If you have been searching for seat supply for your vintage British motorcycle as of late, you may find that many of the best-selling seats have been out of stock with many suppliers for months now. There have been some contributing factors that have left the supply chain in peril, including a general economic malaise in Europe, a closing of a major supplier in the UK, and the absence of a manufacturer of “pressings”, or seat pans.
We have used three different suppliers for seats in the past, including RK Leighton, P&P Seating Ltd, and Wassell Ltd. P&P Seating was a supplier of premium-grade reproduction seats, and once was one of the biggest manufacturer of seats for vintage BSA, Norton, and Triumph motorcycles until they closed in early 2024. We have also stocked the Wassell line of economically-priced seats, which sold well and offered a reasonable alternative to the premium-priced seats from P&P and RK Leighton.
Wassell also discontinued offering replacement seats for 1960s-70s BSA and Triumph models in 2024, which now leaves only one well-known supplier in the UK, RK Leighton. With an unwavering demand for replacement seats, Leighton is supplying the worldwide market as best they can, but the problem seems to be the absence of a manufacturer of seat pans. Apparently, P&P was a supplier of seat pans to Leighton and owned the original presses, as used for OEM seats at Meriden. In the aftermath of their liquidation, it is now unclear if anyone will step up and provide the investment to continue on with reproduction seat manufacture.
Given the current limited availability of seat covers, foams, pans, and complete seats, if you are in the market for seating products, this is the time to act. There are still suppliers showing stock on various products, but the situation may become worse before getting any better. While we wait for RK Leighton’s production to catch up with demand, we are exploring other options outside of UK-manufactured seating products. As the interest in vintage British motorcycles continues to be strong, we are committed to offering the best selection of quality replacement parts regardless of their origin.
