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Hooked
BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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After reading the info on http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com I've decided that I need/want to modify my seat. I'm thinking of adding a gel pad and lowering the seat a bit. Maybe I'll be able to get my feet flat on the ground while on my bike.

I'm slightly fearful that I may end up tearing up my seat beyond recoverability...

Has anyone else done this themselves?
Is it very difficult?
Is there enough foam on a BV250 seat to remove 1½" to 2" of foam?
Where can I find a gel pad?
@gianni avatar
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Molto Verboso
GTS Vintage Red
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Molto Verboso
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GTS Vintage Red
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UTC quote
Seat Mod
RCD - As an alternative check out: http://www.pirateupholstery.com/

Jay does great work! Many of us have had our seats cutdown and modified. Pirate makes it easy. The hardest part is choosing the material and the design. I have a Beer themed seat that came out great!

Good luck!

Gianni
@benito avatar
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2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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@benito avatar
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UTC quote
Other than shaving some of the thickness off the foam on top, consider making the seat narrower so your legs can better reach the ground. This has a significant affect on your ability to flat foot or not.
@tb avatar
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Vespa 2005 GT200 & Honda Metro
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UTC quote
Benito wrote:
Other than shaving some of the thickness off the foam on top, consider making the seat narrower so your legs can better reach the ground. This has a significant affect on your ability to flat foot or not.
IMHO this is perhaps overlooked more than it should...I had my seat lowered but the width was not modified. While I gained a little by lowering the seat it probably would have helped if I instructed the upholsterer to "contour" / shaped the width which as Benny indicated does lower the seat. It's also good to point out that if you reduce the height and don't narrow the width...it could be a little uncomfortable due to the "increased" width (height cut down with no width adjustment) and strain on groin muscles. Whenever I go on a ride I am cognizant of stretching out my groin muscles and sitting in a more cruiser-like squat position...seems to help.

Will be probably visiting upholsterer again to shape the width.
@3337 avatar
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Hooked
LX 150
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UTC quote
For those who had Pirate lower your LX seats: Did they narrow the seat or just lower it?
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BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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UTC quote
I have been looking at some of the pirate seats.... they look great, but maybe a little too pricy for me.

Yes, I was also thinking of narrowing the width as well....

My main issue is tailbone pain after 20 mins of riding or so... and it aches for hours. If I adjust the way I sit on the bike I end up getting chaffed in a very unpleasant area.

Being able to get my feet flat would just be a perk at this point.
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Molto Verboso
LX150 Darling Plum; GTS 250 Dragon Red; Honda Big Ruckus Demented Bastard
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UTC quote
An AirHawk seat cushion will take care of the tail bone pain. You might be able to fit one under the seat cover.
The seat construction is simply: Seat cover panels shaped and sewn together to form the cover, in a shape to fit the foam. It is attached to the seat pan (plastic piece the seat foam, sits on) by staples driven through the cover and into the lip of the seat pan. This works like any apostery work. It is several staples close to gether that supports the material so it does not rip. Any staple gun will do the work, and if you push down hard enough on it the staples should go in all the way. It would help to have someone pulling on the cover material just enough to make it tight. Once you shave the foam down, the seat cover will not be stapled in the same spots in those areas.
Good luck with this project, and please post pictures !!
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2016 Honda NC750XD, 2007 GTS (sold),
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UTC quote
Here's a couple DIY threads that maybe useful:
Seat & seat pan mod for the vertically challenged
GT200 seat mod "Get the bump out of my..."


Good luck with it!


Regards
Harvey
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Hooked
BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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UTC quote
Sounds like I'm in for an adventure....

I wonder if I can find a "spare" seat to practice on..... there's always the hubby's helix

I'm a little confused.... does the foam detach from the seat pan?

Refitting the cover isn't an issue, I used to reupholster chairs. Fold, tuck, move fingers out of the way (very important step) , and staple.

I'll definitely post pics when I'm done, but I have a feeling this will be a project for next season.
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2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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@benito avatar
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I believe that the foam is glued to the seat pan, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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that's what I thought.... but this picture confused me.... it looks like the foam is removed from the seat pan.

External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
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Enthusiast
Vespa GTS
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Enthusiast
Vespa GTS
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UTC quote
It took me about 45 minutes to modify the seat myself, following one of the links above. The majority of the time was spent finding the right tools.

Also, if you are just wanting the contour changed (and not an actual new cover) some of the regular upholstery places will charge you very little for that modification. I would definitely get quotes. I believe that I was quoted something around $25-$40. It would probably be a little more to add a gel pad.

Good luck.
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Molto Verboso
"Thread Killer Extraordinaire!"
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Molto Verboso
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UTC quote
I used some of the info on the DIY link as a guideline to recontour my GT's seat a few weeks ago. I was looking to move the "sweet spot" back about 3-4 inches and get a little more of a dip in the seat. The seat foam was not glued to either the cover or the seat pan. Being impatient, I opted to use a coarse sanding disk on my power drill to shape the foam, since I had the tools on-hand and did not want to purchase an electric carving knife for the job. My advice: use the knife since the sanding disk made a godawful mess. However, it was quick and the results are just what I wanted.
@benito avatar
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2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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@benito avatar
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UTC quote
Thanks for clarifying the info on the seat foam, I didn't know that it wasn't glued to the seat pan.
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UTC quote
Thanks for all of the great info.... if I can find my staple gun I'm gunna give it a try today. I'll post pics.....
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The Host with the Toast
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The Host with the Toast
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UTC quote
Re: Seat modification
RadioCtrlDWife wrote:
After reading the info on http://www.diymotorcycleseat.com I've decided that I need/want to modify my seat. I'm thinking of adding a gel pad and lowering the seat a bit. Maybe I'll be able to get my feet flat on the ground while on my bike.

I'm slightly fearful that I may end up tearing up my seat beyond recoverability...

Has anyone else done this themselves?
Is it very difficult?
Is there enough foam on a BV250 seat to remove 1½" to 2" of foam?
Where can I find a gel pad?
You can use a small Pig pad gel pad or find silcon pad on internet. I had one done I ran 75 bucks I prvided the pig pad, pigs are used ad drain covers for spill's then just find a local shop to cut the rain cover cone, a good shop will know how to do it.
OP
@radioctrldwife avatar
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Hooked
BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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Location: Hollywood, Md.
UTC quote
I think I just found a gel pad that will work, and it's not outrageously expensive....

http://www.davidscottco.com/Details.asp?ID=1
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