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Wanted: Seat Recovering Recommendations

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ramblin66

ramblin66

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Dec 1, 2007
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Location
Keller
First Name
Brett
Recently picked up a '94 R1100RS with low miles (33K). It just had its 30K service, so the only thing it needs is an oil change and the drivers seat repaired (one small hole and one crack, as you can see in the photo).

Anyone know a good, reasonably priced upholsterer in the Keller/Roanoke/Mid-Cities/FTW area?

Anyone ever tried one of those preformed skins that you just staple on over the old foam? How'd that work out?

I'm thinking about a minor reshaping (reducing the width a bit under the hamstrings), so I'm not sure a preformed skin will work for me, but was curious about them.... Seems like an easy solution if the seat is stock.

Or.... If you happen to have a good condition drivers seat that you'd like to sell, I might be interested in buying a replacement, so I can experiment with customizing it myself.

TIA!

6-Left_zpsb063928d.jpg
 
I did a Saddlemen skin on my '77 KZ650 last year. was pretty straightforward.
the "secret" was to get the skin very warm by laying in the sun awhile before mounting.
not sure what foam shaping would have done to the fit of this one, as it's pretty seam specific.
 
It's a bit of a drive from your area. But Bill's Trim Shop in Arlington. If you can't find a MC seat specialist in your area, any shop that does auto seat upholstering and custom trim work can probably handle it.
 
LaserDave said:
I did a Saddlemen skin on my '77 KZ650 last year. was pretty straightforward.
the "secret" was to get the skin very warm by laying in the sun awhile before mounting.
not sure what foam shaping would have done to the fit of this one, as it's pretty seam specific.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the only R-Bike on the Saddleman list is the R1200GS.

Great tip on fitting a new skin if I decide to go that way! There are several options on FleaBay :thumb:

tshelfer said:
It's a bit of a drive from your area. But Bill's Trim Shop in Arlington. If you can't find a MC seat specialist in your area, any shop that does auto seat upholstering and custom trim work can probably handle it.
Click to expand...
Arlington isn't too far.... I went to Wylie for a custom job on my last bike seat. :lol2:

Thanks!
 
They recovered a Honda seat for me many, many years ago and did a perfectly good job. I haven't been there since, but Bill's is still in business, and a fixture in the Arlington auto scene.
 
^^^ Actually, Rick only does foam, not upholstery. He did a great job on reshaping my kawasaki seat, but was not set up to do more than staple the old cover back on correctly.

Two thumbs up for Rick.

Thanks!
 
I've put a few seat covers on. Two Seat Concepts foam and cover, and one from ProCycle. I bought the right kind of stapler and staples to do. All the covers and foam fit well. One of the seats was from my BMW1200GSA and the other my Dr650. The third seat I helped a TWT member put his on.

My is an air stapler, but I think there are some electrics that might be strong enough. The job is not too tough. Just be patient and work methodically.
 
I got a Seat Concepts foam/cover for my bike a couple of years ago. I learned pretty quickly that without the right tools, it's a :hack: and was well worth the $25 to have it done at an upholstery shop. I would recommend XTreme Upholsterers in Denton if you're in the neighborhood!
 
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AustinRT said:
I've always been curious about these too, and more specifically what type of staple gun is required to staple into the metal or plastic pans.
Click to expand...

the metal pan on my KZ has "barbs" punched out around the edges.
it was tricky to try and figure out how far to stretch, before letting it pierce the material, as you really don't have a lot of chances for mistakes.

a cheapie Stanley electric stapler from Home Depot works fine on the HD's heavy plastic pan.
 
I use Josh who is JBA797 on this forum. HE has done several seats for me. He specializes in home furniture repair but got into seat for bikes a couple of years ago. I plan to have him upgrade some foam on the Renazco on my X-Challenge. He is located just outside of Waco in the Speegleville area.:chug:
 
Hello everyone, this is my first post and I couldn't help but add to this as I had a great experience with the modification of my new '10 GL1800 seat. Cook's Auto Top and Trim in Murphy which is a small community completely surrounded by Plano on the east side of Central Expressway is primarily a custom car interior specialist, but had done a lot of motorcycle seats and other types of custom work. I personally know of several Goldwings he has done and I'm sure he does other bike seats as well. He can build a seat from the pan up if needed, contour it anyway you want and recover with material that matches your OEM or use exotic skins if wanted. The owner Shawn Cook is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and very easy to work with. His primary income is building complete interiors for custom hotrods that some of the top rod shops in the country bring to him. He builds interiors from scratch and even makes the seat frames himself. His prices are very reasonable but you might have to get in line to get your work scheduled. His phone number is 972-424-9827.
 
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