I wanted to purchase a passenger backrest for my 2012 Road King. If I go to Harley i'm looking at around 400 bucks, but if I go on Amazon they are like 150. All the Amazon ones got bad reviews, is the Harley one that much better to justify the extra money?

 

The mounting hardware on the Harley version is sturdy, and if you get the adjustable version it's nice for the passenger. It's also pretty easy to take on and off. The Harley backrest pad, however, is cheap and is merely stapled together. I expected a better quality pad for the cost, but I'm satisfied with the actual hardware. See the attached photo.

 

Go for the Harley docking system. Put a T-bag over the backrest and you're set.

 

$400.00? I paid $275 for the backrest and mounting bracket at the dealership. No issues with it coming apart. Seems to be a quality product.

 

I know what I got is for my FLHTCUL but New Castle HD on-line sold me Backrest and Mounting for under $200. + shipping.

 

check the classifieds on this forum... I've seen lots of what you're after available for pretty reasonable prices. You can usually get a like-new HD part for the same or less than aftermarket if you're patient and check back often.

 

I have the HD one and my wife is happy with it...

 

This! I'm not opposed to buying a quality non HD product, but will scrounge Craigslist, eBay & the classifieds here for stuff I'm looking for. If you can be patient you will likely find a good deal.

 

I bought a backrest off Amazon and am VERY happy with it. The backrest frame itself is identical to the Harley frame and the pad is very nice as well. The stitching even matches my street glide stitching. The reason I went with this particular one is that it had a rack on it as well for a smaller bag (surprisingly very sturdy) and it only required the 2 pt docking kit. Harley offers no option for a rack on a 2pt. They want to sell you a 4pt, and a rack, a seat pad and a backrest. I was a little concerned with what I was going to get but was surprised by this much cheaper alternative.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1