I finally got around to covering the seat pan on my XS650 Chop. While I liked the bare metal look, I really wanted a Bates style seat to complement the overall look of the bike.
Here are the steps that I followed:
1. Foam Cushion
I used closed-cell foam from a kid's flutter board, shaping it into the general thickness and contour of the seat pan, and used spray adhesive to attach it to the pan. Next I used a serrated knife and grinder with a flapwheel to further contour and shape the foam to the desired shape.
2. Pattern.
I first applied plastic wrap and then masking tape over the seat with foam cushion to get my pattern for the covering. I cut the pattern into one top piece and one side piece. I transferred this tape pattern to some construction paper for easier transferring to the fabric. The construction paper patterns are 1/4" larger than the tape pattern to allow for stitching when sewing.
3. Covering.
Using my patterns, I traced around them on pieces of vinyl and cut them out. I did this tracing for the top piece on 1/4" foam and cotton as well. I used spray adhesive to sandwich the foam/vinyl/cotton patterns together. The quilted top pattern of the seat was marked and sewn, and then the top and side pieces were matched up and sewn together.
4. Putting it together.
I drilled 1/8" holes into the underside of the seatpan spaced 1" apart. I applied spray adhesive to the top of the seat foam and positioned the covering over it, then applied the rivets starting from the centre back of the seatpan and alternating each rivet.
Here is the finished seat:
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