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I wont ride without a backrest now. Being 67 probably has something to do with it, but I have no back issues. It just gets fatigued. Mustang Super Tour seat with adjustable rider backrest.
When I contemplate buying a lighter second bike, this is always in the back of my mind, that a backrest may or may not work well with it.
Cajun4X4, I bought an amazon cheapie, just to try a backrest. There is no freaking way that sucker is gonna bend. Pretty heavy duty steel, the entire assembly. Been using it for three years now, and it's held up amazingly well. Different degrees of cheapness, I suppose.
Ive had backrests off and on over the years, on various bikes, including my 04 Road King.
Biggest consistent negative, to me, is getting punched in my kidneys when crash into a pothole or such. I think it really sucks.
To a lesser degree, getting it positioned right is quite a challenge.
Which is why I rarely actually run one myself.
Interestingly though, I spent a month recently on the bike with my duffle bag on the seat, fore and aft. It became my backrest. It was larger, softer, and far more comfortable than any attached backrest ever has been. That worked, very well in fact.
I personally dont like the driver backrest at all. Ive had them on a few different classics, that i have bought. I just feels restricted and seems to push me a head to much, with it there. I have taken them off and sold them.
I've posted on this thread earlier, I have a Mustang Vintage Wide solo with a removeable backrest.
I find that I don't use the backrest to lean back on, more for support and a backstop.
If I remove it and run without it, I can feel the differance in my back muscles the next day.
PS: I got mine (both for my prior Softail and my current SG) from Grasshopper: https://www.grasshopperlimited.com/ . Great product at a fair price. Recommended.
-PH
I can't speak from personal experience and am satisfied without one for now. However, one of my riding buddies (very fit 71 yoa) just added a backrest to his 2014 CVO Custom Deluxe and swears by it. Every ride he raves about how glad he is to have added the backrest.
Last edited by UrbanRunner; Jul 30, 2023 at 10:41 PM.
Next time you watch the game, dont lean back in your chair. Keep your back hovering in the air. That is the somewhat the same as riding w/o a back rest. Some likem some don't. Also keeps you from booting your saddlebag lid as you have to swing your leg 10 inches higher to clear the rest.
I've been riding my '82 Electraglide for the last 40 years without one, then got the opportunity to use my friend's '17 Road King with the adjustable backrest just this year - rode with it for 3 days. I wasn't really all that impressed with it because the adjustability was really sloppy and I don't like being locked into one position for a long; I fidget around quite a bit while riding. At the end of that trip, I bought a used '21 CVO Limited that has a non-adjustable backrest that is flat-out miserable; it pushes me so far forward that I feel like my crotch is on the tank. I used washers to shim the mount back on the rear fender, which helped somewhat, but it still has me too far forward for my liking. I really think that I just prefer being able to move around and stretch my back as needed - I also ride in a bit of a slouch.
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