Banana Seat Mod for extra comfort

I have the Schwinn Banana Seat on my motor cross machine and although it is OK for a very smooth dirt or asphalt or cement roads, the trails I usually are standing on the pegs the whole time.

For the few areas where it may be smooth enough to sit a short while, an occasional bump gets past me and the seat is just not up to preventing a delayed soreness that is not pleasant.

I am going to remove the seat cover and foam. I have thicker foam and will either get newer larger seat cover to allow stuffing with the thicker foam, or sew and extend the existing plastic clear cover with fabric.

The paint toward the aft section of the disassembled seat, I will sand off so I can weld and widen it a bit. I just want to really help the bumps to not cause as much psi on you know where!

I can tell the steel material will not be a problem with my MIG punching through as it seems thick enough. I will weld on a structure, but keep a narrower area as the seat was originally made toward the front by the seat post tube. That way getting on and off the seat will be easy enough.

When I am under way, I can momentarily stand up on the pegs and slide back a bit to the wider foam area so I can have the most comfort when and if I am not needing to stand on the foot pegs.

I have two of these banana seats and one is just slightly narrower at the widest point. I can still keep riding with the other while I work modding the extra.

I bought the second one thinking it had a bit more padding and was wider. It really did next to nothing to help.

I'll have pictures through out to show the progress. Maybe in the future a seat from scratch as I get the hand of how this works out.

MT

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=551200#post551200 The first picture shows a little of the bumps that need the seat to be modded

http://motorbicycling.com/album.php?albumid=147&pictureid=742 One of my pics in my albums show when I was first starting out. That is also a Schwinn Banana seat the red colored one. The other silver one is really much the same.

Here is the foam I got and when I sit on it does not compress much at all. I have not cut it yet. I have enough for 2 maybe 3 seats. The less amount of area of the foam that will be when it is on the seat I know will mean it will compress more, but I am going to widen the rear half of the seat some for sure.

I have seen the older Schwinn mfr made rear shocks on the rear bar supports. Only all I could find was someone selling it like it was an antique and asking gobs of money.

I realized it is not too tricky an idea to do like I saw in your pictures. That seat is a marvel.

I am going to look to see where the pieces I cut off the rear bars support for the banana seat as they were too long initially.

Then I can sand off the chrome and see how my MIG can weld to it.

Maybe welding is not necessary there, but making the seat from scratch could for me be first better modify by widening (weld metal) the back section of the banana seat.

In another thread about raising the PCV valve (oil breather) I am getting automotive size breather and also going to have it remotely placed up higher with an oil separator I make myself. Since it is in the area of the seat post and close to the twin jack shafts, I will first see that space for it is designated before starting welding on the seat.

This is my plan, but my work area is pretty much been eliminated til a cooler time of year. I would work outside and apartment life has designated a no anything zone. Well not quite, but better that I get a good paying job and move where I have space to work.

Getting the ideas in mind and some light work dissembling the seat and getting a starting point I can do this weekend though.

MT

Forgot, the seat from when it was on the bike before start of build had a bit seat post up a few inches. Now it is as low down as can be so I can straddle the engine and covers and touch the ground. No shock on the front can be easy to do, but just maybe a pivot so it can use a rear shock on the seat.

The exhaust and muffler is under the seat and do no present burn problem as it is now to the seat, tire, or me. I'll have to take that into account if I add rear seat shocks.

Foam I ordered

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EV4AOCA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Other thread fixing PCV valve issue

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?p=557660#post557660