Backrest Solutions For Nomad & Classic

So, you just got off the bike after a couple of hundred miles and discovered.... Oh your aching back. Did you know back pain is disabling to 5.4 million Americans and affects a whole lot more of us to a lesser extent? In many cases the cause is simply poor posture which is precisely what most of us have while riding a motorcycle. We lean forward to reach the bars, our feet are not always in the most comfortable of positions and after awhile the stress goes straight to the spine. Well, there are solutions. Many of them are aftermarket and we'll touch on a few of them here but we'll also show you how simple it is to make your own.

Backrest #1

If there is any downside to this backrest it's how it looks if you decide to go with a solo rear fender. The hoop around the pillion pad just doesn't lend itself well to the 'stripped down' look. This backrest also tends to sit a little far forward for many riders so surgery is sometimes needed to move the pad backward. This is explained on this Gadget page.

Occasionally pillions will complain about having to straddle all the upright tubing that supports the drivers backrest.

Backrest #2

Backrest #3

If you've never heard of the "Utopia" backrest then you've never owned a Goldwing, a Valkerye, a Venture or any of the big tourers! You've probably seen these backrests on other touring bikes but figured they came from the bikes manufacturer. Not so.

The "Utopia" backrest is different because it has a single vertical bracket that pops up through the pillion pad. This is also probably the largest backrest you've ever seen on a Nomad/Classic at a full 12" wide and 9" high. If your torso is short you might want to sit on the bike while someone measures 9" above the top of the pillion. This is where the 'top' of the backrest will hit your back at its lowest setting.

If there's a downside to the Utopia it's that this is not a simple bolt on like the units mentioned above. If you're not comfortable doing the following then this is not the backrest for you.

1. Remove drivers seat (10mm bolts on each side)
2. Remove pillion pad (single 10mm bolt at front then slide forward)
3. Remove the pointy bracket from bottom of pillion pan (2 10mm nuts) and strap
4. Remove all the staples from the cover with a combination of small screwdriver and pliers (a staple remover 'might' work)
5. Carefully pull cover off foam pad and set aside
6. Remove foam pad from plastic pan (it isn't glued but it might be a little stuck) set aside
7. Set bracket that comes with backrest atop pan and mark holes to be drilled for 2 bolts (note, if you have a very long reach and always found other backrests pushed you too far forward you might want to bolt the bracket onto the pan 1/2 to 3/4 inch further back than where the photo (below) shows. The backrest has a huge forward adjustment but nothing to the rear from vertical)
8. Bolt on bracket
9. Replace foam, carving carefully with a serrated knife (the one you use for turkey does a great job) at the front to obtain clearance for the vertical portion of bracket (note, if you get carried away with the knife you can always put pieces of cut foam back but you really don't need the hassle)
10. With foam pad in place, replace cover (do not cut any holes yet)
11. With cover in place, carefully feel for the top of the bracket and make a slit in the cover there. Make the smallest slit you can and still get the bracket through the hole. DO NOT cut where the seat cover threads are.
12. Staple the cover back on the pan. Utopia recommends an electric stapler but I found the manual type gun worked just fine. (not a desk stapler)
13. Put the pointy bracket back on the pillion (your choice whether to use the strap or not but most riders junk them) and mount the assembly on the bike.
14. Look in the pouch on the backrest and you'll find instructions on how to secure it along with an allen wrench and a black plastic thing with a slot in it.
15. Place the black plastic thing over the backrest bracket on the seat and form it to fit. Once formed, pull the protective paper off the double sided tape and stick it in place. This prevents the seat material from tearing and provides a bearing surface for the swivel part of the bracket.
16. Mount the backrest to the bracket. You'll have to tighten the nut and bolt a little to prevent it from flopping forward on its own but not so tight that you can't easily fold it forward when you want to.
17. Note the backrest adjustment, a silver cap nut with a nut on it. Loosen the nut, sit on the bike and estimate where the fore/aft and vertical adjustments are most comfortable. You can either use that nut as a locknut to prevent the adjustment from changing or leave it at the bottom of the bolt.
18. Taking a 7/16" wrench and the supplied allen wrench with you, go for a ride and make your backrest adjustments when you can stop safely. You'll need the allen wrench to move it up or down. There is a 1" range of adjustment vertically.

Click Thumbnails For Larger Image

Backrest & Bracket	Bracket On Pan	Mounted On Nomad (front)
	Mounted On Nomad (rear) note removable pouch

Backrest #4

Are you ready to save some money now? You may have seen other neat fixes on the Gadget pages from Jax who has an uncanny ability to look at a problem and find a solution at any department store.