I just finished replacing the "Street Glide Stitching", mid-sized backrest pad with the "smooth", oversized backrest pad to match the "smooth" Sundowner seat for the wife. It should have been a simple three-bolt swap and sell the mid-sized backrest on Ebay for a few bucks .... but, nooooo!

The original back rest was a dealer provided accessory when the bike was purchased by the previous owner. Thanks to that dealer, all three bolts simply spun in the bolt head socket. So, I thought I would save the backrest pad by only removing the cover staples to access the bolts from underneath ... again, nooooo!

After completely removing the the pad and cover from the plastic backing destroying the cover, "Dremeling" out the plastic bolt head sockets to access the bolts and finally getting two bolts off, this is what I was left with. Again, thanks to a dealer installed accessory.

These backrests don't require alot of torque ... save a backrest and don't install with a ratchet ... 60 in-lbs. is not much torque. I used a socket and extension and hand tightened each bolt a little at a time until hand tight.



Finally off ...



At least the wife is happier ...

 

If you would have removed the staples all along the bottom the cover is pretty easy to remove. Not that it helps now ! I had one like that as well, what a chickenshit cheap hunk of $100 garbage.

 

I removed each and every staple along the bottom, but by that time, I really was not in the mood to save the cover. Oh well, backrest dowwwwn ... !

With the staples removed, it would be soooo easy to slide a wrench up there and remove a simple bolt instead of designing a weak brass insert held in by a plastic hex hole. Surely, the manufacturer would know these would easily strip or was that the plan all along?

 

Oh I now see the neat pile of staples in the picture I wonder if the newer ones are any better ? Like maybe they listened to people complain or are the majority of Harley owners just not the complaining type and more of the just buy something new type?

The design would have been easy to make stronger, the brass inserts could have had ridges instead of little fine knurling and a little more injection molded plastic might have been used for strength. they already had plenty of web or gussets in the design.

Enjoy the new comfort !