Harrison Specialties Driver's Backrest

 

WHY?  Comfort.  I've never used a backrest before, but I have encountered some lower back fatigue/pain on very long rides and thought that a backrest might offer some relief.  Since I've added a Corbin seat to the Softail I thought that I'd check out their backrests--they looked very nice, but prices start at about $200 and I really didn't want to spend that much on an experiment.  While browsing eBay I happened upon a backrest sold by an eBay reseller called Harrison Specialties; they offered a small (7"X7") unit made to fit the brackets in Corbin seats.  The price was only $79 and the product looked decent, so I decided to take a chance and placed the order.  I paid via Paypal.

SERVICE.  Excellent.  After placing the order I received an email confirmation; it was followed the next day by a shipping notice and tracking number.  The backrest arrived at my door via UPS four days later.  This is great service by any measure, and the way eBay business should be done.  Other online sellers should take note.  The backrest was packed well and arrived undamaged but with no installation instructions.

INSTALLATION. Really simple, and one that can be accomplished by the average home mechanic; even though no instructions were included the installation was pretty well self-explanatory.  I had to remove the seat to secure the steel shank with the provided bolt, but the entire process took me less than 5 minutes.

RESULTS.  Surprisingly nice.  I was not expecting much at this price, but the quality and utility of this backrest was really pretty good.  My curiosity got the best of me so I disassembled it to look at its construction before I installed it; no cheap stuff here--this product is sturdy and really well-made.  The 5/8" steel shank fits perfectly in the Corbin mounting slot and the pad angle is adjustable via an Allen set screw.  The seams on the cover were straight and sturdy, and the bottom side was zippered to allow access to the inside of the works.  The quality of the vinyl cover was not exactly top-notch, but it did match the Corbin leather very well.  After mounting the backrest I guessed at the proper pad angle and set off on a 5-hour ride.  It worked incredibly well and provided excellent support for my lower back; at no point in the ride did my back stiffen or pain me.  What an nice addition!  The only downside I discovered is the fact that the backrest makes it slightly more difficult to mount and dismount the bike; swinging your leg over it takes a bit of practice.

Worth the money?   Absolutely.  I don't know how well the Corbin backrest works, but this one works very well for about 1/3 the price.  Two thumbs up!