[Blazerzr2]

great deal from waltari, id go that route and save the aggrevation. they look fantastic

[Splox]

Hey that would be great but I have 99 KAT. I am looking around I found some nice looking vinyl online and found a store a few miles away so that is 2 ideas. And I would not mind doing it I like working on the KAT I will try almost anything one time. And then there is always second look skins witch would just be the easy way out! ANd maybe the way I go.

Any body ever try to add some extra padding in when you recovered it?

[Splox]

Waltari
By the way that is a great looking bike!!!!!!! 8)

[Waltari]

Waltari
By the way that is a great looking bike!!!!!!! 8)

Thanks....sorry, didn't realize you had a 99

[Splox]

I ordered some vinyl today will be here in a few days will give it a try!!

When it is done I will show it off good bad or ugly!!!!

[Waltari]

I ordered some vinyl today will be here in a few days will give it a try!!

When it is done I will show it off good bad or ugly!!!!

A couple tips...carefully remove your old vinyl and use it for a pattern to cut out the new...add an in ch two though to giev yourself somethin to grab onto as you stretch.

before starting, leave the vinyl laying in the sun for a half hour os so and keep a heat gun on hand to keep the vinyl warm as you stretch and staple...will make it nice and tight when it's all stapled on.

[Splox]

Got the hair dryer... and a few of the guy told me just trow it on the dryer few a bit before I start!! Just need it to get here.....

[JZ67]

I am in the upholstery trade and you have been given some good advice already. As there are many ways to skin a cat I would like you to keep one thing in mind - it is no all that hard to recover your seat. Look at your existing seat and study it a bit and you will get a good idea of how to get going. Notice the spacing of the staples on there to get an idea of your staple spacing.

You have a pneuamtic staple gun so here goes some of the trade secrets:

Remove the old vinyl - it is not imperative to keep this or use it as a pattern. Make sure your new vinyl is at least 3" larger (than widest and longest points) all the way around than the old vinyl (if it is a smaller don't sweat it). So basically you are starting with a big rectangle.

If you want to add any foam keep in mind that this will change your seat height and if you have a shorter inseam you may not like this too much. If you do I recommend 1" thick foam that you buy from a foam supplier - avoid retailers like Wal-Mart, the foam they have will last a matter of weeks on your bike - look in the yellow pages under foam rubber and you will find someone around you. I highly recommend a foam grade better than 2.0lb/cubic foot density and a firmness rating of (ILD) 45+. Any foam shop will know what this means. More than $10.00 and you are getting screwed. Glue it to the original foam using glue in an aerosol can - available at any hardwear store. Foam obsorbs glue so you want to apply it topically which means you need to spray it on.

Heat the new vinyl and put it face down on your work surface ( a good size table it best).

Pull it over on both sides and tack it in place with your pneumatic staple gun - but don't put the gun flush against the seat - rather hold it on a slight angle to have one end of the staple sticking out so you can remove it later. Angle staple on each side of the seat on the rider and passenger section. Pull tight and do the front first then the rear. Three spread out about 4" apart. So to add a little clarity put one angled staple on the front left then one on the fornt right, move back 4" and repeat. Do the same thing front to back but you will likely only need one or two. MAKE
SURE YOU ARE PULLING THE VINYL TIGHT AND UNIFORM WITH EVERY STAPLE.

Turn the seat over and have a look at it. Once you look at it you should see a clearly defined seat. So heat up that vinyl again (keep heating the section you are working on) and fill in the gaps from your angled staple tacks frequently turning the seat over to check your progress, if it looks crappy, carefully pull out the latest staples and start again.

Once you are done and happy with the outcome, pull out the angled staple tacks and trim the excess vinyl off using a sharp utility knife.

Put the seat back on your bike and go for a ride brotha!

[Splox]

Thanks for the advice.. I will try to keep all that in mind.. I don't think I will mess with adding foam at this point maybe next time!!

[Bigbody45]

i think i may go with the skin and not get the braada cowl

[Splox]

Well I have the staple gun only will shoot .5 inich staples...witch I think is WAY to long...and the vinly I did not like but I have a sample I like and will go ahead and try it any way.

The best news I have is got a seat off ebay for 60 bucks so I am covered eaither way!!!!

[Bigbody45]

i agree with second-look

[XKillerEliteX]

I didnt know Second Look was back. I guess the new owners finally started production , I will be purchasing a cover.

[KYT]

hey guys I know this thread is a little old, but I thought I might throw something out there for some of you that might be interested.

My dad owns a local upholdstry business.
he gets most of his supplies from Baer's, which is in downtown Louisville, KY
Looking for info for them, I found a their website. Looks like you can order from them online now.

http://www.baerfabrics.com/index.html

they sell foam and fabric, buttons, etc.
all the cr@p you'd need, if you know what you need anyway. As for the foam, I know they sell multiple density grades of foam. The higher density, the longer it will last, and more firm it is. But I'm not seeing how to select the different grades through the site. Might have to call.

If you're looking for something you can't find online feel free to PM me. I can get you a quote on material or supplies. Dad gets stuff at discounts from the retail price you'd probably have to pay online, since he's a business.
I can't speak for JZ67, but I'd bet if you asked nicely, might be willing to help you out.

been trying to convince dad to take orders for recovering motorcycle seats, but its slow going, he's been in the business for as long as I can remember and curved vinyl applications aren't something he "enjoys" doing as it can be a pain in the @$$ if you're a perfectionist like he is.
But if enough people wanted seats recovered, I'm sure it'd be enough leverage to get him to do it.

I can't really offer any advice or tips on recovering anything, as I was just a staple pulling lacky for arcade money growing up.

Good luck on your upholdstry endeavors!