Harley Rider Backrest: Critical Review

This junk costs $250. Do not buy it; the fit is awful. It is difficult to use, unstable, and cannot be adjusted to actually support your back without pushing you into the tank. Demonstrated on a 2008 Road King Classic (FLHRC) Twin Cam with both stock and Sundowner seats. I don't mean to be overly critical, but I wish I hadn't spent my money.

Rider Backrest Mounting Kit: part #52587-09
Road King Classic Style Rider Backrest: part #52583-09A
same design as: 52914-09A, 52900-09A, 51631-09A, 52572-09A, 52589-09A

This is the review, verbatim, that I posted on the Harley-Davidson product review website. It was quickly removed because H-D censors negative product reviews. FrEeDoM 🇺🇸

I would not recommend this backrest. There is substantial side-to-side motion due to the spring mechanism, but also forward-backward laxity that sometimes squeaks. This also prevents a passenger from holding the backrest for stability, and unfortunately the grab strap is displaced by the backrest, rendering it unusable. The skirt isn't long enough to tolerate this motion and gets untucked easily. The machine screw in the back can't be turned and does nothing. The paint on the mounting arms became damaged and began peeling during the first installation. The (separate) mounting bracket is poorly designed relative to the placement of the stock Road King Classic seat, meaning the backmost slot is physically unusable because it is so far under the passenger seat. Also thanks to this mount, the backrest angle is unacceptably far forward; even after adding shims to the front, the backrest prevents me from sitting as far back in the seat as I'd like to. Overall, I am unhappy with this backrest and wish I hadn't purchased it. I have not received responses to my e-mails about my quality concerns.

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#HarleyDavidson #RoadKing #FLHRC