Author Topic: My ass is wet -- or how can one waterproof the seat cover? (Read 6333 times)

UnCrash · « **on:** October 03, 2008, 07:13:58 AM »

I rode my bike home in a downpour two days ago. I poured water out of my boots when I got home.

My K7 was put away wet in the garage and I shivered my way back into the house and into warm clothes.

Today I rode it to work and the seat felt dry initially. Then at the first stop light I can feel the cold and wet creeping into my pants. Now I'm at work with a wet ass

Any one have any waterproofing tips?

troppo · « **Reply #1 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:20:15 AM »

YEP
Dont ride in the rain.....

snipcod · « **Reply #2 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:31:13 AM »

Operator · « **Reply #3 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:34:31 AM »

You can purchase a can of the liquid silicone or silicone spray for use on leather boots. You should be able to get it at Walmart or Zellers(for us in Canada) Put about three coats, really soaking it each time, but letting it dry fully between coats.

Another point is that if you have the ability and/or the tools you can remove the seat cover and seal the foam, problem is that if the leather is not waterproof it will still hold water and you will still be stuck with a wet ass.

Operator

troppo · « **Reply #4 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:35:57 AM »

OK had a joke, now you see those elastic edged plastic boots the boffins wear in "clean" rooms, something like that sized up for the seat would keep the foam dry and be fairly easy to make or cheap to get made.
If your seat is leather instead of vinyl you can get waterproofing pastes at any leather shop or bootmakers.
Just be careful with silicone sprays, some of them (like armour-all) will draw out any moisture in vinyl and rubber making it crack over time

TwoTired · « **Reply #5 on:** October 03, 2008, 08:21:27 AM »

Describe your seat cover.

Johnny5 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 03, 2008, 08:23:53 AM »

Every time I shift from 2nd to 3rd, revving to 7,000 rpms....I pee myself.

UnCrash · « **Reply #7 on:** October 03, 2008, 08:47:08 AM »

Quote

Describe your seat cover.

TT you are a true man of detail -- which is of course where most of the relevant infomation is.

The seat cover was put on by the PO. It's a vinyl one with a draw string. Underneath is the original seat which is cracked/ripped and shows the foam through in various places.

A thought I have is to pull the cover off and wrap the existing seat in plastic so the foam is protected from the rain. Then seal the vinyl cover in some way.

Right now it no longer looks like I peed my pants, but its beautiful out so I'm going to tear up the back roads of Maine for my hour lunch break.

Then my ass wil be wet again.

mystic_1 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 03, 2008, 09:01:57 AM »

Quote from: UnCrash on October 03, 2008, 08:47:08 AM

A thought I have is to pull the cover off and wrap the existing seat in plastic so the foam is protected from the rain. Then seal the vinyl cover in some way.

That's exactly what I was going to recommend.

mystic_1

TwoTired · « **Reply #9 on:** October 03, 2008, 09:08:07 AM »

Does the draw string cover have stitching through it? If so, that's how the water is getting to the foam under it.

Assuming this is the case, you'll have to remove the cover and apply sealant to the back side where all the stitch is. I think I used RTV on mine years ago to prevent the very problem you are describing.

It has to be dry first, before RTV application.

Cheers,

goon 1492 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 03, 2008, 09:15:52 AM »

+1 if the foam is wet it will take three full moons before it is dry again $:-\$

sucks but make sure its dry before you close it all up again or mold will come to visit.

zx12r · « **Reply #11 on:** October 03, 2008, 09:55:19 AM »

Quote from: UnCrash on October 03, 2008, 07:13:58 AM

I rode my bike home in a downpour two days ago. I poured water out of my boots when I got home.

My K7 was put away wet in the garage and I shivered my way back into the house and into warm clothes.

Today I rode it to work and the seat felt dry initially. Then at the first stop light I can feel the cold and wet creeping into my pants. Now I'm at work with a wet ass

Any one have any waterproofing tips?

my seat cover was ripped on the seam, tried gluing it, worked for awhile but then came apart. went out and bought a piece of black vinyl with a fabric backing, not to thick, it has to stretch some, $11 for a square yard (enough to do 2 seats), and it was marine grade vinyl. i recovered my seat and it turned out very nice, looks much better than the torn seat. the only place on the seat thats tricky is the very back , i have 2 folds showing. if you know somebody that can sew two seams you could get rid of the folds altogether. i thought the front would have folds too, but when you pull it tight you can get rid of them. don't pull the front to tight tho or you will have a slight gap between the seat and the tank, i learned that the hard way.

KB02 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 03, 2008, 09:55:44 AM »

I would suggest getting a new tavelcade seat cover for it. Then a product called "Sno-Seal."

It has worked for me in the past. Just make sure you get the cover nice and hot before applying or it won't soak in as well. It's wax, so buff it right down to a nice shine.

eldar · « **Reply #13 on:** October 03, 2008, 10:10:17 AM »

I had my seat recovered in marine grade vinyl. Works great is water proof. When your foam gets when, it is not just mold you have to worry about. That water can soak in and sit on the metal pan and rust it out. Pans are a lot harder to find than foam or a cover.

Raul CB750K1 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 03, 2008, 11:12:58 AM »

If you had ever disassembled a Honda seat you would have sean that, between the cover and the foam, there is a layer of PVC to keep the foam from absorbing water. I did it in my seat to paint the pan, and most of the PVD felt apart -it is heat-stitched with the cover to make the seat pattern-.

What I did was simply to use PVC from a discarded pool raft to make the isolation. Just make sure there are no bends that will mark through the seat.

Nevertheless, I bought at louis.de a waterproof seat cover for 5 bucks. It folds in a small package, and you can install it in a few seconds. Covers the seat completely, attaches from below with velcro tape. I carry it in the backpack everytime I ride and the wheather shows signs of rain.

WFO · « **Reply #15 on:** October 03, 2008, 11:59:37 AM »

Quote from: Johnny5 on October 03, 2008, 08:23:53 AM

Every time I shift from 2nd to 3rd, revving to 7,000 rpms....I pee myself.

YOU TOO!!

Hope · « **Reply #16 on:** October 03, 2008, 02:51:44 PM »

Quote from: UnCrash on October 03, 2008, 07:13:58 AM

Today I rode it to work and the seat felt dry initially. Then at the first stop light I can feel the cold and wet creeping into my pants. Now I'm at work with a wet ass

This is one of those situations where we will need you to post pics before we can help you properly....

No, not a pic of your motorcycle seat...

but one of your wet ass.

Upon reviewing the degree of the wetness, we should be able to properly assess the situation and help you better.

P.S. Ditto on the shoe stuff. I keep it at the house & always use it on assorted things!

UnCrash · « **Reply #17 on:** October 03, 2008, 05:34:29 PM »

*

*Please note: this is not my actual ass. It is a reasonable facsimile of how wet my ass was today when I walked into work. No asses were harmed for the taking of this photo.

WFO · « **Reply #18 on:** October 03, 2008, 06:25:32 PM »

Another alternative is wearing rain gear

seaweb11 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:23:05 PM »

Have you considered Alligator or Cayman skin?

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=17831.msg321019#msg321019

UnCrash · « **Reply #20 on:** October 03, 2008, 07:36:37 PM »

Quote

Another alternative is wearing rain gear

Yea, that's reall cool..... wearing rain pants on a nice sunny day so my ass doesn't get wet from my previously soaked seat...

What, do you want me to look like this?

News:

Author Topic: My ass is wet -- or how can one waterproof the seat cover? (Read 6333 times)

troppo

troppo

eldar