Ok so it's time to recover that ratty seat. Question is how to do it? Well here is my DYI guide. First off I'd like to point out I cannot claim this is the only, or even correct way to to recover a seat. It is just how i decided to do it after some thought. It is fairly easy and seems to work well though, so no fear I'm steering anyone in completely the wrong direction.
To recover the seat i used vinyl. I managed to get a red that is very close match to Honda red, though any color ya want will do. Just go to your local fabric store and pick what ya want/like.
The seat before recovering:
Step 1: Remove the old seat cover. flip the seat upside down it should be held on by a a bunch of staples. if you use a flat nosed screwdriver you should be able to pry them up and out. Use pliers to pull out any stubborn ones once the screwdriver has lifter them up enough to get a grip with the pliers.
Step 2: Carefully cut the seat along the seams. in this case a 1989 SE50 eliteR that means 3 pieces
Step 3:
now use the old pieces as templates to make new ones. easy enough just place the vinyl with shiny side down and then the piece of the old seat on top of it. Use a pencil or pen (i used a yellow grease pencil) to trace an outline of the old pieces on the vinyl. Then trace a second line about 1/4 inch outside that line(this will be used to make your seam. Cut out the pieces with the scissors following the outer line. you will see that at the bottom where the seat cover was folder over and stapled to the seat it will be a bit longer. You dont actually need to add the 1/4 inch extra here but no harm if you do.
Step 4:
This one is a little bit tricky mostly because your gonna use an iron and unless its got a good teflon coating someone may get mad at you. basically you weld the pieces together using the iron. Vinyl is just a type of plastic and using the iron you can melt and "weld" 2 pieces together. Just follow the inner lines you made where 2 pieces join. you will have to move the parts around a lot and it helps to have a corner of an ironing board or table to make the bends. There are 2 advantages to doing this rather than just sewing them together. First off it is easier than sewing, unless of course you are good at it, which i am not. Secondly it also makes the seams water proof. if you only sew the seams water WILL get in and the foam underneath will take forever to dry out and you will have a permanently wet seat after the first time it gets rained on. After i ran the iron under cold water and used a plastic spatula to scrape off any vinyl stuck to the iron (thats where the teflon coating really helped) sorry no images of me actually doing theis because i only have 2 hands
but here what it should look like afterwards inside and out
i know it doesnt look that great but it gets better once its stretched out.
step 5:
Now its time to sew. melting the vinyl together makes a waterproof but not very strong seam. It is best to reinforce it with some thread. No need to be a good sewer. just follow the seams you have already made.
Step 6:
Almost done now just get a staple gun and staple the cover onto the seat pan. I suggest you start at the front then move your way back on each side. To get the right form you will have to pull at the seat cover to get it tight while you staple it. Don't use hulk strength, just enough to pull it tight over the form and give it the right shape.
And here is the end result:
