Cost effective seat cover

Hello everyone I picked up a 98 vfr last November for cheap which was in need of some tlc. I have it mechanically sorted out however there are some cosmetic issues I would like to address. The previous owner kept the bike outside for who knows how long which has taken its toll on the seat. The foam is fine however the seat cover has a crack and the cover material is brittle. Does anyone have a recommended cover? There are a few options on eBay ranging from 25 - 70+ dollars. Thanks for any advice!



Here are the options I am considering

http://m.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-VFR800-...-in-25-COLOR-OPTIONS-/381962518942?nav=SEARCH

http://m.ebay.com/itm/1998-01-Honda...-Interceptor-VFR-800-/371849625848?nav=SEARCH

 

Providing the foam is fine, the weathered seat cover is a great pattern to recover your seat. Several well done how to's on Utube.

 

I've bought two seat covers for my VTR1000 and ST1100 from these nice folks in Poland. Plenty of customising options for colours, and they look fantastic on the bike.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-VFR-8...601917?hash=item21204965fd:g:ReIAAOSwGXtXhJ0g

 

Take BadBilly's advice. DIY. It's all over the Tube of You. I had a similar problem on my '98. I ended up re-upholstering it myself for cheap.

I went to Michael's or some fabric store and bought textured heavy duty waterproof vinyl for snowmobiles and off-roaders. Seriously, it was like 1/8th inch thick. Pull the staples on the original, and staple the new stuff straight into the original plastic. You can use the old seat fabric as an outline for you new piece and then cut off the extra bits when your done. That heavy duty stuff is really tough to stretch but it will stand up to anything. For less than 30 bucks I learned a new skill, and unless someone (probably me on accident) puts a knife through it, I know it's gonna outlast most of the motorcycle.

It was a bit time consuming, but the OEM seat shape on the 5th gen allows you to us a single sheet without stitching. Good luck!

 

DIY. It's not very hard at all. :smile-new:

 

Thanks for the feedback, and sorry for the slow reply. I have been out of town for the past week. I have previously fabricated a custom seat pan foam and cover for a café project. I did as multiple sewn parts and it didn't turn out super great. It sounds like stretching a single piece of vinyl will work out which sounds pretty good to me. Those Poland seat covers look great but are more than I am looking to spend. 5G800 do you have a photo of your finished seat?

 

Terry, love that cover, and the cowl fits no problem?


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Installation involved removing the original cover and stapling the new one in its place on the original foam, so there's no change to the seat size or shape, and the rear solo cowl on the VTR fits fine.


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