Best temporary seat repair?

[pallum]

So my seat looks like this (Corbin Dual Canyon):


Anyone have any experience fixing something like this? Patch on top? Patch underneath? Hoping to get another season out of it (at least) without going for a more permanent (full re-cover or new seat) solution. Haven't done any real research on local upholstery yet, just looking around for ideas.

[DRxBMW]

So my seat looks like this (Corbin Dual Canyon):

Anyone have any experience fixing something like this? Patch on top? Patch underneath? Hoping to get another season out of it (at least) without going for a more permanent (full re-cover or new seat) solution. Haven't done any real research on local upholstery yet, just looking around for ideas.

Ha, ONLY fix for that seat is a total recover period fellow bricKhead.  Take the plunge,ducK tape will NOT cut the mustard anymore.

See my comments below about DIY seat repair.

http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com/index.php

Cost for premium vinyl is about $20.00 - $60.00 Vs $200.00 to $300.00 for a professional upholsterer. Truly custom seats crafted for your weight and riding style run from $600.00 - $1,000.00, ____ gulp.

Simply remove the old cover, trace the shape on the new material, cut and then re-staple or rivet back on the seat pan. This works if the foam is still intact. EAZY DIY R&R !

If the foam is broke down,different ballgame. If you continue to ignore the split cover the foam will convert to toast quickly. Depending how old it is, mileage factor, the foam may be history already. Hard to tell from your pic but I'm willing to bet money the foam needs to be revamped.

For the record, I HATE Corbin seats !  Well known for "low quality" foam from the get go.

Real science in tweaking a seat. Years ago, I worked for a custom motorcycle seat dealer touring the country. Modern day foam is amazing stuff. I have the NASA type foam in my seats, posterior comfort beyond belief, far superior to the pricey squatch snatch "daylong sofa."    :2thumbup:

[DRxBMW]

Hey franKenduck.

How come when I type Russsel it morphs into squatch snatch ?   Strange ?

Anyway, it's Ruuussell seats brickheads.

http://www.day-long.com/gallery_BMW.html

[frankenduck]

Hey franKenduck.

How come when I type Russsel it morphs into squatch snatch ?   Strange ?

Anyway, it's Ruuussell seats brickheads.

http://www.day-long.com/gallery_BMW.html

Inside joke.  "Squatch snatch" was Johnny's nickname for a Ruzzell seat he once had.  I can't remember if it was Johnny or me who set up that auto-substitute when we put this site together.

[CubPilot]

Pallum, You might take a look at this:

http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com/

My first one was OK.   The second time was better and the third to the seventh have progressively gotten better.   I never seem to have a shortage of friends that have a seat that is in taters.   And it is one of those things that improves with practice.    Personally, I can not see the value in a 5-800.00 recover.   Cheap, maybe, however, the cost of materials is less than $75.00, for the real good stuff.   So, they think that there labor is worth about $200.00 an hour.   Because, there is always some one that is willing to pay it.  It is the same for me to take my bikes, cars, airplanes to a mechanic that charges 50-$150.00 an hour.   And then at some point in the future I find that they screwed something up or left something out.    I get real irritated when I find I paid for something I didn't get.   Professional, you say?    The difference is experience.   I stripped and rebuilt my Cub from the wheel nuts to the top of the Vertical Stab.   There is no one that is breathing that knows more about that airplane than I do.   I built my Hatz Classic from plans.   There are others, true..  However they are not all the same and those that have built one are not for hire.   Our bikes are old, this is true.    But when I go to the garages I fined I have tools that are older than the mechanics.   So what is it that I'm paying for it certainly is NOT experience and expertise.   We ride our machines daily we know what it should feel like, sound like, look like, smell like.   Over time you will know that something just isn't right.    Ever try to explain to a 20 year old mechanic that it just doesn't feel right.

What ever it is there is someone on this site that has been there.   Try it you might like and it is every bit a satisfying as riding it.  What is it that you go to loose, but a little time and the cost of a twelve pack or two. Worst case is you will still have to pay some one to do a half ass job for a premium price. 

[BrickFlyer]

That's a great link to DIY Motorcycle Seat repair. I actually worked with foam suppliers in a past job and the section on foam is excellent. There's simply no substitue for quality foam.  Density is not quality. The Chinese (and some US Suppliers)  will add cheap filler materials like Calcium Carbonate to increase weight , but it ends up breaking down the cellular structure of the foam over time.  While density is one indicator of quality, ILD , or indentation load deflection is an equally important quality indicator. If your foam supplier has no idea what ILD is, find another supplier. It's a measure of how much weight it takes to squish the foam by 25% of its vertical height. Personally I like 2.25-2.50 range for longer distance riding. Lower numbers may feel soft and comfy when you sit on the bike but in no time you're bouncing off the seat pan. Higher numbers and it doesn't provide much of a sense of molding to your butt when you sit on the seat.
The materials that were used 25 years ago were pretty shabby. It'll be money well spent to get the good stuff. Once you have good foam, then there are a number of other design factors that influence comfort. Sometimes you can just prop up or lower the front of the seat a 1/4" and the whole ride changes.

But the DIY guide really does a good job of pointing them out and I'd recommend  that anyone who wants to reupholster a seat check out that site. I wish I'd had a resource like that years ago when I had to learn things the hard way -literally!

[pallum]

I'd like to re-cover the whole thing myself, but the huge curves in the seat made me think twice about trying it. I'm no expert, but I'd think you would have to custom stitch the cover to make it all fit-- or I could be totally wrong about that.

[kenray]

  Yeah that seats going to need some serious help. If however you are looking for a short term fix you might consider going on eBay and checking out some of the used seat pads such as the Airhawk, or checking out some of the atv type seat cushions. I have seen them for sale at Walmarts and some of the big sporting goods stores. One other option is a sheep skin seat cover. None will be as nice as a newly recovered seat but might help you until you can get around to doing it right. For the record I have used all three options on my 89 k100rs with no major complaints. ken ray in Katy TX.

[johnny]

greetings pallum...

any corbin seat should be a temporary arrangement...

j o

[mystic red]

greetings pallum...

any corbin seat should be a temporary arrangement...

j o

It's what fits your ass. I love my Corbin as does my rider. No butt pain.

[pallum]

It's what fits your ass. I love my Corbin as does my rider. No butt pain.

Yeh, I can do 3 straight tanks on the slab before the butt pain is a bother, stiff knees take me down before my behind ever has. I see that Rick Mayer won't work on aftermarket seat pans, does Russelll have the same policy? If so I may just get another Corbin, if it's been working out thus far... Hell, as far as I know this seat has been on the bike for 25 years so it may be time to dump it anyways  :dunno2:

[frankenduck]

I'd rather ride on ANY Corbin than the crappy "custom" seat Rick Mayer made for my LT last summer. (Too high up, too far forward and pitches my upper body forward.   Totally uncomfortable. Not even good enough for a ride around the block.  Not sure why I bothered emailing him pictures of me sitting on my bike because he couldn't have looked at them before he made that seat.)

What a waste of a good seat pan.

The old Ruzzell I have is LIGHT YEARS better.

[DRxBMW]

Yeh, I can do 3 straight tanks on the slab before the butt pain is a bother, stiff knees take me down before my behind ever has. I see that Rick Mayer won't work on aftermarket seat pans, does Russelll have the same policy? If so I may just get another Corbin, if it's been working out thus far... Hell, as far as I know this seat has been on the bike for 25 years so it may be time to dump it anyways  :dunno2:

Ha, ploy to make you buy a pricey seat pan.  It's the choice of foam and body measurement that make the difference. Granted,you can NOT transform a HD chopper farm tractor pad into a King's throne but just about any standard seat pan can be tweaked.   

I'm with Drake, Mayer seats SUX BIG time !

Ruzzel was the "King of the Hill" for quality till I learned to "roll my own" for road comfort. 

Did you contact Mayer Duck ?  FWIW, I overheard riders at the BMW MOA national this year bitching about Mayer seats. The old man was a better upholster than his son who currently running the show. Bill senior died 4 or 5 years ago.

[frankenduck]

Did you contact Mayer Duck ?  FWIW, I overheard riders at the BMW MOA national this year bitching about Mayer seats. The old man was a better upholster than his son who currently running the show. Bill senior died 4 or 5 years ago.

Naw, not yet.  But it's on my todo list this spring.  I'm currently of the opinion that Mayer doesn't exactly build custom seats but does the same seat over and over and it works for a lot of people but really isn't a "custom" seat in the true sense of the word.

BTW:  The Ruzzell I'm in love with is the one I got from you a little while back.  Thanks.  :2thumbup:  The leather's a little worn but it puts me EXACTLY where I want to be riding the LT and I've done umpteen 12+ hour days on it.  If I can't get Mayer to get things right then I may just pony up and have Ruzzell recover that seat next fall.  The only complaint I've got about the Ruzzell is the way it kind of cuts into the back of the thighs while stopped and standing but for actually riding it's the bomb.

[DRxBMW]

BTW:  The Ruzzell I'm in love with is the one I got from you a little while back.  Thanks.  :2thumbup:  The leather's a little worn but it puts me EXACTLY where I want to be riding the LT and I've done umpteen 12+ hour days on it.  If I can't get Mayer to get things right then I may just pony up and have Ruzzell recover that seat next fall.  The only complaint I've got about the Ruzzell is the way it kind of cuts into the back of the thighs while stopped and standing but for actually riding it's the bomb.

Did you ever get rid of that silly ass backrest ?

[frankenduck]

Did you ever get rid of that silly ass backrest ?

I don't use or need that part.  If/when I get it recovered I'l have that backrest support removed.

[Scott_]

I like the Ruzzels also. I have 2 of them now. 1 on the '95 and one waiting to go on the '97.
I'll problably sell the 3 corbins I have someday. 1 on the '97 at the moment and 2 in the rafters of the garage.

[johnny]

im good with the rick mayers we gotts... the only reason i gotts them was his 50% off deal which took from october to febuary... i figured if they suxed i could ebay them for what i paid and score a custom russell... i have had 4 used russells... love them russells...

j o

[pallum]

Will continue to ponder my situation... (but if anyone's got a spare stock seat pan lying around, PM me)

[DRxBMW]

Will continue to ponder my situation... (but if anyone's got a spare stock seat pan lying around, PM me)

Sigh, if you only resided closer. I would revamp & recover your seat for FREE.

Boatload of foam leftovers from a GoldWing project two weeks ago, including some Polymide NASA memory type, read the good stuff.

I've attached a PDF on Polymide for you bricKhead's that are un-hip about its properties. Marriage of Neoprene and Polymide foam is the cat's ass for comfort.

[pallum]

Sigh, if you only resided closer.

Well, I will be in your neck of the woods here in a few months, maybe I'll just have to stop by...  :lol:

[rbm]

Thanks for the PDF on Polymide foam, DRxBMW.  It was an interesting read.

It seems that the foam's original purpose was for insulation.  The engineers optimized density and weight for thermal properties.  It doesn't seem to me that compressive loading was a prime concern.  Seat foam is designed for optimized compression when loaded, not for weight or density or insulating properties.  The manufacturer manipulates density to gain compression and rebound characteristics in loading.  The foam is chosen to put the load in the compliant region of the material.  To draw an analogy, its similar to engineering spring strength and rebound characteristics in a shock to ensure the shock piston works in the correct compliant range.

What I'm getting at is I can't see how Polymide is "the good stuff" in this application because it is not taking advantage of the best design characteristics of the material.  My gut feeling is that foam designed for optimum resilience properties under compressive loading is "the good stuff".

[DRxBMW]

Thanks for the PDF on Polymide foam, DRxBMW.  It was an interesting read.

It seems that the foam's original purpose was for insulation.  The engineers optimized density and weight for thermal properties.  It doesn't seem to me that compressive loading was a prime concern.  Seat foam is designed for optimized compression when loaded, not for weight or density or insulating properties.  The manufacturer manipulates density to gain compression and rebound characteristics in loading.  The foam is chosen to put the load in the compliant region of the material.  To draw an analogy, its similar to engineering spring strength and rebound characteristics in a shock to ensure the shock piston works in the correct compliant range.

What I'm getting at is I can't see how Polymide is "the good stuff" in this application because it is not taking advantage of the best design characteristics of the material.  My gut feeling is that foam designed for optimum resilience properties under compressive loading is "the good stuff".

I like a marriage of different foam for the ultimate seat.

Rebond high density for the base followed by the NASA type, then a top layer of Neoprene for water protection and anti breakdown properties. 

I semi agree with your above comments on Polymide  but gel,open cell or NASA conforms better to "personal anatomy" than the rebond "hard as rock type."

[Niemand]

I know zip about genuine repair techniques, but if you are looking for quick and dirty just until you get things sorted...

Use a heavy black thread and needle to stitch the tear together putting a drop of super glue on each stitch as you go.  You can rough it in starting on the ends of the tear, then back fill using the same method for a little more solid seam.  It isn't pretty and obviously varies in effectiveness by the material and condition of the seat cover.

I did it a few times on the vinyl bench seat on an old Suzuki GS I had, and it actually held together for at least a decade until I eventually sold it.  I was dealing with several tears (2"-6") along the fake seams molded into the seat cover.  The only problem I had is that it worked too well, and I ended up riding that fugly seat longer than expected.

[pallum]

I was actually thinking today about sewing on a big vinyl patch. Just something to get me through the summer as I picked up a stock seat pan off CL for a proper rebuild in the future. I'm more of a function over form guy, so as long as it works... I'm cool with it.