ST1100 custom seat Sell or repair?

mathand1

Joined
Feb 5, 2023
Messages
11
Age
61
Location
Banbury, Oxfordshire
So I've just taken charge of a lovely 2002 ST1100 which apart from a few odd wear and tear blips is in fantastic condition.
It came with a lovely custom seat but unfortunately has a rip on either side (See attached photos).
So, the question is as I've replaced the seat with a bog standard one but is there a hack where I can cover this without looking tacky?
If not I will put it up for sale to somebody who wants to spend some time to give it some TLC.20230211_162940.jpg20230211_162950.jpg
 
On this side of the pond, we can have the seat covering replaced at an automotive upholstery shop. Not all of them do this work on bikes, and not all of them are high quality, but word of mouth will get you the good shops' names. Of course you will have to decide if it is worth the cost to have the repair done.
 
mathand1 said:
is there a hack where I can cover this without looking tacky?
Click to expand...
The short answer is no. You could take it to a tack shop (saddle maker, horses) and they might be able to recover it for you.
I recovered my Corbin and added a 1/4” of foam and it made a world of difference in the comfort level.
Depending on the make of your saddle there may be replacement covers on eBay. It will be a matter of removing the staples from the underside of the pan of the seat and slipping and stapling the new one on.
 
Prob on the expensive side but you could see if Corbin will rebuild it.
 
Good local furniture upholster can do this recover.At least on this side.Whole snowmobile seat recover$250.3 X size or bike seat.They are out there.
 
Dow's Corning Sealant as a short term measure. It is similoar to black silicone and comes in a tube from auto accessory shops. It will stop the rain soaking into the seat.
 
Real cheap fix- get a Sit N Fly seat cover, XXXL size and then the only thing you would have to do is do a small cut of the material in front and use a strong stapler to affix it to the front of the seat pan. I bought an ST seat (non OEM) and covered mine recently- $30 shipped from eBay vendor and to me it looks very good (plus in the summer, you get airflow under the bum…in the cooler weather, it’s not cold under there since you have fairing protection).

Here’s some pics:429201B7-05EF-4620-BC73-BEED6E6EBB99.jpeg

BCEA08B0-DC14-48F6-90D0-E97981AF7543.jpeg



BCEDB37E-A886-4A5C-90A3-33A94497574A.jpeg

I have a similar cover on the scooter seat and Air Flow branded covers (more expensive) on the Saddlemen seats I have (I like these because of the airflow in the hot weather so you don’t get swamp butt). It takes a little work to get it just right on the seat, then you have to basically make the material ‘learn’ to be compressed at the front and back. Worked well for me, and the price is right. If you wanted to get the existing seat repaired, there are some mobile services around that do that kind of work (mobile upholstery repair), but I’m not aware of the cost. What I sometimes do is pull the material off the back of the seat, latch the seat in place, then just easily put the elasticized material back in place - works perfectly.

I agree with others here to seal the gaps first so if/ when the seat gets wet, it won’t get into the foam and get moldy. Here’s an eBay link for the cover:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133013363544 - seller is paulibiker (I have no affiliation with the seller, just good experiences based on prior purchases).
 
Last edited:
I've had success with 3M Leather and Vinyl repair, bought at local WallyWorld for $12.00 (in the US). It's versatile as it has different colors to mix in. It also has different "texture" squares, to match the texture of seat /etc, backing fabric (for years and missing vinyl), a heat transfer tool, and spatula.

1676214657662.png


Product page has a 1.5 minute how-to video.

 
Last edited:
My furniture dude has boat,bike, sled material.No sleds in Richmond would be my guess.

I like the patch repair, 3M,with a covering of sit & fly material.
 
Erdoc48 said:
Real cheap fix- get a Sit N Fly seat cover, XXXL size and then the only thing you would have to do is do a small cut of the material in front and use a strong stapler to affix it to the front of the seat pan. I bought an ST seat (non OEM) and covered mine recently- $30 shipped from eBay vendor and to me it looks very good (plus in the summer, you get airflow under the bum…in the cooler weather, it’s not cold under there since you have fairing protection).

Here’s some pics:View attachment 306983

View attachment 306984



View attachment 306985

I have a similar cover on the scooter seat and Air Flow branded covers (more expensive) on the Saddlemen seats I have (I like these because of the airflow in the hot weather so you don’t get swamp butt). It takes a little work to get it just right on the seat, then you have to basically make the material ‘learn’ to be compressed at the front and back. Worked well for me, and the price is right. If you wanted to get the existing seat repaired, there are some mobile services around that do that kind of work (mobile upholstery repair), but I’m not aware of the cost. What I sometimes do is pull the material off the back of the seat, latch the seat in place, then just easily put the elasticized material back in place - works perfectly.

I agree with others here to seal the gaps first so if/ when the seat gets wet, it won’t get into the foam and get moldy. Here’s an eBay link for the cover:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133013363544 - seller is paulibiker (I have no affiliation with the seller, just good experiences based on prior purchases).
Click to expand...
Thank you, excellent ideas :thumb:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom