Author Topic: Quick and dirty seat modification  (Read 2425 times)

Portland Steve

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Quick and dirty seat modification
« on: September 20, 2010, 08:35:04 PM »
I have been not happy with the seat on my Super 8, which is sad because the rest of it is quite good.
So, after some thought, I decided to add some padding to the thing.
I did not have acess to a camera at the time that I did this, so I have no photos.
This fix costs about $5.00, which includes only the price of 1" foam.  You will need a thin screwdriver, pliers and a stapler with 1/4" staples.

One of my desires was to not do anything to the existing foam pad (plank is more like it).
I looked at getting seat pads, but the ones that I wanted are $100-$200.  

First, remove the seat by loosening the two small nuts at the hinge of the seat.  I recommend putting the nuts back on the exposed bolt threads to avoid loosing them.

If you want to do the whole seat, you will need to take the entire cover off.  
If you only want to deal with your seat then just remove the front half of the staples that hold the vinyl on.  Use the thin screwdriver to pry up the staples and then pull them out with the pliers.  Be careful not to tear the vinyl.
Pull back the cover to expose the front part of the seat.

Cut a 12 inch by 12 inch square out of the 1" foam.  The foam that I used is open-cell polyethylene, which is softer than the stock material.
This is the stuff used for foam mattresses.  Is it the best choice? Maybe not, but it is easy to find and inexpensive.

Taper the corners to a shape that looks like a chair seat, or whatever you think will fit the base and your bottom.

Put the cushion on top of the lower part of the seat, where you sit.  Roll the cover back over the foam, making sure that it stays in place.
I assume that you could use spray adhesive to fix the foam in place, but I want to be able to remove the foam in the future.

With a firm grip on the vinyl, pull the very front edge over so that you can staple it in place.  The trick to stapling into hard plastic is to use a quality stapler, work on a firm surface and push hard with the palm of your hand while you pull the trigger with t he other.  If you try to use staples larger than 1/4" , you may puncture the cover on the other side.
I then worked from the back to the front, adding staples every inch or so.  You should keep looking at the other side to make sure that you are not making any ripples in the cover fabric.  What is good is that the vinyl is very stretchy and you can work out most ripples or waves without too much effort.

Then you are done.  Test your new, softer seat and be happy that you only spent a few bucks and a few hours to make a custom seat.
My ars feels better already.


« Last Edit: June 17, 2011, 03:38:31 PM by Portland Steve »

wordslinger

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Re: Quick and dirty seat modification
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2010, 01:04:26 AM »
...sweeet...

..those S8 seats slope to the front quite drastically...

..awesome fix!!

..post some pics of the finished product when y' can!!!


peace
..every mod (action) necessitates a (reaction) mod..

Portland Steve

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Re: Quick and dirty seat modification
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2010, 04:42:51 PM »
Here is a photo of the seat:
The pad that I added shows through the cover, but not in a bad way.
With some more care, you could get it to blend more.
This pad makes my commute a lot nicer and takes some of the harshness of the ride out.
I still think that the shocks on this scoot are too firm, but I really don't want to spend money on upgrades.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2010, 04:46:06 PM by Portland Steve »

Portland Steve

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Re: Quick and dirty seat modification
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2011, 03:43:32 PM »
Update.
I have had this mod for a while now and it has been working well.
The pad has remained in place even though I had not glued it on.
The cover has remained secure as well.
Give it a try if you have a sore butt.

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