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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Jacksonville, Florida | I have a 2011 Tour. I like the looks of the street, but wanted the rest of the bells and whistles. I also wanted to put a passenger backrest on it when I don't have the trunk on. Since Victory no longer makes or sells the passenger backrest, and you can't find them anywhere (outside of the Leather seat with backrests for $1200),I came up with a workaround. Made a bracket out of square tubing and angle I bought at Lowes for about $16.00. (Yeah I know, I can't weld very well)
Mounted bracket where the Trunk box normally goes. 
Bought the trunk panel for $90. Cut out holes with a rotozip. 
Place panel over the bracket uprights. Pop in place. Install upright and pad prior to putting seat back on. And here you go. 
Upright Bar = $80
Pad=$70
trunk panel= $90 (with military discount)
Steel and hardware=$25
Labor = free. I have a welder, even though I am not very good. The ugly stuff is below the panel, so as long as it is strong it didn't matter to me.
Total= $265 Now before you start asking for a engineer drawing of the bracket, I will tell you that I don't have that level of skill. I started with the angle. Cut 4 pieces that would make a square and lineup with the mounting holes for the trunk. I marked them and drilled them. Then I took the square tubing, cut 2 pieces to 5" long and clamped them to the angle at the correct angle. Tack welded then pulled it out. Welded it up. Drilled holes for the uprights and that was it. the tubing is 3/4". Angle is 1-1/4". I also used some plate steel to strengthen the Square uprights. It is strong. I think you could tow the bike with it. While I know this won't be for everyone, if you know someone who welds, and you can measure, you can do it. As long as you can live with the results of your own labor, you can try anything. If anyone has an idea for a kind of boot that would go over the bolts in the upright and help hide the holes in the panel, please throw in.
Hope it inspires someone to improve it, or come up with something better.
I have a luggage rack on order, and I am looking for some sort of boot to cover the screws and cutouts on the panel, but over all I am pleased with how it turned out.
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | ****standing in applause**** Great job C. Man, that's it, don't be afraid. I've got a tig welder I was going to sell, never been used, but I'm going to have to figure out how to plug it in, I've got a strange plug on the end and it doesn't match the dryer. But I'm ready to start making something.
What you did was just as good, if not better than vic's solution, you go! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 233
flagstaff, AZ | Wow, I'm impressed. what good, inexpensive solution. Thank you |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | Excellent! Very clever solution to a pricey problem. now just locate a cool medallion to go where that 'pukin' buzzard' went! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Jacksonville, Florida | SYNSTR - 2011-03-27 5:17 PM
Excellent! Very clever solution to a pricey problem. now just locate a cool medallion to go where that 'pukin' buzzard' went!
Yep. I think I will "glue" a USAF Medallion there. The worst part of it was going into HD and ordering the parts. The guy was like "what bike is it for?"... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | And your answer should have been 'nothing you would understand' |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 623
| aweosme....but how do you keep the inside (under the seat area) so clean??? Mine is dusty, dirty road grime under there, always has been |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 37
Coos Bay, Oregon | What a great job, you might check with your local wrecking yard for a couple of large rubber gromlets used on the fire walls of cars for sealing around wiring harness that route thru the fire wall or dash in the engine compartment. Once you have a make and model you can buy a new one, these are usually black rubber. This is what I like about this site, seeing what others are doing for getting ideas. Again good job. Scott |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 25
Southern Maine | I couldn't part with the money they wanted for the backrest and was looking to gain a little room for for my wife along with dropping the weight of the trunk so I went the same route, an old school HD bar and made the mount, the only differance is my mount is all below the plastic panel. My project this winter is adding a Cycleops rack. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | Smart - now your thinking... I like it!
But - the bike is too clean under the seat.
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Cruiser
Posts: 100
| Nice job! That turned out great! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Jacksonville, Florida | jeffmack - 2011-03-27 9:11 PM
aweosme....but how do you keep the inside (under the seat area) so clean??? Mine is dusty, dirty road grime under there, always has been
It's on my wife's list of chores to clean the bike weekly, inside and out.
That was a lie. Lord I apologize, and be with the starving pigmes down in New Guinea. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| Great idea.
Just looking at it quick you should be able to build with all square stock and bolt it together. Just make the top holes big enough for the socket to fit through.
Ice headlights they have a nice rubber boot that might look nice on your unit. Also look into short rubber boots used on floor shifters. Attach with a black tie wrap? Or a SS band and a SS screw to hold in place.
Since you build to fit maybe you could use a 3rd party backrest? Kuryakyn, National or someone else? I have a couple of old Victory backrests. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 109
Sturbridge, Ma | Great work!!! I like doing those kind of projects myself! One tip for finished work? See if can get some sort of groumet to go around the drilled trunk panel to make it look even cleaner!!!
I put running and turn signals replacing out red reflectors on the lower of saddle bags and came out like it came from MFG.  |
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Tourer
Posts: 323
Troy, NY | Nice!! Does the wife like it too? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 34
Encino, CA | I had a fabricator do one for me as well... a little different than yours. He made everything from scratch including the upholstery etc. Very comfortable...but I think that yours looks a bit cleaner than mine. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 34
Encino, CA | did my pic come through? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Jacksonville, Florida | adirondacks - 2011-03-28 9:22 PM
Nice!! Does the wife like it too?
She was 3/4 of the reason I decided to do this. She doesn't like feeling boxed in by the trunk box, so the little bit of riding we have done, she loves it. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Jacksonville, Florida | glenster - 2011-03-29 12:16 AM
did my pic come through?
Not yet |
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Cruiser
Posts: 134
, MO | Awesome job! |
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Tourer
Posts: 430
| Excellent! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 244
| I understand they now make the back rest again! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 122
Westchester Co., NY | Very nice job. |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| OMG you used a harley back rest. Sorry to say this but it looks like you need some gusset's bracing be hing the up rights |
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Cruiser
Posts: 134
, MO | Chapp, how did you measure to decide what backrest you were going to use or did you?? im just curious what backrests i can find that will work.
Im wanting to do the same thing.
Thanks |
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New user
Posts: 1
| Nice!!! I will be making one myself ASAP |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | Bump... so cool! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 244
| Eric MA: I put running and turn signals replacing out red reflectors on the lower of saddle bags and came out like it came from MFG.
Due have some Picture of them and some detail on what you did? |
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My Passenger Backrest Solution