Buddy Seat

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Before the buddy seat, the only way to carry a passenger was on a separate seat on the rear mudguard (uncomfortable in those hardtail days) or in a sidecar (rapidly losing favor in the early 1930s). The buddy seat was a joint invention of William S. Harley and Frank Trispel, foreman of the experimental department. It was an elongated saddle, flaring wider at the back, which was just big enough to take a passenger and rider in close proximity. Indeed, for many, this was part of the attraction, and a set of auxiliary springs could he clipped on to cope with the extra weight. It proved very popular, and was Harley-Davidson's best-selling accessory in the 1930s.