Original or Replica

Guess what crazy fella bought the cover?
My bike is a runner, not a shower, so it will look perfect.
And it was about time I could sell off the brand new replica seat.

All right Waynus!! The most important thing - - - - It makes you happy.

Waynus wrote:Guess what crazy fella bought the cover?
My bike is a runner, not a shower, so it will look perfect.
And it was about time I could sell off the brand new replica seat.

You crazy, crazy man!

Well, he offered to drop the shipping costs because the end price went that high.
Pretty nice, saves me another 10£

O well it was an impulsive bid, but I'm sure I'll be very happy in the end.

How much are you going to ask for your Original Replica seat ????????????

A lot, to compensate for my expenses

No, I'm not sure yet.
The seat itself is a nice original OT seat, which I value pretty high.
I have yet to figure out if I will sell it off as a complete seat or just the cover.
For info, offers, pictures, you can use the PM function of this board.

Hallo all i bought my bike 3 days before xmas 1972 and it has now done the grand total of 7300 miles or
(1168 klm if my sums are right) and it cost me £ 150.00. its been many many miles further but in the back of my van to use on exhibition and conferance sites and around cenral London.
As the milage is so low I have needed very few spares but I have always tried to go for original .

THE SEAT I have just had mine recovered by a guy in HERNE BAY KENT and using all the original clips and the base.
It looks great in fact as its not so shiny and it feels better to ride ! down side no honda sticker but only £ 40.00
I have also just received 2 new original keys from the ***** Great service at a fairly reasonable price.

I think that if you are gonna invest well earned money into something, the least you can do is try and look after it when you have done so!! I have spent a lot of money restoring my DAX and I'll be stuffed if I'm gonna be stupid enough to go out and ride a lovely gleaming restored bike in crap weather and make it look like its been thrown in a mud bath!! I like to keep things original if its gonna be a concours machine but , if not, I still wouldnt entertain putting sub-standard cheapo chinky crap bits on a classic bike like the DAX - especially when Honda parts are still quite reasonably priced and most are available.

As for the flowery seat debate - if I owned a Lady DAX, I'd like to keep to the flowery seat (not available new from Honda anymore) even if it had to be a repro; it keeps the character of this particular model of DAX and you'll always know what it is by that seat and I think it suits the bike (I think Hondas design team had enough experience to know what was right). I dont know what the finishing price was on the seat on ebay but, if it was over £100, I think that was rediculous!!!! I would have gone and bought a good repro cover - there are plenty about and the vinyl wont have gone brittle with age or faded and will give plenty of service for years to come!! One thing I have learned for sure about ebay is, that people selling things on there get friends to place bids on things for them and trot the price up because, like most things in life, everybody wants top money for everything and they sure as hell aint gonna let it go for a song if they know its worth more!!!!

Another point raised in this thread was that things improve as time goes on (i.e. the DAX as the newer models came out). Well I personally think its a double edged sword; If you take the original DAX's, they seemed to be of a more solid construction, (more metal and chrome) the engines seemed stronger and more responsive (bigger valve heads). The newer ones lacked build quality - they seemed all plastic and no chrome, the engines seemed a bit flatter (smaller valve heads due to emmission controls etc). But, as a trade off, they improved the front forks, added 12v electrical system, better lighting and CDI ignition and indicators. So, its a toss up which you prefer - metal or plastic, chrome or black paint etc etc. I prefer the early ones around 1977/1978 and I really like the Lady DAX with its white and green - very distinctive!!

If your doing a concours bike, then it should be all original and correct for the year of bike!The best logical solution is to have the retro style and paint scheme with all of the chrome and build quality of the earlier DAX but, add the upgrades like the 12v electrics, CDI ignition, better forks etc so you've got the best of both worlds.

I've probably thrown a spanner in the works but, its a debate and everone's got different ideas but I like to look at things in (what I think) is a logical way.

Well, there you go - that's my 10p worth!!
CHEERS!!

Well, firts about the engine of the 12v NT dax.
It's the most reliable 4-stroke engine ever built.
Really, if you keep it original it is bullet proof.
The downside of this reliability is indeed the decreased power and torque.

Concerning the electrics, if you want a maintance-free bike, do the 12v CDI conversion.
If you are even only a bit of a technician, keep the original 6v ignition system.
The spare parts are cheaper, there are less of electrical parts (which can all break down) in the wire loom, it's faster as a solid 12v ignition CDI system (when set up right) and most of all, it's original Honda '70s technique!
And that's one reason why we do love the charm of these bikes.

The front forks, the oil NT forks are indeed a lot stronger and comfortable.
But... more complicated to keep it on the road under rough conditions, and the design is a big downside (to my eyes).

I completely agree with you that the plastic NT parts do not belong on bikes like ours.

As for the seat cover, I payed somewhat like 130£, shipping included.
Too much? Well, it was worth it for me, so no regrets. The replica cover (the only one with Honda on it) costed 130£ as well, and didn't fit the bike at all. (Nor the shape, nor the fabric, nor the print)
And I'm sure, if I ever end up selling it, I'll manage to make a good profit out of it.

So my thoughts? Honda OT dax looks all the way!
And if you want to ride an oldtimer, the electrical or mechanical issues will always be a part of the charm!
If that's not what you like, you might as well buy a brand new plastic scooter.

Hi Waynus,
...............I did keep my original forks on my bike. I bought a repro seat cover for £19.00 which looked (not quite so shiney as my 30 year old original) and fitted perfectly. Dont think I'll buy a plastic fantastic modern day moulded Jelly Baby scooter - I'm 47 now and I grew up through the 70's when bikes (and scooters) were proper (nuts, bolts, metal and chrome) and not held together with plastic fasteners, tie clips and rubber bands which are designed to be chewed and sucked for a few years, melt away and have to be replaced with (your choice from the latest packet of) purple, pink, green, red or yellow versions ...........what's your favourite flavour??

MINE'S STILL GOT A STRONG FLAVOUR AFTER 30 YEARS OF ENJOYMENT AND ITS GREEN AND CAME FROM A REAL SWEET SHOP CALLED THE CLASSIC 70's ERA!!!

CHEERS!!
DAX-IT!!