OP
@gbaby avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@gbaby avatar
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
UTC quote
The late, great Mitch Hedberg had a bit where he was a "Race Car Passenger," and at one point he says to the driver, "Man, you really like Tide!"

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I share his wonderment, not so much at the professional racing teams who do such things in exchange for thick cash, but at the way we've all come to expect our gear to be covered with brand names and logos and symbols, and at how we've come to accept our roles as walking, talking, riding billboards for companies we may or may not even care much about. And, worst of all, to be forced to pay for the privilege.

Which isn't to say I might not love a brand or name or logo or whatever. I own a Vespa and a Moto Guzzi, two iconic marques, and I like their logos. I have this beat up and unusable old bag hanging in my garage because…I don't know, why not? And who knows, if Mrs. GBaby bought me this sweater for my birthday, a replica of the Guzzi racing team's getup from the 1920's, I might wear it under my jacket on a cool day.

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But that's a far cry from looking around for a tail bag and finding one that seems just about right only to find it's been plastered up with not one but two ugly signs right on top of each other, boneheadedly-placed advertisements that on a tail bag will function as bumper stickers. And this is for an outfit I already have my doubts about from past experience with a motorcycle cover they sold me that disintegrated in a matter of months of outdoor use.

There's not even a Moto Guzzi logo on the whole bike as big as the "Nelson-Rigg" you see on the handle there, directly below the additional "Nelson-Rigg" on the bag itself. I can hear them at the stoplight now:

"That's an interesting motorcycle, what kind is it?"

"Obviously it's a Nelson-Rigg, dear."


And I'll have to see it too, every time I walk up to the only new bike I've ever owned. That's why I picked up my seam ripper and my roll of black tape and changed it into something decent and respectable.

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I also own two helmets that went from this:

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To this:

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I like both helmets a lot and Shoei did a good job making them, I just don't want to ride around with their logo on my forehead like the Mark of the Beast. And they really do look nicer and more dignified now too.

My latest project, however, is my favorite. I wanted a light colored mesh jacket to wear around town on the scooter on hot days and I found what I was looking for in the REV'IT! Eclipse. I like REV'IT! well enough, I guess, but they always seem to cheap out on one part of whatever it is they're selling, which makes the whole thing seem overpriced. This time though I didn't want much, and wasn't expecting much, so I was happy enough with my purchase. Except for you you know what.

This is how it started out:

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The first thing I did was to cover up the abominable REV'IT! logo, the one with the inexplicable "apostro'phe" and the exclamation point that makes it look like what it really means to do is yell "REV'IT! FUCK YEAH!" on your behalf every time you put the thing on. And since it sits right where you'd expect to see "Moe's Plumbing" or a name tag, I had a name tag made with the name of my band, Candypants.

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Next I conquered the thick-plastic, riveted-on and self-important REV'IT! symbol on the shoulder, the one that looks like the offspring of a guitar pick and one of those yellow plastic things that fill the hole in a 45 rpm record. I pried it off and covered up the holes with a black rose patch I found on Etsy. I chose it not so much because it was a rose but because it was black and the right size, but now I actually like that it's a rose.

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I then finished it all off by covering the big annoying cult symbol on the back with an eyeball patch, again from Etsy. I heard a story somewhere from a combat veteran who had an eyeball painted on the back of his helmet and I never forgot it. I like the effect and who knows, maybe it will help keep me safe.

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The transformation of the jacket and how it now feels to put it on or to just see it sitting on a chair somewhere is hard to explain, but it's real. The jacket itself looks so much better and the way I feel wearing it, even if I'm just walking into a store to pick up a quick scooterload of groceries, is noticeably more humane. Try it and see.



*****************************************************************************
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@witch avatar
UTC

Moderatrice Strega
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7699
Location: Oregone
 
Moderatrice Strega
@witch avatar
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7699
Location: Oregone
UTC quote
Nice work!

I'm not a huge fan of showing off brand names most of the time, either. I'm very picky about the ones I allow. I recently ripped off a brand patch from the backrest of a chair, but it unfortunately left a lot of adhesive that I can't remove without actually damaging it. Found a great little embroidered patch on Etsy that says "SCOOTER TRASH," which I thought would make an amusing coverup. Just need to get around to actually stitching the thing on.
@shebalba avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
2009 GTS250, Ducati Monster M900, KTM 390 Adventure, Honda CR125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1780
Location: Oceanside, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@shebalba avatar
2009 GTS250, Ducati Monster M900, KTM 390 Adventure, Honda CR125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1780
Location: Oceanside, CA
UTC quote
Mitch Hedberg also once saw a wino on the side of the road eating some grapes.. and he was like, 'dude, you have to wait.'

I thought for sure this was going to be an exercise in de-badging your scooter and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was for everything else.

What if Candypants catches on? Will you then need to debrand again.. or will you rebrand?
@ironfoot avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
'07 GTS 250 - sold
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1336
Location: England
 
Molto Verboso
@ironfoot avatar
'07 GTS 250 - sold
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1336
Location: England
UTC quote
Nice post! And I agree, especially about the helmets. There's something a little bit over the line about placing a brand name right there on your forehead.

Did you have to remove a layer of clear lacquer to get at the SHOEI logo?
OP
@gbaby avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@gbaby avatar
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
UTC quote
Shebalba wrote:
What if Candypants catches on? Will you then need to debrand again.. or will you rebrand?
I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.
Ironfoot wrote:
Did you have to remove a layer of clear lacquer to get at the SHOEI logo?
I think I remember just scraping at it with the edge of a credit card and then cleaning it up with something simple like rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone or something. I'm pretty unsophisticated in that area so it couldn't have been too complicated, but it looks really nice now; you'd never know it had been there.

And don't tell Shoei that or they'll get their best people on figuring out how to make it ultrapermanent.
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
I've seen some lovely pics of scoots that have branding but there's no way I'd have my daily ride like that.
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OP
@gbaby avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@gbaby avatar
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
UTC quote
SteelBytes wrote:
I've seen some lovely pics of scoots that have branding but there's no way I'd have my daily ride like that.
What's cool about that is that it's well done and it's a choice. But if that were the one and only way you could buy that scooter, as is the case with the stuff I've been switching up, I would buy something else.
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
GBaby wrote:
What's cool about that is that it's well done and it's a choice. But if that were the one and only way you could buy that scooter, as is the case with the stuff I've been switching up, I would buy something else.
yup. like those ever popular Repsol Honda CBR1000SS are just so ... nope.
@caschnd1 avatar
UTC

Grumpy Biker
1980 Vespa P200e (sold), 2002 Vespa ET4 (sold), 1949 Harley-Davidson FL
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5575
Location: Sparks, Nevada, USA
 
Grumpy Biker
@caschnd1 avatar
1980 Vespa P200e (sold), 2002 Vespa ET4 (sold), 1949 Harley-Davidson FL
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5575
Location: Sparks, Nevada, USA
UTC quote
All the brand names spewed across products annoys the crap out of me. Harley-Davidson used to be one of the few makers of motorcycle jackets tailored specifically for riding (now days there are dozens of good brands). They were well made and practical. Now everything they sell is a giant bill board. So I guess I bought my last H-D jacket 20 years ago because I wouldn't wear anything make today. My H-D motorcycle has been 99% debadged. There is one remaining patent decal on a tin toolbox that dates back to 1936. I couldn't bring myself to scrub off the remnants of that decal.
Tin toolbox from a 1936 Harley-Davidson w/ remaining patent decal
Tin toolbox from a 1936 Harley-Davidson w/ remaining patent decal
@californiacruising avatar
UTC

Addicted
2015 Sprint 150, 2018 GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 894
Location: SoCal
 
Addicted
@californiacruising avatar
2015 Sprint 150, 2018 GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 894
Location: SoCal
UTC quote
I've de-badged, de-stickered almost every motorbike I've owned (many cars too), except where they drill holes for emblem or stickers that are clear coated over.
Got to get to them early though as paint likely faded everywhere except under emblems.
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
CaliforniaCruising wrote:
I've de-badged, de-stickered almost every motorbike I've owned (many cars too), except where they drill holes for emblem or stickers that are clear coated over.
Got to get to them early though as paint likely faded everywhere except under emblems.
one sticker I have meant to remove on my Supertech is a little one in the corner of the glovebox that says Vespa for Children (https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/sticker-piaggio-vespa-children_PI001078)
@znomit avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
LX190 Friday afternoon special, [s]Primavera[/s], S50, too many pushbikes
Joined: UTC
Posts: 10809
Location: Hermit Kingdom
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@znomit avatar
LX190 Friday afternoon special, [s]Primavera[/s], S50, too many pushbikes
Joined: UTC
Posts: 10809
Location: Hermit Kingdom
UTC quote
SteelBytes wrote:
one sticker I have meant to remove on my Supertech is a little one in the corner of the glovebox that says Vespa for Children (https://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/product/sticker-piaggio-vespa-children_PI001078)
I've got one of those. I thought the previous owner had run over one.
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
znomit wrote:
I've got one of those. I thought the previous owner had run over one.
maybe you're supposed to add one each time you run one over
UTC

Ossessionato
2018 Vespa GTS 300 ABS- Bianco
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2208
Location: E. KY
 
Ossessionato
2018 Vespa GTS 300 ABS- Bianco
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2208
Location: E. KY
UTC quote
I've got better uses for my time than de-branding stuff. One exception is an obnoxious shirt collar label. Laughing emoticon
I will admit to something of a fetish for removal of "China" stickers from some items but only if it's a quickie fingernail thing.
@fledermaus avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2007 LX150 2015 GTS (running like a charm!) 2017 BV 350
Joined: UTC
Posts: 12436
Location: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@fledermaus avatar
2007 LX150 2015 GTS (running like a charm!) 2017 BV 350
Joined: UTC
Posts: 12436
Location: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
UTC quote
Can appreciate the sentiment, but like kantuckid I don't have energy/time/whatever to debrand. The stuff is ubiquitous! There are a lot of purchases I'm proud of....like my Vespas, and see the brand as part of the style.

Not that I really care what brand of car I drive, but I can't be arsed to pry off the letters.

Still, have an aversion to buying branded clothing, from HD boots to Nike tees. They're not even the actual manufacturer in the first place...
@oldschooot avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
2018 LIBERTY 150S, 2013 Kymco LIKE200iLX
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2446
Location: Ohio
 
Ossessionato
@oldschooot avatar
2018 LIBERTY 150S, 2013 Kymco LIKE200iLX
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2446
Location: Ohio
UTC quote
I know meds alone are not the enough - but I can fax coupons to save on your next Rx of Clomipramine. (treats ocd)
O.S.
OP
@gbaby avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@gbaby avatar
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
UTC quote
OldSchooot wrote:
I know meds alone are not the enough - but I can fax coupons to save on your next Rx of Clomipramine. (treats ocd)
O.S.
Let me help you out with your joke. This would probably have been a funnier way to put it:

Clomipramine can do wonders for folks like you with the OCD and for some crazy reason I've got some coupons that could save you some money on your next RX, only they're for a branded version called "Anafranil", but you could go ahead and scrape the brand name off before you swallowed them.
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@caschnd1 avatar
UTC

Grumpy Biker
1980 Vespa P200e (sold), 2002 Vespa ET4 (sold), 1949 Harley-Davidson FL
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5575
Location: Sparks, Nevada, USA
 
Grumpy Biker
@caschnd1 avatar
1980 Vespa P200e (sold), 2002 Vespa ET4 (sold), 1949 Harley-Davidson FL
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5575
Location: Sparks, Nevada, USA
UTC quote
I partially debadged my car. Then put on a vanity plate that pretty much states the brand. Laughing emoticon I guess I'm a bit of a schizophrenic. ROFL emoticon
Before debadging...
Before debadging...
After debadging...
After debadging...
@kevin_harrell avatar
UTC

Addicted
1980 Honda Twinstar and 2004 Yamaha V Star
Joined: UTC
Posts: 576
Location: Sabatus,
 
Addicted
@kevin_harrell avatar
1980 Honda Twinstar and 2004 Yamaha V Star
Joined: UTC
Posts: 576
Location: Sabatus,
UTC quote
And then there are those who brand themselves.
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@guzzi_gal avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
Gigi, '13 GTS 300ie Touring
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2874
Location: Phoenix, AZ.
 
Ossessionato
@guzzi_gal avatar
Gigi, '13 GTS 300ie Touring
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2874
Location: Phoenix, AZ.
UTC quote
Kevin Harrell wrote:
And then there are those who brand themselves.
I had a boss that appeared to be the sole property of Harley-Davidson, as almost every visible inch of his legs, arms, and hands were covered with the name and logo.
@steelbytes avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@steelbytes avatar
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6826
Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia
UTC quote
One of my favourite pairs of boots there was a little american flag tab thingy. so I coloured it in with a black permeant marker (not aimed to offend)
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⬆️    About 4 months elapsed    ⬇️
OP
@gbaby avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@gbaby avatar
Modern Primavera (not pictured); Moto Guzzi V-85 TT
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1788
Location: Los Angeles, CA
UTC quote
Looks like the United States Postal Service is getting into debranding. Saw a Mercedes Benz Metris with the MB logo replaced by a USPS logo, probably to keep the American public from thinking they're riding around in "luxury" vans since that's how MB is perceived here.

Not my picture of the postal van but the one in the driveway is my van. I've thought about trying switch out the logo because it's a humble work van full of tools and hardware most of the time but I also use it for camping and people in places like Eastern Oregon don't hide their feelings about Californians in Mercedes Benzes, but that damn thing is built-in.
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