How to recover your motorcycle seat on the cheap!

This video describes the simple process of easily and cheaply recovering your motorcycle seat. This process is really only applicable to motorcycles with plastic seat pans, metal pans typically use rivets or other metal fasteners to secure the leather material. For this seat recover, I used about a half yard of black nylon, some spray adhesive, and about a million staples. Judge for yourself, I think the finished product looks pretty good!

[@robertbogle6432]

I have done many motorcycle seats and was taught by a proffesional upholsterer. Always staple front and back of seat first, then pull the sides tight. That will keep you from having to unstaple the sides. Not knocking the video just sharing what I was taught. I used to always do the sides first and have the same problem.

[@fgjhham89]

Wow, thanks!!

[@mitchnolan7005]

Im glad i seen your comment.this is my first seat i have ever coverd.

[@mitchnolan7005]

Great advice

[@RSchannel777]

You should do a video for sure on making the seats!!

[@Jkirk3279]

Ten points for the clothes dryer trick. Most of us use a Steam Box. Keep a hair dryer handy for when the fabric starts to cool and you need it to stretch. FIRST, apply the spray glue down the center of the seat on the long axis and wait for it to get tacky. Use a GOOD brand, the glue isn’t just to keep the vinyl from slipping. When you cover a concave surface, good quality spray glue makes the skin flow right down into the concavity instead of standing up like a drum head. Second, don’t put the seat on top of the vinyl, put the vinyl on top of the seat, stroke it down into the concavity, working on the long axis like you’re petting a cat, and watch for wrinkles. You have only a little time to pull them out. Then work outward from the long axis, stretching when you can. Once the vinyl is bonded to the skin from front to back down the center, you can fold the vinyl back and do a second pass of spray glue. When you get to the sides, invert the seat on a towel placed on a sturdy table. Lightly spray glue the side of the foam. Heat the vinyl with the hair dryer, and then stretch. The glue will grab the vinyl as you pull it over the edge of the plastic. Staple ! Start with staples here and there at the critical points. You pull out the slack between them later. Working around the radii on the ends takes practice, and pleats. But do the long, straight edges first. To do the pleats, pinch the excess vinyl, fold it over, and walk your way along the radii, stretching as you go. Fold, stretch, staple. If you find a wrinkle has escaped you, be prepared to pull a few staples, heat, and stretch. There are tools that will help; you can get a 3” wide locking pliers from Menards that is used for sheet metal bending. It will grab the vinyl and make pulling easy. Obviously, you only use this at the edges just in case you pull too hard and leave a stretch mark.

[@paultaylor6048]

Champion. Thanks for showing your mistakes, too. I reckon that's pretty important and comforting for anyone who's stuffed up the same way.

[@balabay77]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents. For those of you who are frugal like me and looking for cheap fabric, you can find it at the thrift store. Last time I needed to reupholster my seat, I went to second hand store and purchased a leather jacket ( yes real leather) for only six bucks. My seat came out awesome. Where else can you get leather for that cheap? You'll have enough for two seats if you come across leather trench coat.

[@mathewnunley8433]

+balabay77 did you use leather or vinyl?

[@balabay77]

Leather.

[@wilsonarbistattoo]

That’s where I’m going today! To the Salvation Army to get a nice cheap leather jacket for my seat.

[@marshaperry1839]

Curious... how did the leather hold up in SUMMER?

[@Ryan-mt8rb]

I watched your video and was able to replace my seat cover for $4.50. The vinyl was on sale ..usually 36 dollars. Took about 2 hours to complete..but not bad. The spray adhesive helped greatly. Thank you for your video.

[@brows141]

Great video, very descriptive. You could use that second piece of vinyl to make a pair of shoes so that you won't be walking around barefoot.

[@cHUCHo458]

Last year when I was down in Guatemala visiting my mom, my 1986 Honda VT700 needed the tow piece seat redone and I went to the guy who fixes sofas and love seats and made new covers for both seats, since down there things have a much less price than here in Maryland, i paid about $15 bucks to get the tow of them done.

[@RSchannel777]

Actually surprised at how well you were able to do that seat. It almost makes me think I can do it if I'm willing to screw around enough with it.

[@bigcheeseman6570]

Awesome video. I'm trying to build a cafe racer and there isnt a seat that will work so I decided I'm gunna cut the stock one down and re wrap the seat like this. This was very helpful

[@clinttuttle1126]

good video. Love the dryer trick. Evidently you're so cheap you dont even buy shoes :) Seriously, good video

[@dannyrusso8279]

Good video, but I have two suggestions (after doing 3 seat rebuilds myself). If at all possible, use a pneumatic stapler. They work with the smallest compressors, so the total cost isn't that much. It will come in handy for many projects over the years, so it's a great investment. Every staple goes in the way it should, and your hand muscles will thank you! Also, you may try using a heat gun to go around compound curves. Be real careful with the heat, since you can easily ruin the fabric. I used the same fabric recently to recover a drummer's stool. Didn't get it at Joann though.

[@Ducati_Dude]

X2 on the pneumatic staple gun...

[@dirtydoogle]

Well, I've recovered both my seats and they look fantastic, thanks again mate! Much easier than I expected too .

[@FloydRoseDiscovery]

I'm glad you made this video. My yamaha seat was really bad. I bought the same material and I didn't know how to do it yet. I was waiting until I could find a video or something to help me. But thank you for this video.

[@spemper]

When I am making a leather piece for a re-cover on a seat, I just use the old pre-cut and shaped cover for a template. It comes out perfect every time and during the process if it isn't coming out perfect then I know that I need to make some adjustment to make it right

[@steady2wheels]

just did my bandit seat, came out perfect, took a couple of hours with an extra pair of hands mind. apparently if you put the seat above the boiler for a couple of days the staples go in a lot easier. O and remember people when you get to a curved part just pull really hard in the direction of the foam, the part where the pillion part slopes to the riders part is the hardest! Thanks for the vid man!

[@landonmacy6670]

Just re did my seat based on your video and it turned out great! Thank you for posting this

[@N600LW]

Sweet! I'm trying to restore an old, '70s Yamaha, and the seat was hideous -- I think it once was blue and white, but now it's dingy charcoal and beige...and glitter(!). Oh, yeah, and the seat pan is 90% rust. So between Dime City Cycles' "How to build a cafe seat" video and your upholstery video, I'm hoping I'll have something I won't be embarrassed to be seen on come spring-time ;) Thanks!

[@danielrobertkelly9255]

Nice. The glue is a good touch, helped hold the stretch as I worked. It’s hot today, I just left my vinyl in the sun. Looks perfect.

[@TARagsdale]

You just made a task I was dreading to tackle seem like a breeze. Thanks.

[@eveRide]

In the past I paid $90 to have somebody do this in a shop. With my newer bike I just paid $40 to get a piece of vinyl shipped to me that I will have to staple by myself. Now I'll send it back and pay $10 for what it will cost to cover my seat. AWESOME vid! Dryer trick is epic. When doing this in the future, perhaps it might be beneficial to staple in the front and back first?

[@matthewbennett]

I just wanted to say your videos are great! I'm sending them to my n00b motorcycle friends. You explain everything very well!

[@tttrevin]

Thank you for showing this. Now I know how to cover my zx9r seats.

[@docholiday0034]

Thanks man... I appreciate this video in 2019

[@helipilot727]

Did my seat today! Was not too bad for a first try, thanks again! BTW you want the PVC backed Vinyl (on the roll) and Joann fabrics, not the pleather that is on the shelf.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Depending on the size of the seat, life preserver foam is supposed to work pretty well. If you want to splurge you can buy gel padding like in dr scholls foot inserts. Or, go to your nearest fabric store, find all their foam/padding, stuffing, etc, pull it all out in the aisle and sit on it

[@inflatedKarma]

a friend of mine had a body shop. when he re-upholstered car seats he couldn't always pull them tight because they were several pieces sewn together. he would use the heat method after the material was on the seats to make it "shrink fit". he would use a heat gun or good blow dryer. just have to be careful not to melt it. btw, I am about to do the seat on the same model seca II you did. by coincidence, this was the first video I found. I will definitely try the dryer pre-heating method on it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Yeah a lot of older bikes have metal seat pans. You can still do this, especially if the seat is really flat, but youre right given that you cant restaple incessantly, its harder to keep it tight. In this case its usually better to buy a premade seat cover, you can find them on ebay, if its a sewn seat cover it will fit better. I bought one for my CB360 for just $20

[@quicksilver40]

Awesome vid man, ty. I will be doing my seat with some vinyl now. I didn't even think about buying vinyl at a fabric store.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@jdogface Could be a fuel delivery problem. Basically, your bike in neutral revving at, say, 4k rpms, is using less gas than the bike riding down the road revving at 4k rpms. This is because the engine obviously moves more freely, and needs less gas, when it doesnt have the bike and you to push around, so on side stand you still get enough gas. Reason you bog down after a lil while and then start up again is that the partial gas block allows the bowls to refill, slowly, and then start the bike.

[@Moonfleet41]

Hey buddy, nice result there... i use a hair dryer to soften the vinyl while stretching round the last curves, and also, for a softer feel when its done, break the skin off the foam surface with some course sand paper.... great channel you have there fellah... Ride safe.. Del.

[@dirtydoogle]

Thanks for the video mate! Will do both my bikes this week, make them look better and easier to sell!

[@Dunlaoghairepunkers]

Thanks for the video,done my cbr 600 today worked out a treat,only cost me 14 euro.

[@Gims110]

I can hear your wife now "Hey honey...why is there a hole the shape of a motorcycle seat in the area rug?"... This is all good stuff. I like shoulder pad thing. Nothing wrong with being frugal.

[@MacEwanRobert]

thanks for sharing - his videos should come in handy in the future

[@AdamAus85]

Lol

[@greenmarine5]

Try using outdoor usage vinyl, it stretches a little more and is usually UV resistant. A little harder to find but same cost and holds up better in the cold from cracking.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@AlwaysAccused A number of reasons. First, it was pretty well destroyed. Second, it was in a 3-d shape, whereas my new material was still flat. Third, I needed to stretch the new material pretty well, and if it was pre-cut, I wouldn't have had anywhere to grab onto as I pulled it over the foam.

[@JordieCatastrophe]

thank you sooo much I just bought a Seca II cant wait to redo my seat,great vid

[@mrmaxstorey]

Ive done canvas on a couple enduro bike seats, but its not as stretchy so its harder to make it look good. I used spandex once too, but that stuff doesnt stand up well to the sun.

[@RuhRohRaggie069]

Great job young man, thank you for sharing this very useful info

[@dickflinghammer7643]

Love the Smurf blue xj. I got a 92 red. I heading to the fabric store. Good thing I get 2 pieces out of a yard but I think I can get it right 1st time

[@mitchnolan7005]

This is the best video i have seen that i can do.oh and the dryer trick is a must.

[@freepilot7732]

You just saved me 300 bucks. Thanks

[@BAXMAN68]

I totally agree with everyone else, your videos are extreamly informative and easily done. The only queastion that I have is: when placing the vinal in the drier to make it more plyable, what heat setting do you recomend? Thanks for your all of your great vids and please keep them coming :)

[@craigknopp3758]

Awesome! i was very excited and ready to cover the seat of my XS400 (1979) but then the wind was knocked out of sails to see my plate is metal!! that has tab that are punched out that the cover attaches too, which most have rusted off.....

[@mrmaxstorey]

Thats ok, just look for a pre-cut seat cover on ebay

[@Jkirk3279]

Craig knopp Technically, it’s possible to recover a metal seat using hotglue. Stretch the fabric, apply hotglue, then cautiously squeeze using a protective glove. Wait for the glue to cool before releasing. Once the hotglue grabs, it really holds pretty well to the metal. Don’t forget that oven glove, or you WILL get burned.

[@eveRide]

@mrmaxstorey Oh man, gotta say once again, BEST VIDEO EVER! Saved a ton of money, got some beige marine grade vinyl from Jo-Ann for less than $10. Thirty minutes later and, yes, a TON of staples, I have a brand-new looking seat. Once again, THANK YOU for this video!

[@JohnWaclawski]

Great video & very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to make this.

[@kentmathewadam]

a seat cover for my motorcycle is almost $90 on ebay I think I'll give this a try first and it's a small seat shouldn't cost me more than $20 just to try it out, thanks for the video

[@mrmaxstorey]

Im also in my home, homie, where we like to keep things very chill

[@mrmaxstorey]

@srosburg I would say so as long as the metal pan is not too badly rusted, and the hooks aren't broken or weak. Just be sure to fill in those chunks in the foam or replace the foam itself, heat up the cover material in the dryer, and pull it as tight as you can to smooth out the lumps. Good luck man post up your own how-to video if you can, my video doesn't show how to recover a metal pan so that would be good to share.

[@mccunecp]

great video sounds like its not to hard I need to do that I just got a free bike for my birthday its a honda gold wing. and the seet is in dead of a new cover. thanks for the video.

[@TheClickoZen]

Barefooted doing restoration jobs to a bike on a budget? You got yourself a fan sir.

[@gymjunkie3223]

Great video, Jo Ann Fabrics is having a sale on their vinyl (50% off) and my seat is in need of a recovering. Thanks for the video I will definitely be using this when I redo mine.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@Toppye This stuff is pretty high quality, Ive had my bike seat covered for about 2 years and it still has the glossy shine on the surface, no signs of wear at all.

[@soulgivesoul07]

Great Vid! I'm going to attempt this on my bike...

[@ShredderBenjamin]

Really informative video... I am tempted to buy a pre-made seat cover off ebay and use this technique to apply it... Not sure I'm brave enough at the moment though!

[@mrmaxstorey]

Cool I grew up in Baltimore

[@apwilliams30]

That Craft spray adhesive was actually like 6 or 7 dollars at the local Joanns! Anyway, I am doing the project right now as I watch the video, but with vinyl instead. I hope it works out like the nylon did for you.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Looks pretty sweet, altho recovering it using my method may be a challenge. See if the factory sells replacement covers

[@marshaperry1839]

THANK YOU ❤❣❤... especially for the STAPLE SIZING!

[@bermudaguitar]

Awesome this video along with some modified help from the comments is awesome. Now I know just what to do :D Thanks

[@hmathes2006]

thanks for the video starting recover right now

[@Sean-ng4eu]

Nice job although I have done it even cheaper! All that Ive used is an 8-mm staple gun for £10 and simply a black leather box jacket I got from the charity shop for £5. Amazingly the jackets cut and the seams are all symmetrical so it looks completely natural .Basically without cutting the jacket up I just staple the whole thing down front then rear and the sides then all I have to do is to cut the excess off with a stanley blade job done I will post a video on my channel

[@mrmaxstorey]

@eveRideorg Thanks man yeah it really does produce a quality job. I haven't found that starting at any one place is any better than any other, just toss in a buttload of staples and pull it really tight.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Yeah man just keep workin it and pulling it tight. It doesnt seem like your arch is much higher than the seat in the video, you should be able to get it looking good

[@bc9477]

top tip: sand down the upper surface of the foam, to get to the softer material, it will make the seat much more soft and new-like....

[@mrmaxstorey]

Legit

[@mrmaxstorey]

Im sure they have all kinds, I just get the glossy black one. Its definitely not stretchy like spandex, but if you really pull on it, it will get tight. How thick is it? Send me a picture and I'll let you know if its like the kind I buy

[@mrmaxstorey]

No, that yellow bike is actually a RF600. You can see that GSXR at 2:50 on my abridged motorcycle history video

[@mrmaxstorey]

@apwilliams30 Did I say nylon in the video? I meant vinyl. And 6 bucks for glue! What a ripoff! Good luck on the project tho!

[@mrmaxstorey]

I work with a tripod now, some of my later videos are much more clear

[@mrmaxstorey]

Right on man, I think real leather would look pretty cool

[@dankoch2010]

Really helpful. Thanks for posting this.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Yeah sometimes when the seats are shaped like that it gets harder to use this method to recover them. Give it a shot tho

[@raymarshall5973]

ok well thanks for the tips how ever I have some for you lol from the looks of this video you do some seats so I would just spend the money on a trim stapler that is pneumatic and a little air compressor and also try and start in the lowest spot on the seat and streach the material up instead of down in the end you will have a better finished product and save more time. that is my advice take it or leave it thanks

[@mrmaxstorey]

@YoshiMan246 A little bit is normal, esp b/c many bikes recirculate crankcase gasses back into the airbox for re-burning. If a lot is noticed generally the problem is actually gas backflowing from the carbs into the airbox, and mixing with crankcase gas. At most all you probably need is a carb cleaning and a new air filter. I say go for it sounds like a good price. Check out my video on tips on buying an old motorcycle.

[@dwayneguydammit]

good work! im gonna have to give it a go on my suzuki intruder. think it will be much harder with the two up seating? also its got quite a pocket for the front, its an old corbin dual tour. again awsome video, no bullshit, no gimmicks! keep up the good work

[@Moonfleet41]

@mrmaxstorey Hey, thanks right back buddy, never thought of the tumble dryer either, good call.... tips is for sharing hah?

[@spelunkerd]

Great video, thanks for posting.

[@docolli]

Best one on youtube...

[@mrmaxstorey]

@srosburg It is only reasonable if you think it is. Get a quote from them, if it is worth your money, then go for it. I have respect for guys who take pride in their machines, and part of that is keeping them looking good.

[@judechopper]

good video fellow biker

[@tuberez]

Great video! Never heard of putting in dryer first. I bought some cool leopard skin vinyl at Joannes for my KLR650 but its ripped after only 6 months. Guess not thick enough. Gonna try again w/ thick vinyl.

[@thomasmacdonagh6827]

Try jaguar skin

[@mimclovin]

Thanks for this, great tutorial!!

[@mrmaxstorey]

@BAXMAN68 Thanks for the positive input! I just put it on normal setting, cottons or high heat or whatever. Once I accidentally forgot to take it out and left it in there for over 20 mins and it still didn't melt the vinyl, so you aren't going to hurt it. Motorcycle seats that sit out in the Florida sun get a hot hotter than a dryer gets, as my ass cheeks can tell you!

[@AlwaysAccused]

why didnt you use the old material as a template ?

[@mrmaxstorey]

@ShredderBenjamin Hey if I can do it with a flat sheet of vinyl, you can definitely do it with a premade cover!

[@jaye501]

no... the biggest insult is bombarding me with nra hate ads... shame on you youtube... shame on you...

[@dinhead12]

Great video

[@mrmaxstorey]

Great job dude!

[@warrenhall940]

mrmaxstorey i

[@hilton6929]

Top job mate - If you are replacing cover due to taste, not damage, would you recommend leaving the old vinyl on? Or remove the old cover? I want to go from black to brown.

[@mrmaxstorey]

@joesudbury No problem! Stay tuned for more motorcycle how-to videos

[@jeremyfinn586]

Thanks, brother!

[@Toppye]

how long does the material last for a normal rider?

[@joseph4758]

wouldn't it be easier to use a putty knife and flatten the top of the vinyl to the adhesive? I just think it would remove all the bubbles. then you could pull it really tight when you have to staple it.

[@mrmaxstorey]

Well, the glue isnt there to stick the cover to the pad, its just there to provide some traction and resistance to sliding. Therefore if I pressed the cover to the pad it wouldnt stick very well. The cover starts out flat but needs to contour over the 3d pad, so it needs to be pretty significantly stretched. Since the vinyl is so elastic, if I pressed it down onto the pad it wouldn't stay, it needs to be stretched and stapled like I demonstrated

[@Jkirk3279]

joseph4758 You don’t use a putty knife for that, you use a silicone spudger. You could probably use a silicone spatula, or an oven glove.

[@xDontStandInTheFirex]

any idea how to get oil stains off a seat? Nothing major, just a few fingerprints.

[@TapiceroOrg]

Great video!

[@dallen8997]

That the duct tape was fine Brother that gives you instant repair material

[@mrmaxstorey]

Right on dude

[@mrmaxstorey]

Awesome good advice

[@MrStrangelySane]

Good job! How well does this technique work with more shaped seat foam such as the KZ1000 CSR M1 The pan is metal but it has the advantage of having those sharp fold over barbs making it easier than staples I'd have thought.

[@outdoorsman310]

sweet thanks how can you get decals on there? paint?

[@dougb4960]

Very nice, thank you vm for the vid!