Passenger Back Rest Problem

[Comanche]

Before I bought the NT last month, I was on a long ride from south Texas to Las Vegas and found, on my return home, that my wife secretly envied me on that road to adventure. When I bought the NT, we decided she would try riding with me a some - short runs to dinner or maybe a 50 miler to the coast for breakfast.

When we lived overseas, all we had was a motorbike for transportation and she packed double on it daily. After returning to the US, she rode with me on the old bike on occassion. There was a Givi top case with back rest to lean back on, but there had been no back rest on the motorbike overseas.

The first time she road the NT, she liked it and so did I - the bike handled the added weight easily. However, yesterday, new Helibar risers and a Givi top case was added to the bike.

We had a problem neither of us had anticipated - there was hardly any room for her. I sat as close to the tank as I could get, but the back rest on the Givi really pushed her forward. As I looked at the setup, the back rest was forward of the back the NT's seat. She was uncomfortable and I was not in a good riding position.

I would really like to keep Mama riding. Not on my long tours, but for the occassional ride to the beach or a cool new restaurant an hour away. The top box is a necessity, but obviously, it can come off for a ride.

Does anybody have any idea for putting some sort of back rest on the Givi rack? Some other idea that will give her some support to lean back against? She says she used to ride the motorbike without a backrest, but we also didn't travel any faster than 30 mph. The higher speeds here in the US kinda spook her.

 

[tawilke46]

Is there a way to move the Givi case to the rear? I bought the Honda top case with backrest for my NT. The backrest only comes forward to the rear of the pillion seat. I have no experience with the Givi on the NT. Although the Honda case is made by Givi.

 

[Warren]

Remove the backrest. If she wears a riding jacket it most likely has a backpad built into it.

 

[suvcw04]

Replace the Givi with a JCWhitney $80 box. YOU decide where it gets positioned.

 

[Comanche]

Replace the Givi with a JCWhitney $80 box. YOU decide where it gets positioned.

Tell me more - the Givi rack is mounted on the NT's flat rack behind the pillion seat. Does the JCW box allow me to move it around to a different place on the NT's flat area?

 

[suvcw04]

Tell me more - the Givi rack is mounted on the NT's flat rack behind the pillion seat. Does the JCW box allow me to move it around to a different place on the NT's flat area?

Look at this:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/showthread.php?1926-JC-Whitney-top-box&highlight=
in "JC Whitney top box" thread to see how mine is mounted. Since you have to drill holes for the plate to mount to the NT, you get to decide where it is placed on the bike.
My box cost around $80 for the box and small hardware pieces to mount it. It had been on my Kaw 500 previously for 5 years and now on the NT for 2 years.
It isn't a Givi, but I didn't have to cash in my 40ik for it either.

 

[Comanche]

Look at this:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/showthread.php?1926-JC-Whitney-top-box&highlight=
in "JC Whitney top box" thread to see how mine is mounted. Since you have to drill holes for the plate to mount to the NT, you get to decide where it is placed on the bike.
My box cost around $80 for the box and small hardware pieces to mount it. It had been on my Kaw 500 previously for 5 years and now on the NT for 2 years.
It isn't a Givi, but I didn't have to cash in my 40ik for it either.

Thanx for that. As I look at your set up, it looks to mew as though the JCW box is at just about the same place as my Givi is mounted - the front edge of the box even with the back edge of the seat.

Hmmm - gotta work on this.

 

[Herb]

Remove the backrest. If she wears a riding jacket it most likely has a backpad built into it.

I agree with this. My wife and I went cross country with a Givi 46 with no back rest. Plenty of room and comfort.

 

[Comanche]

I agree with this. My wife and I went cross country with a Givi 46 with no back rest. Plenty of room and comfort.

Thanx, Herb - we'll give this a try tonight. I went through your albums - you're not a tiny guy, so hopefully, that's all I will have to do is take the back rest off.

I have risers on my bike - we'll see if be sitting back more makes a difference.

BTW - that was quite a ride you two made!!

 

[Comanche]

Remove the backrest. If she wears a riding jacket it most likely has a backpad built into it.

Well, duh!!

It really was that simple - I over complicated things. Took the back rest off, told her to put on her jacket and we had plenty of space.

Now to figure out a way to plug up the two holes left over from the back rest. :tongue:

 

[U20417]

Replace the Givi with a JCWhitney $80 box. YOU decide where it gets positioned.

The $80 box is now $45 including shipping, or at least it was a month or two back when I bought one. For the price it was a great bargin. Unfortunately I needed just a little more room then it offered. I ended up getting a Bestern for about $85 that was a little bigger.

Both boxes allow you to decide how far back to mount the box. So I mounted where the front of the backrest is even with the back of the seat. Seems to allow plenty of room for two up riding.

 

[Comanche]

If your wife doesn't have a back pad in her jacket, many of the online retailers sell back pads separately. I'm just thinking your wife might not have a back pad and is saying it is comfortable just to be with a great guy like you, when it really wasn't comfortable.

Chris

Ya think so, eh? After 42 years (almost 43) she would just say that? :wink::wink:

Her jacket is a real bike jacket with armor - I wouldn't put her on the back without it.

I'll try Ace on the plugs.

The bike is about one half farkled out. The Helibar risers are great - much much more comfortable. With the top box on it, I now have choices I didn't have with the Burgman - and find that most days I don't need the top box what with the panniers. I still have to wire the Powerlet outlet and add the Cee Bailey wind screen, and the headlight modulator next week, then I'll try it out on a ride to Houston to let Trang ride pillion and check out the additions since she saw the bike on the day I bought it.

Lovin' my NT.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I'll try Ace on the plugs.

NAPA (or any auto parts store where professional mechanics shop) also has a wide selection of plugs, plastic and rubber which would do well stopping up those holes.