How to Make a Cafe Racer Seat | Custom Seat Pan & Upholstery

Creating a custom cafe racer seat doesn't always mean buying an expensive aftermarket unit. Sometimes the best solution is to modify the original seat, build a new seat pan, or create something specifically for the frame you've modified.

In this episode I look at two different approaches to creating and fitting custom motorcycle seats.

The first is a Ducati Monster, where the frame has been chopped and the original seat needs to be cut and re-engineered to work with the new cafe racer frame.

The second is a Kawasaki KZ650, where the original tail piece is retained but modified, and a completely custom seat pan and seat are created to suit the modified frame.

We'll look at cutting the seat pan, reshaping the foam, creating a seat pan from scrap metal, mounting the seat to the frame and finally upholstering the finished seat.

If you're building a cafe racer, bobber, brat bike or other custom motorcycle, this is a good example of why the seat should really be considered alongside the frame and tail section rather than as an afterthought.