Modifying Seat

[fundgh]

I went ahead and cut the seat foam down on my KDX 220. Here is what I learned:
1. Wire wheels take foam off very well, but make a huge mess.
2. I lowered the seat height considerably (maybe 2")
3. The existing One Ind. cover is really hard to stretch, and doesn't really fit right after the mod.
4. The electric stapler I have (about the most powerful electric you can get at Home Depot) barely works. It took about 150 staples to get 50 that stick.

Questions I have: Do gripper seat covers stretch more or less than other? When you get them new, do they have plenty of material to stretch around a modified seat? Can I buy the original foam preformed for the KDX?

It was a tough job, but the result is acceptable, and I still plan on changing it eventually.

 

[Green Hornet]

The gripper seat covers do stretch & have a lot of extra material. Contact the dealer & ask how much the foam is. I'm not sure if they sell just the foam. If not find someone who does upholstry(Spell incorrect) & ask them for help

 

[rubbersidedown]

Next time, try heating the plastic up a bit with a hairdryer or something, same goes for the cover.

 

[sick 96 250]

Heat the cover and plastic up with a hairdryer like mentioned above and it will help out a lot. I have an electric staple gun also and I couldn't get to many staples to go into the plastic and hold the cover correctly but once I was able to heat it up it worked a lot better. I also have a one industries gripped and love it, it was easy to stretch and make it contor to the foam really well.

 

[KAY DEE EXER]

You should have used an electric knife to sculpt the seat foam.

 

[Tom L]

I used a belt sander on my kx500 seat to make it more rounded and narrow. It worked great! I used a standard manual staple gun to put the cover back on. Had no problem there either. It looks professional and up to date. It's much more comfortable and I can touch the ground better. The kx500 seat it awesome! It's slightly more firm than the kdx, yet much softer than other bikes. I don't know if one would fit on a kdx though.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

The electric carving knife works great. I used it to remove height, and then wrapped a piece of sandpaper around a piece of 2x4 to round-off the edges and smooth-out. Works like a champ. Staple front and rear of cover first, then stretch sides around like mad! I have good luck with an Arrow hand stapler, just make sure to use staples with points (not square ends).

 

[Woodsquest]

If you need a replacement stock seat foam for your bike, I have one I can give you. E-mail me your address and I'll send it your way.

 

[Woodsquest]

fundgh: I sent you the foam some time ago. Haven't heard; did you get it?

 

[nickyd]

I have stock foam too - anybody else need it? I got a taller seat

 

[StrokesX2]

You're cutting the seat down? I'm getting ready to order the CEET tall foam to make mine higher.

 

[fundgh]

Why do people want taller seats? The guy I bought my bike from had put the tall seat on, but he was only 5'10" at the most. What does a taller seat do for your riding? Also. I did get the foam from woodsquest... it really goes to show what kind of support this group of KDXers is, and what good people you all are. Thanks for everything!

 

[StrokesX2]

There is a description of the tall seat under the tech tips section of the justKDX website under mods for tall riders. I have a 35 inch inseam. When I'm on the KDX my legs are at such an angle it takes a lot of effort to stand up, kind of like standing up from a squating position instead of a sitting position. I'm hoping the taller seat foam will help this situation.

 

[StrokesX2]

Hey fundgh, I see you have an RD350, cool. I've got an RD400.

 

[fundgh]

Speaking of RDs and Seat foam, I am putting my RD back together after and extended tear down. I am trying to figure out what to do with my seat. I might do something custom, or go with the stock shape... not sure. By the way, where is a good place to order a seat cover for the KDX?

 

[StrokesX2]

I was looking at the ones at the Dennis Kirk website. It lets you search by bike model. I am thinking about the kawasaki gripper seat cover.