First off you have impeccable, and I may add extremely sophisticated, taste (I had the exact same design for mine - including the same stingray pattern)! 
However, the seat for my Breakout, which looks almost identical in size and shape, was going to cost $1000. That is not to say they are exactly the same structure-wise, though. The guy I was dealing with is in Arkansas and he makes the seats for one of the famous custom bike shops. He was going to make a fiberglass frame and use memory foam, real leather and stingray. He was also the one to tell me stingray is hard to take care of, though it looks great.
Your bike is going to look fantastic. I would think it would be worth it to have a custom gortex cover with a felt lining custom made to cover it up when necessary.
Cam
Cam,
The seat starts at $895 for Italian leather cover. The stingray inlay is another $700. Company is Bitchin' Seats. Check it out:
http://www.bitchinseatstore.net/Softail_Breakout_FXSB_FXSBSE_Custom_Seat_p/13-15breakoutseat.htmThis guy has made seats for Jesse James and all the biker build-off dudes in California as well as folks in many other states and countries.
Also, as for being hard to care for, its' really tough leather. In fact, the ancient Japanese Samurais used the leather for shields, which made them impenetrable to weapons.
I went online and found this: "Of all exotic leathers, stingray is often the most underrated. It is highly durable (25 times more durable than cowhide leathers) and has a unique supple texture. This leather is one of the most durable skins and is widely available. It can be textured to be bumpy or flat and painted in any color in a large number of possibilities."
http://www.rojeleather.com/species-and-leathers/stingray-leather/I couldn't find anything online that says stingray is difficult to care for. In fact, only the opposite. Here is another copy and paste from the web, it for boots, but should still apply to a seat: "Stingray is commonly known as the most durable leather in the world, being only rivaled by Elephant hide. The tanning process causes the scales to fall away without damaging the skin, leaving an extremely strong pearly hide.
Aftercare is always important for any boots. Using a soft damp cotton cloth, wipe to remove topical dirt and dust. Use a soft brush to gently remove any mud and dirt, especially at the edge of the sole.
General cleaning of stingray footwear is best done with a cotton cloth slightly dampened with plain water to maintain it's natural radiance. Since stingray is water resistant soap products and excessive water will run off the skin and down to the edge causing drying and rotting of the stitching.
Conditioning the exterior is not suggested, as these products will affect the natural radiance of the stingray."
It seems stingray needs less care than most leather, and the problem might be that some folks could kill it with kindness by doing more than you should to the leather. The real difficulty seems to be keeping the stitching free from excessive water rather than worry about the leather itself.
These seats light up in the sun. It's hard to find a good picture that does them justice. Found one online that shows the pearl-like affects of sunlight but still not the best.
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Topic: I'm Looking For A Waterproof Seat Cover (Read 9168 times)