Modern Vespa

The original Piaggio seat is splitting down the seam and I'm wondering if its more cost-effective to get a replacement or get it reupholstered?

Considering that the bike is red and black, I'm leaning toward a seat that's RED but I'm wondering... Do they make seats that are sourced from vegan materials?

Vegan? Do you plan to have it for lunch? All original Piaggio seat covers were and still are vinyl which means not animal skin. So, it should be quite delicious. Just don't get it in red as you will most likely regret it and wish that you'd gotten black instead.

Now, if you are a full on environmentalist that spurns petroleum based products (vinyl), then you could try newspaper, if you can still find a few to upholster it with. Just be sure that the trees were farmed.

Enjoy the two-stroke!😊

Scootermercato is close to you and has seat covers.


https://www.scootermercato.com/Scooter-Parts/Seat-Covers

https://www.scootermercato.com/Scooter-Parts/Complete-Seats

These guys custom make covers, you can use
Gaffer tape over that area then put a cover over it.

https://www.cheekyseats.net/

You could also go to a fabric store and choose what you want. Any seamstress could likely sew it. I sewed my own seat cover back in the 80's out of a Union Jack. Apologies to our redcoat friends.

I had a seat cover made by a local auto upholstery shop. It looks and fits 10x better than the repop covers.

In York......PA......(the cultural center of the universe) we have a local upholsterer that specializes in exotic pelts. I would recommend a Western Black Rhino skin seat cover, with a hand rubbed Pyrenean Ibex oil finish, for your scoot. Definitely a conversation starter. Just remember, you started this with a "vegan seat cover" request.

The clock starts at 5:43 eastern time on 22DEC2021. Bets on when the Modern Vespa Police expel me from this thread?

Hey, f*** you, if you can't take a joke.

Meh... Won't expel ya for a bad joke... but we might bounce ya for bitching about the site moderation.

Roger, understood.

If your seat frame is original, I'd strongly recommend re-upholstery as reproduction seat frames are inferior quality.

given your desire to not harm animals, I'd go with vinyl. I'm fairly certain you can find free range organically sourced non BPA vinyl.

personally, though, I'd go with 100% virgin naugahyde. so supple, so soft but wears like iron. it only takes about two nauga's to craft a seat cover and they're surprisingly good eating so it's not like anything thing would go to waste.

but really, just order a cover from mercado and be done with it. easy peasy.

Finding a "used" possum isn't too difficult. Possum pelt would be oh so soft.

WTF people… kid is just asking for a non leather option. (Granted none of them were leather.) But no need to roll bbs style…

35 year vegan here and I approve of the original vinyl seat covers.

Never once have I ever brought this up on MV. The world is coming to an end.

XvX

Is that like Gangnam Style?

https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0

IMO put that seat on the shelf for posterity and get this one. Does away with that useless lock and strap. Feels great too, without relying on those pesky springs:

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/sport-seat-wave_75923100?q=sport%20seat

I can see how sitting on "Butt Splice Wire Terminals" would be relevant but probably not very comfortable.
(I think you posted the wrong link.)

I sit right where the strap goes so when I had one re-upholstered I had them forget about the strap holes.

Almost exactly not at all!

if you have to ask about the BBS you cannot possibly fathom the BBS and nobody can sufficiently explain the BBS

thankfully, the BBS has no power over the present.

Sorry, this is the correct link:

https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/sport-seat-wave_75923100?q=sport%20seat

Thankfully! I remember back in the early 2000's, in the wild west of bbs's,

It's much more civilized now, or so I'd like to think.

Tanned 'possum skins on Etsy........$15

Thread of the week.

For what it's worth.
Vinyl is a type of synthetic - and not a particularly good one - steer clear.
That said - there are excellent synthetics now that not only rival leather in feel - but way outperform in UV/wet.
So if your seat sees moisture - and I am talking about rain here people - then synthetic is superior to leather generally speaking.

The good repop seats don't use vinyl - but rather another high tech synthetic from the auto industry.
The term "vinyl" is probably not the right one for them.
Your local reupholster shop should have some nice choices - and a few questions to them will probably unearth different qualities based on thickness of coating, "hand" (how it feels) and base substrate.

More than you asked - but since this thread had so much momentum - figured why not: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Did mine with farm raised organic nauga.

Just trying to fan the flames folks.....while California claims they are carcinogenic, you can still buy whole Naugas online today! Get 'em and skin 'em!!!!!!



https://www.naugahyde.com/dolls/

That is a sweet looking seat!

Hey Monaco, is the original seat comfortable to you? I don't like the original seats because the spring tower is in the middle of the seat, and that's where I like to sit.

Something to think about anyway...

My started cracking, it was hard to say if I had the original or if it was replaced sometime before on its 38 previous years. I ended up buying a high quality vinyl cover. It cost me $69 about 3 or 4 ago but time has shown that it was a great quality investment.

I got one of these from Scooterwest, and was happy with it. (photos).

It's easy to change; four screws, a bolt (the lock), and it's held on with clips.

https://www.scooterwest.com/seat-cover-vnx-vsx-w-metal-clips-and-rear-placard-1499145.html

^^ That is exactly the one that I got. I love the fitment and the quality of the material. I recommend you to buy the rubber floor mats. They are cheap but think and durable, it is a great investment in my opinion.

I've gone through a few of those from Scooterwest. They were very nice quality. Not bad for $70.

I'm following this thread because I'm wondering if my old P200 seat is worth salvaging... or if it's even possible. I thought I soak it in vinegar but I don't know how long that takes. Then I'll hit it with a wire brush but I don't know if it's worth the effort. Any thoughts?

That's a lot of rust!

You can try seeing how it looks with the rust gone.

Needs new foam. That's one part that doesn't come with the cover.

You can still get the whole seat, too.

https://www.scooterwest.com/p200e-p125x-seat-for-pre-84-vnx-vsx-seat-p200pre84.html

I'd knock the rust off with a wire wheel and see how it looks. if it's salvageable I'd shoot some primer and slap some POR15, SEM or Eastwood chassis paint on it.

the cover is easy, tracking down some decent foam is going to be the tough part. start with an upholstery shop or custom furniture builder, maybe you can snag a piece of scrap off them. otherwise amazon!

but by the time you do all that, with accounting for your time, you could come out even stevens on a brand new one from motorsport.

I agree with refurbish the old one. It's not bad. It also gives one something to do and feel good about afterwards. Slapping on a new reproduction gives just a ho-hum feeling.

Agree with trying to resurrect the old seat frame. It's only original once. BTW, nice 2 1/2 peso ring.

A pair of captive Naugas. Definitely the best choice. My dad's BarcaLounger lasted for decades!

I think one of my favorite things about restoration is getting a really nasty looking part looking and functioning like new again. Depending on what it is, I sometimes like to leave some evidence of the wear and tear it's been through. This is especially true when
reproduction parts are of inferior quality to originals. Seats seem to be an example of something that can be replaced with something of better quality.

Thanks Guys. I actually bought a replacement seat last year and I'm looking at restoring this rusty original as a Winter Project. When I'm done, I may put it back on Spermy or I might sell it. I don't know... I'm not there yet.