Solo Seat on '23 Special Edition

[bronzestar1]

Since I got tired of waiting for a Corsa (this was as of Apr), I decided to get a discounted '23 Special Edition.  Been doing a few things to it, with a few more left to do.  It's my way of making it a real "Special Edition", so bear with me.  Today I got the solo seat back from the upholstery shop, and it turned out as well as I had hoped.  The stock solo seat from AF1 is all black, no contrast stitching anyhere, and it's all vinyl.  I had the shop fabricate a new cover with a perforated Alcantara front seat section, contrast stitching, and the Moto Guzzi words embroidered with a red outline.  Since the Corsa, which is what I originally wanted, has a solo seat, I guess this is my way of "Corsafying" the Special Edition, to make it that much more Special!  I have a Biondi tinted windscreen on the way, along with a smaller rear brake light.  Those two items should change up the looks as well, again, making it even more "Special".

OEM seat, with contrast stitching, rolled Alcantara front seat section, Moto Guzzi embroidered in silver on the back:




Solo seat from AF1, no contrast at all, everything's black, including the Moto Guzzi embroidery at the back:




Solo seat from the shop, with contrast stitching, perforated Alcantara front seat panel, Moto Guzzi embroidered in silver and red at the back:

[blu guzz]

It's subtle, but a nice improvement.  One of several nice details.  A real one of one custom now.

[twowheeladdict]

I know everyone is different, but the first thing I do is remove the nanny state stickers off my bikes.

[bronzestar1]

I know everyone is different, but the first thing I do is remove the nanny state stickers off my bikes.

I was thinking of that as well.  The one that really bugs me is the one on the gas tank.  The one on the right side of the rear fender might actually have some useful info on it, I'll have to read it again and see.  I'll have to invest in a heat gun to take that one off the tank, I don't want to scratch it during the removal process.

[Vagrant]

Hair dryer on low and be careful. Use a heat gun and you will be looking for a painter.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Isopropyl alcohol will help dissolve the sticker adhesive as well.

That seat turned out great, thanks for sharing. I still haven't settled on a good seat solution for my V7, so on longer rides I run an Airhawk which detracts from the beauty of the Guzzi. Would like to get a good seat on it though. The Corbin options were a pass for me, so will likely end up with a solution like this - getting a comfortable base seat and then having it modified and upholstered.

[kingoffleece]

LISTEN to Vagrant.  Go SLOW or you'll need paint for sure.  Go slow.

[bronzestar1]

LISTEN to Vagrant.  Go SLOW or you'll need paint for sure.  Go slow.

Ah, hair dryer and not a heat gun, that's good advice (I was planning on getting a cordless heat gun).  I definitely don't want to scratch the tank taking that one decal off.  The one on the side of the fender about tire pressure should be easier, since it's on plastic.  If I can remove that one intact, I'll probably just put it next to the other decals under the seat. 

[Kev m]

Ah, hair dryer and not a heat gun, that's good advice (I was planning on getting a cordless heat gun).  I definitely don't want to scratch the tank taking that one decal off.  The one on the side of the fender about tire pressure should be easier, since it's on plastic.  If I can remove that one intact, I'll probably just put it next to the other decals under the seat.

I always have Jenn do it, as she's more patient than I.

She uses a hair dryer, her nails, a credit card, and sometimes Goof Off.

I did try to place a couple of them on sheets of paper in the service folder for each bike but they don't survive all that intact.

The priority is the bike to me, not the labels.

[blu guzz]

I had a local guy who generally reupholsters hot rods do my seat on the Eldo.  Fantastic job - $100.00 cash (Guzzi Content) 

[Moparnut72]

I have wondered who puts those stickers on the bikes. The EPA sticker and others on my Audace were plastered on the rear fender in plain sight. If they had been removed prior to sale it would have been a problem getting it registered here in California. DMV inspects those at the first registration. I couldn't believe where they had been placed and they weren't even straight, just stuck on every which way. I figured it must have been the importer or maybe the dealership. I can't see the factory doing it because they ship bikes all over the world and I am sure different countries have different requirements. Keeping everything separated would seem to to be a nightmare.
kk

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

From what I have seen, if a manufacturer is producing a motorcycle specific to that region or country, then the manufacturer often applies those decals. They might not have guides for them if it's a decal that isn't on all the different regional models like a swingarm sticker. Honda and Yamaha slap them crooked all over some of their bikes just the same.

Some special cases are companies that turn grey market bikes into legal bikes, often Chinese motorcycles that the manufacturer has not certified for use in other countries so a company rebrands them and handles all of that certification before selling them. Another special case is that small countries like New Zealand do have some motorcycles built specifically for their market, but often their importer (Blue Wing Honda) will bring in a Japanese, Thai, or "General Export" market model, leave the original stickers on it, and then add ones required in NZ.

[Moparnut72]

I think in my case the Audace uses the same fender as the MGX. The Audace has a small pillon seat where I think the MGX might have had a larger pillon seat which may have covered the haphazardly applied stickers. But that is only a guess.
kk

[quantalume]

Since I got tired of waiting for a Corsa (this was as of Apr), I decided to get a discounted '23 Special Edition.  Been doing a few things to it, with a few more left to do.  It's my way of making it a real "Special Edition", so bear with me. 

Meanwhile, I've been trying to make my Corsa look more like a Special Edition.    Are you interested in selling your old seat?

[9fingers]

Meanwhile, I've been trying to make my Corsa look more like a Special Edition.    Are you interested in selling your old seat?

I was thinking the same thing with my Corsa, but really more to stretch out a bit as I am 6'1". But for $240 you can get the 1" higher comfort seat and I may try that.

[twowheeladdict]

Before my V7 even left the showroom i was peeling off the tank sticker.  one of the owners saw me and said I couldn't do that.  I responded " No, you can't do that, but I can on my bike".

[bronzestar1]

Before my V7 even left the showroom i was peeling off the tank sticker.  one of the owners saw me and said I couldn't do that.  I responded " No, you can't do that, but I can on my bike".

Someone suggested using a hair dryer instead of a heat gun to remove the stickers, and it worked great on the low setting, did it this afternoon.  I removed the one on the top triple clamp and the gas tank, bike looks much better.  I ran the dryer on the stickers for about 45 seconds, and used a single edge razor to lift a corner.  Peeled them off as slowly as I could, to minimize any residual adhesive.  Didn't have any bug and tar remover handy, so I used a little bit of motor oil on a microfiber rag to remove any adhesive that was left over.   




color pic a pix online