Motorcycle saddle
The motorcycle saddle or motorcycle seat is the part of the motorcycle on which the driver and possibly the passenger sit. If the motorcycle saddle is made of one continuous piece for both people, it is also referred to as a motorcycle seat . The motorcycle saddle gives the buttocks support while driving and is usually also padded or cushioned.
General
While the seat of the first two-lane motor vehicles was mostly similar to a bicycle saddle due to the development basis, the manufacturers continued to develop this basis further in order to improve driving comfort and safety ( handling ). The saddles grew wider and softer. Until the thirties, the rear wheels were mostly unsprung ( rigid frame ), only the front wheel suspension and the saddle compensated for uneven road surfaces.
Saddle types
Swing saddle
With the swinging saddle, not only is the surface (saddle cover made of leather or rubber) cushioned (usually by wire springs that are tensioned in a frame), but the entire seat construction is also movably mounted on the frame with a spring element via a bearing bolt on the saddle nose. In this way, the swing saddle can better cushion bumps and bumps. With motorcycle frames that used to have unsprung rear frames , this significantly improved driving comfort. In some cases, it was even possible to adjust the spring preload to suit the weight of the driver or the condition of the road. Disadvantages are the weight and space requirements of the suspension saddle, which led to a higher seating position above the rear wheel, especially for the pillion passenger. A fixed handle was often mounted on the seat for safety .
Saddle cushions, seat cushions
In order to reduce the structural height and improve the contact between the rider and the motorcycle, saddle pads were also used as motorcycle saddles. Both thinly padded leather saddles, such as those on Ernst Neumann-Neander's motorcycles (today often on choppers and super athletes because of the desired low seat height and vehicle contact), as well as saddle cushions with a spring base and multi-layered saddle cover, such as the Megola, were used. In the second version of the AWO 425 Sport , the elegant double bench seat was abandoned in favor of more comfortable single seat cushions with a handle for the pillion passenger.
Bench
Instead of the saddle cushions lying one behind the other for the driver and pillion passenger with a handle, the common bench has become generally accepted today. The Vincent HRD brand , which used the Feridax rubber double seat for the Rapid 1000 model as early as 1938, is generally considered to be the creator of the violin- shaped double seat . Due to changes in frame geometry and suspension, the bench is now often a design tool. The original function of cushioning uneven road surfaces is partly in the background due to the fully suspended motorcycle frames . The main function is the connection between man and machine for safe vehicle control with the most comfortable seat possible.
construction
In general, motorcycle saddles consist of a supporting frame, the padding and the saddle cover / cover. In earlier motorcycle saddles, a frame or a closed lower part made of sheet steel was usually used. This was padded by the saddler (often with spiral springs, later with foam cores) and covered with a saddle cloth. In the case of the open saddles, this usually consisted of thicker rubber or leather, while leather or plastic is usually used for seat cushions and benches.
Modern benches and seat cushions usually consist of a molded part made of PUR foam , the closed surface of which can be colored and structured and then does not have to be covered or finished. The load-bearing fastening elements (mostly made of plastic ) are also cast directly in the molded part. The surfaces of conventional motorcycle saddles can be designed with decorative seams (stitching), punching or embossing in their surface. In some cases, the seating comfort is improved, and the surface design is often done for decorative reasons.
literature
- Peter Witt: Motorcycles. VEB Verlag Technik, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-341-00657-5 .
- Juraj Porazik, Flicitas Minaricova: Motorcycles from the years 1885 to 1940. Slovart Publishing House, 1983
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Witt: Motorcycles. VEB Verlag Technik, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-341-00657-5 .
- ^ Eduard Werner: East German motorcycle classics Simson 425 and Simson Sport. Uwe Welz Verlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-933177-04-9