Brooks B170

After 90 years of regular use the saddle on my Triumph Model N has been getting a bit rough around the edges. With the bike due to head over to Spain for the Moto Piston rally it seemed like a good idea to give it some love.

For a reason best known to themselves someone in the mists of time had welded the saddle pillar clip at a fixed angle. Not altogether daft as pillar fitting saddles can often shift a little over a heavy pothole but the mystery was why they had fixed it at an uncomfortable canted back angle. I ground the weld off of the clip and tidied it up with a file. Whilst apart it seemed like a good idea to give some the leather of the saddle some attention.

Intriguingly on the underside of the pan there is a stamping giving the British, USA, French and German patents for the Brooks saddle design. There is also a message 'For __ to __ stone rider'. The weights are blank, perhaps the B170 is a one size fits all model and Brooks only had one stamping for the base? It is a small detail like this that in my mind makes an unrestored, if slightly scruffy, bike so much more desirable and interesting than a restored show piece.

The frayed edges of the saddle got stuck back in to place with impact adhesive and all leather treated with leather boot proofer. On putting it all back together I added in a little dab of weld to the clip, but this time to hold it all in place at a sensible angle. 

A nice satisfying little tweak to the bike that I've been meaning to make for ages. Just an hour or so's work and the bike is more comfortable, it looks nicer and hopefully is preserved for a little while longer. I won't quite say it will be good for the next 90 years of service but hopefully not far short!

The Brooks B170 post tweakage.

Original Brooks badge on the rear of the saddle.

And the stamping on the underside.

Each side of the saddle is imprinted with the Brooks logo and
model code.

Whilst I am at it, here's another nice little piece of leatherwork
on the Triumph. The toolbox that characteristically sits rear
facing above the numberplate. Note the Triumph logo that
is stamped in.