Seat restoration

[axo]

Guys...
My scooter seat is not a seat anymore.. this is what i am talking about:



I have been around the car upholstery shops in town and they want like $100 and more to install a new cover and fill the
holes in the foam. But I am a bit worried about the vinyl options they are showing to me. I am not sure if they will use stuff
able to withstand being under the sun all day long and the weather.
Im looking at a carbon fiber pattern vinyl coded CBF-1100 rated for marine and automotive applications.
I could just buy a yard of that stuff for $12 and make the cover myself, but may be someone here knows what are
the right vinyl type that i should be looking for at the upholstery shop supply.?
Any experience or suggestions?
Thank you.

[martynkim]

Check out Ebay I forget the seller name but, they are in Canada Northwest they make a quality cover looks OEM except for no HONDA on the back. I bought one for my 87 SE50 and I am very happy with it. Cheap too.

[Clivester]

If the vinyl is rated for marine use, it means its a heavier grade with some UV resistance. Go to your local fabric store and compare the regular upholstery vinyl to the marine grade - you'll see the difference. I've stitched up 3 seats so far using marine vinyl and they hold up very well. One is at least 2 years old on a scooter that's left outside most times.

You can also fix the foam yourself. The secret is to use an electric bread knife to do all the cutting and shaping. The type you need has the two blades that move backwards and forwards against each other - I see them quite often in thrift stores. The fabric store may have high density closed cell urethane upholstery foam in blocks. Pick some that feels about the same weight and resilience as the original seat foam. You'll also need adhesive that will work on foam. I found contact adhesive used for laminate works pretty well. You can slice off the bad foam with the knife leaving a flat surface, attach the new foam allowing the adhesive to dry, then shape with the bread knife.

............... of course, checking the for sale section could net you a decent seat for what it would cost for repair materials if you're lucky.

[fightingplankton]

actually, ive found a great source for foam. we have a local mattress shop here in town where the guy just throws out his scrap foam. some of it is pretty decent sized(originally got it for LARPing weapons). call up your local mattress factory(if youve got one) my guy gives us a call every other friday to let us know hes got stuff for us. we haul it off so he doesnt have to pay to go to the dump.

[808BMW]

Check out Ebay I forget the seller name but, they are in Canada Northwest they make a quality cover looks OEM except for no HONDA on the back. I bought one for my 87 SE50 and I am very happy with it. Cheap too.

I also have a plain black seat cover from ebay and it is great. Really cleans up the bike coming from a ripped to shreds version You could buy raw material and make it yourself, but unless you are pretty handy with sewing I don't think it would be worth the time.

[axo]

I see the seat cover on Ebay but it is for the Elite SA50. I am not sure if the shape is the same as my Dio.
Could any of you post some kind of measurements of your Elite's seat to check against mine?
Thank you.

[Bear45-70]

I see the seat cover on Ebay but it is for the Elite SA50. I am not sure if the shape is the same as my Dio.
Could any of you post some kind of measurements of your Elite's seat to check against mine?
Thank you.

The guy has seat covers for a wide range of scooters and motorcycles. Send a message to the seller and tell him what you want.