Backrests

[Anonymous]

Last year I bought a very nice looking 1983 GS550L. I've had the toughest time finding accessories for this bike. I would like to install a backrest. Ideally, I would like the backrest/luggage rack, but the backrest itself is the most important thing...I want to give my wife some support back there.

Any thoughts as to where I might get my hands on one of those (new or used)? I've looked around online a lot and have struck out completely.

If, by some miracle, someone has one of those they'd like to part with, let me know about that too.

Thanks a lot! (I'm posting to this forum in addition to the Parts Wanted forum because of the amount of traffic here.)

Scott

[crag antler]

As always keep an eye open on eBay, but also start visiting any motorcycle shops in your area that sells used bikes. Sometimes they will take backrests off the bikes before reselling them. K&G made a good rest a few years ago and you might luck out anf find one that way.
Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

Backrest/Sissy Bar

Scott,

I'm looking also for backrest, sissy bar, and perhaps luggage rack for my 1985 GS550L which is pretty much the same as your 1983 GS550L.

It appears that nobody made any such direct bolt on parts for this model. I've found highway bars, case guards and a few other things through diligent searching around the internet but little else. I did get a set of case guards that were for 1983 year that fit my 1985 just fine. I got the last set of case guards that BikePartsOutlet.com had. They have that site and also sell odd things on ebay. On their main site they sell things that they have a larger quantity of that are in various conditions. The case guards were new old stock (NOS) (old package but chrome cleaned up OK with lacquer thinner to get the residue from the old plastic shrink wrap off).

Thay had some sissy bars (straight - style) that were really cheap, and apparently rusted pretty bad. They were really old-fashioned but I don't know if they could be made to fit.

Our real problem is everything out there is made for dual shocks. We have the mono shock. One of the photos in the GS gallery here shows a similar bike as ours with the old dual shock mount style bolted through the pillion side handle (to frame) mount bolts (where it bolts to frame at the front). It doesn't look real good in my opinion but I guess it works and it would be more stable and spread out forces throughout the frame well.

On ours it's not simply a matter of pulling the rear pillion loop and replacing it with a sissy bar because the metal isn't straight and the bottom nut is permanently attached to the loop on each side. Look down from the top or go to a parts fiche and you'll see what I mean. If it was straight we could just remove the loop and replace it.

With all that said, I think I'm leaning toward adding a sissy bar attached to the outside of the pillion rear loop using stainless steel bolts, nuts and lockwashers. I'd just drill right through the loop rubber cover and through the steel core and bolt it up. I figure a 24 inch sissy bar would be fine. Expect to make my own pad. If I find a combination sissy bar, pad, and luggage rack on e-bay I might go for it but I'm worried about the spread between the sissy bar legs. I figured aroung 9 1/2 to 10 inches would be OK. I think most Harley's use different attachments and the width won't match. Probably have to use something for a newer jap bike but we don't need the sideplates that they make for them on the GS's.

I even considered bicycle sissy bars but I dont' think they'd be heavy enough nor wide enough.

Anybody have any better or more ideas?

Tim

[GARYEIN1]

BACKRESTS

I HAVE AN 85 GS550L ALSO
DON'T RIDE ANYONE SO I'M MOUNTING A TRUNK I PICKUP
THAT HAD A BUILT IN BACKREST IN
FORWARD SO IT WORKS AS A BACKREST FOR ME ON LONG RIDES

GARY