Reupholster a seat?

[AtariGuy]

Ummm, don't judge me. I don't know a thing about upholstery. Heres my question(s) though. Are we limited to uv/weather proof materials for reasons outside of fade and a soaking wet ass? Ok, and mildew/mold in the foam. Can we reupholster in... terrycloth? (Think towels and fathersday robes.) And can we use any kind of foam stuffing? Like old gymnasium wrestling mat foam... or do we have to stick to specific blends and densities?

[190mech]

Use anything you like,,its your scoot!!Cloth will absorb water,oil,etc..Foam is your choice also,the stiffer stuff works best..Post your creation when its done...

[bluegoatwoods]

Yup! You ought to feel free to use anything you'd like.

But if it's not waterproof, then I do think you'll regret that.

You might look for cheap Naugahyde on Amazon. I bought some that covered two scooter seats with a bit left over for a total of something like $12.50. Not enough to even be concerned about the cost.

[oldgeek]

Hijack!

How about links to any good "how to" about installing gel inserts? I got several seat covers to replace, and figured I might as well put some gel in while I have them apart. I am going to practice on the Elite seat I am using on the Kymco, and then do the seat on the wifes CB250. I got ebay replacement covers some 5/8" gel and a stapler.

[90GTVert]

This shows gel with an adhesive side, but you'd just use spray adhesive instead with a standard sheet of gel.

[benji]

I actually don't use glue. I use Staples or screws on the seat pan. Glue inhibits the ability to stretch the material and move it around. Here's some pics of seats I've recovered

[benji]

Also, I suggest you use marine grade vinyl or else you can get the cracking and fading. Most other materials won't be waterproof or colorfast in the sun. Although, I've used faux- suade on a seat before and it gives you great ass grip.

[oldgeek]

Decided to post this stuff here, its as good a place as any.

Watched lots of tube videos to get an idea how its done, and not done. I took bits and pieces from lots of places to get it done.

I marked out on the seat where to put the gel, and used a paper pattern to get it where I wanted it. The gel up front is likely not needed, but my boys want some comfort too.


Then I used my oscillating tool to cut the outline into the foam, my finger and a bunch of little blocks. The tape is a depth gauge and worked pretty well. A very light touch worked best to cut the foam. I tried a straight scraper blade for a while,but the toothed blade was much better for the job.


I used my fingers to pinch the foam blocks at their base and plucked each one from the foam. It came out pretty even, I may use some 60 grit sand paper to level it out a bit, but I don't think it really needs it.


Next up is cutting the gel, what a PITA! The best results came from a sharp pair of scissors with some lube on the blades. I purchased a big piece of gel from feebay so I could do three or four seats. Even on sale the stuff is expensive. I think I went overboard as usual by getting the 5/8 gel. I think the thinner stuff, or maybe the gel that has a layer of foam attached to it would be better. I ordered a 20" x 36" piece, it came cut kind of crappy on one end and was only 35" in the center and barely 35.5" in another place depending where you measured it. There is also a slight valley in it where it did not level uniformly when it was poured. I have been trying to figure out what the gel is made of but I do not know. However it seems to be the exact same compound that those wall walker things that you threw at the wall and they slowly rolled down the wall. It is very tacky.


It came out pretty good, I wish I had cut the gel on the outside of the line instead of the inside of the line so it would have filled the gap a little better. It was such a pain to cut I wanted it to fit without having to trim it which I think would be damm near impossible.


Thats as far as I can go tonight, I have to get some spray adhesive to glue the smoothing foam that lays over the gel and the rest of the seat before I can put the new cover on. The cover I got is a cheapo and seems to be a tad loose when I test fitted it. Hopefully the extra thin layer of foam will help with that.

[90GTVert]

Looks good so far. Thanks for posting.

[oldgeek]

As I previously mentioned I was not happy with the gel I got from Feebay, it was cut a little short and there was a valley right down most of the middle. I sent an email and pictures explaining the problems to the seller last night. Mid morning today I got a call from the seller. He said that if it was defective they would replace it, I asked him if he felt the pictures showed any defects and he said "it does not matter what I think, if you feel it is defective we would be happy to replace it, no need to send the defective item back". I felt kinda bad about keeping the defective but usable gel and getting a new one too, so I asked if they could just send a smaller piece to make it right. He said he could only send what I purchased. So I said OK. I got way too much gel now.

I could not find my spray adhesive, so I had to buy another can. I got everything half assed glued up, and almost ready to cover now. This Honda Elite seat has lots of curves and is being difficult, I think this project would be better left up to a pro.

[oldgeek]

I ended up having to pick up my daughter from work at 11:30 tonight, So I had enough time to finish the seat before going to get her. It came out much better than I was starting to think it was going to. The thin layer of added foam over the entire seat was tough to get attached due to all of the curves the seat has. But in the end the cover hid all the ugly.
One thing that made the cover easier to stretch into place is a very thin layer of plastic that I put between the foam seat and the seat cover. I saw that trick somewhere, and the original honda seat cover also had the same type of plastic. I used a large bag from the craft store, made of the same plastic that cheap grocery bags are made from. The plastic also acts as a moisture barrier.

[90GTVert]

Looks great! Please let us know if you think it does much after some ride time.

[oldgeek]

I told Ya!

[oldgeek]

Upgraded seat for the wifes 92 Nighthawk 250. Gripper style cover and added gel. I don't think the new cover will last very long, its grippy, but very stretchy and cheapish.





Wife said it looks better with the strap installed.

[oldgeek]

Well, I really like the gel inserts so far and so does the wife. There is a issue that they hold heat, and if you park it in the sun it gets pretty hot. But the seats normally do that to a degree anyway so to me it is not that big of a deal.
Overall it is a great upgrade so far, especially if you are interested in maximum comfort as I am. It really is not that hard to do a seat. The first one took about 8 hours start to finish, the second one went much faster, about 4 hours. I do recommend an air stapler, $25 from amazon. I removed the safety mechanism so I could get the business end of it into tighter spots while stapling. I also got 1/2" stainless steel crown staples that are 1/4" long because everything corrodes around here.