Nothing.
I had empty pockets.
I was extra cautious since he had a ripped seat to begin with. Conscientious
Just spent $80 to get it fixed.

I sprayed the metal bar with 3M rubber coating. Just in case it is electrical.

 

Rare but I have seen chrome get damned hot left out in the sun all day, will melt plastic or vinyl. That battery is whats screaming at me.

Whatever it is it isn't chemical related, that's heat burning.

 

It was a cool 72°F in Florida. The seats never got hot. The battery is screaming at me too. But from what? Tested good. I would think if it we're the battery a fuse would be blown.

I tested the positive posts with all connections on it to the open negative wire removed from the negative post oh, there is zero voltage potential difference. So that's good news there's no short.

When we looked at the foam on the table it's actually relatively flat and just discolored. The recover was damaged in a different area then the dark spot in the picture. It was more to the left and thinner. There's just no current path for any electricity to get to where that foam is. So even if the first one was to have been battery or related and somebody just tried to fix it, what caused the second one!

I again haven't recovered, but I am now worried to put the thing back on there

 

The burn was probably from the sun reflecting off the mirror. It moves across the seat as the sun moves across the sky. We used to see that a lot. If the battery did that, the entire seat would have been up in flames as well as the battery. Also, the burn would have been all the way through the seat from the battery - not just on top.

 

That makes good sense. I feel if this was a problem it would be super common and there would be a sticky thread. But, hell, it may be the reupholstered material was inferior. !

 

The material is irrelevant when it happens off of the mirror it’s like doing the magnifying glass in the sun. That will burn any material and it’s not uncommon that that occurs. It’s a combination of the position of the bike the bars the mirror angle and the sun - and when it all lines up you get a burned seat.

 

Good point with the mirror, friend almost had a house fire over that. Wife's make up mirror was at just the right angle next to a vinyl framed window it actually started the frame melting and smoldering at their weekend house. They got lucky the whole place didn't go up over it.

Problem with the bike is the burns on the back of the seat the mirror wouldn't hit.