How to Upholster to Glass or Metal Pan

[MXSeatPro.com]

I see this is a common topic on DTT so I thought I'd throw in my two cents...

I've been an upholsterer for the past 15yrs and run a site where I specialize Motorcycle seats...I'll even leave my site out of this to keep from this sounding like an info-mercial, but here are some tips from an experienced individual on how to make these seats reliable and durable.

I see some individuals suggesting inserting a wood strip to the bottom of a pan as a staple point... First off, The wood idea is ok at best but it doesn't have any integrity and is born to fail. Resin and Wood don't expand and contract the same and will eventually separate. This will work if you want to do this to your own seat on the bike you rarely ride, but I'd never be able to sell that design and keep customers coming back. If you plan on riding your bike in any fashion that requires energy this will not hold. Now I know we aren't racing these bikes but you should be able to drag a knee when you want to and not worry about your seat falling apart.

With that being said, A much more durable approach is to sew a hem in the bottom of the seat cover where you would staple it to the pan, if you could, and run a wire through it for reinforcement. Personally I use a small gauge wire doubled over and twisted like safety wire. Make it so the wire enters and exits the hem fairly close to the same point, usually toward the front of the seat. Pull it taunt and rivet one end of the wire to the base of the pan. Grab your pliers and pull the other end taunt while adjusting the cover making the wire pull consistently around the entire seat pan, or a majority of it. Once its pretty even, rivet the other end of the wire to the pan. You'll then go around the cover and place a rivet every 3" or so pinching the wire to the pan.

Make sure You leave enough material at the bottom of your cover for the hem, and to reach the bottom of the seat so the rivet will be vertical when the seat is mounted.

Just for safe measure:

Make sure you us the proper drill bit for the rivet you have. You'll like these holes as tight as the girl that took your virginity, especially with glass. Any wiggle room between a glass pan and the rivet will only get worse.

Use large headed rivets close to the size of a dime , and pre-drill the holes in the pan before putting the cover on. Use an awl to poke holes in the cover, not your drill bit.

Good Luck Tonners!

 

[dualitymike]

Hey,thanks for the info! Would you be able to add some pics of this process for those of us that are more visual than verbal learners?

 

[xb33bsa]

i have seen plastic rectangular bar stock that works very nicely for a staple strip much better than wood, a few pop rivets to hold strips in place

 

[o1marc]

If the wood strips are completely encapsulated and sealed in the glass the expansion between the 2 should not be an issue and can't separate. Plastic strips would be a better option but wood will work if that's what you have on hand.

 

[MXSeatPro.com]

XB33BSA - Pop Riveting plyable platic strips to a glass of Metal pan is an ingenious idea. Plastic can be stapled to and if properly fastened will have enough integrity to hold for years.

01Marc - Staples cant penetrate Resin, thus the wood. If you "Encapsulate" the wood in resin, you just started back at square one. But I tell you what, you try this out and respond with how this works for yo. Who knows, you could reinvent the wheel.

 

[Maritime]

I have used the rivet and seam bottom but did not know about the wire trick, I like that one a lot. I have to re-do the seat on my GL this winter and I will definately be using that trick.

Thanks for posting it up.

Maritime

 

[MXSeatPro.com]

Here are a few images of seats to gander at... Also the wire deal is a lil secret I picked up years ago and I don't tell people about it or shoot images of it, because I always thought someone would steal my idea... But I feel everyone could use a hand every once in a while so have at it.

Respond or PM me if you have a question regarding your seat.

 

[MXSeatPro.com]

This seat was for a 1976 Husqvarna CR250. The cover was pre-made and didn't allow enough material for the hem I suggested previously, so I had to improvise. I cut lil cushios out of 1/16" card board to keep the sharp edge of the rivet head from tearing through the thin material...I dont advise this style upholstery if you can sew a hem and add wire.

 

[SONICJK]

XB33BSA - Pop Riveting plyable platic strips to a glass of Metal pan is an ingenious idea. Plastic can be stapled to and if properly fastened will have enough integrity to hold for years.

01Marc - Staples cant penetrate Resin, thus the wood. If you "Encapsulate" the wood in resin, you just started back at square one. But I tell you what, you try this out and respond with how this works for yo. Who knows, you could reinvent the wheel.

Staples can certainly penetrate resin. The problem is the resin isn't elastic and won't hold a staple like wood will. Plenty of guys put wood strips user resin the staple to.

I agree rubber or plastic is a better material though.
I prefer to just rivet directly to the metal seat pan.

 

[MXSeatPro.com]

Sonic - You're splitting hairs...If the resin is thin enough of course a staple can penetrate it. But the point being made was regarding its integrity, which is being lost by thinning the resin holding the wood so you can tac it with a staple. The easy more efficient way to secure a cover to Glass or Metal is by rivets using the wire/hem idea. When done correctly this will secure the seat cover so you can ride your bike like it was meant to be ridden, and not only in holiday parades.
I added my 2 cents to this, since there are so many threads offering bad advice on seats. I know there are some pretty skilled and knowledgeable wrenches on here, that I'm sure can pull the resin and wood off, but for the common hands, my way is easier and more efficient.

The CB350 Seat below was done with a wire and Rivets to a Glass pan from GFTP.