How to Restore a Leather Motorcycle Seat

October 20, 2022

Leather motorcycle seats look and feel great. They give the motorcycle a quality look and feel and are original equipment on Harley Davidson, Indian, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Yamaha, and other brands. As well, custom leather motorcycle seats are a popular aftermarket accessory. But eventually wear, tear, and weather can take their toll and make seats look worn and faded. Here are some tips on how to keep leather looking great, and how to restore a leather motorcycle seat rather replacing it or recovering the seat with new leather.

How to Protect Leather Motorcycle Seats

You might avoid having to restore a leather motorcycle seat by protecting it from being damaged to begin with.

Motorcycle Seat Covers

Protecting leather seats from getting wet and shielding them from the sun and environmental fallout will go a long way toward keeping them in good condition. Motorcycle seat covers can be purchased to protect them from rain, snow, condensation, etc. when riding or when the bike is parked outdoors. The covers will also keep them from being damaged by the sun and environmental fallout, which can cause leather to fade, crack, peel, and stain. If the motorcycle is parked outdoors and the weather is sunny a good old terry cloth towel placed on the seat is an economical way to protect it. A full motorcycle cover can also be used when the bike is parked. Abrasion damage from riding is also reduced with motorcycle seat covers.

Leather Dressings and Conditioners

Leather dressings and conditioners can be used to keep leather motorcycle seats moisturized and supple, so they don’t crack or peel. Conditioners are available with UV protectants to keep the leather from being damaged by ultraviolet light.

Park the Motorcycle Indoors

Of course, keeping your bike parked indoors and out of the weather is one of the best ways to keep leather protected.

How to Repair Damaged Leather Motorcycle Seats

If your leather motorcycle seat is already damaged, you can take steps to restore the appearance of the original leather, rather than replacing the seat or recovering it with new leather. Restoring the appearance of the leather is typically a far more economical, and less labor-intensive alternative to seat replacement or recovering.

Repairing Permanent Stains, Fading and Discoloration

Often, the best way to restore a leather motorcycle seat that has become faded, discolored, or permanently stained is to refinish the motorcycle seat. This can be done with paint specially formulated for use on leather.

A paint designed for this purpose is ColorBond LVP which can be used on leather, vinyl and plastic. User-friendly ColorBond LVP is trusted by professionals and do-it-yourself users to restore, renew, and restyle leather. ColorBond LVP bonds strongly without cracking or peeling. The leather paint provides excellent coverage and allows the leather surface texture to show through. The color and finish quality are beautiful, and the paint has the durability needed to handle the wear motorcycle seats experience. ColorBond LVP is available in over 205 colors, including OEM certified colors for Harley Davidson, which can be viewed here.

Dave M. used ColorBond LVP to paint the seat on his 2013 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim FLS. “I could not be more pleased with the results!” Says Dave.

Repairing Rips or Tears

Depending on the extent of the damage, rips or tears in the leather seat can be repaired with leather repair glue or leather patch kits. While most kits have a color matching system to blend with the color of the original leather, color variations can be apparent. In these situations, ColorBond LVP can be used to refinish the entire seat a uniform color.

Paul A. painted his Danny Gray Airhawk seat with ColorBond LVP It dried fast and came out great!” Said Paul. “After it dried, I wiped the seat down with a white cloth to see if there would be any residue. There was none.

Leather motorcycle seats look and feel great. They give the motorcycle a quality look. With ColorBond you can easily and economically restore their appearance.