Backrest

[dlopes]

Looking for a backrest. I see some aftermarket stuff, but they all look flimsy. Can't find an OEM for sale with a reasonable pricetag. Any suggestions?

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

If you are good with welding, you can always build one. I dont know if you have a Gen 1 or Gen 2. My Gen 1 came with a normal seat back. The Gen 2 came with a low rise. For my Gen 2, I built one.

For me, total cost was about $100. I used 1/8 inch bar stock for the outside edges. I have a local metal cutter make me (2) 6" x 12" panels. I welded everything up, gloss black rattle can. I did my own upholstery from the ground up. During the course of this, I had one of the stock side bar bolts loosen up and skip town. This caused a twisting motion where it broke a weld at the angle of the seat back. I reinforced it with another piece of cut to fit 1/8 stock and welded over the bend. I have had adults and children on the back now and its functioning nicely. Coupled with the passenger peg relocation kit, passengers are now more comfy on the back. I can place my backpack against the seat back now without worrying about it sliding off.

 

[D Larson]

If you are good with welding, you can always build one. I dont know if you have a Gen 1 or Gen 2. My Gen 1 came with a normal seat back. The Gen 2 came with a low rise. For my Gen 2, I built one. View attachment 85409View attachment 85410View attachment 85411View attachment 85412

For me, total cost was about $100. I used 1/8 inch bar stock for the outside edges. I have a local metal cutter make me (2) 6" x 12" panels. I welded everything up, gloss black rattle can. I did my own upholstery from the ground up. During the course of this, I had one of the stock side bar bolts loosen up and skip town. This caused a twisting motion where it broke a weld at the angle of the seat back. I reinforced it with another piece of cut to fit 1/8 stock and welded over the bend. I have had adults and children on the back now and its functioning nicely. Coupled with the passenger peg relocation kit, passengers are now more comfy on the back. I can place my backpack against the seat back now without worrying about it sliding off.

Very nice work.

 

[dlopes]

If you are good with welding, you can always build one. I dont know if you have a Gen 1 or Gen 2. My Gen 1 came with a normal seat back. The Gen 2 came with a low rise. For my Gen 2, I built one. View attachment 85409View attachment 85410View attachment 85411View attachment 85412

For me, total cost was about $100. I used 1/8 inch bar stock for the outside edges. I have a local metal cutter make me (2) 6" x 12" panels. I welded everything up, gloss black rattle can. I did my own upholstery from the ground up. During the course of this, I had one of the stock side bar bolts loosen up and skip town. This caused a twisting motion where it broke a weld at the angle of the seat back. I reinforced it with another piece of cut to fit 1/8 stock and welded over the bend. I have had adults and children on the back now and its functioning nicely. Coupled with the passenger peg relocation kit, passengers are now more comfy on the back. I can place my backpack against the seat back now without worrying about it sliding off.

Does JB Weld count......lol

 

[Fire-medic]

A good job on the fabrication. What type/brand of machine do you have for the upholstery work? Did you do the seats at the same time, because the upholstery and stitching matches.

Sean and Captain Kyle often have the backrest/sissy bars OEM and sometimes aftermarket. They are not cheap, and are probably the most-popular Yamaha OEM accessory. I've acquired a few over the years.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

A good job on the fabrication. What type/brand of machine do you have for the upholstery work? Did you do the seats at the same time, because the upholstery and stitching matches.

Sean and Captain Kyle often have the backrest/sissy bars OEM and sometimes aftermarket. They are not cheap, and are probably the most-popular Yamaha OEM accessory. I've acquired a few over the years.

I am a cheap MFer. The sewing machine I used was some cheap $50 wonder sewer. I bought that years ago and prior to me hard siding my pop up camper, I sewn a canvas for it before a holy hell rain storm overtook the canvas. Red thread and the leatherettes from a local sewing/craft store is where I got the materials. The foam was repurposed from an old couch cushion. The seats are original to the bike. I just matched as close as possible the material for the seat back. If I get closer more detailed pics, you can see the differences.

 

[Fire-medic]

Well you did a great job! My mother-in-law was a tailor. She had a commercial sewing machine, it was hydraulic, It had what I assume was a mineral oil reservoir; I'm sure that it could have done the work, but she is now deceased after 98 years. You can save some $$$ by doing the work yourself. Here's an example of a pro job my friend had done by a local shop in the Ft. Lauderdale area. The guy usually does custom marine work, but he knocked this out for my friend's shop. To give you an idea of the price differential, he can charge $600 for something of the same size on a $$$$$ yacht, and it takes him about an hour to do a simple rectangular piece. On a motorcycle, he has to do more work on the foam, and on the stitching/fitting, maybe three times the time, and for the same price. He only did the seat at the request of a mutual friend who is a marine fabrication and welding expert and who knew my friend was wanting to get the bike seat done to deliver the bike to the customer.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Thank you. It took me from start to finish about 4 months to do the seat back. It took that long cause I didnt really have a plan. If I could go back, the only difference I would have done would have been a rounded top. The metal was first. The foam backing was last. In between was the paint and stickers.

That seat looks good on that bike. I am not that good or that fast. It took me about 3 hours to do mine. Cause I dont really know my sewing machine, I was having threading and jam issues, my first pieces I had to re-do cause I sewed them backwards. And then my back piece I forgot to punch my 4 holes for my attaching bracket. So I had to exacto knife the holes in. Overall I am pleased with my final product. I can switch between that seat back and my low rise in about 3 minutes. 5mm allen socket and a 13mm wrench to do the swap.

 

[Sniffbooger]

Backrests are for people with wives....I don't need one! NEVER will I let any woman sit on the back of my Vmax!

 

[Fire-medic]

I can switch between that seat back and my low rise in about 3 minutes. 5mm allen socket and a 13mm wrench to do the swap.

Oh, that's quick! A versatile product you created.

If you like the SOHC Honda 750, here's one they refreshed at the shop, it's a 'sleeper,' as it's closer to 1,000cc and was a street racer back in the 1970's. The owner brought it to my friend's shop who had worked upon it years-before, for a re-freshening. Those with sharp eyes will notice it's a "750"F-model. The Cal-fab swingarm is a valuable and expensive period accessory. The rigid spoke wheels F & R are much-wider than stock!

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Oh, that's quick! A versatile product you created.

If you like the SOHC Honda 750, here's one they refreshed at the shop it's a 'sleeper,' as it's closer to 1,000cc and was a street racer back in the 1970's. The owner brought it to my friend's shop who had worked upon it years-before, for a re-freshening.

View attachment 85422

That was my very first bike. A 1977 CB750 SOHC. Bought it cheap and non running. Bought it in the fall without a title. I did get all the previous registration and bill of sale with the bike. So during the winter, I got the bike running, painted, new brakes, chain, sprockets and such. Around late January, I decided to get the paperwork for the bike rolling. So I sent that all out to get a new title. In NY, things with the DMV moves soooo slow. So it wasnt until April, I get a letter from the state. Excitement bubbled as I thought I had a title. Instead, it was a subpoena. The guy who sold me the bike was a drunk. When the state came around asking about the title, he claimed it was stolen. So off to court I went. He never filed a police report, I had all the documentation indicating he sold me the bike but the judge was looking at a punk 16 year old kid. So after it was all said and done, I was offered 2 choices. I can return the bike or it will be confiscated and I go to jail for 5 years for grand theft auto. He sold me a **** bike and received it back as a great runner with all new parts. I did exact my revenge on him though. Every automobile on his property had blown out glass. And there were many. The cost to replace all that glass was way more than the cost of that bike.

But that experience taught me one hell of a lesson. If it doesnt have a title....it is nuclear. I will never ever consider anything without ownership papers again. While I did ride that CB around, it was a great bike. My next bike was a 1979 CB750 with a DOHC. That one was a ready to go runner than only needed a new seat. I rode the wheels off that thing till I cratered the engine. Chain snapped, wrapped in the case and blew the countershaft. Yes, I was doing dumb things with it back then. I bounced between Hondas and Yamahas till 2002 when I bought my Virago. That bike was not a quick rev bike and it settled me down on my riding where I didnt have to see redline all the time. If I ever found a nice late 70s CB750....I would grab it up. Was a great bike.

 

[Sniffbooger]

PSSSSHT...all those air cooled bikes from the ''70s are not very fast in reality...I would much rather have a cbr600 any day to smoke those old CB750s ...but we are such nostalgic creatures...lol

I had a Maxim 550 and a Yamaha Special 850 shaft drive from mid 1980s and even those were slow in comparison to todays water cooled street bikes. But I always see one in the classifieds and I wish I still had it LOL... except the Special 850 never see those anywhere! Maybe that one is a classic worth big bucks now???

 

[Fire-medic]

Well sure, a water-cooled Japanese sportbike inline-four is gonna perform better than an air-cooled bike from 53 years ago. No argument there.

However, I am old-enough to recall when the fast bikes were Norton pushrod parallel-twins (the Atlas, and P-11, then the Commando, remember those women in the bike mag ads?), Triumph and BSA parallel-twins, and the Sportster was barely 10 years old.





Honda released the 1969-model SOHC 750, with four carburetors! A disc brake! and SOHC! What sorcery is this? And then Kawasaki dropped The Bomb: the 500cc two-stroke triple Blue Streak Mach III. There were Kawasaki dealers all-over who had low-odometer numbers Mach III's waiting for new front ends and bodywork because owners wrote checks their bike handling skills couldn't cash. Even the SOHC 750cc Hondas had issues with the chains failing and taking-out the crankcases because of the abuse new owners gave 'em.

From the fall of 1968 until four years later, when the Kawasaki Z1 was released, the motorcycle world saw what Mao would have called the Great Leap Forward. SOHC and 750cc? I'll see you, and raise you: DOHC and 900cc! Then a two-stroke air-cooled triple in 750cc! Then a water-cooled 750 two-stroke triple! (Suzuki GT750) Wankels! )West German Hercules, Suzuki, and a stillborn Yamaha.

Did you know Yamaha had ready for release a one-up on Suzuki's pile o'pans 750 water-cooled two stroke triple? Say 'hello' to my friend, a 750cc inline-four two-stroke Yamaha. Did I tell you it's fuel-injected? 'Performance cars' from Detroit were shedding horsepower and growing rat's nests of vacuum lines atop their carburetors as manufacturers struggled to come to grips with auto emissions and fuel economy demands. Motorcycle fuel injection is space-age stuff! How are the mechanics gonna work on those?



Yes, there were big changes in the motorcycle industry and the market as the British manufacturers failed (a few British industry leaders, below).




The Japanese innovated things that were fever-dreams a few years before. On Any Sunday was a movie that raised interest in the use of motorcycles, different types of competition (ice-racing, anyone? One of the stars of that segment in the movie, and his Bultaco below. Fred Kolman said, "it was the only time I beat Yuvon Duhamal, but Bruce Brown made me famous!") Fred has been a dealer for many years in Ottawa, Ontario province, Canada. Fred and his wife are on the right.



Fred's Bultaco he used to beat a racing legend, Yuvon Duhamal, ice-racing. Yuvon's son Miguel has stood-atop the podium at the Daytona 200. Kinda looks like a punk-bike, it reminds me of our member Cop-Runner.



I have several SOHC Hondas from the 1960's and '70's, waiting their turn to be restored. I harbor no aspirations of them being anything but what they are: period rides which remind me of the progress the Japanese brought to motorcycling. That reminds me of the saying, "a rising tide floats all boats." The Japanese certainly promoted a modern motorcycle industry, and we all are the better for it.

 

[Sniffbooger]

Yes, of course, it was Yamaha to make the first water cooled fuel injected four cylinder motorcycle...That's why I ride a Vmax!!! lol....or was it....?

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Yes, of course, it was Yamaha to make the first water cooled fuel injected four cylinder motorcycle...That's why I ride a Vmax!!! lol....or was it....?

Yamaha did alot of firsts. First Japanese VTwin on American soil....Virago. Yamaha pioneers the very first single-shock, production motocross bikes. Many more. Gotta love a company that takes risks and creates iconic machines others copy.

 

[Sniffbooger]

Ahh yes!! The MONOCROSS!!! I had a yellow and black YZ490 in the early eighties...that thing was a BEAST of a two stroke! Sure wish it was water cooled though...it overheated and froze up a few times in the summer and was never the same afterward...and now...to lead us back to the OP topic...NONE OF THESE HAD BACK RESTS lol!!

 

[Relic]

Looking for a backrest. I see some aftermarket stuff, but they all look flimsy. Can't find an OEM for sale with a reasonable pricetag. Any suggestions?

I bought a Hac 8811. Built very solidly expressly for a 1200 vmax. Comes with all the mounting hardware. It matches the backstrap on the seat exactly. Installed fairly easily. $300.00 including shipping from Custom Cruisers in the U.K. (Very nice people to deal with). It arrived in about 5 days to my house in the U.S. . Other suppliers sold the same thing but with a luggage rack (that I didn't want) for $450.
I custom made the decorative plate that the supplied reflector is mounted to out of lexan and painted it with silver mag wheel paint. It looked a little unfinished without it. I used the existing decorative plate as a template for the curvature of the rear fender. I used blue threadlocker on all the mounting bolts.
Hope this helps

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

A good job on the fabrication. What type/brand of machine do you have for the upholstery work? Did you do the seats at the same time, because the upholstery and stitching matches.

Sean and Captain Kyle often have the backrest/sissy bars OEM and sometimes aftermarket. They are not cheap, and are probably the most-popular Yamaha OEM accessory. I've acquired a few over the years.

Some "better" pics showing fabric differences.

Yes...I know she's dirty. I have been caught in several gully washer storms. Cause the desert has been getting more rain than Florida during hurricane season. In 2 months, My area has received more than double its yearly rainfall. Every time I clean it....I get caught in the rain. The bike was cleaned less than 2 weeks ago. And this is what it looks like.

 

[Sniffbooger]

FYI...Just a shared experience...a lady friend of mine on my softball team shattered her ankle, requiring titanium rods and screws, and Air-Medic flight via helicopter to the hospital after she went for a ride with a friend on the back of his Harley...he rear ended a car in front of him at 15mph and the impact violently dumped the bike over...she was on the back...and because of the BACKREST she could not jump off the bike and the full weight of the Harley landed on her leg when it fell over, shattering her ankle in many places. Backrests are not safe for this reason. There is no room for the rider to swing their leg over and jump off if needed, especially for a slow speed collision that will dump over your bike instantly.

 

[dlopes]

FYI...Just a shared experience...a lady friend of mine on my softball team shattered her ankle, requiring titanium rods and screws, and Air-Medic flight via helicopter to the hospital after she went for a ride with a friend on the back of his Harley...he rear ended a car in front of him at 15mph and the impact violently dumped the bike over...she was on the back...and because of the BACKREST she could not jump off the bike and the full weight of the Harley landed on her leg when it fell over, shattering her ankle in many places. Backrests are not safe for this reason. There is no room for the rider to swing their leg over and jump off if needed, especially for a slow speed collision that will dump over your bike instantly.

Noted.....but she will appreciate the back rest when we ride long distances. I'll make sure not to rear end someone when she's on there.