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So... I was at the Co-op today buying apples to stuff into the pockets of my leather jacket, and this really lovely young woman working the cash register was very interested in my Pan-Shovel. As in, it seemed like she was dying to ask if she could go for a ride. Only problem is, as you can see in the first pic, the Paint Shaker isn't set up with a second seat, and I've never been crazy about pillion pads--both aesthetically and because they aren't good for more than a few blocks. (One of the first things I did was yank mine off and stop up the holes with little chrome plugs.)
I thought I'd remembered that Brough Superiors had a second solo saddle... and sure enough I found the second image.
Now, the rack I've fitted to the fender--which used to have a pillion pad--says its weight limit is very small. But the rack's flanges are .1730" steel, so I'm guessing it's primarily the through-bolts they're worried about bowing with significant weight...?
Therefore, I'm thinking perhaps I could design something that ditches the rack's longitudinal rods and either integrates or replaces those flanges, and which would accommodate a second Rich Phillips solo saddle. It's a fairly beefy steel rear fender, and the stays are solid steel (I know because I sawed them off to produce the look you see here).
Has anyone tried this sort of thing? If so, any tips or suggestions?
Also: I am running a 25-tooth tranny sprocket to facilitate running into ABQ. I only weigh ~175 these days, so I'm wondering if I'll have any issues with a passenger, preferably a petite one...
Similar to the passenger seat on my 44 BSA. Dont know how comfortable it is as Ive never had a passenger. Bike can barely get out its own way. Top speed so far about 50 mph.
Are you going to mount that seat every time you go shopping? LOL
Exactly. There's an old song by Gil Scott Heron called "Legend in His Own Mind" that's probably entirely appropriate: "....he'd had romances than a phone book got pages/had more women than an airplane got gauges..."
I need to come down from my cloud, and maybe go visit el campo Santo to beg forgiveness. But, man, what a smile...
You know, I do. The PO had an aftermarket mount--which I kept after removing it--comprised of a flat steel plate that attaches to the rear tranny bolts, welded to which are steel rods that angle up and out to folding steel foot pegs. The whole thing's either chromed or stainless, if memory serves.
I don't know if the R/H rod will clear the side-by-side shotguns I've got on there now, but that'd be an easy cut-and-weld fix. And I've long been musing about modifying the exhaust to fit true (symmetrical) fishtails similar to the Brough Superior shown above, which would create more clearance between the pipes...
Similar to the passenger seat on my 44 BSA. Dont know how comfortable it is as Ive never had a passenger. Bike can barely get out its own way. Top speed so far about 50 mph.
Hey, that's cool--and the pad would not overwhelm the width of the rear fender as much as a second solo saddle. Though, if the gal wanted to ride up to my ranchito on the back of the Paint Shaker, she'd likely appreciate having her entire derričre cradled in leather-wrapped viscoelastic foam...
Any chance you could provide some close-ups of the mounting and seat suspension mechanism?
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2nd solo saddle
