When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Mustang and Ultimate still don't have the rider seats with backrest for 18+ Fat Boy. In the meantime I'm enjoying my Saddlemen Explorer seat, but with the torque that this bike has I feel that for me a backrest is needed.
So with the backrest pad that came with my Saddlemen sissy bar bag, a couple of Yoga Blocks, held together with two lengths of 3/8" all-thread, capped with fender washers and acorn nuts, and some Jeep tiedowns I fashioned an inexpensive backrest to keep me upright until a seat is available. I tied the two bricks together with all-thread and cinched them down with four of the straps that also came with the sissy bar bag. I used some nylon straps I had on hand to hold the backrest pad in place.
I would have preferred black hardware but barring a powdercoating I can't see that the washers or acorn nuts would have retained anything I could put on them. I ended up covering the whole thing with some stretch fabric to make it blend in better. I may cut another piece to go over the top of the one I put on, in order to make it less transparent.
With this backrest and the 4-1/2" pullback risers I put on the bike I'm able to lean back into the rest with my hands on the grips and arms and shoulders in a neutral position.
Not a box. It's two 9"x4"x6" Yoga blocks side by side. I drilled through both of them near each end and ran a piece of 3/8" all-thread through each set of holes to fasten them together and to give me something to attach the tie-downs, and then the straps to. The 9" length puts the end of them at the perfect distance from the rider's backreast to allow me to attach the pad. The pad sits flush with the rear of the saddle, giving me a solid backrest.
That is a very good idea. A nice oak dovetailed box would work very well. And be strong enough to support my weight leaning against it as well as the tie downs to keep it in place.
I couldn't find an oak box that would work, so did the next best thing (for me). Pelican Case 1170. Drilled some tiny holes in the structural gussets so that I didn't have to compromise the integrity of the box's seal. Added a Harley key ring logo.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
DIY backrest mod
