[eddie]

With absolutely beautiful weather here in Ga., I've been stuck at home, on my vacation, with a nasty cold.
I was moving some photos around and got to looking at that seat I made from scratch last Sept. The foam's all wrong (still too hard) and that 1st one looked, well, "bloated" somehow. If it was as comfortable and soft as it looked, I would've called it done.
With nothing else to do, I took it apart and did some serious foam removal and reshaping before stitching up a completely new cover.
I just got through putting all my tools away and doing a test fit.
Again, it's probably too hard to ride for very long, but let me get the right density foam and I'll be a happy guy.

 

[eddie]

Side view

 

[Cruze]

Love the way it looks slimmer. Looks like the cover fits better than it did stock too so kudos on some great upholstery work! Have you thought of putting a gel insert perhaps?

 

[TheScrambled]

Your handmade seat looks a lot more fitted to the SCR950's tank line. If you can't get the foam density right or can't find what you need, there are those gel seat inserts that are supposed to be very comfortable.

Have you tried them before?

 

[eddie]

I reused the top portion of the original cover. The pleats are over some 1/4" firm foam strips that made it difficult to feel the gel insert I had in there the 1st go-round.
Now that I know I can knock out a cover in about an hour or two, my Yamaha dealer's volunteered to help me find better foam.
I'll redo the cover to look just like this only without the hard pleats then put it over a softer foam base with the gel insert installed.

 

[OpenRoad]

Your Yamaha dealer sounds great if they're willing to help you source some better seat foam. Have you ever tried sewing seat pleats before? Just wondering as it looks complicated.

 

[eddie]

Your Yamaha dealer sounds great if they're willing to help you source some better seat foam. Have you ever tried sewing seat pleats before? Just wondering as it looks complicated.

Scot at Twin Cities Yamaha in Auburn, AL is an awesome guy!
He'll call me, "Mister Hall's son, eddie! I found the neatest ____ ....." before telling me about some cool something that we then talk about for half an hour. LOL

As for pleats, no, I hadn't ever done them. A video or two online helped. I used a tailor's pencil to mark out the straight lines nice & parallel. I did "cheat" a little and cut the filler foam into equal strips and then glue them in place on the back side with 3M's "77" spray adhesive first. With those spaced maybe 3/6" apart, I then lightly tacked down some automotive headliner cloth I found at an ordinary cloth store locally on top of them. That cloth is a light scrim with thin urethane foam underneath. The combo left me with a seat vinyl/filler/headliner "sandwich". All that was left was to make sure my 1923 foot-operated Singer was loaded with a full bobbin of black upholstery thread and full spool up top so I didn't run out mid pleat somewhere and wreck the even stitch line.

 

[TheScrambled]

Not sure which one I should be more impressed with, your diy skills when it comes to all things motorcycle or the fact that a 1923 foot-operated Singer is still operational and good enough to sew a sturdy seat.

 

[eddie]

Not sure which one I should be more impressed with, your diy skills when it comes to all things motorcycle or the fact that a 1923 foot-operated Singer is still operational and good enough to sew a sturdy seat.

Why, thank you!
I wish my skills matched the capability of that old sewing machine. They really knew how to make stuff back then. There are exactly two non-metal main parts - the drive belt and the bobbin winder traction wheel. The machine itself is heavy as an anvil! LOL
Needles, bobbins, the drive belt & pressure feet are all still readily available.
If it'll fit under that foot, it'll sew it.
Leather, cordura nylon or heavy denim? Not a problem. :grin2:

 

[TheScrambled]

Probably get a foot workout while you're sewing, may improve that right foot braking skill over time.
You and Tadlock's beer friend need to meet up and swap Diy notes. :grin2:

 

[Tadlock]

Probably get a foot workout while you're sewing, may improve that right foot braking skill over time.
You and Tadlock's beer friend need to meet up and swap Diy notes. :grin2:

I grew up in a canvas shop learning to sew on a machine just like his, now I have 3 more.... I'll have to get some pics of the 3 motorcycle covers I have and the custom alligator seats in my Samurai.

 

[OpenRoad]

Custom alligator seats you say? This I have to see!
Any plans to do something like that for the scr950, or will it be too slippery to sit on?

 

[Cruze]

Alligator seats... classy

I hope you have some boots to match those because you definitely gotta follow through with the look!