Believe me, I hesitate to comment but...I am an upholsterer and I have a few things to share. #1 Don't use a heat gun on vinyl. You can easily burn it. Instead use steam. Steam only gets so hot. It won't burn and it is also good to use before stapling to relax the cold vinyl. #2 use stainless staples (4mm) As the staples will not only rust but also poke through the plastic seat pan if too long. They will easily cause rips. #3 The gel insert only effects where butt contacts the seat so having it under your testicles has no effect. Cut the pad in half and only put it across your two butt cheeks. Give the rest to a friend to do his. #4 Carving foam. There is far too much to list here but... Electric carving knife to cut. Sanding to shape and smooth. Foam is very grabby and dangerous. Secure the foam down and hold that sander like it's going to try to kill you.(Cuz it is) Use belt, rotary or drum sanders with high speed and a soft touch. Grinders aren't usually a good idea as you have no feel but the are useful on rebond foam, not factory foam. #5 Hire an upholsterer if you can find a good one. It's probably not much more than a new factory foam bun.(which you'll need if you mess yours up). I hope this is helpful to someone.
I used a dremel with a barrel sander that came with the kit to rough smooth foam. took a long time but time is free for me. I also have used a plastic knife from my lunch bucket to cut the foam.
@@egg250 The major issue with modern motorcycle seats is that they are plastic and cast into a mold. If you remove the foam from the seat pan you will see that it is the most uncomfortable thing you would ever consider sitting on. There are ridges and channels built into the design to give it strength and rise up around obstacles that poke up from under the seat. The manufacturer pours the foam into a mold that allows the foam to fill in those voids in an attempt to "smooth" the surface. On top of that, the top of the seat is designed to be "stylish " so there is a sacrifice made between the lumps in the seat pan and the finished look of the seat. This often results in very little padding in the areas that need it most. It's a bit like the princess and the pea. Even if you add more padding you may still feel the lumps of the seat pan. I'm currently building a solo seat for my vfr800 and I can tell you that the design of the top of the seat pan is terrible. There are two lumps that happen to be right where your hip joints sit, leaving only 3/4 of an inch if padding where my butt contacts the seat. There is also a lump on one side as a relief for the corner of the battery. My solution was to carve out the battery relief lump as it was un necessary and then make a fiberglass seat topper to create a smooth surface on which to build the seat. It bridges all the lumps and reliefs in the pan to create a smooth base on which to build the seat. My goal is to build a comfortable seat that doesn't slope downward to the front, constantly pushing my testicles into the tank.🥴 The best answer to why any seat is uncomfortable is to remove the cover, use steam to help release the glue that holds the foam to the seat.(note: if the pan is made of polypropylene glue won't stick well anyway) and see what your really sitting on and how much padding there is where you need it most. In the end you may need to modify the pan, smooth it out as I did or make the seat slightly taller to get the padding you need. In the end there is no easy solution. Some bikes are just a pain in the ass.😟 Also there is a way better way to install those gel pads but it would take a while to explain. Let me know if you want me to go into it. Sorry for the long winded reply.
Very informative. Thanks. I don't think i can do the whole shebang. Please do explain on how to install seat gel. I will try the gel and see how it goes..
@@egg250 well.... Once you remove the seat cover put the seat back on the bike and mark the foam where you're actually making contact . Create a rectangle that covers that area. You need to find within that area where the foam is the thinnest. I have a tool called a regulator but a long needle will work. Poke the needle through the foam down to the seat pan to measure how much foam there is. If there is only a very thin amount of foam you will have to put the gel pad on top similar to the video. If you have enough foam to work with then you can try a different way. Get an electric carving knife they can be found dirt cheap at thrift stores. Get one with a serrated blade were the serrations look like the letter "c" not "v". They cut nicer. Mark a rectangle slightly larger that the one you made for your gel pad so you will have a rectangle inside a rectangle up to an inch bigger. Then cut all the way down through the bun on an angle. Think of it like an inverted pyramid or how you cut the top of a pumpkin off. It goes back on but won't fall in. All the cuts should face inward to the rectangle. When you cut the whole thing out you will have a tapered plug of foam. The top will match the seat surface and the bottom will match the seat pan. So now you have a bun. Let's make a sandwich. Not just any sandwich but a Big Mac. So we need three pieces 1. the top cut clean off 2. The middle (cut out the thickness of the gel pad) 3. The bottom. Make the cuts.(use guides to keep it straight) Throw out the middle cut and make a sandwich out of the gel pad. You can now drop back in the plug and both the surface and the bottom will match as the original. The glue seam being cut on an angle will make it easier to drop in, stronger and not as easy to feel. If the surface is slightly off it can be easily sanded to match. You will need foam glue. I used Sluyter 478. Any upholstery shop should be able to give you some if you take a small jar with you. You can brush it on thinly. If not you can get a spray can of Sluyter 476 online. The 3m stuff isn't great for foam. You have to treat it like contact cement. Let it dry on both surfaces a bit before bonding. It will be tacky but won't have a full bond until pressed together. If you want you can dress the top of the bun with a thin layer of foam before reapplying the cover. Oh yah....make sure the foam bun isn't deeper than your knife can cut through in one clean cut. I have a Bosch foam cutter so my limit is 12". Also if the seat pan is smooth you can put a layer of automotive underlay before putting the foam bun on. It's made of recycled polypropylene and is quite comfy. I hope this makes sense and is useful. I couldn't imagine cutting and plucking all those little squares in the video. 🙃👍
I installed this on my 02 Fire blade last year and loved it! Wondering the last video you put all that work into that gas tank, I thought you were upgrading to a CBR gas tank?
I bought a gel insert from the usual chinese supplier, in blue, but looked the same. It was rock hard, so I got my money back. It was more like a cutting mat! Also, you didn't use the moisture barrier?
Made me realize how much work I have to do to install the Luimoto gel for my monstruos VFR seat 😳 still looking forward to it tho and great video as well 👌🏽
![The Coolest Motorcycle Seat You Can Buy [Yamaha R1 Install!]](/img/1.gif)
This was like watching the Luimoto instructional video, but simplified. Great job.
the seat look nice and comfort
Nice video, very easy and simple. I Keep learning new things every day. 👍🏻
Believe me, I hesitate to comment but...I am an upholsterer and I have a few things to share.
#1 Don't use a heat gun on vinyl. You can easily burn it. Instead use steam. Steam only gets so hot. It won't burn and it is also good to use before stapling to relax the cold vinyl.
#2 use stainless staples (4mm)
As the staples will not only rust but also poke through the plastic seat pan if too long. They will easily cause rips.
#3 The gel insert only effects where butt contacts the seat so having it under your testicles has no effect. Cut the pad in half and only put it across your two butt cheeks. Give the rest to a friend to do his.
#4 Carving foam. There is far too much to list here but...
Electric carving knife to cut.
Sanding to shape and smooth.
Foam is very grabby and dangerous. Secure the foam down and hold that sander like it's going to try to kill you.(Cuz it is)
Use belt, rotary or drum sanders with high speed and a soft touch. Grinders aren't usually a good idea as you have no feel but the are useful on rebond foam, not factory foam.
#5 Hire an upholsterer if you can find a good one. It's probably not much more than a new factory foam bun.(which you'll need if you mess yours up).
I hope this is helpful to someone.
I used a dremel with a barrel sander that came with the kit to rough smooth foam. took a long time but time is free for me. I also have used a plastic knife from my lunch bucket to cut the foam.
How about doubling the gel under butt cheeks? Enough space in the foam?
Im really struggling with my hard motorcycle seat.
@@egg250 The major issue with modern motorcycle seats is that they are plastic and cast into a mold. If you remove the foam from the seat pan you will see that it is the most uncomfortable thing you would ever consider sitting on. There are ridges and channels built into the design to give it strength and rise up around obstacles that poke up from under the seat. The manufacturer pours the foam into a mold that allows the foam to fill in those voids in an attempt to "smooth" the surface. On top of that, the top of the seat is designed to be "stylish " so there is a sacrifice made between the lumps in the seat pan and the finished look of the seat. This often results in very little padding in the areas that need it most. It's a bit like the princess and the pea. Even if you add more padding you may still feel the lumps of the seat pan.
I'm currently building a solo seat for my vfr800 and I can tell you that the design of the top of the seat pan is terrible. There are two lumps that happen to be right where your hip joints sit, leaving only 3/4 of an inch if padding where my butt contacts the seat. There is also a lump on one side as a relief for the corner of the battery.
My solution was to carve out the battery relief lump as it was un necessary and then make a fiberglass seat topper to create a smooth surface on which to build the seat. It bridges all the lumps and reliefs in the pan to create a smooth base on which to build the seat. My goal is to build a comfortable seat that doesn't slope downward to the front, constantly pushing my testicles into the tank.🥴
The best answer to why any seat is uncomfortable is to remove the cover, use steam to help release the glue that holds the foam to the seat.(note: if the pan is made of polypropylene glue won't stick well anyway) and see what your really sitting on and how much padding there is where you need it most. In the end you may need to modify the pan, smooth it out as I did or make the seat slightly taller to get the padding you need.
In the end there is no easy solution.
Some bikes are just a pain in the ass.😟
Also there is a way better way to install those gel pads but it would take a while to explain. Let me know if you want me to go into it.
Sorry for the long winded reply.
Very informative. Thanks.
I don't think i can do the whole shebang.
Please do explain on how to install seat gel. I will try the gel and see how it goes..
@@egg250 well....
Once you remove the seat cover put the seat back on the bike and mark the foam where you're actually making contact .
Create a rectangle that covers that area.
You need to find within that area where the foam is the thinnest. I have a tool called a regulator but a long needle will work. Poke the needle through the foam down to the seat pan to measure how much foam there is. If there is only a very thin amount of foam you will have to put the gel pad on top similar to the video. If you have enough foam to work with then you can try a different way.
Get an electric carving knife they can be found dirt cheap at thrift stores. Get one with a serrated blade were the serrations look like the letter "c" not "v". They cut nicer. Mark a rectangle slightly larger that the one you made for your gel pad so you will have a rectangle inside a rectangle up to an inch bigger. Then cut all the way down through the bun on an angle. Think of it like an inverted pyramid or how you cut the top of a pumpkin off. It goes back on but won't fall in. All the cuts should face inward to the rectangle. When you cut the whole thing out you will have a tapered plug of foam.
The top will match the seat surface and the bottom will match the seat pan.
So now you have a bun. Let's make a sandwich. Not just any sandwich but a Big Mac. So we need three pieces
1. the top cut clean off
2. The middle (cut out the thickness of the gel pad)
3. The bottom.
Make the cuts.(use guides to keep it straight) Throw out the middle cut and make a sandwich out of the gel pad. You can now drop back in the plug and both the surface and the bottom will match as the original. The glue seam being cut on an angle will make it easier to drop in, stronger and not as easy to feel. If the surface is slightly off it can be easily sanded to match.
You will need foam glue.
I used Sluyter 478.
Any upholstery shop should be able to give you some if you take a small jar with you. You can brush it on thinly.
If not you can get a spray can of Sluyter 476 online. The 3m stuff isn't great for foam.
You have to treat it like contact cement. Let it dry on both surfaces a bit before bonding. It will be tacky but won't have a full bond until pressed together.
If you want you can dress the top of the bun with a thin layer of foam before reapplying the cover.
Oh yah....make sure the foam bun isn't deeper than your knife can cut through in one clean cut.
I have a Bosch foam cutter so my limit is 12".
Also if the seat pan is smooth you can put a layer of automotive underlay before putting the foam bun on. It's made of recycled polypropylene and is quite comfy.
I hope this makes sense and is useful. I couldn't imagine cutting and plucking all those little squares in the video.
🙃👍
Nice work Mister, turned out very nice and 100% better.
Cheerz!
ufff that bike its looking lovely, seat its awesome and the idea you have will be nice for this bike
Hey dude I just want to say thank you for all your information and motivation. It's helped me a great deal can't wait to see more videos
Awesome work man, also very good Videoquality. Greetings from Germany !
Looking good!👍🤘
Looks insane. I love it.
sick! in a good way
I installed this on my 02 Fire blade last year and loved it! Wondering the last video you put all that work into that gas tank, I thought you were upgrading to a CBR gas tank?
Love the tutorial! Wanted to do this to my sear for a while.
I bought a gel insert from the usual chinese supplier, in blue, but looked the same. It was rock hard, so I got my money back. It was more like a cutting mat! Also, you didn't use the moisture barrier?
Made me realize how much work I have to do to install the Luimoto gel for my monstruos VFR seat 😳 still looking forward to it tho and great video as well 👌🏽
at work we use vaseline as lube on blades for cutting form.
makes me wish I still had my 03 VFR. :(
Could you use a hot wire to remove the seat foam, like how we cut out our foam core wings for model building, just an idea
I wonder if a small router would work?
i dont own 1, but wouldnt somethin like a dremmil be easier removing the foam with a sanding disc?
Will the CBR1000 rear subframe basically bolt on to the VFR main frame? I’m assuming that is your approach.
Is the patrion raffle thing available for non American people as well?
What are those tires? dual sports?
Definitely won’t be buying one of these seats after seeing how much effort this takes.
If your looking for a little extra comfort for your butt. Get a pair of Bicycle Underwear. They have some extra padding in them.
Man the imperial system is so f-uped😂 7/16?! Haha...
that gel is all going to squeeze out since you cut it like that
No it won't not that kind of gell