MMMMmmm.. Seat MUCH better now!

[similost]

I couldn't srtand my seat on a 400 mile weekend.. I'm STILL sore today. SO, I did something about it...

 

I marked the seat, carved it out like a bread soup bowl, and added a hard foam to it. It's a Coleman sleeping bag pad. Very dense solid stuff.. You can't really tell from the pictures, but I dished it out pretty deep. In the very rear of the seat, I took out all but about an inch of foam. I built that part up about 4". I also took some off the sides in the front so I don't feel like I"m sitting on top of a 55 gallon barrel every time I put my feet down. That made a pretty big difference too.

 

Carved out the space, cut out pieces and built them up, using spray adhesive made for foam, then carved them down with an electric knife, then finish shaped it with a 4" grinder.

 

I put two pieces of foam in the back, and 4 in in the seat.

 

Just got back from a test ride and WOW!!! MUCH BETTER. My hips feel like they are supported, and my tailbone doesn't have all my weight on it. The seat looks all original still. The cover went back on perfect with all the pleats.

 

I still need to take it back apart though. I left a little bit of too high a spot in the very middle of the seat, and I need to take that down. No big deal. Just another hour or so of work. It feals very nice and solid like my corbin does. Not all mushy like before. I LIKE it..

 

Here's a few pictures... The first is the seat after cutting it out, then one of how I made a pattern for the foam, another inserting the foam, and one with it buit up before shaping.

 

 

 

 

[RandyR]

looks like a good idea being implemented. thanks for the pictures.

[latchkey]

is it hard re-applying the cover?

[similost]

That was acctually the easiest part.

 

As far as pulling the pleat hooks or what ever you want to call them, all you need is a small piece of wire to run through the seat, then hook the wire into the metal piece on the cover (pleat retainer?), and pull through the seat.

 

Since I had actually made the sides and back thinner, the cover stretched over nice and easy...

[FreezyRider]

Very interesting. Where did you get the foam? I'm considering trying something similar on my GW seat.

 

Joe

[similost]

I got it from Wallyworld in their sporting goods section by the tents.. I think it was maybe $12 for the roll? You could do two seats or so with a roll.

 

If you take too much out carving down the new foam, you can always glue a new layer back on top and do over too...

 

It will be a nice hard firm seat.. I would say mine easily feels as firm as my corbin.

[Freebird]

Several years ago, I rebuilt the seat on the Harley FXRD that I owned at that time. I found that most of the foam was too soft. I bought one of those block of foam in the exercise department at Walmart that is used for doing stair step exercises. It was a very hard/dense foam and made a fantastic base. I then used a softer foam for an insert in it. It worked very well.

[similost]

Several years ago, I rebuilt the seat on the Harley FXRD that I owned at that time. I found that most of the foam was too soft. I bought one of those block of foam in the exercise department at Walmart that is used for doing stair step exercises. It was a very hard/dense foam and made a fantastic base. I then used a softer foam for an insert in it. It worked very well.

 

When I was looking for foam, a set of those steps had come up in google and I gave it a thought..

 

I also had found the foam play mats for kids that have interlocking pieces. I went to Walmart looking for either of those, and they didn't carry them. I got the idea for an exercise pad, so went back to sporting goods and that's where I found this pad I used..

 

I have a feeling that if I had put them all side by side to try and decide, I'd probably have ended up taking the pad I did...

 

I'm WAY more than happy with the firmness and comfort of this foam.