Well, I finally got around to installing my Seat Concepts kit today. I love everything about the Scrambler except the stock seat. I knew the day I picked up the bike that I had to do something about it.
I don't remember seeing any really in-depth DIYs on installing this kit on a Scrambler in particular, so I thought I'd write one up.
First thing's first, the tools you'll need. I live right down the street from a Lowe's, so I sourced everything there:
Staple Puller.
Shop Arrow Fastener Staple Puller at Lowes.com
You'll be pulling lots of staples, and using the correct tool is a lot easier than fiddling with a screwdriver and scratching stuff.
Tack Hammer.
Shop VAUGHAN 5-oz Tack Hammer at Lowes.com
Occasionally you'll end up with a staple that didn't seat all the way, and this will help you drive it home flush.
Spray adhesive. Normally I'd use some 3M stuff for this, but they were out, so I used a Locktite product that's basically the same thing:
Shop LOCTITE 13.5-fl oz Bonding Multipurpose Adhesive at Lowes.com
Stapler.
This was my "issue" with this project. Some people that do these claim you can do it with a hand stapler or an electric stapler. No way could I have done it with either. I tried an electric (a nice, $50 one) and it just wouldn't drive the staples into the Scramber's seat pan. I ended up biting the bullet and buying an air compressor and pneumatic stapler, and I'm glad I did. The job was SO easy with the right tools, and now I can inflate my own tires at home, and I have some other uses for the compressor as well (home improvement stuff).
I bought this compressor:
Shop Kobalt 2-Gallon Portable 125-PSI Electric Twin Stack Air Compressor at Lowes.com
It was on sale for about $70.
This stapler:
Shop Arrow Fastener 0.5625-in 16-Gauge Pneumatic Stapler at Lowes.com
Which was $29.
I used 1/4" (6mm) staples:
Shop Arrow Fastener 1,250-Count 0.25-in Heavy-Duty Staples at Lowes.com
The staples that come out of the seat from the factory are 1/4" (6mm) also, so I used the same.
Now, to get started.
The seat, off of the bike. Flip it over and start pulling staples.
Yay, pull more staples!
When you finally get all the staples out, take the old seat cover off.
Now, it's time to take the old foam off. Ducati glues it on at the factory, so if you think you want to save your old foam, go *slowly* and carefully. Mine was glued on around the lower parts of the sides and at the very back. Getting it loose from that glue without damaging it was tricky, and I tore it in a few places.
Finally, you'll be left with a bare seat pan. On mine, you can see the glue residue.
Fortunately, this is easily removed by judicious application of a heat gun and then rubbing it.
After the pan is cleaned to your satisfaction, it's time to glue the foam on. I sprayed some adhesive on to the front of the pan, down along the sides, and around the rear. Then I set the foam on the table, and carefully placed the pan on to it. Once I was happy, I pressed everything in to place and let it set up.
I wanted a "waterproof" seat, so next I wrapped the foam in the sheet of plastic that Seat Concepts provides. I pulled it fairly tight, but I didn't go nuts. The excess I just tucked under the bottom. Later on, after the cover is all stapled, I cut off the excess plastic with a razor blade.
Now it's time to start stapling. When you do this with an air stapler, you'll want to adjust your air pressure so that the staples are driven fully in but not so hard that they cut right through the vinyl. For me, this was about 60PSI, which was the low end for this staple gun. Unfortunately, this is also where I stopped taking as many pictures, because I had to make a trip back to Lowe's to return the electric stapler and buy the compressor and the pneumatic one. I started by pulling the front of the cover nice and tight over the front of the foam, and tacking it in place with three staples.
Then I went all the way to the rear, pulled it as tight as I could along the length of the seat, and tacked it down with two more staples. This is where you want to be VERY careful. I misaligned the rear end, so the middle of the cover is offset about 1/4" to 1/2" to the right. Not bad, but I know it's there.
Then, starting at the front, I worked slowly back along the seat, pulling the cover as tight as I could and tacking it every few inches, and then going back and driving staples all along the length. Pay particular attention to making sure that everything is even side - to - side, and that you're drawing the cover nice and tight across the top of the seat.
When you get to some of the corners, the vinyl will want to bunch up funny. Cut a small slit with a razor blade and lay the two bits flat and drive a staple through them. This will help the cover lay flat around bends and curves. You can see some of this in several places here:
I had to cut out small areas of the vinyl to get it to tuck nicely around some of the rubber blocks, which you can also see in the above image.
Eventually, you'll have all the staples in, and everything will be happy:
And finally, the completed seat, on the table and on the bike:
I don't remember seeing any really in-depth DIYs on installing this kit on a Scrambler in particular, so I thought I'd write one up.
First thing's first, the tools you'll need. I live right down the street from a Lowe's, so I sourced everything there:
Staple Puller.
Shop Arrow Fastener Staple Puller at Lowes.com
You'll be pulling lots of staples, and using the correct tool is a lot easier than fiddling with a screwdriver and scratching stuff.
Tack Hammer.
Shop VAUGHAN 5-oz Tack Hammer at Lowes.com
Occasionally you'll end up with a staple that didn't seat all the way, and this will help you drive it home flush.
Spray adhesive. Normally I'd use some 3M stuff for this, but they were out, so I used a Locktite product that's basically the same thing:
Shop LOCTITE 13.5-fl oz Bonding Multipurpose Adhesive at Lowes.com
Stapler.
This was my "issue" with this project. Some people that do these claim you can do it with a hand stapler or an electric stapler. No way could I have done it with either. I tried an electric (a nice, $50 one) and it just wouldn't drive the staples into the Scramber's seat pan. I ended up biting the bullet and buying an air compressor and pneumatic stapler, and I'm glad I did. The job was SO easy with the right tools, and now I can inflate my own tires at home, and I have some other uses for the compressor as well (home improvement stuff).
I bought this compressor:
Shop Kobalt 2-Gallon Portable 125-PSI Electric Twin Stack Air Compressor at Lowes.com
It was on sale for about $70.
This stapler:
Shop Arrow Fastener 0.5625-in 16-Gauge Pneumatic Stapler at Lowes.com
Which was $29.
I used 1/4" (6mm) staples:
Shop Arrow Fastener 1,250-Count 0.25-in Heavy-Duty Staples at Lowes.com
The staples that come out of the seat from the factory are 1/4" (6mm) also, so I used the same.
Now, to get started.
The seat, off of the bike. Flip it over and start pulling staples.
Yay, pull more staples!
When you finally get all the staples out, take the old seat cover off.
Now, it's time to take the old foam off. Ducati glues it on at the factory, so if you think you want to save your old foam, go *slowly* and carefully. Mine was glued on around the lower parts of the sides and at the very back. Getting it loose from that glue without damaging it was tricky, and I tore it in a few places.
Finally, you'll be left with a bare seat pan. On mine, you can see the glue residue.
Fortunately, this is easily removed by judicious application of a heat gun and then rubbing it.
After the pan is cleaned to your satisfaction, it's time to glue the foam on. I sprayed some adhesive on to the front of the pan, down along the sides, and around the rear. Then I set the foam on the table, and carefully placed the pan on to it. Once I was happy, I pressed everything in to place and let it set up.
I wanted a "waterproof" seat, so next I wrapped the foam in the sheet of plastic that Seat Concepts provides. I pulled it fairly tight, but I didn't go nuts. The excess I just tucked under the bottom. Later on, after the cover is all stapled, I cut off the excess plastic with a razor blade.
Now it's time to start stapling. When you do this with an air stapler, you'll want to adjust your air pressure so that the staples are driven fully in but not so hard that they cut right through the vinyl. For me, this was about 60PSI, which was the low end for this staple gun. Unfortunately, this is also where I stopped taking as many pictures, because I had to make a trip back to Lowe's to return the electric stapler and buy the compressor and the pneumatic one. I started by pulling the front of the cover nice and tight over the front of the foam, and tacking it in place with three staples.
Then I went all the way to the rear, pulled it as tight as I could along the length of the seat, and tacked it down with two more staples. This is where you want to be VERY careful. I misaligned the rear end, so the middle of the cover is offset about 1/4" to 1/2" to the right. Not bad, but I know it's there.
Then, starting at the front, I worked slowly back along the seat, pulling the cover as tight as I could and tacking it every few inches, and then going back and driving staples all along the length. Pay particular attention to making sure that everything is even side - to - side, and that you're drawing the cover nice and tight across the top of the seat.
When you get to some of the corners, the vinyl will want to bunch up funny. Cut a small slit with a razor blade and lay the two bits flat and drive a staple through them. This will help the cover lay flat around bends and curves. You can see some of this in several places here:
I had to cut out small areas of the vinyl to get it to tuck nicely around some of the rubber blocks, which you can also see in the above image.
Eventually, you'll have all the staples in, and everything will be happy:
And finally, the completed seat, on the table and on the bike: