Newbie making seat pan/upholstery

cjrenick

cjrenick

72 CL350
Well after getting two quotes to upholster my seat for $200, I decided to try it my self. I have about $35 into right now. Just need to decide on cushion and vinyl. Finished up shaping the seat pan that I fiberglassed. Not sure if I am going to keep the back or just cut it off and do a flat pad. I had a large gap between the back of the tank and the seat that I had to fill in. I am might just cut the foam out of the original seat and use it. I should have reinforced the back, because it seems like it is a little flimsy. Layed 4-5 layers of fiberglass. Everything I read said to do 4-5 layers.



 
Looks good! keep in mind fiberglass gets a lot of strength from corners. it seems you have just a flat pan? when you make little edges on it, it will be MUCH stronger.
 
cbcafejunkie said:
That looks nice, plus always feels good to do it yourself :) ill be watching as i need to do mine as well :)
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Totally agree, there has been times where it would cost me more to do it myself then to pay someone. Still end up DIY.
 
I like what you have so far and looking forward to see what you make. I have shaped foam before, but never actually laid the fiberglass. How hard would a seat be for a newbie? I am still debating on glass or metal.
 
Bobby Joe said:
I like what you have so far and looking forward to see what you make. I have shaped foam before, but never actually laid the fiberglass. How hard would a seat be for a newbie? I am still debating on glass or metal.
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Seat pans aren't all that difficult to make, but have some care with the type of foam you use to shape the cowl, if you use regular styrofoam (which is nice because it is stiff and easy to shape) if you try to lay fiberglass directly on top of it the foam will melt, you can use urethane foam which is a little harder to get and is more costly than styrofoam, but it wont melt. If you use styrofoam, before you lay the glass, just wrap it all completely up with aluminum foil and painters tape so the foam is completely sealed in, if the glass doesn't touch it, it doesn't melt and the foil will pull of the cured fiberglass without too much hassle.

I would be happy to give you any more tips or suggestions should you decide to try and DIY your own seat pan!! Love to see people get creative at home.
 
Well now that the girls are done with softball and family vacation is out of the way I might be able to work on the bike some more, lol. I have been working on the seat the last two days. After some research I decided to use close cell foam. Got a camping mat from Wally World.



I decided to go with two layers on the seating area and single layer on bum stop and raised area that covers gap between seat and back of tank.



I used some 80-120 grit sand paper to contour it a little.



It turned out alright. Maybe have it done professionally later. But, will do for now.



The hardest part was at the bum stop. I could not get it tight at the bottom and you can see a little bubble down there. Well now I just need to trim it up a little.
 
Nice job man I'm inspired! And nice helmet in the background I have the same one :)


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Thanks guys! I got the vinyl from JoAnn's fabric. Was looking for Emu, but all they had was tan/brown. It would of looked good with the paint scheme I am thinking of doing, but I decided to go with black in case I change schemes.
 
I dig it. One thing someone taught me when I was repadding my seat is to put a trash bag over the top layer of foam, but under the vinyl. Keeps the foam from soaking up rain water and squishing down into a wet seat. Then it leaves just a small amount of water in just the fabric itself.
 
I know you might want the smooth one piece look but you might stitch the bum stop as a separate panel to aid in making it fit tighter like this:
 
Nice work man, I'm going to have to try an do that my self. Did you staple your vinyl on? or how did you attach it?
 
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