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.
You're going to hate me for telling you this . . . or maybe you'll hate HD for it.
The K bracket is the flat "bar" that links the forward docking point with the rear brakcet. It ties everything together.
Well, the 2 bars come with the detachable sissy bar. Yes, it's true.
I found out the hard way because I ordered everything at the same time and the detachable sissy bar upright was delayed. I couldn't complete the install until it arrived.
Stupid . . . Isn't it?
I only got one in the docking kit that I bought... it is still somewhere in the garage... Is it needed? Maybe, but I didn't put it on, and all is fine... I am a big fat boy, and wife is not tiny, and even with me leaning on her, there have not been any issues with it not being there... Now, I do not have a tour pack, and have not strapped any bags to the sissybar... then, it might be something I would need it to help support the weight... if the time comes I get a pack, I will dig up the one I have, and make one for the other side... It is only a flat shank of metal... if you are really worried about it, I am sure you could fabricate one... but, for me, I am not worried about it...
Those bars are sold separately. I picked them up from Zanotti's...the shipping was more than the brackets. I think they were like $4 a piece. I believe the part number is: 53805-99. You may want to double check the part number prior to ordering.
I bought my backrest on ebay and the docking kit @ the dealership and was basically in the same boat as you. BTW, the install is not bad if you just follow the pictures and do not read what the no-so-user-friendly engineers @ HD wrote.
I think it depends on what docking kit you buy. Someone else around here figuredthat out awhile back.
I bought the front and rear docking kit for using backrests and detachable tourpaks.
My kit had those bars in them; however,I did not install them....
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.