Quest to reduce lower back issues.

New (to me) bike, but with a few mods which make it hard to baseline.

1. Seat (extra foam/height) and backrest removed.
2. Floor boards not standard
3. Bars approx 60mm lower.
4. YSS aftermarket shocks.

I can return seat to stock position by removing foam, if that's better.
I can put on bar risers, but unlikely I'll get 60mm back.
Apparently shocks work better with a load - will try putting a few weight plates under the seat and see what happens.
Floor boards are a challenge to change.

Anyway, I'll annotate my changes here and hope for the best. I'm getting lower back pain from ~40ish minute rides.

Back pain----feet forward riding position is/can be hard on back/spine.   Real fix get proper motorcyle, but not cruiser.   my 83 year old back ok because I get off every hour.

How about a backrest? Here is a highly effective and well-made Utopia backrest. There are other less expensive options out there for raising the original butt stop to backrest height. Use the Search window (above) to find previous discussions about that. Or search eBay.

https://www.utpr.com/silverwingnew.html

The Utopia backrest worked for me because, I think, it pushed me slightly forward from the bum-stop.
It isn't cheap but I think it's usually worth paying for quality.

Why, oh, why would someone bastardize a Silver Wing like that? I can picture a yard full of non-working cars, refrigerators, washing machines, and other assorted junk.

There are many preferences concerning seat comfort. I bought a bike with an expensive and hard Corbin with two backrests, hated it, and traded even for a stock seat. Stock has always been fine for me. The butt stop (raised 3 or 4" using flat bar) is essential for me as it helps to keep the lower spine aligned and I sit straighter. The softer foam of the stock seat absorbs some road shocks.

Try setting your rear springs to #1 position.

Quick question regarding the butt stop/ backrest- there are kits on eBay made by 3 Brothers Performance- if the stop is raised 3.5”, I assume it’s up and back a hair (so more or less raises it on a diagonal if you were looking at the scooter from the side). Is that accurate? I took the stop off last time I rode the Swing but I’d rather have it on there and just raise it up a bit.

Erdoc48 wrote:

Quick question regarding the butt stop/ backrest- there are kits on eBay made by 3 Brothers Performance- if the stop is raised 3.5”, I assume it’s up and back a hair (so more or less raises it on a diagonal if you were looking at the scooter from the side). Is that accurate? I took the stop off last time I rode the Swing but I’d rather have it on there and just raise it up a bit.

It does go up and back a bit. Not good for a passenger. With longer bolts and some kind of spacer (I use nuts) you can tilt the butt stop forward if you wish.

OK, thanks for the reply- we wouldn’t ride 2 up anyway- I got the scoot for the Mrs. She and I can go with her on that and me on the ST1100 (unless gas prices go any higher, then it might become a commuter)

While Utopia backrests are nicely made and work as backrest,if that is what you think you need---but they are heavy and screw up the balance of the stock seat in the up position---I find paint mixing stick keeps seat up.

Back to real basics, the back problems are caused by foot forward position and being out of shape and maybe too fat!

I had lower-back problems 30 years before I rode a maxi and I wasn't overweight or out of shape then.

Good grief someone has made a mess of that, unless it was a total write off at some stage and that's just made of the bits left plus anything found from a spree of skip diving.
Those checkerplate footboard look like a good way to perform lower leg amputations in event of a topple.
Apologies if I sound negative but that bike looks dangerous as it is.

I had back aches on my FJR until I realized I was leaning forward too much. Handlebar risers and a slight adjustment to my seating position and I can do hundreds of miles - with breaks.

I would definitely get rid of the huge hump on the seat. Might make it softer but you don't really need it softer, just as long as the original material is not ripped up and still has padding. An Airhawk is good for butt padding but you inflate it only a little. It's to help spread the pressure. Strain on the back muscles and spine causes back pain. I think the scooter is meant to be ridden as if you are sitting in a kitchen chair. Upright.

I find that leg froward and feet on the back of the cowling is fine for me and helps my knees. It also lets me push back against the butt bump. Then feet flat and scoot forward an inch and I'm in a different position. Being able to move around on the bike really helps if you are going to go over an hour in one go.

The kit that turns the butt bump into a low back support has really helped prevent the low back pain I always got on long rides on other bikes. The quality control is hit or miss and the guy can be gruff, but he always seems to make it right:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/270772988952

Here’s another one but I don’t know anything about their product:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255500404378?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=255500404378&targetid=4580359295528871&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=437225724&mkgroupid=1228154759183859&rlsatarget=pla-4580359295528871&abcId=9300907&merchantid=51291&msclkid=ee5c634c17b417877ac801ebf70ae5a4

BrianInVA wrote:

The kit that turns the butt bump into a low back support has really helped prevent the low back pain I always got on long rides on other bikes. The quality control is hit or miss and the guy can be gruff, but he always seems to make it right:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/270772988952

Here’s another one but I don’t know anything about their product:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255500404378?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=255500404378&targetid=4580359295528871&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=437225724&mkgroupid=1228154759183859&rlsatarget=pla-4580359295528871&abcId=9300907&merchantid=51291&msclkid=ee5c634c17b417877ac801ebf70ae5a4

I’m looking to get the one in your second link, so I wrote to the eBay seller today- they’re on vacation until 6/30, so I have to wit til then, but from what I read, the lift gets you anther 1.5-2” backwards movement, which would likely be a very good solution.

If you have lower back issues and need and lumbar support, a simple and inexpensive solution is wearing a kidney belt. They're a popular piece of kit with European riders, buy one to fit your waist size then tailor the fit with the Velcro sides. 


Riding in hot weather, buy a ventilated one, want to keep your kidneys area warm in winter, buy a thermal one.

We used those belts a lot in ridge and plunger frame days.. they worked.

By the mods described, sounds like the previous owner was long limbed and tried to increase the  distance between the floor and hand controls and his hand/foot reach?

Prior owned hit a kangaroo and it destroyed all the plastics. He then rebuilt - it’s actually very well done.
He modified it for dirt roads.
Hot grips going on this week, then will tackle the seat.
Anyone know if a hand-held staple gun will do the job? Or, do I need to get an air powered one?
Thanks

Craftbike wrote:

Prior owned hit a kangaroo and it destroyed all the plastics. He then rebuilt - it’s actually very well done.
He modified it for dirt roads.
Hot grips going on this week, then will tackle the seat.
Anyone know if a hand-held staple gun will do the job? Or, do I need to get an air powered one?
Thanks

From my experience: Air

Hot grips on, and bought some cheap 'lever protectors' to help the mitts retain their shape. They're garbage quality, but seem to be doing the job. Some mornings at the moment are around 0C or 30F, so they're being enjoyed.



Also got the foam out of the seat. Turns out the prior owner had used more seat cover material over the top of the foam, so I only had to remove staples, not add any.



I put in the butt rest (pushed as far back as I could), but then realised I had these things left over. Are they anything to do with the seat?



Will take a test-ride of maybe 60km tomorrow. So far, it feels like I'm closer to the handlebars than I'd like (just sitting on it in the garage).

Also got a new rear tyre put on. Removing and replacing the rear wheel wasn't as bad as I anticipated.

Here’s my (latest) solution…
I have a tail bag I use on all 3 bikes- it’s usually pointed in the opposite direction, but with it this way and with the buttrest removed, and with a BeadRider on the seat, it feels quite comfy. I wanted to get the buttrest riser but the eBay seller was to be on vacay til the end of June, but now it says his store is closed until later July. i might still get the piece if available, but if not, this will work out just fine. The strut is strong enough to keep the seat up (and I have a wood stick just in case)- the bag contains tire repair equipment and a tire pump, as well as some minor tools. This way, the storage space stays intact for my use. If the Mrs wants to ride, I can quickly put the buttrest back in place.

Erdoc - thanks. I really like that idea. I have a few old tail packs and tank bags I’ll have a play with.

Did about 100k (including about 20k on bumpy dirt roads) the other day and it was better. Need a bigger ride to really confirm, but appears to be on the right track.

Quote: "I put in the butt rest (pushed as far back as I could), but then realised I had these things left over. Are they anything to do with the seat?"

Those pieces that you have on the seat need to go behind the butt stop. The two brackets on the butt stop slide into those parts and screws under the seat lock the butt stop in place.

Thanks Wingman. Will have a look.

Also, I noticed a screw missing on the swing arm. Can anyone confirm what it does? I don’t have the standard park brake (been removed). Thanks

It's for the parking brake cable stop.

I didn't remove mine but I have a bit of tape over the handle of it to remind me or my friend not to use it. It sticks and also gets forgotten about. I use an elastic over the rear brake lever when I need a parking brake. You'll never miss that driving off.

Thanks, Smellybeard.
I’d recently removed the rear wheel so that’s good to know!

We’ll, I think the quest is over, for now. Seems ok for daily trips.

Will do a multiple day camping trip soon and see how I go. If any more dramas, I’ll pop back in and see if I can find a fix.

Sorry about resurrecting an old thread however, I found a solution that works very well for me. What I wound up doing is to remove the back rest as well as the brackets off the seat, install a piece of firm foam rubber over the existing holes where the brackets would be (because of these projections in the plastic of the seat pan) and then I covered the whole thing with a Sit N Fly mesh seat cover ($30 shipped). The cover size is XXXL2 and is sold by paulibiker on eBay. I just completed it and in truth, it does take a little effort to get the seat to latch however, once it is latched, it will likely squeeze the cover into submission as it has on my ST1100s (I have AirFlow seat covers on those but it’s the same type of seat cover).

Good info, thanks for sharing!