space of about 200 m². That is still being sought. If you know anything?

Meanwhile, Nick charges for buddies from € 145 and custom models from € 165. For me, that's another € 100 for the basic model and two trips to and from Eerbeek. Due to the crowds, preparing and delivering it can take a bit longer than at Bol.com. But for that, you get custom work. Oh yes: Nick's lover is Marcella Tornabene. She's half Italian. And a singer.

The profession of buddy upholstery is no longer widespread. The people who do it are usually old-school craftsmen and not marketing and PR monsters. If you know of such an address in your area, please let us know. We would even like to. Because not everyone is lucky enough to live in Gelderland, near Eerbeek.