This is how it works: Replace the seat

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This is how it works: Replace the seat
Bilski

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workshop

This is how it works: Replace the seat

That’s how it’s done
Renew the seat

Come on: shift your frustration to your old bank. Tear up the cover and foam – then re-upholstery.

07/06/2009

A few years ago, when everything was new, you could go along forever. And now? After two or three hours you get frustrated: your butt hurts because the foam pad is completely flat. In addition, the cover has become quite unsightly, even shows cracks. The driver does not want to admit how much the poor bench has suffered from the many trips together. But why suffer when the first signs of relationship stress appear? The accessories trade offers replacement seat cores made of high-quality composite foam and matching new covers. Fortunately, the costs are kept within limits; branded jeans are usually more expensive. And the renovation work is not particularly time-consuming either. 2Rader provides instructions for replacing the seat – so that it runs smoothly again for many thousands of kilometers.

Do it yourself


This is how it works: Replace the seat


Bilski

Alternatively: universal covers with different surfaces.

A technically skilled person needs a little more than an hour to renew the bench. For example, Gotz Motorsport GbR (Telephone 0 74 76/93 30; www.goetz-motorsport.de) sells covers based on the originals from 24 euros. However, there are only remnants of the former Gotz GmbH, especially for enduros and crossers. Foam cores in their original form cost 56 euros at Gotz, universal parts 40 euros. At Louis (Tel. 0 40/73 41 93 60, www.louis.de) there are type-specific seat covers (from 29.95 euros) as well as universal seat covers from Kahedo (from 19.95 euros) and universal foam (44, 95 euros). Polo (Tel. 01 80/5 22 57 85, www.polo-motorrad.de) has two universal covers in its range (from 33.95 euros). To handle universal parts: Lay the original cover flat on the rectangular universal seat cover and then cut it to size with a few centimeters of safety allowance. In order to shape a universal foam precisely (preferably with an electric kitchen knife), great skill and a lot of time are required. Recommendation for laypeople: Leave this work to a professional saddler. It’s more expensive, but it is easy on the nerves.

Step by step


This is how it works: Replace the seat


Bilski

First step: down with the broken cover. To do this, lever out all clamps with pointed pliers or a screwdriver. Then remove the foam seat core – no problem if it is not glued to the platform, as is the case with the XT 600 shown here. If so, stubborn foam residues can be rubbed off with a wire brush. Now place the new cover on the retrofit seat core and align it appropriately.

As a dry exercise, knock the ends of the cover and the thin foam lamination glued to the seat core evenly around the bench platform. Existing seams, like here on the model-specific Kahedo cover, make alignment work much easier. If the new cover sits in the middle and straight, it is first fixed together with the lamination on the front of the bench with a few clamps.

Use a standard staple gun from the hardware store for this. The brackets should be six or eight millimeters thick. Tip: Get both clamp strengths and use them according to the different thick areas of the plastic seat shell, as the eight-millimeter clamps can penetrate too far in thin places and damage the new cover. After the cover is attached to the front, warm it up over a large area with a hairdryer, pull it back firmly and fix it again with a few clamps on the back. Then heat the cover flat again with the hair dryer and pull it around the edge of the bench at the lowest point. Before stapling, make sure that the cover protrudes as evenly as possible on the right and left side.

It doesn’t matter that it only protrudes a few millimeters in some places when cold – too little to be properly attached. When heated, it stretches two to three centimeters. If the material cools down again after fastening, the cover gets the necessary tension. It pulls itself tight, so to speak, without being glued to the seat core. There are no unwanted wrinkles. The hair dryer takes on a crucial role, especially in tricky areas such as the corners. Very important: do not heat up selectively, but always over a large area, then pull the cover over the critical point on the plastic shell and staple it immediately.

Just as important: do not just attach the clips in a circle, but rather reduce the space between the clips that are already in place until the cover is evenly stretched.

Then remove the protruding material of the foam lining with scissors or a sharp knife.

Finally, check all areas of the bench for accuracy of fit. If everything fits well, it’s time to take a seat and drive off.

Have fun.

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