I've heard how stupid this looks on several occasions but, today I'm reading on the history of FL models then lo and behold! A picture of a stock 61 Duo Glide. I'm assuming they had a rear swingarm, coil-over-shock suspension and a pogo seat from at least when they were first introduced in 58 til 61. So when shocks originally came out they had both anyway.

 

I ride a spring seat with shocks and don't give a rats *** who does or doesn't like how it looks. My bass enjoys it every time I throw a leg over. 🤤

 

The Duo Glides also had a lot of travel on that 'buddy' seat, which was designed for two and had supplementary springs for riding 2-up. Suspension back then was not a lot to shout about and directional stability from the flexy frame was a nightmare!

It was actually used into the 1970s and I did test ride a new demo shovel Electra Glide with one fitted. The frame-mounted seat was an option at that time, 1975 IIRC. I don't think the modern spring seat compares with those old ones, any more than with modern frames and suspension either!

IMHO a sprung seat on a modern bike is a style, as our bikes, with decent suspension, can ride very well indeed. I'd invest in decent shocks first.....

 

I concur with the statement above: