Backrest for my 1150GS

[Earache]

The wife is demanding a backrest for the GS as I don't use a topbox. The only ones I could find for sale were pretty pricey and not exactly what I was looking for, either.

So out to the shop. First, I rounded off some corners on a base plate and drilled some holes for mounting it on existing screw locations...

Milled a couple of upright supports out of some .250" thick aluminum. Wish I had amde these a bit longer, but the stock I had didn't allow it. Milled some holes in them to give it a bit of a design and to lighten it up a touch...

 

[Earache]

I bought this pad off of eBay awhile back for $20. I couldn't make a pad look this good or for this cheap, so buying it was the best option.
It was from a Yamaha cruiser of some kind and was in like new condition...

Was hard to find a non-Harley Davidson back rest pad here in the States. Didn't want an HD logo or fringe hanging off of the pad.

 

[Earache]

Squared up some stock for the backrest plate...

Marked the pad bolt hole pattern on it...

And here's the basic look of the thing...

 

[Earache]

Wife saw it and said it covered up the roundel. So a hole was bored for that...

I ran out of time Sunday to finish it, but will put some more holes in some sort of pattern on the backrest plate to lighten it up and add a bit of design to it. Hopefully that'll lighten it up and make it look less bulky. Will then jig it up and weld it together.

Then I'll powdercoat it a flat black color to make it look a bit better and reduce corrosion of the aluminum.

Finally, have to come up with some fasteners that allow me to take it on and off quickly so I can use it only when the wife is riding pillion.

If anyone has any design ideas to make it look better, please post them. Trying hard to make it look like something other than a big assed piece of alloy bolted to the bike.

I'll post some more pics of it when it's done.

 

[john_aero]

looks good job

what cnc you have?

 

[Earache]

looks good job

what cnc you have?

It's an ancient Emco F1. Can only do fairly small parts in it, need to upgrade but don't have the space for a larger machine.
The manual mill is a Rong Fu 45 and my lathe is a Smithy (Taiwanese / Chinese import). Need to upgrade the lathe sometime soon as well, this one only has a 13" swing and I'd like something a bit bigger.

 

[Canuck]

Is it slightly tilting backwards or perfectly vertical? Which is more comfortable?

 

[Earache]

Is it slightly tilting backwards or perfectly vertical? Which is more comfortable?

It'll be full vertically once it's welded together. That's the way it was on my Pan and the wife wants the same thing on this bike. The height looks to be pretty high as well, but again, replicating what the Pan had on it. The wife is 5'11" so it needs to be fairly tall for her.

 

[Canuck]

What the boss wants she gets! My wife uses the topbox with a sheepskin pad behind her back which is vertical... I was just wondering if tilting it a bit would be any better and more comfortable and as you are making one if this was a consideration. Cheers! and good work!

 

[Earache]

What the boss wants she gets! My wife uses the topbox with a sheepskin pad behind her back which is vertical... I was just wondering if tilting it a bit would be any better and more comfortable and as you are making one if this was a consideration. Cheers! and good work!

I never considered an adjustable angle for it as that's not what she wanted - but it does make more sense and it's not too late to incorporate something like that - good idea, thanks!