Originally Posted by ZippyDan
the combined weight of the riders will not exceed the bike's weight rating...
Weight is one thing, leverage is something else. Check out the bikes that you see anyplace where a bunch of bikes are parked. My bet is you'll find at least one or two with a seatpost that's bent backward. That's with a conventional seat. If you cantelever the weight of another passenger on the seat behind the rider, the force exerted by their weight is going to be multiplyed. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.