How to Reupholster a Damaged Motorcycle or Scooter Seat (by Capitan Farloc)

Is your motorcycle or scooter seat torn, damaged, or just worn out? No need to take it to an upholsterer! In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to reupholster it yourself with just a few basic tools and a bit of DIY spirit. A practical and budget-friendly fix for keeping your ride in top shape.

What Happens to Your Motorcycle Seat

After a few years, the faux leather cover of your scooter or motorcycle seat, especially when exposed for long periods to direct sunlight and the elements, tends to dry out, crack, and split in multiple places.
This is exactly what happened to the seat of my Aprilia Scarabeo, which I had to park outdoors in the sun near my workplace during the day.

As you can see in the photos, the loss of elasticity in the material used to upholster the seat leads to the most stressed areas, such as the seams and the front part, cracking and splitting, exposing the foam base underneath.
Since it's not real leather but a waterproof plastic material, the usual leather treatments wouldn't be of much help. To try and extend the life of your seat, the best approach would be to protect it from direct sunlight during the hotter seasons and from the cold and the elements during the colder months.

Removing the Old Seat Cover

When the seat cover has become irreparably damaged, it needs to be replaced.
While this might seem like a very complicated task at first glance, it's not impossible at all. With a few basic tools (pliers, screwdrivers, a hammer) that every DIY enthusiast should have at home, and, of course, a standard sewing machine, you can get the job done.
The first step is to remove the seat from your vehicle and take off the cover by removing the staples securing it to the base.

Unstitching the Individual Seat Cover Pieces

Once the cover is removed, it will need to be unstitched. However, before doing so, make markings on the inside, crossing over each seam, with a pen. These will help you reassemble the seat cover pieces in exactly the same way they were originally attached.
I recommend making three markings for each seam: one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end.
These markings should be lines drawn with a pen or marker that cross over the seam. To ensure you sew the pieces back together correctly, it’s a good idea to make different markings for each seam (one line for the first, two for the second, three for the third) and label both pieces with a number identifying the seam.
Photos taken before unstitching the seat cover pieces will also come in handy when it’s time to sew everything back together.
To unstitch the individual pieces, you’ll just need some sharp scissors and a bit of patience.

Transferring the Templates of the Pieces onto the Faux Leather

Now, you'll need to purchase a piece of faux leather from an upholsterer's supply shop, large enough to fit all the pieces of your seat.
Lay the pieces of the old cover upside down on the back of the new faux leather sheet, and use a marker to trace their outlines.
In addition to the outline, you'll need to mark the stitching lines and replicate all the identifying marks you made on the old cover before unpicking it, precisely where they were. This will make it much easier to assemble the individual pieces in the correct positions during the sewing phase.

Sewing the Pieces Together

After cutting out the new pieces with a pair of sharp scissors, it’s time to start sewing.
To sew this material without damaging it, you’ll need to buy a leather needle and high-quality thread.
The stitching should be done by placing the two pieces to be sewn "face to face" and aligning the markings.
Then, try to follow the line that approximates where the old stitching was.
Set your sewing machine to the longest stitch available. While this will still be shorter than the original stitching, it won’t cause any issues, either aesthetically or functionally.

Once the first seam is done, approximately 1–1.5 cm from the edge, with the two pieces placed 'face to face' as mentioned earlier, you’ll need to 'open' the pieces. Position the face of the fabric flat on the sewing machine base, fold the extra border from the seam over to one side, and sew a second seam approximately 0.5 cm away from the first.
This second seam not only prevents water from entering but also creates an aesthetically pleasing effect at the junctions of the various seat cover pieces, displaying a double edge instead of a single one.

Refitting the New Seat Cover

Once all the seams are finished, you can make the stitching more waterproof by applying silicone. Be sure to spread it carefully to avoid any visible build-up, which could show when the cover is reattached.
To refit the cover, if there are areas where it needs to "take shape," you can use a hairdryer to warm it up, which will make the plastic material more flexible.
To secure the edge of the cover to the rigid structure of the seat, you can use a staple gun, but it must be a particularly powerful one (electric or pneumatic). The spring-loaded staple guns usually used for DIY projects will likely struggle to pierce the hard plastic of the seat base.
An alternative method is to use small self-tapping screws (or "Parker screws") distributed evenly along the edge of the cover.

Conclusions

Well... this is the result I managed to achieve...

Of course, an expert eye would notice that the seams aren’t perfectly straight or parallel, but… with a budget of around 20–30 euros (including the purchase of the sewing machine needle and thread), I managed to create a brand-new seat. And now, even if it rains, the foam padding no longer gets soaked! I'd say I'm more than satisfied.

And what about you? What do you think?
I hope this article has been both interesting and useful.

Thank you all!
Luciano (Capitan Farloc)