• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Modifications already...

trialsn

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Sep 25, 2015
Messages
193
Location
Toronto, Canada
Hey all,

Hope everyone is enjoying the Thursday so far. Wondering if I could pick peoples brains on some questions regarding simple modifications.

1. I was planning on switching out the stock saddle on my V7 Special for a café racer styled saddle. I know Moto Guzzi and Corbin make such products, but my initial thought is to obtain one with a hard rear seat fairing (not sure if that's the correct terminology)...similar to the stock V7 Racer (but without the number plats and such). I'm fairly confident that this would be a custom job. Has anyone done this in the past, or am I better off with just using Moto Guzzi's or Corbin's product?

2. Couldn't find any reviews on the Corbin Gunfighter seat for the V7. Just wondering if anyone has experience with this product and if they would recommend it. Similar question for the Moto Guzzi product.

3. For the folks residing in Ontario (Canada), I was planning on using the tail tidy kit along with some aftermarket turn signals and brake lights. From what I've seen on this site, nothing is DOT approved. Has anyone been hassled with this in the past or should I continue to hunt for something DOT approved?

Cheers all, and thanks for everyone's past/continuing advice!

Chris
 
Chris;
1. Called a seat cowl(ing). Not sure if I've seen any outside of Guzzi, so it would be custom. I might be of help if you want one. Best to use something on the market to minimize costs.
2. Corbin is hit or miss. I'm a fan. They are not soft or plush. They are very firm closed cell foam, but you can ride on them all day long once broken in. Stock seats are meh.
3. Can't help there.
 
I'm basically after something that looks along the lines of this...

cafe-racer-kits-4.jpg


More of a square'ish end to match the profile of the V7 tank. The seat would not have any integrated lights to ensure easy switch out with the stock seat. Is this something you have done in the past?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
3. For the folks residing in Ontario (Canada), I was planning on using the tail tidy kit along with some aftermarket turn signals and brake lights. From what I've seen on this site, nothing is DOT approved. Has anyone been hassled with this in the past or should I continue to hunt for something DOT approved?
Chris
DOT approval might be relevant in the USA, but HTA / CMVSS rules in Canada. The police won't hassle you if you follow those rules.

Plate
Obstruction prohibited
(3) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being accurately photographed using a photo-radar system. 1993, c. 31, s. 2 (5).
Same
(3.0.1) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being accurately photographed using a red light camera system. 1998, c. 38, s. 2 (1).
Same
(3.1) The number plates shall not be obstructed by any device or material that prevents the entire number plates including the numbers from being identified by an electronic toll system. 1996, c. 1, Sched. E, s. 2 (1).
Offence
(4) Every person who contravenes subsection (2), (3), (3.0.1) or (3.1) is guilty of an offence. 1993, c. 31, s. 2 (5); 1996, c. 1, Sched. E, s. 2 (2); 1998, c. 38, s. 2 (2).


Don't do this:
n1hhG0a.jpg


Lights
As for signals, HTA does not mandate signal lamps; the HTA permits hand signals. CMVSS 108 regulates the lights on a vehicle:

White (headlamp) and amber (running lamps and turn signals) facing forward. If you want extra forward-facing lighting, you can have up to 4 forward facing white lamps and as many amber lamps as you want.

Red (tail/brake) and amber or red (turn signal) facing rearward. There's no restriction on how many rear-facing lamps or auxiliary brake lamps you can have if they are the prescribed colours. White on the rear for the license plate only, and the direct light from the white bulb is not to be visible from the rear (only the light that reflects off the license plate).

Lights near the front but facing to the side should be amber (side marker lamps). Lights near the rear but facing to the side should be either red, or amber if they serve a turn-signal function.

If you stick to those colours you will not have trouble as long as they don't flash like emergency vehicles! For safety, ensure there is enough separation between the signal lights so that drivers are not confused as to your turning intentions.
 
You might want to look at Triumph seat parts, with some random luck, even the new one might fit below. I'll have one here tonight perhaps and slide it over the Racer seat and snap a pic.

42869d1320248575-thruxton-seat-cowl-cafe-img_1487e.jpg
 
rbm, thanks for the info...really appreciate it! I wonder if the white up lighting under the license plate is mandatory?

GT-Rx, I'd really appreciate that actually, thanks!
 
White license lighting is mandatory. No other colours are permitted (like blue LEDs). I use LED-equipped mounting bolts for my V7 license.
 
rbm, thanks for the info...really appreciate it! I wonder if the white up lighting under the license plate is mandatory?

Well....

5y7D1r.jpg


Mine "fell off." I did make provisions to light the plate, however. There is a black blank in the bottom of the tail light assembly. I replaced it with a clear one from a European tail light. The tail light now illuminates the license plate.
 
There's a shop in NY (New Rage Cycles) that I contacted that said they would fab one up. They have examples of their work on other bikes. Looks like they do quality work. Just a matter of whether you want to bring your bike there. http://www.newragecycles.com/
 
Those integrated lights are very clean, but I question how safe it is in the end. My friend has something similar to that rear light combo, and even I have a hard time figuring out when he is using the turn signal vs. the brake. There isn't a wide enough gap between the lights. Regardless, I sent them an email inquiring about the V7...let's see what they say!

Personally, I think I will be picking up the tail tidy kit from here, as well the micro turn signals. Now to find front turn signals and that cowl.
 
Awesome, thanks a lot! This will make sourcing parts much easier!

I actually never thought of going with the micro turn signals all around, but that's a great idea actually. Is anything else required for the wiring as I know sometimes LED flash rapidly due to the current or something (I'm not an electrical engineer by profession haha).

I swear, this site will bankrupt me for all the right reasons ;). Is shipping to Canada a hassle?
 
Is anything else required for the wiring as I know sometimes LED flash rapidly due to the current or something (I'm not an electrical engineer by profession haha). I swear, this site will bankrupt me for all the right reasons ;). Is shipping to Canada a hassle?
The Pin turns come with the diode integrated. Wire in and go.
I ship worldwide, no issues.
 
Do you have pictures? Is wiring difficult?
Straight forward - I just bolted the plate on and spliced into the original wires.
license.JPG

I'll have to see if my dangly bits fall off this winter, just like Pokeyjoe's.
 
Last edited:
Just score a line with a box life and bend it. It will break with a nice clean line.
Note that will expose the ugly wiring channel molded into the rear fender. I made a new license plate backer and lowered it just enough that the bottom of the plate is flush with the bottom of the fender. It looks a lot cleaner that way, IMO.
 
So I ended up getting some clubman handlebars (prefer the look over standard clip on bars). I'm assuming I will have to drill a hole to have the left and right controls? Is there any magic to this or do I have to find bars with the holes pre drilled?

Also...I discovered a connector just hanging behind my light. I checked everywhere and cannot find where it would connect to? Any thoughts?

Image
 
Back
Top