Hi all, I noticed that this thread is still active, so I thought I would give a little update.
Mainly I just want to recommend the suspension sissy bar to anyone who wants to get a banana seat. It made a world of difference, it's almost like having a full suspension bike. I bought mine from
this site, but their service was kind of slow, you can find this same sissy bar on other sites if you look for it. The only problem is that it's 42 inches in length. It looked absolutely ridiculous on my bike, but luckily I have access to a welder and a band saw so I was able to shorten it.
The re-padding and covering of my seat went well, and it's nice and comfortable now. It feels more like a motorcycle seat than a bicycle.
I would have posted pics but it's raining and dark here, and I can't seem to get a good pic in the basement/shop area where I keep my bike. Not much room down there.
P.S. My thumb has healed nicely and now I have a cool scar.