Custom Seat Upholstery?

Want to reupholster seat on my 1981 xj650 maxim to raise ride height for driver and flatten the entire seat surface. More of a 70's euro bike look and I like sliding back/forth to change sitting position.Maybe a mild cafe or street tracker look w/ kickup on rear. Has anyone done this? Pics and/or comments would be appreciated. Don't seem to be able to find anything searching in forums.

 

I had one of my 550 Seca seats "recontoured" the foam upgraded and the riding platform raised/leveled out while still retaining a largely stock appearance.

It was done by Sargent's Cycle: http://www.sargentcycle.com/Custom-Seat ... /Overview/

They also did a stock recover on one of my other seats.

Excellent work, not expensive at all. Highly recommended.

 

Thanks for Sargent info.

 

If you're DIY oriented, I've been researching this for a while now.
It sounds like you're keeping the original seat pan, so it should be relatively easy (relative to doing the entire thing)

I haven't started mine yet, but here's my plan.
build seat pan (irrelevant here)
get dense foam, soft foam and sewfoam.
Spray-glue the dense foam to the pan, glue the soft foam on top
shape with a electric knife / grinder
glue a layer of marine vinyl to the sewfoam and cut into the right shape for the top of the seat (with 2" overlap)
*stitch a series of horizontal lines in thick waxed yellow stitch*
cut the rest of the vinyl in a long strip, curved appropriate to go around the edge of the seat with a huge overlap
*stitch the side to the top (inside out) being careful with where the excess hangs out and trimming as appropriate*
Fit the vinyl over the foam and staple to the seat pan being careful where the overlap lies (so it doesn't bunch badly) and being careful with my stapling and pulling to get the nicest edge around the seat pan.

re: the sections marked in *these little stars* I might get the clothes alteration shop down the road to do it.

info can be found @ http://www.thehogring.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1BSj2Vnwj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nws5v7YpZJY

 

Shoulda thrown up a couple pics with the Sargent info.

Recontoured and "upfoamed" with their Atomic Foam; it is now truly an all-day seat:




Stock seat, recovered and colored welt added:



(Boy, I need to fix the color in this pic. The Seca's stripes and matching seat trim are scarlet red. It's the only closeup I have of that seat.)

 

Thanks for all the info. and tips! The Seca pics are what I hope to duplicate on my 650 Maxim seat pan. The DIY steps were great.

 

Gonna be doing my seat this winter as well. What kinda leather or covering are you using. I want something cheap that's waterprof but I don't want it to be too slippery