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After riding my '86 Fazer down on the freeways of So Cal last month, I became painfuly aware that in order to ride much more than 250 miles/day 2up on the superslabs, I needed to do something to improve comfort for both rider and passenger. I decided the best option for long distance comfort would be to add gel inserts to the stock seat, then add about an inch of medium density foam over the top to get the increased cushion and help eliminate hot spots. I picked up 2 BMX Gel seat covers at Walmart for $9.95 each, and can of 3M spray adhesive for $9.99. I then went to a local upholstery shop and bought the foam padding for $4.50, and I still had enough vinyl sitting in the closet that was left over from when I did my Kat seat last summer, that would cost about $15.00 bringing the total cost to $49.39 .
As you can see the original seat did not have much padding
and was cracking from age
I started by removing all the staples from that were holding the factory cover on the seat using a flathead screwdriver and a pair of needlenose pliers.
Next I cut the BMX seat covers at the seams so I could remove the gel pads, then placed them on the seat and traced the outline with a pen. You can cut the gel pads with a pair of scissors to get the shape and size you want, without having to worry about anything leaking or making a mess.
After tracing, I set the pads to the side, and used a razor knife to trim away pockets in the factory foam, for the gel pads to sit in to. I tried to get the pads to sit as flush with the factory foam as possible, without spending too much time.
Once the pads were in it was time to use the 3M spray glue to cover the pads with the extra foam, to hold them in place. I also tried to trim the excess off around the edges following the original angle of the stock seat foam, to try keeping the seams smoother.
Then it was time to cut the new vinyl to size, using the original cover as a template. I like to cut the new pieces bigger than i need anyways, but with adding an extra inch of foam, I decided to cut about 3-4 inches wider than the original all the way around, just to make sure I had enough to make the stretch.
I start at the middle of the seat, and work my way to the rear first, carefully working out as many wrinkles as possible, then work my way forward. Use plenty of staples, and it helps immensly to have an extra set of hands to help hold the seat pan while your pulling the vinyl. I noticed the original cover was being cut on the back corner by the plastic seat pan, so I used a razor blade and split a piece of vacuum line and wrapped it over the edge of the plastic in that area to give it a smooth edge for the vinyl to wrap around, and hopefully keep the new cover from meeting the same fate as the original did.
I had to cut a small slit in the vinyl for the seat lock, then used a flathead screw driver to tuck it in around the lock.
The completed seat back on the bike in just over an hour.
Any small wrinkles in the vinyl will most likely work themselves out the first time the bike is parked out in the hot sun for any length of time, if not I might have to pull a couple staples and see if I can stretch them out carefully. But looks and feels much better than it did before I started. Now i just need some good weather, so I can get out and put some long day rides on it to see how much of an improvement it really is. Will report back when I do.
As you can see the original seat did not have much padding
and was cracking from age
I started by removing all the staples from that were holding the factory cover on the seat using a flathead screwdriver and a pair of needlenose pliers.
Next I cut the BMX seat covers at the seams so I could remove the gel pads, then placed them on the seat and traced the outline with a pen. You can cut the gel pads with a pair of scissors to get the shape and size you want, without having to worry about anything leaking or making a mess.
After tracing, I set the pads to the side, and used a razor knife to trim away pockets in the factory foam, for the gel pads to sit in to. I tried to get the pads to sit as flush with the factory foam as possible, without spending too much time.
Once the pads were in it was time to use the 3M spray glue to cover the pads with the extra foam, to hold them in place. I also tried to trim the excess off around the edges following the original angle of the stock seat foam, to try keeping the seams smoother.
Then it was time to cut the new vinyl to size, using the original cover as a template. I like to cut the new pieces bigger than i need anyways, but with adding an extra inch of foam, I decided to cut about 3-4 inches wider than the original all the way around, just to make sure I had enough to make the stretch.
I start at the middle of the seat, and work my way to the rear first, carefully working out as many wrinkles as possible, then work my way forward. Use plenty of staples, and it helps immensly to have an extra set of hands to help hold the seat pan while your pulling the vinyl. I noticed the original cover was being cut on the back corner by the plastic seat pan, so I used a razor blade and split a piece of vacuum line and wrapped it over the edge of the plastic in that area to give it a smooth edge for the vinyl to wrap around, and hopefully keep the new cover from meeting the same fate as the original did.
I had to cut a small slit in the vinyl for the seat lock, then used a flathead screw driver to tuck it in around the lock.
The completed seat back on the bike in just over an hour.
Any small wrinkles in the vinyl will most likely work themselves out the first time the bike is parked out in the hot sun for any length of time, if not I might have to pull a couple staples and see if I can stretch them out carefully. But looks and feels much better than it did before I started. Now i just need some good weather, so I can get out and put some long day rides on it to see how much of an improvement it really is. Will report back when I do.
sure the write-up will show people it is a simple thing to do
so many roads so little time 
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