www.RalphsRapidTransit.com
BANANA SEAT MADNESS

 
A Collection of MuscleBikes with MuscleCar Names



Welcome to Banana Seat Madness. There are several names these
Bicycles were called. Some called them “HIGH RISE” 
Bicycles
 after the tall, high rise handlebars they sported. Some called
them “BANNANA BIKES” after the long banana shaped
seat. “SISSY BAR BIKES” were another name after the tall
seat brace that often extended way above the seat height.
Just plain “CHOPPER” was a term used a lot.

In more recent years the term “MUSCLE BIKE” was coined
since these 
Bicycles were the hot rods of their day just as
the high performance muscle cars of the same era were.

Just what were these 
Bicycles? A common factor was they
were all low slung machines, most with 20” wheels.
All had the elongated banana seat with sissy bars of varying heights.
They had high rise handlebars styled after the “APE HANGER”
bars found on chopper style motorcycles of their day.
They had a variety of features to resemble the fast cars of the
day, like stick shifts and wide rear tires that were often smooth
treaded or “slicks”. The front tires were skinnier and sometimes
a smaller diameter. A cross between a Rail Dragster and a
MuscleCar is what they really were.

The low stance made them perfect for drag races or
 locking up the rear brake to put them into a skid. They were the
best “wheelie” machines on two wheels. Just a little practice and you
could ride down the street on just the rear wheel. These were the
only
Bicycles made for doing stunt riding. You could even ride
with a passenger with the extra long seat or on the handlebars.

Many bicycle companies made these styles of
Bicycles.
There was the ROSS BARRACUDA, HUFFY RAIL,
IVERSON ROAD RUNNER, SEARS SWINGER and
of course the SCHWINN STINGRAY and KRATE Bicycle.
These are to name just a few.


In 2020, I was reintroduced to the
Banana Seat Bicycle, when a good friend of mine, Tim Costello, of Mopar
Collectors Guide Magazine (MCG), gifted a 1981 Schwinn
Slick Chick Banana Seat Bicycle to my daughter to use and display
with her 1970 FM3 Moulin Rouge Road Runner.

The Slick Chic was also
used for the Cover Photo for the August 2020 Issue of MCG Magazine.




This was the start of my banana seat bicycle collection. I remembered
these bikes from when I was a kid. My cousins, friends and neighbors
had them as hand-me-downs.

The following year at Chrysler's at Carlisle, I asked Tim if he would
be kind enough to build me one to ride at shows and display with
one of my Collector Cars. Tim had brought one to the show
 to sell. It was a 1976 Schwinn StingRay that he built in F8 Green
with a Mod Top covered Schwinn seat, Slick rear tire and
Chopper style front forks. The deal was made and the love affair
for these bicycles ignited.

That summer, after Carlisle, I started googling Banana
Seat Bicycles, joined a couple of Facebook pages, and that's
when I found out that they made Muscle Bikes with Muscle Car
names. Road Runner, GTO, Demon, Duster, Barracuda,
and list goes on and on.

How cool would it be to showcase a Muscle Bike with one of my
MuscleCars at a show? Our first form of freedom as a child was
our Bicycle, that led to our obsession with the Automobile. So I started
looking for MuscleCar named bikes.

I searched high and low, drove up a down the east coast and
came up with a collection that represents most of the Bicycles we
remembered as Children. I'm still looking for a few, if you have a
Bicycle you would like to share, sell, donate, or a story about
your Banana Seat Bicycle, please reach out with an Email or Call.








February 8, 2025


Click on the Images and Text to Navigate to Additional Pages


AMF / ROADMASTER



COLUMBIA




CCM



HUFFY



IVERSON



MURRAY





SCHWINN


FIRESTONE LABEL




ROSS


VISTA



I'm still looking for a few Bicycles and
Accessories, if you have a Bicycle you
would like to share, sell, donate, or a story
about your Banana Seat Bicycle,
please reach out with an Email or Call.

  

This Month's MOST WANTED!
Wanted! Any Leads on the following MuscleBike:
Coast To Coast Hardware Stores
1971 Demon

Made by Ross Bicycle Co.


Coming Soon!
Banana Seat Bicycle Accesories Page.










Contact E-Mail


Coming Soon! How Old is my
Banana Seat Bicycle?

Detailed directory to finding out the Year of
Manufacture for your Banana Seat Bicycle

Wanted! Iverson Charger 5Spd.
Wanted! Iverson Road Runner, 3. or 5Spd.
Wanted! Huffy The Judge Coaster, 3 or 5Spd.
Wanted! Murray Drag Duster Coaster 3 or 5Spd.
Wanted! CCM Mustang 3 or 5Spd.
Wanted! CCM King Cobra
Wanted! Any Other MuscleCar Named Bicycles
Donate or Sell. Fair Price Paid on all.


Research and Content Credit for Banana Seat Madness
 given to the following-
Zach Zeuschel, Eddie Gillespie, Ant Bucky, Jeff Saranich, The Cable,
 Google Research, Banana Seat Bicycle Forum, Iverson Banana Seat
 Muscle Bikes, Ross Muscle Bike Collectors, Muscle Bike Forum and
 many other respected experts and enthusiasts.