recovering my maxim X seat DONE with PICS!!!

like the title says I am going to attempt to recover my seat this weekend(I hope) anyone have some tips, advice? I think I have a plan to carefully unstaple the existing vinyl lay it out trace the pattern onto the new ultra leather material and cut out the same shape taking pictures and notes as where where they folded the material under the seat. I also need to replace and or add more foam as the foam is tooo soft. after a 30 min ride you can feel the plastic seat pan it ain't nice. So anything you guys can think of that might help let me know. I do have some industrial strength spray tack that is made for foam and material work so that might help things out.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

I am in the process to doing my own as well. I bought a book that has a section on motorcylce seats. Be best tips that I have found so far are: practice sewing first, second you can use a heat gun (for vinyl) to smooth our wrinkles, just watch to not burn a hole in it.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

what are you sewing?? I do not intend to do the stitching that is on the stock seat I don't have the the talent to match the seam that goes around the side. Other than that the seats on mone are seperate driver and passenger I may have to do both to make it look right. where bouts in central Mi are you I live in Marshall.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

i have done MANY quad and dirtbike seats.......i assume they are the same more or less.

-put the new material in a clothes dryer, get it nice and warm, and keep the heat gun handy while installing it.

-start with a staple in the front and rear, then do the left and right at about the middle, then start working your way in the voids keeping the material hot and working the wrinkles out.

-i hate using adhesive, i tried it once and it made a sticky mess and the seat felt like it was restriced when you sat on it....hard to explain.

-WATCH WHERE YOU PUT THE STAPLES! also be careful of how long they are. the first time i did a quad seat was on my brothers race machine, and after his first practice lap on the new seat he had bloody legs with a million holes from staples that were too close to the edge. (OOPS!)

-i also found that the staples hold better when you roll the edge of the material under itself, so its double thick where the staple goes through. it also makes for a much cleaner finished look on the underside, keeps it from curling out and funneling dirt and water into the foam.

thats all i can think of for now.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

cool thx for the tips the material I have is the ultraleather super soft and stretchy so the heat thing shouldn't be an issue. So mabe just the spray tack on the foam to the plastic seat pan and not fabric to the foam I can deal with that.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

85maxim,

I have an '82 and the orginal seat has a few seams in it. Used those pieces as a template to cut it out and to put it back together with. As for my location, I am about 15 miles west of Mount Pleasant.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

Weo,

yeah mine has a seam that runs horizontal and rounds up to match the seam on the passenger seat. I don't think I can do a great job matching those without a sewing machine let alone cutting the old ones apart. I am going to put the buttons back on tho they won't be a problem to do I don't think. So my seat will not appear completly stock but I bought the bike to ride and not as a restore project so i can live w/o the seams. It would be nice to keep things as they were but I don't want to pay someone to sew up the material let alone the wait time w/o the bike as it is my daily driver.

 

Re: recovering my maxim X seat any tips??

Well guys I got er done, I don't think I did too bad for my first time around. I know the one button is off and after a test ride I had to add a little more foam so I straightened it out. THe stitching that is on the side was already done and just happened to go horizontal. I have to really recommend this ultraleather material i fyou guys are doing this It stretched really well is super flexible and soft as soft can be. Here is a before and after pics. Of course after I got it done it was parked in front of my friends house we left it there and went out with some friends for 1 hour maybe 1-1/2 hours and some freakin bastard stole my tank badges off the bike EERRRRRRR!!..

 

You did a great job. It looks good. I spent all day cleaning out a gas tank that I just got. It has a broken drill bit, lots of drill shavings and some rust. Now I need to get back to the seat.

 

Thx Weo, tanks are time consuming to clean out for sure

 

85, Is your bike in the livingroom? I can see a tire on the carpet in the background. My wife would not be too keen on that idea if I where to attempt it.

 

LOL!!! Nope in fact that tire isn't even of my bike if you look close to the top left you will see the bottom of a fender that is my buddy's harley mine was outside in front of the house at the time. My bud got that cheap asian rug for free so we put it in the garage for something softer to kneel and lay on when working on things. I don't have any carpet in my house all hardwood so I guess it wouldn't be too bad to drive in the living room. My wife also does not take too kindly to me having stuff inside she doesn't even like parts in the house if they have or smell of grease, gas, what have you.