Oh Moy, Another Seat Mod?

Rapid Dog · 01-23-2006, 10:43 AM

Yep, I can hack along with the best.
Inspired by Moybin, I got off my blue-collar treadmill and decided to have some Friday night fun.

First I found an upholstery shop that would sell me a couple square feet of high-density foam ($10). They suggested I use this white foam cuz you can shape it. It’s the stuff they use in Landau tops. I also bit on the $20 can of professional super tacky glue.

I had a shape in mind, but the actual hacking about was needed some focus.
O.K., I was intimidated….bull, no I wasn’t.
In the end the result is better than I gave myself credit for…with only a couple kinks learning curve.

First I took this perfectly good stock seat and pulled the staples back to the pillion.

The first time I did these years ago I had no problem-o, but I do recall someone telling me that some BMW seats crumble when you pull the covers off because they are glued on.
Yikes! This one was very much so…

From the front it was quite vulcanized, so to save the ‘ears” I decide to cut the foam down to the vinyl and leave them in tact. Brilliant!

The seat was sealed pretty good around the perimeter too, foam to vinyl cover. I cut a seam with a single sided razorblade to get the peel started. Brilliant!

…then it peeled back nicely…

Setting the seat on the bike I did a visual with a marker on how to make the seat flatter…
Brilliant!

Keeping in mind I still needed to use the stock cover in this cheap-o mod. Stretching it back over could leave unsightly folds and seams…I poured a glass of Red and took a moment…

Then I remember something my wife had given me for the seat for my first long ride. It’s a horse saddle foam/gel pad thingie. Nice stuff, but it slipped about in the saddle. So I figured why not use it inside the saddle instead of the Landau top foam… Brilliant!

I set about first by first positioning the pad, wiggling my cute butt into it to get the feel, then satisfied, outlined the pad…Brilliant!

I carved down an insert section for the pad with razor blade and bread knife. (“!”) Then I glued the pad in place. Brilliant!

To be continued...

Rapid Dog · 01-23-2006, 10:46 AM

I measured front to back. About 1.5" at the back and about 2" at the front.

Then took the bread knife and started to cut a wedge out of the seat to make it flatter.

...but I changed my mind and just sanded enough to flatten it towards the rear. I created a more gradual slope to and tried to match it up with the pad. I wanted to be able to pull the seat cover back on without creating too much void between foam and cover. I heated the vinyl with a heat gun to make it more pliable and tried this several times to make sure it wasn't going to be too ill-fitting.

The rest was shaping the seat with a coarse sanding disk (by hand not machine). I sanded and tapered and sanded and tapered 'til I started feeling like a pro...then I stopped...time for a smoke and reflection...

At this point my wife came into my inner sanctum and exclaimed "My God!...what are you doing NOW?!"
I politely invited her to leave...

Ignoring the interruption I continued to shape the seat.
I warmed up the vinyl once more and used the tack glue on the cover and foam and pulled the cover on and pressed everything in place. I rummaged thru my staple/tape/and glue drawer and came up with some 1/4" staples...good, a few short but enough to get her started.

It doesn't look perfect, no, and I discovered why upholsterers use that thin blue foam between the cover and the base foam. It hides the imperfections in the foam base.
Live and learn. Next time, a bit more filling and sanding, maybe even a nice professional cover like Moy did. If I do that I'll make sure a choose less slippery cover material, maybe a nice cranberry accoutremonde with an Aztec gold chemise insert affair...or not.

All in all, it's pretty comfy. Be brave. Take that useless OEM seat and hack away!
Brilliant!

Trex · 01-23-2006, 10:47 AM

Brilliant*^#@.

Moybin · 01-23-2006, 11:09 AM

Fantastic! Bet the super sticky glue was the tits. Mine wasn't quite super enough. Great job, great pix.

repoe3 · 01-23-2006, 11:09 AM

yeah, regardless of your efforts and the appearance...does it work???

brilliant!?!?

repoe3

Trex · 01-23-2006, 11:17 AM

No problem pulling and tugging on the cover to bring it around the lip of the base and then get stapled? When you started to re-staple, did you start along the sides and work forward toward the nose/tip of the seat? Or did you start at the front, making sure that the stretch on the top of the cover looked right and then yanked down to do the sides?

Rapid Dog · 01-23-2006, 11:22 AM

um, work?...you mean as "work" in the common sense, like labor, to sweat and toil, etc...or do you mean "work", in more of an abstract way, as in functionly pleasing...?
...lemme get back to you on that one...

Rapid Dog · 01-23-2006, 11:38 AM

Trex, because of the cold, I heated the vinyl abit and pulled the front ears on firstand stapled, then worked on trying to keep an even pull on both sides...like stretching a canvas (art speak).

SergioK · 01-23-2006, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rapid Dog
At this point my wife came into my inner sanctum and exclaimed "My God!...what are you doing NOW?!"
I politely invited her to leave...

LOL, you get that too eh? I try to 'work' when she's not home. I still get the stares from the neighbors though, especialy when I got tools sprawled everywhere and start talking to the bike (I think I actually convinced it to let me finish on time once).

Oh yeah... nice job on the seat!

steve abella · 01-23-2006, 05:49 PM

so are you selling that 600 dollar seat for say pennies on the dollar if so I'd like 1st dibs

Rapid Dog · 01-23-2006, 06:12 PM

Sent it back Steve...I came to my senses...

wswartzwel · 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by repoe3
yeah, regardless of your efforts and the appearance...does it work???

brilliant!?!?

repoe3

you guys that have the courage to "risk" ruining a seat impress me... Rapid I hope yours is as comfortable as repoe3's, He let me spend some time on his saddle last year and his seat was soooo much more comfy than my stocker....

His seat mod thread... stock seat modification...

Moybin · 01-23-2006, 07:03 PM

It was repoe3's postings that got me to thinking and tinking...

Thanks to the guy who blazed the trail.

wswartzwel · 01-23-2006, 07:11 PM

anyone try Silicone Butt implants????

http://www.buttockaugmentation.com/

turnerm · 07:28 PM

Strap a barcolounger to your bike and get it over with.

Rapid Dog · 01-24-2006, 06:28 AM

wswartzwel - ain't no biggie, there are plenty of used seats out there you can snatch up if you want something to play with, keep yours for a back up, get out your wife's eletro-turkeycarver and have at it...

wswartzwel · 01-24-2006, 06:32 AM

Chickens are afraid of carving knives....

Nitro · Nitro's Garage

Ok guys,

Winter is cold and I was thinking of playing with my seat...

What do you think of using memory foam, then a headliner between the seat and the new vinyl to hide up any mistakes?

Rapid Dog · 01-24-2006, 01:32 PM

...as in temperpedic foam? I had some thoughts myself about cutting up my pillow...
You'd want to give it the old butt-test for sure.

steve abella · 01-24-2006, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wswartzwel
you guys that have the courage to "risk" ruining a seat impress me... Rapid I hope yours is as comfortable as repoe3's, He let me spend some time on his saddle last year and his seat was soooo much more comfy than my stocker....

His seat mod thread... stock seat modification...

cow seat?