Those electric turkey trimmers or something similar would make quick work of the bigger parts of the foam. You can find those sometimes cheaply at yard sales or thrift stores. For next to nothing. And you can toss it afterwards.
Very impressive workmanship. I just bought a 2006 KLR 650. Love it but seat is tough. And I’m seeing prices of 400 for a new seat. That’s not in my budget. I’m gonna jump into the rebuild. I’m pretty handy I’m a plumber. What looks the most difficult is the cutting of old foam. I’m thinking isolating tool. Your the man though. You jumped into something that you never did before and did it on camera. And created a base for us to go off of. Thank you for the video.
Hi I resentley picked up a 2006 just finished rebuilding the carburetor had to clean out the gas tank I needed a new solenoid had to order that from China running good. 👍
Some months bak, I googled "motorcycle seat foams". Took me to a manufacturer named "Foam Factory". Lady I talked to was very knowledgeable about what type foams should be used for mc seats. They sell by the piece so u can custom make your own.
@@carvalhonj just google "Factory Foam" and/or "Seat Concepts". Those sites can provide u with all the info u will need to make an informed decision on a KLR seat.
Just bought a stock KLR....it so needed this upgrade! I did the upgrade as you laid out, with three remarks for future DIY KLR owners:1) I found closed cell neoprene foam to be too hard. Found a local upholsterer who was also a biker; he recommended high end 1" upholstery foam ($10....not $4!) as being softer and way higher quality than the stuff commercial seat makers use. It feels awesome now! I acknowledge it might not have the waterproof-ness of closed cell stuff.2) My 'Hobby Lobby' steel staple gun was not butch enough to push staples into the molded plastic...nor was an industrial air-driven one I borrowed from a buddy (maybe the staples were not industrial strength?). So, to re-fit the seat cover, with the seat inverted I painstakingly.....a) pulled the seat cover tight into position and folded it over (where T2W would have stapled it into place)b) held a (4"?) length of zip-tie where I was about to drillc) held the cover and zip tie there with adjustable wide-mouth hand grips d) Predrilled a tiny hole for a short screw through the zip tie and cover and into the molded plastice) screwed in a short self-tapping screw f) moved 2" down the zip tie length and screwed in another screw thru the ziptie, cover and into the molded plastic.In this way, I slowly built up a long bridge of cable ties holding the seat cover into place with immense strength. It can all be removed to change seat covers if need be. I used about 40 tiny screws and three large zip-ties.As a result, I now have an extremely comfortable seat without any ugly bulges in it (which harder foam might have caused). Incidentally, as an experiment, I borrowed a $112 Gel bum-shaped cushion to put on top of that too....but it added nothing to the comfort of this $10 upholstery foam!
I use a 4inch angle grinder with a 80 grit sandpaper disc to cut away the foam,cuts through the foam really fast, I have rebuilt many seats including all 7 of my klr's, 2 250's and 5 650's
I have used a 40 grit flapper disc to shape the foam on my gold wing and my BMW r1200 to make those seats perfect shape the disc takes off just what you want!!
I made a new cover once with a yard of fake leather or chrome leather and I stapled in on stretching it out from one side to the other so there was no wrinkles and cut off the extra. It looked great and upped the resale value.
I used upholstry foam out a sofa I was tossing with some denser foam to make a wide seat for my baby ninja. It looked "different" for a ninja, but it was definitely more comfortable. I did see on trick for "sculpting foam," if you have a deep freezs. Soak you foam in water. Freeze it. Pull it out and use your favorite wood sculting tools like a grinder, spoke shave, etc to fully customize the fit.
Ya wanna hear a funny one. I owned a 99 with a Sargent seat I put on 15 years ago. It still looked new last week. I was selling my bike as I was buying a newer model being 2016. Told the wife I was going to swap seats after buying it. Wife told me I should sell my bike first in case it takes a while. I said I would prefer not to. She said list it so I did. 26 Facebook replies. Sold it within 24 hours. Then wife says you got extra money for newer bike. I says yeah but I have to spend 500 for a new frigging seat meaning the good deal ain't so good. I loved the look she gave me. lol. I am going to look at widening and dishing it a bit. We have 2 electric knives. They are great for cutting insulation as well. I will probably then get it professionally covered at an upholstery shop.
I would have left a bit more original foam at the back , the original foam might flex and break eventualy . Electric kitchen knife for triming and cutting.
I did something like this. Funny thing is I too got the idea at a fabric store with wife . I had new style seat 2015. So for resale I just went over it with foam and new Vinyl cover. That way the original is still there . However. I'm 6'5". And all legs. But I road on that seat for 2 years and was always happy with it . It looked ok but was not professional. Nobody could tell when asked though.
Hi Byron, That''s a good idea to keep the OEM seat "as is" and with your long legs, you could make that work! Thanks for the feedback and for watching.
i would have put the foam seam at the back, where i dont reall seat , awesome video, doing didnt seem that hard. you'd just have to be sort of brave to start, if you couldn't afford a new seat. thx from a fellow KLR rider.
So, do you think there was enough room to use this 1" foam, AND reduce the seat height by 1"? Also, any updates for us, are you still comfortable with the new foam cushion? I really like you work! And your confessions of a frugal rider totally resonates with me and has given me some new vocabulary to explain why I really like my KLR650! That is part of what makes me smile just looking at it.
Hey Tony, if you want to reduce your seat height by an inch, or so, you would likely need to remove most of, if not all of, the OEM foam in the main seat area and replace it with the 1" or 1.5" neoprene foam. as a follow-up report, this seat is definitely more comfortable than stock. However, I will be honest, after about 2 hours, I still get uncomfortable. But that is probably the case with most seats. I do still think about a Seat Concepts upgrade, but I am holding off. I am still pretty happy with my $4 upgrade and for most riding, it is a cost effective fix.
Should have just tested the New foam by sitting on a hard kitchen chair .....see if it was too soft or if you could sit comfy for long time . Easy test .
Hey Tim, have you thought about providing a 1-year update on the $4 seat hack? Great idea, BTW... I'm just curious to know how it has worked in the long run... Great videos!
I like your videos. Thank you so much for your work Mr. 2wheels 🙂 I'm sad I can't see you do videos for all my bikes 🙁 I would have tried that purple seat stuff.
I enjoyed that I've got to redo my factory vfr seat and get new foam as well so what you bought there might be what I need I want to reshape mine and make it more like a Corbin gunfighter seat
I got a used Corbin seat for my KLR and it is really nice, but if I had seen this video first I probably would have skipped it, Nice work. keep the videos coming for your new subscriber!
+Obsessive Cycle Disorder The Corbin seats are great seats, but so far I have been happy with my cheap fix. Thanks for subscribing, I do have several more videos on the way soon. I have seen your videos as well, and I like your work.
+Tim2Wheels Thanks! You look very comfortable in front of the camera. I'm sure your channel is going to do great! I'll do what I can to spread the word for you.
Randy King - OCD may want to comment on this one since he has experience with a Corbin seat. However, seats are a very personal chioce. what works well for one person may not be good for another. I have not tried either the Corbin or Sargent products for a KLR. I would say go with the one that suits you style of riding best. And hey, the seat on a KLR is fairly quick and easy to change. So if the Sargent Tour seat is best on-road, use it and change to the Corbin when planning off-road rides.
Tim2Wheels an update on my Corbin since taking a 3000 mile trip (mostly paved roads) on it over 4 days...I thought I was going to die. By the end, I was only able to ride 50 miles at a time I was so sore. I have a Corbin on my Honda Shadow and have done 1000 mile days on it no problem so I had high expectations. I think the stock seat would have ended up being better. Maybe I'm just getting too old to ride that hard.
Stock 2016 klr after 1 hour my tailbone sore cuz the seat slopes forward. Common issue it seems. Shave seat level perhaps? I wear padded shorts which cover my tailbone, helps a bit
Hey there, Tim. I'm considering doing some seat modifications myself, but what has me worried is staple length. If your staples are too long, wouldn't they be able to poke through the foam in thin spots along the edge and jab you in the backside? How long of staples did you use? They looked pretty long in the video. Great video, by the way. I love $4 fixes!
I appreciate your videos. I just got my new 17 KLR. I have some fairly serious back problems and I'm already questioning my decision to ride again. I can't seem to go very far without some pain that kinda ruins the fun. I do ok in a car, because of the back support. Can you suggest a seat that helps with that? Or, is there a top bag that has a support for my back? Thanks!
Good question. There are some top cases that offer back support for a passenger, but I don't know of any that support the rider. Due to the longer seat on a KLR, there is no good way to mount something without blocking the passenger portion of the seat area. One option may be the "Commuter" seat from Seat Concepts(seat-concepts.myshopify.com/collections/kawasaki/products/kawasaki-1988-16-klr650-commuter-low). This seat offers a dished sitting area for the rider and may help with some back support. I think a cruiser type back support would be best, but that would be a custom job. Good luck, I hope you find a solution. -Tim
uncle skeeter I did this . It worked for me . Get a hard box / cargo box on the back . Then go to the junk yard and pull a headrest off the front seat off a car ,find a plush one . Go home and line it up were you want it and drill two holes in the cargo box for the head rest post. Slide it in, lock it down with clamps and BAM! Backrest. And it's removable .
Jason, I sold that bike about two years ago, but at that time the seat was holding up well. It was not perfect, but it was better than the OEM seat. I do think that a replacement like Seat Concepts or others would be better than my $4 budget upgrade. But if money is tight, it is an improvement. Thanks for the question and for watching. - Tim
That foam is just like a insulation product produced by Aerocel, K-Flex , and Armacel Companies. Should be able to buy it for even less at a mechanical insulation company.
Hey Matt, thanks for the additional information. That would work too. There are a lot of choices for better foam than the factory stuff. Thanks for watching.
Tom Simpson - Well, it is better than the old stock seat (for a 2009), but it is not as good as I would like. I am considering upgrading to a new seat, but not sure which one.
Those electric turkey trimmers or something similar would make quick work of the bigger parts of the foam. You can find those sometimes cheaply at yard sales or thrift stores. For next to nothing. And you can toss it afterwards.
Very impressive workmanship. I just bought a 2006 KLR 650. Love it but seat is tough. And I’m seeing prices of 400 for a new seat. That’s not in my budget. I’m gonna jump into the rebuild. I’m pretty handy I’m a plumber. What looks the most difficult is the cutting of old foam. I’m thinking isolating tool. Your the man though. You jumped into something that you never did before and did it on camera. And created a base for us to go off of. Thank you for the video.
Hi I resentley picked up a 2006 just finished rebuilding the carburetor had to clean out the gas tank I needed a new solenoid had to order that from China running good. 👍
Some months bak, I googled "motorcycle seat foams". Took me to a manufacturer named "Foam Factory". Lady I talked to was very knowledgeable about what type foams should be used for mc seats. They sell by the piece so u can custom make your own.
@@1219magnum I need to do this on my KLR. Could you provide links, phone number and more details? Thank you very much
@@carvalhonj just google "Factory Foam" and/or "Seat Concepts". Those sites can provide u with all the info u will need to make an informed decision on a KLR seat.
@@1219magnum nice, thank you👍🏼
Just bought a stock KLR....it so needed this upgrade! I did the upgrade as you laid out, with three remarks for future DIY KLR owners:1) I found closed cell neoprene foam to be too hard. Found a local upholsterer who was also a biker; he recommended high end 1" upholstery foam ($10....not $4!) as being softer and way higher quality than the stuff commercial seat makers use. It feels awesome now! I acknowledge it might not have the waterproof-ness of closed cell stuff.2) My 'Hobby Lobby' steel staple gun was not butch enough to push staples into the molded plastic...nor was an industrial air-driven one I borrowed from a buddy (maybe the staples were not industrial strength?). So, to re-fit the seat cover, with the seat inverted I painstakingly.....a) pulled the seat cover tight into position and folded it over (where T2W would have stapled it into place)b) held a (4"?) length of zip-tie where I was about to drillc) held the cover and zip tie there with adjustable wide-mouth hand grips d) Predrilled a tiny hole for a short screw through the zip tie and cover and into the molded plastice) screwed in a short self-tapping screw f) moved 2" down the zip tie length and screwed in another screw thru the ziptie, cover and into the molded plastic.In this way, I slowly built up a long bridge of cable ties holding the seat cover into place with immense strength. It can all be removed to change seat covers if need be. I used about 40 tiny screws and three large zip-ties.As a result, I now have an extremely comfortable seat without any ugly bulges in it (which harder foam might have caused). Incidentally, as an experiment, I borrowed a $112 Gel bum-shaped cushion to put on top of that too....but it added nothing to the comfort of this $10 upholstery foam!
I use a 4inch angle grinder with a 80 grit sandpaper disc to cut away the foam,cuts through the foam really fast, I have rebuilt many seats including all 7 of my klr's, 2 250's and 5 650's
That's a good idea Michael. Thanks for sharing that tip.
I have used a 40 grit flapper disc to shape the foam on my gold wing and my BMW r1200 to make those seats perfect shape the disc takes off just what you want!!
I made a new cover once with a yard of fake leather or chrome leather and I stapled in on stretching it out from one side to the other so there was no wrinkles and cut off the extra. It looked great and upped the resale value.
I used upholstry foam out a sofa I was tossing with some denser foam to make a wide seat for my baby ninja. It looked "different" for a ninja, but it was definitely more comfortable.
I did see on trick for "sculpting foam," if you have a deep freezs. Soak you foam in water. Freeze it. Pull it out and use your favorite wood sculting tools like a grinder, spoke shave, etc to fully customize the fit.
You are going to want stainless steel staples in this application.
Ya wanna hear a funny one. I owned a 99 with a Sargent seat I put on 15 years ago. It still looked new last week. I was selling my bike as I was buying a newer model being 2016. Told the wife I was going to swap seats after buying it. Wife told me I should sell my bike first in case it takes a while. I said I would prefer not to. She said list it so I did. 26 Facebook replies. Sold it within 24 hours. Then wife says you got extra money for newer bike. I says yeah but I have to spend 500 for a new frigging seat meaning the good deal ain't so good. I loved the look she gave me. lol. I am going to look at widening and dishing it a bit. We have 2 electric knives. They are great for cutting insulation as well. I will probably then get it professionally covered at an upholstery shop.
I used an Electric carving knife. Awesome results
An electric knife cuts foam like butter and a gasket removing wheel on a die grinder helps smooth/make small adjustments a breeze
zigz0911 - Thanks for the tips.
Yep carve the turkey and they do carve motorcycle seats great I have done the seat on my Harley.
Dude,too cool. Thank you for your diligence and sharing.
I would have left a bit more original foam at the back , the original foam might flex and break eventualy .
Electric kitchen knife for triming and cutting.
I use a gel seat cover on top the seat and it works well.
I did something like this. Funny thing is I too got the idea at a fabric store with wife . I had new style seat 2015. So for resale I just went over it with foam and new Vinyl cover. That way the original is still there . However. I'm 6'5". And all legs. But I road on that seat for 2 years and was always happy with it . It looked ok but was not professional. Nobody could tell when asked though.
Hi Byron, That''s a good idea to keep the OEM seat "as is" and with your long legs, you could make that work!
Thanks for the feedback and for watching.
I just bought mine n road 100 miles in a day i am coming from zx10r oh man its most comfortable seat so far no but pain
if you want a nice smooth finish use a layer of batting [the stuff inside a pillow ; ) ] under the plastic hides all the cuts and bumps
Hi Harry, That's a great idea! My wife is a quilter and has batting.
Thanks for the tip and for watching.
i would have put the foam seam at the back, where i dont reall seat , awesome video, doing didnt seem that hard. you'd just have to be sort of brave to start, if you couldn't afford a new seat. thx from a fellow KLR rider.
Use an electric meat slicer to cut foam. Cheap and clean cuts.
So, do you think there was enough room to use this 1" foam, AND reduce the seat height by 1"? Also, any updates for us, are you still comfortable with the new foam cushion? I really like you work! And your confessions of a frugal rider totally resonates with me and has given me some new vocabulary to explain why I really like my KLR650! That is part of what makes me smile just looking at it.
Hey Tony, if you want to reduce your seat height by an inch, or so, you would likely need to remove most of, if not all of, the OEM foam in the main seat area and replace it with the 1" or 1.5" neoprene foam.
as a follow-up report, this seat is definitely more comfortable than stock. However, I will be honest, after about 2 hours, I still get uncomfortable. But that is probably the case with most seats. I do still think about a Seat Concepts upgrade, but I am holding off. I am still pretty happy with my $4 upgrade and for most riding, it is a cost effective fix.
Sanding block for final shaping , and leveling cut marks .
I think a quick ride to an upholstery shop in Juarez might be my best bet!
Yes, it would be best for a pro to do it. This is a budget option. Also, Seat Concepts has a good replacement option.
Thanks for watching.
Should have just tested the New foam by sitting on a hard kitchen chair .....see if it was too soft or if you could sit comfy for long time .
Easy test .
Hey Tim, have you thought about providing a 1-year update on the $4 seat hack? Great idea, BTW... I'm just curious to know how it has worked in the long run... Great videos!
I will add it to my list. I've been behind on making videos, but expect to get back to it soon.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I like your videos. Thank you so much for your work Mr. 2wheels 🙂 I'm sad I can't see you do videos for all my bikes 🙁 I would have tried that purple seat stuff.
Thanks fir sharing Tim. Nice step by step process. And some good suggestions given to go along in some of the comments below. 👍🏽
Electric turkey carver is the tool most pros use.
It's important to use stainless steel staples. I made the mistake one time in high school. They will rust.
Bikemancody bock - That's a good point Cody. Thanks for posting that comment.
Very nicely done video........I'd be totally comfortable trying this myself.
consider using an electric carving knife to get a clean cut. Found one at Goodwill for a couple bucks.
Good idea. Thanks for the comment and for watching.
I enjoyed that I've got to redo my factory vfr seat and get new foam as well so what you bought there might be what I need I want to reshape mine and make it more like a Corbin gunfighter seat
I got a used Corbin seat for my KLR and it is really nice, but if I had seen this video first I probably would have skipped it, Nice work. keep the videos coming for your new subscriber!
+Obsessive Cycle Disorder The Corbin seats are great seats, but so far I have been happy with my cheap fix. Thanks for subscribing, I do have several more videos on the way soon.
I have seen your videos as well, and I like your work.
+Tim2Wheels Thanks! You look very comfortable in front of the camera. I'm sure your channel is going to do great! I'll do what I can to spread the word for you.
Randy King - OCD may want to comment on this one since he has experience with a Corbin seat. However, seats are a very personal chioce. what works well for one person may not be good for another. I have not tried either the Corbin or Sargent products for a KLR. I would say go with the one that suits you style of riding best. And hey, the seat on a KLR is fairly quick and easy to change. So if the Sargent Tour seat is best on-road, use it and change to the Corbin when planning off-road rides.
Tim2Wheels an update on my Corbin since taking a 3000 mile trip (mostly paved roads) on it over 4 days...I thought I was going to die. By the end, I was only able to ride 50 miles at a time I was so sore. I have a Corbin on my Honda Shadow and have done 1000 mile days on it no problem so I had high expectations. I think the stock seat would have ended up being better. Maybe I'm just getting too old to ride that hard.
Stock 2016 klr after 1 hour my tailbone sore cuz the seat slopes forward. Common issue it seems. Shave seat level perhaps?
I wear padded shorts which cover my tailbone, helps a bit
That was a great cheap seat fix Tim I enjoyed it and gave me a few ideas on making a new seat thanks again !,
very nice! gave some ideas for my seat...
ossa60 - Thanks for watching, glad it helps.
Can you do a video on rear wheel bearings please.
Thanks for the suggestion. When I get my next project bike, I will make this video.
keep to mind, that weather the covering is or is not waterproof, closed cell foam does not absorb water.
George Hart - thanks for the tip.
Hey there, Tim. I'm considering doing some seat modifications myself, but what has me worried is staple length. If your staples are too long, wouldn't they be able to poke through the foam in thin spots along the edge and jab you in the backside? How long of staples did you use? They looked pretty long in the video. Great video, by the way. I love $4 fixes!
Wel done. Thanks
hey if you 45 the new foam it might have been enough for a one piece cut
Scott Banks - Hi Scott, that's a good idea. I should've thought of that.
Thanks for the feedback and for watching.
You forgot to mention the $23 spent for the 3M spray adhesive.
Doh! You're right! :)
Thanks for the correction and for watching.
Staple Size??? 1yr Update???
I appreciate your videos. I just got my new 17 KLR. I have some fairly serious back problems and I'm already questioning my decision to ride again. I can't seem to go very far without some pain that kinda ruins the fun. I do ok in a car, because of the back support. Can you suggest a seat that helps with that? Or, is there a top bag that has a support for my back? Thanks!
Good question. There are some top cases that offer back support for a passenger, but I don't know of any that support the rider. Due to the longer seat on a KLR, there is no good way to mount something without blocking the passenger portion of the seat area.
One option may be the "Commuter" seat from Seat Concepts(seat-concepts.myshopify.com/collections/kawasaki/products/kawasaki-1988-16-klr650-commuter-low). This seat offers a dished sitting area for the rider and may help with some back support.
I think a cruiser type back support would be best, but that would be a custom job.
Good luck, I hope you find a solution.
-Tim
uncle skeeter I did this . It worked for me . Get a hard box / cargo box on the back . Then go to the junk yard and pull a headrest off the front seat off a car ,find a plush one . Go home and line it up were you want it and drill two holes in the cargo box for the head rest post. Slide it in, lock it down with clamps and BAM! Backrest. And it's removable .
Original seat made with precast concrete !
What was Kawasaki thinking ........
Ok, it’s 5 years later, how did that foam insert for the seat work out?
Jason, I sold that bike about two years ago, but at that time the seat was holding up well. It was not perfect, but it was better than the OEM seat. I do think that a replacement like Seat Concepts or others would be better than my $4 budget upgrade. But if money is tight, it is an improvement.
Thanks for the question and for watching. - Tim
That foam is just like a insulation product produced by Aerocel, K-Flex , and Armacel Companies. Should be able to buy it for even less at a mechanical insulation company.
Hey Matt, thanks for the additional information. That would work too. There are a lot of choices for better foam than the factory stuff. Thanks for watching.
Ok, going on two years now; how is this mod doing now?
Tom Simpson - Well, it is better than the old stock seat (for a 2009), but it is not as good as I would like. I am considering upgrading to a new seat, but not sure which one.
used an Electric bread knife 😂😂
Can tell that blade is dull .....
Get an Olfa blade .
Sex appeal award lol.
For me or the seat? :) (just kidding of course)
Thanks for the comment and for watching.
No problem. Thanks for the vids they really helped me.
Ypgreid fo dollar ?? Haha-ha job 150-200$ real prise minimum.