After working on and restoring motorcycles for many years, I still had some trouble finding great custom motorcycle seats. So went to see the great folks at a local custom upholstery shop. The great people at Grateful Threads here in Austin were great and they showed me how to create my own custom motorcycle seats|custom seats with some new tools and some practice. Luckily, I knew how to use a sewing machine (somewhat) and was able to borrow or buy some tools to handle the rest. It took a lot of practice but I figured out how to do it eventually. I would like to share what I learned for any of you who are interested in restoring your bikes and want to do your own motorcycle seats.
First, a big thanks to Grateful Threads Upholstery in Austin Texas for taking the time to show me the ropes. They are Austin's foremost in custom bike seats and any other upholstery. They make to order every seat to meet the exact needs of their customers. I can stand by their focus on the overall aesthetics and comfort of your bike to blend with your style and create a bold statement while maintaining the high level of artisanship of their craft. They also serve the entire US. Non-Austinites can send their seat to Grateful Threads and they will do the work to your specification and ship it to you when complete. So for people who do not want to take up upholstery but still want to get a great seat and a great price, give them a call or visit their website to check out some of their work. They aim to please.
Now For the Process
For every custom seat, first figure out your specific needs to determine the proper finished product and seat cover materials. Think about comfort and support as well as the support and appearance. Then dismantle the existing seat to use as a template of the cover to ensure great fit and professional look. Start by taking off the old cover or whatever is left of it. separate the pieces and keep the pieces as a pattern for the new material. Keep in mind that you may need to add material in some places if the shape of the cushion changes. Now get out the old sewing machine.
If necessary, then repair, reshape or replace the foam to add support. You can buy some new foam at any local material shops. New pieces will need to be glued in place using glue and then shaped to the original shape. Depending on the type of seat, your body size, and your riding style you will add foam in some areas and remove it in others if necessary. To lower your ride height, use a grinder or electric knife to remove foam from the middle or to narrow the front of the seat. If you want more comfort, use a spray adhesive to add foam to places where the worn seat does not have good support. Then smooth the foam with a grinder or electric knife. Make sure to fix any rough spots. Once the foam has been restored to the new shape, ensure that all pieces are joined firmly and smoothed to create the perfect shape and utility before your new skins are replaced or fitted.
Now you can make the perfectly fitted cover with your favorite finish material and skin of your choosing. If you built up the cushion in some areas, you will have to change your material templates to accommodate the changes. Recovering the seat takes some practice. Using the original seat cover as a template, trace the shapes on your new cover material. Add a small margin on all edges to give yourself some room to work and for errors. Sew the new cover together and add piping if necessary and check for proper fit. If you are not a seamstress, this may take you several attempts. For those of you who are experienced, you may have an easier time.
Fit the new cover onto the foam. Start with the front of the foam, pull the cover tight and staple the cover in place with a staple gun. Once the nose is in place, pull the material over the rest of the foam and staple it in place as you go. Remove any wrinkles in the material. Work your way back and forth across the seat from side to side as you go to keep it smooth. If there is any excess material after the cover is placed, trim it but leave a small margin on the outside of the staples to keep from tearing the fabric. If it needs to be adjusted later after use, simply remove the staple and stretch the loose material and restaple it.
Good luck and remember that it takes time. I intend to do this a lot so for me it was worth it to learn. For those of you who just want it done once, it may make better financial sense to give the nice people at Grateful Threads a call and let them take care of you.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlelog.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites