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'Fitted' Vintage British Style Sprung Seat

27K views 82 replies 21 participants last post by  Wooden rat 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi Chaps,

I've long wanted to fit a sprung seat to my Bobber as I love this classic look. I have been mulling over the concept all winter and gone back and forth on various ideas of how I can accomplish this in a way that would give me the 'look' I want. I've taken a different and unique direction with this project and wanted to share it with you all. Now I know it's not going to be to everyones taste, especially all you 'floating seat' fan boys but that's not the point. So what follows is a modest write up on how I have accomplished this. I have not 'lived' with this as yet so maybe an update after a little more riding time but I just finished fitting it and didn't want to wait to share it.

First off the seat. This was an inexpensive purchase off of ebay and is a reproduction of the classic 'Lycette' style of seat found on vintage British bikes. It's well made and I thought the style would be an interesting option for that classic British look. This is the large version of the seat. There is a smaller version (think BSA Bantam) that if one were thinking of a vintage bobber look, I think would work really well but for my project I chose the larger seat.

The front pivot bracket was made to my design by a local custom bike guy, then powder coated along with the springs. It's the first iteration of this, so may make changes down the road.

The rear spring mounts along with the springs were ebay purchases.

Due to the size of the seat I had to mount the springs on the rear sub-frame/swinging arm. Not my first choice or perhaps ideal but I was limited to location due to the size of the seat. However this has worked out rather well and looks pretty clean. I did have to remove the chain guard but didn't like it in the first place so no big loss. To date I have had no issues with the seat impacting the rear fending. Long term I may have mountings welded to the swing arm to help line up the springs more correctly and give an overall cleaner look but for now this will help me try the concept out.

I'm loving the overall 'unique' and vintage look of this set up. I love looking to the past for inspiration and this mod fits in well with my overall vision. From a comfort perspective; a spring constructed seat (as apposed to foam/gel), an under sprung seat and my new Wilbers shock which should be here soon, I'm hoping the ride will be pretty comfortable but will of course update you all a little further down the road.

So just to clarify; this project has just been finished and I wanted to share it straight away. I will have to get a few rides in to see how it really works and will update in a few days with more details. At the moment it's a proof of concept, so I'm expecting some 'tweaking' here and there.

The test ride went well and it seems to work really well. I gave it a ride over some deep bumps and the seat soaked up those really well. Can't wait now for the Wilbers, I think the combination will be superb.

Cheerio,

Roy
 

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#63 ·
Hi Gents,

Well I just had enough time this evening to head out for an hour and do a decent test ride. I'm pleased to say the sprung seat worked magnificently, even better than I could have hoped.

I deliberatly hit some of the worst bumps I know. There are two bumps going over a bridge on a corner that I take around 50mph. These are a good test as it's at speed but on a corner too. I hardly knew they were there, the new set up soaked them up almost 100%.

There is also a really bad dip I know well. You really shouldn't git this more than 30 at most but I wanted to test the set up so hit it at 50mph. There was a slight cushioned 'boink' but that was it.

Totally superb in all respects and I'm no convinced (even though it wasn't my intention) that I have the most comfortable Bobber there is.

I love it when a plan comes together.

She's looking darn smart too with that vintage look.:grin2:

Cheerio,

Roy
 

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#68 ·
Hi Chaps,

No big update but I did manage to get our of town yesterday on a short ride and for the first time got up to some high speed ( 90 plus) so wanted to give some feedback on the new seat/springs/suspension set up.

Overall I found it really very stable indeed. No issues whatsoever. Hit a few decent sized bumps and the seat/springs really just nullified them to a point they were hardly noticeable. In general the bike felt really stable and solid - noticeably. Coupled with the Wilbers shock the bike just feels bigger, more stable and rock solid.

I've had a few requests to show the actual attachments of the springs/seat/swing-arm etc. and plan to get some details & photos in the coming week sorted, so watch this space.

Cheerio,

Roy
 
#69 ·
Hi Guys,

Somewhat of an afterthought but I thought I would get my wife to take some pics of me sitting on the new seat setup so you could see the riding position.

I recon the seat springs depress around half an inch with my weight on them, not much at all. But that little bit of give when riding makes a huge difference.

I must confess the combination of this seat setup, my news custom wider bars and the footboards, is just about as perfect (for me) as it gets.

Cheerio,

Roy
 

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#72 ·
Hi Roy,
I have to adjust my statement about the functionality of your solution.
The location of the seat spring on the fork is close to the pivot point, so there will be minimal negative impact due to a total suspension of 70mm.
Good ride.
 
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#74 ·
Hi @NorEaster,

I went through a number of different springs setups and some came along with seats that I did not use.

The springs I have fitted now came from an Indian seller, took forever to get here but were the form and size I wanted.

So in a roundabout way what I'm trying to say is I can't recall the exact ebay seller of the springs I have fitted not but I'm happy to send you the spare sets I have if your looking to try projects out. Just pm me and I will dig what I have out.

Cheerio,

Roy
 
#75 ·
Greetings All,

Although I can see the logic in finishing a project and being satisfied that’s all done, my mind just doesn’t work that way, so I’m always constantly looking to ‘tweak’ details for the purpose of ‘perpetual improvement, so I beg your forgiveness if posts like this irritate anyone. What can I say, I just can’t help myself.

So I’ve been running my vintage style sprung seat for around a year now, so it’s time to start some minor improvement. First off, the leather washers I used to cushion both ends of the spring need replacing, it seems they last about a year or so. I have a local Cobbler make me up some thick leather washers and of course dye them black. While doing this I took the decision to improve on the nut/bolt setup. This time I went for a domed bolt with a large countersunk washer. This gives a cleaner look while the large washer is a better fit for the leather washers, preventing the earlier washer/bolt combo from ‘bitting’ into the leather so much. I also replaced the top nut with a domed one, just because it looked a little smarter.

I have a couple of minor projects in this area to do over the coming weeks, so if interested, keep your eyes peeled.

Cheerio,

Roy

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#79 ·
Me too!

When I first did this project, I bought some heavy duty rubber washers thinking that would work. They were destroyed with a couple of weeks, so I just asked myself what did those chaps do back in the day. That's when I realized they must have just used leather. Could I find any leather washers? No, so went to my local cobbler with a pattern and he was kind enough to make me up some.

Any of course they work really well. Placed either side of the springs, they allow my to tighten down he bolts but protect a non metal to metal contact, as the springs are always going to flex a little.

Cheerio,

Roy

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