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I have tried many seats on the Vespa and I think that the seat is one of my few complaints. On the GTV, the seat looks so comfortable but it places the rider in a upfront position close to the bars and is angled forward (even though it does not appear to be) so that during braking or bumps you tend to slide even more forward. Piaggio has come out with a new seat designed for one rider only that apparently is far more comfortable and designed to be more aerodynamic for high speed riders.
I found the best price is at SIP Scooter where they sell it for $ 212.00 and only $ 30.00 delivery via FedEx.
Now, what will it cost for Pirate Upholsteries to match my leather? Perhaps I should consider going black on the Espresso?
Comments?
Link: Link to Sport Seat
MG Driving/Riding Adventures 
Peter,
Seeing your post on the new Piaggio Sport Seat for the Vespa, I ordered it immediately.
I ride a 2007 Vespa GTV 250, which I’ve had 6 years and have put 12,000 miles on. Almost as soon as I got it, I replaced the seat. The original “tractor” seat looks fabulous in the showroom, but it is very uncomfortable for long rides. So I replaced it with a regular GTS seat I got on ebay. That was much more comfortable, but I wanted to see if the new Sport Seat would be even more so. I decided to purchase the Sport Seat because of its gel support.
I have just received the seat. My previous GTS seat, (which might have been a non-Vespa seat), was secured to the mounting bracket by cheap rivets. I’m pleased to say the new Vespa Sport Seat has a bracket secured by large solid bolts. The rivets of the GTS seat might eventually have pulled out. These bolts will not.
The total expense for the seat was around $270. shipping directly from Germany. It came by FedEx. The charge to the Boston area was around $75, considerably more than your figure of $30. (Canadian). That is expensive, but I appreciated the delivery in less than a week, and I expect there is less chance for damage by air freight.
The seat installs in less than 5 minutes, only two bolts being involved in attaching it to the Vespa body.
I have just gotten back from my first short test ride on the Sport Seat. The seats themselves have a similar profile. The major difference, I believe, is the gel support in the Sport Seat, versus what I believe is foam in my GTS seat. Despite the gel support in the Sport Seat, the seat is quite firm. Nonetheless, the ride may have been a slight improvement over the GTS seat. To be honest, I can’t be certain. What is important is how it holds up for long rides. My guess is that it will do quite nicely for touring. I’ve got several major tours lined up for next summer, each about 1000 miles, so I shall be putting the Sport Seat to the test. I’ll report back after those trips next year.
David Reese
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Please, Tell me how comfortable it is. I did the modification to the GTV seat that raises the front. It stops the sliding forward dramatically but as compared to the GTS seat, I still think the GTS is more comfortable.
If I used the GTS, I would sent it and the back rest from the top box to Pirate Up-Holsterys to get re-upholstered and they could add saddle gel; to the GTS seat that I own. This approach would save me the money to purchase yet another seat.
I could not look at my bike with the black seat (to ugly) and I am a bit vain, I guess. Since you now have the two seats, is the new sport seat that much better because of the 1.5 inch backward seating position? Do you think it is worth the extra?
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Peter,
All good questions. Not sure my answers are as good.
First, I considered getting a custom rebuilt seat for the GTV several years ago. But I had trouble getting the appropriate GTS seat (shell) from the local Vespa dealer, which is what was needed for the rebuild, so I never followed through. I ended up with my present GTS seat as my preference, but I didn’t like the cheap rivets that attached the seat to the mounting bracket so i wasn’t going to put a lot of money into customizing that seat.
I believe the Sport Seat is more comfortable than my GTS seat, but I’m not sure by how much. I don’t know whether it is because of the more backward seating position; I’m a small build and I don’t think that extra backward position does much for me. However, for touring, it allows me to vary my seating position, and I think that is one of the keys for comfort when touring (see below).
But something else has occurred to me that might be relevant. It has to do with the gel support. Is the gel temperature dependent? That is, is it softer at higher temperatures? I am riding now in fairly cold temperatures, in the high 30s to 40s (as long as there is no snow or ice on surfaces, I ride all winter). If that gel is temperature dependent, the seat might be more comfortable in warmer weather.
That said, I wasn’t all that unhappy with the GTS seat I had. I could ride all day and was fairly comfortable. It’s not just the seat I think that is important for touring. It’s having plenty of room to vary your position (that is key), especially your leg position, which is one of the advantages of a scooter over a motorcycle (a MAJOR advantage over motorcycles). I also discovered (after a couple years of riding) that on long trips I can use the passenger footpegs to really sprawl out, a nice variation on seating position that enhanced and extended the duration of my riding pleasure on tours significantly.
As I said, next summer I’ll really be putting in the miles on the scooter, so I’ll get a much better idea then of whether the Sport Seat is really superior to the standard GTS seat. With my present extremely limited experience with the Sport Seat, I’m not at all certain it is worth purchasing the Sport Seat over the standard GTS seat. I’d probably recommend against it, at least until I’ve tested it out with touring next summer.
As for the original GTV seat, I just found that intolerably uncomfortable for long rides. I don’t think that is just because of the tractor seat wanting to push you forward. And I never modified that seat position as you have done, so I have no experience with what that does for the ride. But I found the original GTV seat too confining and the seat itself is just not comfortable. Most beautiful seat of any scooter I’ve ever seen, but not very practical for touring or long rides.
An additional personal note to you: I love your blog. It’s attractive, thoughtful, well laid out, easy to read, and the photos are professional grade. Yours is one of the very best Vespa blogs. And I know I speak for countless readers.
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Hi,
Thank you very much for the compliments on my Blog. I have decided to send the GTS seat to Pirates and have it upholstered with the seat back on the top box. They will add saddle gel pad in between the foam which will help comfort the ride and it is suppose to be really nice on the back for long rides. They will cover it with a vinyl that is like leather. Finally, I will have the Vespa Fighting Wasp on the back rest and something (I have not decided yet but please make a suggestion) on the passenger seat. You can go to http://www.pirateupholstery.com/photos/scooterseats/#GT to get an idea of what it will be like. I think when it is said and done, I will break even after selling the GTV Seat. I thought of keeping it in case I sell the GTV, but that scenerio is very unlikely to happen.
I thank you for your input and I do not expect to get my new seat until after Christmas because my ride will be stoired for winter. However, I will post a picture when I get it.
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I’d love to hear your comments after you get your “pirated” seat. It will probably be the finest seat made for the Vespa.
I thought of selling my original GTV seat as well, but I put it in storage in case I ever sell the Vespa. Like you, that is very unlikely. Perhaps someday I might be get a second scooter or a mid-size motorcycle. But the Vespa will always remain the mainstay of my local transportation. It’s fun, practical, economical, and a work of art.
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If you decide to sell your GTV brown leather seat let me know. I love mine. No issues. I’m 220 lbs. of fat and blob. I drove mine 1500 miles from NH to Fl. during the winter. Like being on a comfortable saddle. Now I need to get some body and paint work done. Some clutz backed his truck into it knocking it over while it was parked. $2300 worth of damage. Until it’s fixed, I’ll never feel the same about it.
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I may sell the seat and back rest once I get the new seat this spring.
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I can relate to this blog with absolute certainity. My GTS300 is a realy nice ride.But the seat is just about the worst I’ve had to endure. Only my old V-Max doled out more torture. I was pondering a Corbin. The new version appears to be a good choice. But?????? This may be better. Thank you.
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I do not know if it’s just me orr if everyone else encounterring
problems with yoour website. It looks like some of the written text within your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to
them as well? This might be a probloem with
my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
Many thanks
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11/04/14
Please give an update on the GEL SEAT
Thanks
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The seat was ok. It is difficult to compare but I believe it helped. The biggest problem for me was the lack of cockpit room and the seating position, period. I am looking forward to getting the 2015 Triumph Tiger 800 XXR. I think it may be the perfect bike for me.
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