How to Reupholster Motorcycle Seats
Imagine riding your motorcycle. The wind is blowing through your hair and bystanders watch as the sun glistens off the chrome. But before you are out of sight, their eyes latch onto something less than attractive--big pieces of foam are sticking out of holes in your seat! A worn out seat can really ruin the appearance of an otherwise beautiful motorcycle. Although this is an unattractive problem, the good news is that it is one that can easily, and cheaply, be fixed at home. So lets get our materials ready and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
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Things You'll Need
- Pre-cut seat cover (for your motorcycle model)
- Pliers
- Screwdriver or pry bar
- Staple gun
Instructions
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Replacing the Seat Cover
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1
Purchase a seat cover that has been pre-cut to fit your specific motorcycle model. There are many websites that sell these and typically you have the option of choosing many different colors. If you do not want to shop on the web you could check in your area for upholstery shops or cycle shops to see if they provide a similar product.
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2
Take your motor cycle seat and turn it upside down. You should be able to see where the current cover has been attached (most likely with staples).
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3
Remove the staples using the pliers and screwdriver or pry bar. These can be tough to remove so just keep working on them and be patient.
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4
Remove the old seat cover from the seat, leaving the foam in place.
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5
Take the new seat cover and place it on the seat; turn the seat upside down.
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6
Begin pushing the loose ends of the seat cover against the seat and stapling them down with the staple gun.
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Work your way around the seat, stapling down the cover and keeping it all tight.
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When finished stapling, reattach your seat and you are ready to ride!
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Tips & Warnings
Step 1: Choosing a seat color to match or accent your motorcycle's color is a great way to inexpensively give your cycle a more custom look. If your motorcycle is one color you might want to simply match it. If your cycle's paint has two or more colors then you might match your seat to one of the secondary colors to prove more visual contrast to your bike.
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Comments
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fosterius
Jul 03, 2010
Is this a regular staple gun? It seems that the staples into the base are either wrapped around the other side somehow or they're just very short. -
shootr2
Jul 13, 2009
Before you even START to remove any staples, take note of the thickness of both the staples themselves as well as the seat base. If the staples are substantially thicker than the ones you have for use with your staple gun, then check the base. If it's pretty thick, forget it. Your staple gun will never produce enough force to penetrate the base pan - a commercial upholstery staple gun, either air or electric, would be needed to re-staple the cover back onto the base.
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tnupholsterer
Apr 15, 2009
This is how to replace, not re-upholster, a motorcycle seat. To re-upholster would be cutting and sewing the cover, not just buying a new one. Granted it is difficult in and of itself, but re-upholstering is four times more difficult that what is presented here.
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tnupholsterer
Apr 15, 2009
This is how to replace, not re-upholster, a motorcycle seat. To re-upholster would be cutting and sewing the cover, not just buying a new one. Granted it is difficult in and of itself, but re-upholstering is four times more difficult that what is presented here.
