Cafe Seat - Hoop or Straight Bar?

[salty_monk]

I think if you tie them together you would feel some difference.

Surely any twist from the swingarm goes up the shock and if tied it may then bring the other shock into play in compression too stiffening the whole assembly.

I should think it also helps with any flex both up and down and side to side from the riders weight movement.

Essentially the closer you can bring them to a mono-shock the better I would think.

Agreed that a straight tie across would be stronger than any hoop.

[timebombprod]

brown seat/grips with a black tank looks nice but its more of a lowkey style like you dont wanna pop out much, but at the same time ive seen so many blacked out motorcycles here where im at it seems everyone does that. i would definitely add the brown to give the bike more colour

[posplayr]

This well known frame bracing picture from OSS shows no standard bracing in the area behind the shock mounts. In other words adding metal back here does nothing for stiffness. The virtually the only purpose for the cross piece at the extreme end is to support the tailpiece with light. Most of the wheel loads acting through its axle go to twisting the swingarm and not the shocks. As mentioned previously the shocks are in fact (unless a hardtail) compliant.

The only reason for tail bracing for the OP is to support the seat. A cantilevered seat (as in the case of a straight cross bar) would flex depending upon the construction of the seat pan. A hoop provides the most support for a seat assuming it is stiff enough in center not to collapse from the riders weight.

OSS_Framebracing.jpg

http://oldskoolsuzuki.info/archives/category/modifications/frame-modification

[KillerGriller]

Great feedback folks! I love the exchange of ideas without the automatic ney-saying of another users posts, it's hard to come by.

As a follow-up to my last post; I did another dry fit of the seat and as discussed the seat will need to be pushed back to prevent a cramped seating position. Essentially, my hips/butt need to be right around the top of the shocks which pushes the seat back around 3". The push back leaves a gap between seat-front and tank, not a huge deal but another piece to consider, i.e. different seat, or adding a storage compartment/seat padding etc.

At the same time I mocked up some positioning with the signal lights, tail lights and the stock fender to get a better idea where things might go in either (bar or hoop) configuration. If the seat is pushed back to cover the last set of mounting tabs (right above where the rear frame support ends), I should be able to put a bar (weld or bolt) in to accommodate the tail light/license plate, fender, & seat.

I can assure Posplayr that there is NO risk of seat collapse due to my weight, even if I was a little "enthusiastic" at the desert table over the holidays...

The only reason for tail bracing for the OP is to support the seat. A cantilevered seat (as in the case of a straight cross bar) would flex depending upon the construction of the seat pan. A hoop provides the most support for a seat assuming it is stiff enough in center not to collapse from the riders weight.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]60064[/ATTACH]

http://oldskoolsuzuki.info/archives/...e-modification

[erki52]

here's my 2 pence / cents worth. I had a brace welded across the rear of the frame rails, I plugged the tubes with a threaded insert and then had a tailpiece manufactured and it screws into the tube bracersGS750 pic.jpg the socket buttons I used are hidden by the number plate.

[cafe-racer81]

Here is an episode of a cafe racer build series on YouTube that I have been watching. This guy has decided to buy a brat style round bar and attached it with what looks like clamps, but I believe he welded everything together later. If you don't have access to welding equipment, maybe buy a pipe bender and just bend some pipe yourself and attach with bolts. drill holes for the bolts of course but i'm sure you can figure out a way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E4NJpr8s6s