Rear “mudguard” as they say in England before sandblasting and painting.

 

Exactly, and on the Spridgets for which I make parts to hot rod them, they're called 'wings.' Wacky Brits...

Very interesting and helpful, thanks for taking the time.

I see that the hinge is at the rear, opposite the setup with my existing Rich Phillips solo saddle--presumably to give the passenger confidence, and bounce her forward on bumps rather than aft (and off). Plus, extra cushioning from the longitudinal springs under the cover... which has batting of some sort beneath the leather, so the princess doesn't feel the pea under the mattress?

I see that you can get a leather cover inexpensively from overseas, too. Hmmm...

 

You know, perhaps I could rig up a cage that bolted onto the existing rack's flanges and whose mechanism was similarly hidden by the seat cover's skirts, so I'd keep the functionality of both a rack and an easily added pillion seat that offered some reasonable comfort. Interesting engineering challenge...

 

This was the bike when I got it. I got the seat covers from India and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. Apparently, a lot of British parts are manufactured there. Kind of like Tedds in Taiwan.

 

You've done an amazing job.

Yes, India is a manufacturing powerhouse.

Don't know what I'll end up doing, but this has been helpful--thanks again for sharing.

 

Seriously though, since you mentioned British convertibles, how about a nicely upholstered custom pillion seat with flaps on the sides, with snaps that wrap around and attach to the bottom of the luggage rack's outside tubes?

 

Thanks. That was last winter’s project. I didn’t pay much for it and it kept me busy during the cold months. It was pretty rough (rattle can paint job) and it hadn’t run for a few decades but it was mostly complete . Not my favorite bike. It’s pretty primitive and rough to ride. Brits would be speaking German if we hadn’t entered the war. Indian 741’s and Harley WLA’S were far superior to their British counterparts IMHO.

 

Yes, that could work--though I'm leaning toward a suspended seat, whatever the design. I like my female passengers stirred, not shaken. Also, I like your mention of convertibles--i.e., an easily converted setup, that can be bolted on in a few moments and removed just as easily, to use the rack (the bike is my default ride down to the rural postal station to mail off Creative Spridgets orders, and I've got a tail trunk that fits the rack like a glove for my summer mountain fishing overnighters out HWY 550 into the Jemez).

I suspect, like Arthur Conan Doyle's protagonist would've put it, that "this sounds like a two-pipe problem, my dear Watson." I'm going to have to make up some sketches to help me visualize some options.

 

Yeah, that makes sense. I had a '38 flathead back in 1979 but didn't own it long enough to get a good feel for it (had a blowout on the freeway, and had to hop off). Now, having ridden close to 3,000 miles on the '51 FL, it's a really confidence-inspiring bike. Came up the interstate from ABQ the other day (I normally stick to the two-lane highway down by the river), and humming along at 70 mph (25-tooth tranny sprocket), it felt like she'd do that all day long. Things kind of smoothed out in that rpm range. These kids on their Twinkies don't know what they're missing.

 

That's a sweet bike for sure NM. I'll pitch in my viewpoint on why I started riding. First and foremost I loved motorcycles. I got my license in tenth grade and rode to high school and still ride over forty years later. That being said the second reason I started riding was I really dug girls. I always made sure my sleds were passenger friendly. I still have my 76 FLH with a 24 tooth front sprocket and a 43 tooth rear, so I dig the gearing you're talkin about. It also has a Mustang Regal Duke seat on it that is very passenger friendly.

I guess it all depends on what we value the most as to how we set up our sleds