Recliner style leather seat?

I've been pondering how to make the seat on the wr more comfortable. One of the features of a better seat is a bit of cupping on the sides & back. I also didn't want to make it too thick, & i wanted to have it go down in the front more so i could get lower in more technical riding conditions.

So here is my latest experiment. I took apart the stock seat so i could use the seat pan. Here are the rest of my materials list:

Kydex seat base.. $12
Gel seat pad... $12
spray adhesive. $15
leather coat.. $5
1/2" closed cell foam. $0-$10

I found a gel seat pad at a department store.. it has the cross hatched gel insert in a seat shaped foam pad. The leather coat i found at a thrift store. I decided to make the seat leather.. i can put a waterproofing cover on it for rain, & i don't leave it out in the sun, much, & for $5 i can change it later if it breaks down. I decided to go with kydex for the seat base, since it can be heated & shaped.. we'll see how it holds up.

I had replaced my seat with the spiral step seat, so i could do these mods without rendering the bike seatless. I took the stock seat apart.. being careful to not ruin the cover or foam.. i just pulled the staples.

I cut a piece of closed cell foam from an old camping pad i had around. I spray glued it to the seat pan, cutting out a couple of holes for some bumps in the pan.


I made the base out of kydex. I heated it with a heat gun & slowly bent it into shape.. i just pushed on it on a cardboard box, smoothing out the bumps & doing the final shaping with my fingers. I cut it to shape, using a 12" wide piece of kydex. Then i just spray glued it to the foam.






The second picture shows the cupping on the sides & back of the seat.

I cut out the gel seat pad to the shape of the kydex base, then glued it up. I also reglued the gel insert back into the foam indent.





I just used the cut offs from the seat cushion to fill in the rest of the seat.. spray glued them into place.. ready for the cover.





It's not pictured, but i also filled in the gap on the back of the seat, between the stock seat pan & the kydex. I filled it with strips of the blue closed cell foam.. just for added suppport.

Now ready for covering. I thought there should be a poly liner to keep the leather from rubbing on the foam & sticking, so i used the liner that came with the gel seat pad, cut it & glued it to the seat pan.





I trimmed the leather out in a rough shape of the seat.. this was a long coat, so there was plenty of room to trim. I wasn't worried about the seams, but tried to minimize the seaming in the sitting area.



I used the spray glue to put the leather in place. I started from the back, then pulled the sides tight & spot glued it. I folded the leather where it went around the corners.. no cuts. Because of the bends, there are some folds in the lower sitting area. I would have had to cut & stitch the leather to take them out... too much work for my lazy boy seat. I finished gluing the edges, then put some short screws around the perimeter as a better mechanical connection.





Here are my design criteria, & the factors i considered for the design.

1. Cupped kydex seat base. This adds support & spreads the weight & pressure points around the sitting area. The sitting area is no longer on the 'sit bones'. This is probably the most important part of the seat. The kydex is easy to heat & shape, is pretty durable, & adds additional 'springyness' on the outside of the stock seat pan.

2. Gel seat. Thick foam is not necessary.. just a thin layer of foam with the gel should be adequate. This keeps the height down.

3. Seat toward the back. When riding longer roads, it's easier to sit further back, so i wanted the bigger seat toward the back. This also keeps the dirtable part of the seat functional. It is even lower than the stock, now, so i can slide forward & down for more technical riding, or faster cornering.

4. Leather seat. This was mostly a choice of opportunity.. i saw the coat at the thrift store, & thought it would make a good seat cover. I don't care for the gripper seat so much.. i like to slide up & back for changing riding conditions. I also figure to put a leather conditioner that waterproofs it some, for those rare times i get caught in the rain. It should also breathe a bit better than vinyl.. not as good a sheepskin, but better than vinyl.

5. Closed cell foam pad. This was for additional vibration dampening, better contact on the seating area, & a better base to attach the kydex seat pan.

Time will tell how it works. I will follow up with additional comments as i test it on rides.

Man I love your posts!! Great detail & a really cool project!
Not too sure about the seat colour, but the idea is spot on!
I only wish I had as much time to do this stuff as you seem to have....
Respect!

mash100 wrote:

Man I love your posts!! Great detail & a really cool project!
Not too sure about the seat colour, but the idea is spot on!
I only wish I had as much time to do this stuff as you seem to have....
Respect!

It took me about an hour, once i got all the stuff together. I glued everything together while watching the grandkids.. well, they were watching cartoons while I was in the entry spraying the glue & snipping the parts.

I don't like the colour, either.. but there wasn't much choice in the thrift store.. if i stumble upon a more 'suitable' color, i can always upgrade. .. maybe pink suede...

rydnseek wrote:

mash100 wrote:

Man I love your posts!! Great detail & a really cool project!
Not too sure about the seat colour, but the idea is spot on!
I only wish I had as much time to do this stuff as you seem to have....
Respect!

It took me about an hour, once i got all the stuff together. I glued everything together while watching the grandkids.. well, they were watching cartoons while I was in the entry spraying the glue & snipping the parts.

I don't like the colour, either.. but there wasn't much choice in the thrift store.. if i stumble upon a more 'suitable' color, i can always upgrade. .. maybe pink suede...

Great project. Get it super comfy then take it to an upholsterererer.

Tibarus wrote:

The young'uns care most about how it looks, us old phartes care more about function.

Might you be able to dye that leather?

Kiwi Dye $3.06 From Amazon? <-- clickity

I just love custom projects like this. Even if it's something I can't imagine ever doing myself.

Rock on Scotty.

motokid wrote:

Might you be able to dye that leather?

Kiwi Dye $3.06 From Amazon? <-- clickity

I just love custom projects like this. Even if it's something I can't imagine ever doing myself.

Rock on Scotty.

Absolutely. I might even have Ed Hardy do some tatoo art on it.. :)



Deer:
A few long rides & a wider, softer seat starts looking real good.. My butt was real impressed with this whole process, & thought it looked like a Picasso.

Tibarus wrote:

Totally uncalled for!!! anyway, when your ass is totally numb, others will be tooling around town in the lap of luxury!

I took the bike on a short ride to do some errands.. i think the seat slopes forward too much. When i go downhill or even on the flat, i can feel myself sliding forward. Uphill the angle feels right, so i think i'll disassemble & shim the seat pan up in the front. Hopefully i didn't trim too much leather off, or my cover won't fit.

One of these days i'm going to take it on a real ride.

Tim: Congrats on the new ride! You'll need to find an excuse to go to Az or Ut!

rydnseek wrote:

Tim: Congrats on the new ride! You'll need to find an excuse to go to Az or Ut!

Thanks! It's pretty exciting, It would be great fun to be able to ride with you guys in AZ. I could show you a few really beautiful rides on the Navajo Rez close to four corners. There is almost a lifetime of riding just in that area.





but back to the seat discussion.

...and it doubles as a hammock if you get tired !

lukachuki wrote:

rydnseek wrote:

Tim: Congrats on the new ride! You'll need to find an excuse to go to Az or Ut!

Thanks! It's pretty exciting, It would be great fun to be able to ride with you guys in AZ. I could show you a few really beautiful rides on the Navajo Rez close to four corners. There is almost a lifetime of riding just in that area.





but back to the seat discussion.

Mercy, that's a beautiful picture! Scotty, please keep us posted on the seat work. I sanded a little more on mine the other day, working on it a bit at a time.

Sarah

i disassembled it, added some more blue foam strips under the front of the kydex pan, & glued it up. It definitely 'steps' more now. It's also very level & sits like an easy chair. I probably made it bigger than i needed.. my butt isn't that big, yet! If i were to modify it again, or redo it, i'd go a little narrower & shorter. But it is plush, now! I've got to get out on a ride to test it out.

I'll take another pic, but from the profile, it has about 1 1/2" step from the back down to the front.

Scotty: There's the problem. You need more junk in your trunk !

With an ass like mine the seats don't need that much padding !

This week Tom & I took a ride to sheep's bridge.. it was a total of about 250 miles, with a lot of freeway, winding, bumpy dirt roads, & some really gnarly boulder field crossings. How did my seat work, you might ask.. Well, i think i have found a very good balance for riding long rides mixed with technical terrain. This ride had both, & this seat fit the bill. I hardly thought about it, except when marveling at how comfortable my behind was at the end of the day. On the long easy stretches, i slid back in the seat & sat in comfort. In the gnarly sections, i slid forward & had an easy reach to the ground.
Here's a pic Tom took of me going down the rocky section after the bridge. I'm slid forward & can 'paddle' with my feet & stay steady.

I thought earlier that i might trim some of the back off & make it a bit narrower.. but now i think i'll leave it alone.. My bottom isn't that tiny & it really likes the room.

I also noticed the bumps didn't make me stand as much.. at least the bumps you get on long dirt roads ~ 40mph. The seat soaks them up, & the combination of the gel pad, the foam under, the kydex pan, & the closed cell bottom foam all disperse the vibration.

I don't think i'll need a sheepskin cover.. this is the best motorcycle seat i've ever sat on.. compared to any custom seat & i've sat on a few.

Last week i went on a 1000 mile ride up to moab.. most of it was pavement on the ride up & back, but there were plenty of tougher, technical parts to test my new seat. After further review, i think i've found a keeper. I suppose it looks a little funny, & the color doesn't go with the rest of the bike, but the function outweighs the form in the seat dept.

Perhaps i will dye the seat sometime.. though i'd be a little concerned about it rubbing off.. maybe a leather paint. I'm not too worried about it. Long paved sections i sit in comfort.. if i get into some twisties, i can slide forward & get low & fast. Same thing in the tougher technical parts.. forward makes them easy. I suppose this would make a decent 2 up seat, too.. for the passenger. The driver wouldn't be comfortable for long rides.

I don't have any plans for further modification. It is ok size wise, angle, & shape.

mash100 wrote:

Tibarus wrote:

Totally uncalled for!!! anyway, when your ass is totally numb, others will be tooling around town in the lap of luxury!

All the same.

That being said, the stock seat of the WR is more comfortable than the seat on my 1100

rydnseek wrote:

Last week i went on a 1000 mile ride up to moab.. most of it was pavement on the ride up & back, but there were plenty of tougher, technical parts to test my new seat. After further review, i think i've found a keeper. I suppose it looks a little funny, & the color doesn't go with the rest of the bike, but the function outweighs the form in the seat dept.

Perhaps i will dye the seat sometime.. though i'd be a little concerned about it rubbing off.. maybe a leather paint. I'm not too worried about it. Long paved sections i sit in comfort.. if i get into some twisties, i can slide forward & get low & fast. Same thing in the tougher technical parts.. forward makes them easy. I suppose this would make a decent 2 up seat, too.. for the passenger. The driver wouldn't be comfortable for long rides.

I don't have any plans for further modification. It is ok size wise, angle, & shape.

I'm waiting on my corbin to arrive and, when it does, I think I'm going to be making some major modifications to the stocker as well to increase the width a bit and eliminate that convex shape that seems to ride up in certain, sensitive areas...

clint wrote:

I'm waiting on my corbin to arrive and, when it does, I think I'm going to be making some major modifications to the stocker as well to increase the width a bit and eliminate that convex shape that seems to ride up in certain, sensitive areas...

I never figured out who came up with those designs.. men haters? sadists? Who thought it would be a good idea for men to sit on their balls all day? I should think women would not be any happier with those sitting positions, either. It would discourage romantic thoughts after the end of a long ride, anyway.

Even bicyclists, who are known to be indifferent to their sex lives, have begun to add a 'slot' in their tiny little seats for the package to fit in.

BTW, i have picked up some leather dye.. going to try it with black sometime soon.. i'll post a pic when done.

I've also since done a 4 day ride to grand canyon.. lots of rough, rocky riding, some long dirt roads, climbs, ruts.. & the seat is still working for me. I'll put up with some flak over the looks if it continues to perform like it does.
scotty

i picked up some black leather dye on ebay.. used very little. It looks like a black leather jacket, now.





I didn't mind the light brown, but i caved to the peer pressure on this site & dyed it black.. so desperate for approval..