ST1100 custom seat Sell or repair?

[mathand1]

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.

 

[SMSW]

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.

 

[kiltman]

is there a hack where I can cover this without looking tacky?

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.

 

[St-Gerard]

Patched a crack in my Corbin seat with Shoe Goo and then a top coat of Pematex black liqiud electrical tape. Functional

 

[Mellow]

Prob on the expensive side but you could see if Corbin will rebuild it.

 

[Jethro]

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.

 

[Bikeric]

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.

 

[Larry Fine]

Good local furniture upholster can do this recover.

Boat upholstereres have access to more durable materials.

 

[Erdoc48]

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:







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).

 

[core-aggie]

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.




Product page has a 1.5 minute how-to video.

https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/auto-repair-ca/how-to/leather-vinyl-repair/

 

[Jethro]

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.

 

[Pop-Pop]

Prob on the expensive side but you could see if Corbin will rebuild it.

I called Corbin. About $500.
Black gorilla tape?

 

[mathand1]

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.

I'll take note of that

 

[mathand1]

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:







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).

Thank you, excellent ideas