Passenger backrest

Birds0nFIRE

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Mar 11, 2017
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Has anyone found a passenger backrest with mount/docking hardware that works well other than oem? I don't know how much my wife will ride so spending 500 bucks seems a bit expensive for just a sissy bar, pad and the docking hardware


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Genuine HD via Craigslist, fellow members on this forum, or eBay has been my approach.


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As you have heard everyone of backrest system including OEM are not snap right on/off, but should not be so hard that one is afraid to remove it once it's on......

I have after market mount and after market backrest, and goes on/off with no issues. I also have mount for tour pak which is also aftermarket and goes on/off with very little issue....of course the issue I have is to align the front mount tabs (it's hard to do with the weight of tour pak), once I have them aligned the rear will drop right on the tabs and snap them in place. I got mine from either Amazon or eBay....
 
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I bought the my backrest from EBAY. My docking hardware is direct from Harley. The seat takes a little bit to line up correctly and snap in. The set was about $80 . Better then the $300 from Harley. Same issue with my EBAY purchased luggage rack. I will say that once they are snapped in they are very secure.
 
As you have heard everyone of backrest system including OEM are not snap right on/off but should not be so hard one is afraid to remove it once it's on......

I have after market mount and after market backrest and goes on/off with no issues. I also have mount for tour pak which is also aftermarket and goes on/off with very little issue....of course the issue I have is to align the front mount tabs (it's hard to do with the weight of tour pak), once I have them aligned the rear will drop right on the tabs and snap them in place. I got mine from either Amazon or eBay....

Your first part was hard to understand but I think you are saying that they're not quick on and off? But your second part seems like it's easy on once you line it up correctly


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Your first part was hard to understand but I think you are saying that they're not quick on and off? But your second part seems like it's easy on once you line it up correctly


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What I am saying is regardless of which product OEM or aftermarket they are both pretty much the same...once you have tabs lined up on the front the rest will be easy to snap in.....of course there are really cheap products out there so you just have to do your homework and look for highly rated sellers and on Amazon read the reviews. After you do it couple of times you know it well enough you won't have any problems......and knowing you paid a lot less.
 
What I am saying is regardless of which product OEM or aftermarket they are both pretty much the same...once you have tabs lined up on the front the rest will be easy to snap in.....of course there are really cheap products out there so you just have to do your homework and look for highly rated sellers and on Amazon read the reviews. After you do it couple of times you know it well enough you won't have any problems......and knowing you paid a lot less.

Normally, I would agree and that has been my experience, however, a friend bought a slightly used (4,500 miles) 2016 SGS that didn't come with the docking hardware but in the deal, had the dealer install it. And nothing fits. Absolutely everything he's tried, he has to wrestle with to make it work. If the front lines up, then the back doesn't and vice-a-versa. There are spacers to adjust the width but the problem is its too wide. So what he has to do is spread out the mounts for his tour pak and the passenger backrest (for when the TP isn't mounted) but that causes problems in that the mounts now go on at a slight spread-out angle. He has taken it back to the dealer multiple times but they tell him there's nothing they can do. After I examined his bike, I took measurements and compared my bike to his. I've determined the rear frame of his bike is 3/8" inch wider than mine. And THAT is enough of a difference to make his mounts not line up.
 
Normally, I would agree and that has been my experience, however, a friend bought a slightly used (4,500 miles) 2016 SGS that didn't come with the docking hardware but in the deal, had the dealer install it. And nothing fits. Absolutely everything he's tried, he has to wrestle with to make it work. If the front lines up, then the back doesn't and vice-a-versa. There are spacers to adjust the width but the problem is its too wide. So what he has to do is spread out the mounts for his tour pak and the passenger backrest (for when the TP isn't mounted) but that causes problems in that the mounts now go on at a slight spread-out angle. He has taken it back to the dealer multiple times but they tell him there's nothing they can do. After I examined his bike, I took measurements and compared my bike to his. I've determined the rear frame of his bike is 3/8" inch wider than mine. And THAT is enough of a difference to make his mounts not line up.

Wow....that's crazy!
 
EBay & Hogworkz

EBay & Hogworkz

I have 2 different ones and both have not fit correctly and have been junk. The one I bought for $150 on Ebay fell apart (screw anchors pulled out of pad) after 1 year and the other from Hogworkz ($200 from J&P cycle) didn't fit correctly. The triangle brace on the back pf the pad did not align right and could not tighten it down to keep the pad from moving on the sissy bar so I am in the process of sending it back.
 
I had a very similar issue. The quick detach was anything but quick or easy. While at dealer recently getting some extra parts - a habit we all know too well - I mentioned the problem to one of the mechanics. He took a look at the docking hardware and told me the bolts are actually oblong - not round - and needed to be aligned correctly to make sure the fit was proper for the detachable sissy bar. He backed out the bolts a bit and readjusted them one at a time by feel (making sure the sissy bar was able to pop off easily). It took less than 2 minutes and the sissy bar was coming off/going on like it should. My sissy bar is Hogworkz. I assumed it was a POS, but turns out I just didn't know the docking hardware needed adjusting.
 
Normally, I would agree and that has been my experience, however, a friend bought a slightly used (4,500 miles) 2016 SGS that didn't come with the docking hardware but in the deal, had the dealer install it. And nothing fits. Absolutely everything he's tried, he has to wrestle with to make it work. If the front lines up, then the back doesn't and vice-a-versa. There are spacers to adjust the width but the problem is its too wide. So what he has to do is spread out the mounts for his tour pak and the passenger backrest (for when the TP isn't mounted) but that causes problems in that the mounts now go on at a slight spread-out angle. He has taken it back to the dealer multiple times but they tell him there's nothing they can do. After I examined his bike, I took measurements and compared my bike to his. I've determined the rear frame of his bike is 3/8" inch wider than mine. And THAT is enough of a difference to make his mounts not line up.

Sounds like the dealer installed docking hardware for a '13 and older. '14 and up mounts are slightly different.
 


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