Back seat gone?

[Buffalo Bill]

Ok, so at my age, I don't think I'd let a lady friend ride on the back seat, just a fall over while getting off the bike might result in a broken knee, hip or back. Plus, I would never allow a rider without good safety gear.
So should I go ahead and mod my bike into a single seater for better handling?

[Nessism]

How can removing a seat result in better handling?

[jsandidge]

How can removing a seat result in better handling?

When it's attached to a passenger.

[dorkburger]

The Kat / track bike I assume?

[Rob S.]

I don't ride passengers but keep the back seat. It's where I bungee my knapsack when I do an overnighter. It then doubles as a backrest.

[Buffalo Bill]

Ed, measure it's weight so you'll know.

[Who Dat?]

I am with Nessism on this one. If the back seat hurts handling because it's attached to a passenger, the simple answer is "do not attach a passenger".

If you are removing the seat to save weight, you will have to balance how much of the seat you removed against how much your extra tail fairing will weigh. That is, unless you are using a Sawzall and just cutting off the back of the frame, too, as you won't be needing that, either.

[Rob S.]

The Kat / track bike I assume?

Remind us of the bike model; maybe a pic.

[Nessism]

Ed, measure it's weight so you'll know.

You are the one with the seat, not me. How about you measuring the weight and then posting up the info here? Also detail how you would go about "back seat gone".

[Buffalo Bill]

Well, I'm looking for opinions about modifying classic bikes in general, the old moral frustration.
I never found a proper seat for my GS1100G, plus I've slowly been working on improving it's handling over the years.
There is a lot of steel, plastic and seat foam behind the riders butt that can go away. Specifically I'm considering cutting the 9" passenger seat out, and moving the tail section forward, plus a lightweight seat pan.

[robertbarr]

Hmm. One of the nicest things about those bikes is the nice long, wide seat that allows the rider to scrunch around and change positions from time to time; even my cushy-looking Wing is lacking in that area. Of course, you're looking for a better handling machine, which is a different goal altogether.

I certainly wouldn't want to lose that advantage, but it's not my bike and it's not my behind...

[Nessism]

That's a good looking bike Bill. It seems to fit you well also. No disrespect but I think you are crazy to think chopping up the backside of that thing will improve anything. I can't stand the way the so called cafe guys chop off the rear end of the bike. Looks like a stink bug with a miserably uncomfortable seat.

[rudeman]

Improve the handling by cutting weight? You'll never even detect the benefit of paring the seat weight. In addition, you'll need to find a way to keep the dirt/water/mud off your back as it slings off the rear tire. Not to mention the overall unbalanced appearance of an abbreviated seat.

I would focus on something with more tangible benefits like raising the rear of the bike a little to quicken the steering. Maybe a fork brace to tighten up the front end a bit; made a noticeable difference on both of my GS1000's. Fresh/good tires would help too.

[Tim Tom]

Don't waste the time cutting the seat / rear end off. It's a lovely bike you've got there. The weight savings is minimal, compared to the work involved.

What most certainly WILL improve the handling is getting some rear shocks on there that aren't completely sacked out. Perhaps some that are slightly longer than stock to quicken up the geometry. I had 14" Ikons on my 850G and they transformed the way the bike steered. Some fork springs and heavier fork oil also help out a lot. And then to match your new found nimble-ness, throw on stainless steel brake lines. All of a sudden your GS will brake and handle much better than it used to.

[storm 64]

Not to mention the crime of cutting up a perfectly good seat and tail section...