Upgraded tour pack backrest?

[jlklein]

Hi folks,
So I saw a good deal on a Vulcan 900 tour pack so I decided to try it on the Nomad before pulling the plug on one of the over $600 used Nomad/Voyager ones I've seen (if lucky).



It fit fine, one of those simple ones that clamp to the luggage rack (yeah, I know, 15# limit, but I never put anything heavy in there and rarely have a passenger anymore). However, as it seems that it was one of those cheap "sub $100 new" varieties, my wife told me the backrest itself leaves a bit to be desired when we tested it out. Her complaint was the the stock backrest let her lean back, while the tourpack makes her sit up straight (she rides her own normally, though). Does anyone know of any replacement backrest pads I could swap out? I've seen Kawasaki OEM Pillow Top Trunk Backrest Pads for the Voyager 1700/Nomad for just over $100 but dont' know if they'd fit.

Thanks,
Jeff

[alwhite00]

Can you just slide the “Tour pack” back a bit? Myself I would get the proper mount for it but it may tell you if it’s a positional thing.

[jlklein]

Originally Posted by alwhite00

Can you just slide the “Tour pack” back a bit? Myself I would get the proper mount for it but it may tell you if it’s a positional thing.

Maybe a little, but it's not that she's pushed forward to much so much as it's straight up and down with no lower back support.

Jeff

[andyvh1959]

Just looking at the picture, the tail box is way too far forward. Looks to me like 4" rearward would be about right. The leading face of the backrest should line up with the rearmost top seam of rear seat. The picture shows there is no room for her lower back to slightly curve back under the backrest. I set up the same box on my friend's VN900 and his wife said it's very comfy and she felt far more secure on it than the stock Kawasaki backrest. I positioned the front of the backrest just lightly rear of the back edge of the seat.

I installed a HD style tailbox on my VN1600, with the wrap around style backrest, and my bike also has the Russell seat set. I test fitted it first for my wife to sit on the bike before bolting it in place. She likes the position as it allows her lean slightly back while wearing a riding jacket.

[jlklein]

Thanks, folks, I'll try moving it back and see how that does.

Jeff

[andyvh1959]

Here is a pic of the tailbox and backrest I set up on my friend's VN900. If you look close at the picture you can see the front of the backrest aligns with the top rear seam of the rear Mustang seat.

[jlklein]

Thanks, Andy, that helps. It looks like the lower pad on that backrest comes out much farther than mine as well, so in addition to moving it back I'll look into putting some additional padding on the lower trunk section behind that flap to give it some more lower back support.

Thanks,
Jeff