Modern Vespa

Has anyone put a backrest for the driver on their scoot or seen such a thing?
I have been riding now for 3 months and my lower back has been sore for 2 months. I think I want to put a backrest on the scooter. Any ideas?

corbin seat has something

175,

Thanks, that's a place to at least get some ideas from.

Mark, How tall are you?

I am 6'2" and I slide almost all the way back on the seat. I have used a few different "custom Backrests" but mine are based on the driver being able to slide back almost to the topcase.

Oh yes they make a seat bag that has a backrest built in as well. check out motorsport scooters or scooterworks

I put a Utopia backrest on my GT200 and it is really great. Utopia makes them for a lot of modern scooters. Then when I got a GTS300 I put it on that and it works as well on it. A really adjustable seat back that allows me to ride for 2-3 hours without any pain. They really do support my lower back. They are fairly expensive, over $200 I think, but well worth it to me. They are upholstered in a "matching" black vinyl (they may make them in other colors), and they have a bag with a shoulder strap that velcros on the back. I've put them on Helixs, Burgmans, Siverwings, etc in the past ten years. The only ones I haven't put them on are ones they don't make. Just type in "Utopia" and you'll see their site.

karlu
las cruces, nm

I just noticed you have a Kymco...I think Utopia does NOT make a backrest for the Kymcos, but you can check their site.

karlu
las cruces, nm

You could try something like this (it should work for Kymco, Vespa, etc):

http://www.scooterwest.com/items/?_pageCCS=t#page=/item_details/SX-Appeal-Pak-Rest-Case-w-Backrest-in-BLACK/1774

Check out Utopia. I believe he will make a backrest for anything. You might have to send him your seat though.

I use a http://bikersfriend.com/ bag. It is easily movable and has a variety of sizes/costs to fit your size/scoot/budget. VERY durable. I use ROK straps to attach to my scoot and run a alarm locking cable thru as I've had one stolen before.

The group I ride with in the winter is about 50% Honda Helixes and several of the riders have had custom back rests built very inexpensively. Imagine a cardboard box sized to be as wide as the seat, a long as the distance from the riders back to the tail rack, and as high as needed to be comfortable. Now change the angles so that it tapers down toward the back and narrows front to back. Now make it out of fairly firm polyurethane foam and cover it with black leatherette/vinyl. Secured to scooter with with a couple of attached straps that run under the seat. They can move them around from scooter to scooter. Any local upholstery shop can make it for you.

I don't have pictures and I can't draw it for you; I hope you can envision what I have described.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

Mogee,
I'm 5'7'' so I don't have to scoot that far back. I have a lot of room on the back of that Kymco seat!

Karlu, Baudler
The Utopia suggestion is my ideal backrest--I like the adjustability.

sallad and smrf,
I think that either of these bags would do the trick--and provide luggage for my eventual out of town rides!!

Tor2ga,
The homemade backrest is what I was going to do at first. Then I figured I would ask here on MV as you all would have undoubtedly researched all this already.
I searched for backrests but did not actually come up with much. I presume being an inexperienced rider precluded me from realizing that more options existed.

I was going to make something like what is pictured below.
The picture comes from this site:

http://scootinoldskool.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/necessity-is-a-mother/

I like this fellow's website. It is an interesting and entertaining read.

http://www.corbin.com/accessories/02-s.shtml

Corbin will add a slot for the rider back rest if ordered with a new seat, you'll pay 5 bill's + for the seat and back rest. but will have a very good seat.

i dont yet have my actual vespa, but i do have a backrest that i baught and i plan to bend it to fit and weld it to the front. not only will this idea help the driver, but a passenger can feel extra safe and hold on. i am also going to put a handle on it for the passenger to hold onto.

Mark,

There is a Kymco Yahoo Group & Kymco Forum that you may want to ask also.Good luck!

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/kymcoscooterforum/

http://kymcoforum.com/index.php

MARK, I do highly recommend the bikersfriend bag as it is not only a backrest plus storage. I use it daily on my scoot but have also attached to friends' scoots who don't have a support of any kind and correcgtly strapped on the bikersfriend bag gave absolutely perfect solid support.

This bag will not collapse on you when empty...read the specs on the factory site about the inner core. It rocks.

You can find them on ebay from time to time and save some money if you don't mind used.

smrf, I did not notice this on my first pass of the website. I was wondering about that very thing if I go with a bag. This bag seems like a real winner. These guys really have put a lot of thought into this product.
I am going to St. Louis this weekend. I wonder if they have a retail store or will let me stop by to check it out?

I have seen/toyed with a SX Appeal bag that is advertised as a backrest but it's much smaller than the smallest bikersfriend bag and is very flimsy. It easily would squish if not loaded to the max...while the bikersfriend bag can easily support a couple of hundred pounds without compromise.

Do checkout the bag size page http://bikersfriend.com/pages/bagsize.htm to see what will suit your needs. Personally, I started with the med-large but found my flip up full face Shoei would not fit in it unless I jammed it in and I feared scratching the visor. I than bought an XL which was great.....but sadly it was stolen. I have replaced it finally with a large now though I haven't ridden with the large yet as I got it about the time I got rear-ended so I'm waiting for the Smrfmobile to come home to put the 'new'/used bikersfriends bag on. All the bags I've owned were bought on Ebay.

I don't know if they have a retail storefront for you to buy direct from...but it doesn't hurt to ask and save on some shipping!!

Sure looks like the bag/backrest to buy to me smrf. Just looked on ebay....didn't see any. If I were riding, I'd buy one now! Sad someone stole one of yours, even sadder that your ride is still getting cured hope you are too!

I emailed Biker's Friend and they do not sell out of a storefront. It is online sales only.

I think I am going to order a medium size and give it a try.

I was also thinking about running straps under the seat to make sure the bag doesn't shift.

Can anyone recommend a flat but thin and strong strap?

I would also like to put the strap connectors under the seat as well as an anti-theft measure.

Honestly, I think a comely and amply endowed pillion rider makes the best backrest.

If you are similar to my height (6') you will find that the SX packrest "forces" you forward quite a ways on the seat. It would be better if it was about 1-2 inches more narrow. I had a review of it, with pics showing the loss of knee room ... around here somewhere ....

Have you also considered adjusting your posture?

I had the same lower-back soreness after I first got my Vespa, and after doing some research I realized that I needed to alter the way I sat; simply put, your spine should be making a sort of "S" shape starting at your neck, down to your butt. Sit with your chest out and your butt out, and you'll be amazed how much better you feel...my two cents.

MARK, check out ROK straps...they come in a variety of widths and lengths and are what I use to hold my bikersfriend bag (and dog crate) on however no strap is going to be a antitheft device. The ROK straps come with either loop opening so you can wrap it around almost anything or metal U shaped hooks. The hooks come covered in plastic so they don't stratch like bungee cords. I've got both end types (prefer the loop opening though for the versatility) and almost every width and length they make. I haven't had any fail yet. Again, ebay is a great source to find them for a good price.

Back on the subject of anti theft...I used a steel bike cable as my anti theft device as well as an after market alarm on my scoot. The arses who stole my previous bag cut everything..straps, and bike cable with bolt cutters and lifted the bag off my scoot so it didn't even set off my alarm.

I bought this alarmed cable http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I501XS/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A2XT0BC3D335PJ and will use it to secure my replacement bag once the Smrfmobile is back from the shop. It comes in 15 and 8 foot lengths and the box the cable goes into will alarm loudly and flash a light if the cable or box is cut/damaged. I've had the alarm on the scoot turned on for over three months and it's still running off the first set of installed batteries so I'm pretty happy with it's performance. nothing will stop someone who wants to steal something but it can slow them down or hopefully draw your attention to it.

For placement of straps to secure the bag and positioning..I attached a set of ROk straps to the D rings on the front of the bag and they loop around the forward most part of the seat, not under but on the outside and the rear straps to my luggage rack. But, if you don't have one installed you could use the side hand rails instead.

I've actually never bought the SX bag for precisely that reason. I posted it here as a referent, not a recommendation.

I thought about buying it, but from the photo I could tell it goes over the lip to the front seat. I'm 6'2 and I tend to sit back on the seat so I figure'd the bag wouldn't work for me.

For the shorter folk I'd imagine it's a nice piece.

jerzyflix-
Yes, I do need to work on posture--I already suspected that I wasn't sitting correctly. I am also out of shape, but that takes longer to fix.

Silver Streak--

smrf--
I hadn't thought of strapping it down in front like that. That may work on this bike. Good idea.

The SX packrest looks like a nice bag, but I am leaning toward the Biker's Friend. The hardshell is a major selling point for me.

Thanks again,all.

Here's a pic of utopia backrest installed on one of our Piaggio BV250s that are triked with Tow Pacs...(Have a 2009 and a 2010, both with these backrests. They're real painsavers for those with bad backs..like both me and my wife...

I don't know if this helps or not; but what about posture? When I first got my scoot, I sorta sat back in the seat, hunched over forward, and developed lower back pain. I was worried that I couldn't go on if scooting was going to make my back hurt. Then I started sitting more forward with my back arched and my chest out and rear end sorta stuck out (I don't know if I describing it right; but recommended posture) and my pains went away.

I've used a rollbag that came with mesh backrest & roll that velcros onto the rollback. Nice thing is you can easily adjust the backrest & rollbag to wherever you need it to be.

[edit: looks like what I have is similar to the Biker's Friend just has some minor differences.]

There are many ways to make the ride more comfortable,
And here I am with my backrest. 8)

Vespizzare--
"When I first got my scoot, I sorta sat back in the seat, hunched over forward, and developed lower back pain"
That is part of my problem as well. I fully realized that when I sat on a GTV at St. Louis Vespa.

cdwise--what brand of rollbag?

erich51--Ideally, I would like to do this the money saving way as well.
I need every penny for the GT250 I want to purchase!

I got it at Stubbs Cycles Suzuki & Honda shop here in Houston (not their Harley dealership) and it didn't have any tags on it. As I added in an edit to my post above it is similar to the Biker's Friend but one thing I liked about it is that it came with two backrest, one the faux leather and the other a mesh for warmer weather to allow air to circulate between your back and the rollbag.

Sounds a lot like how the police in this area posture themselves when riding. It almost looks like they have a rod up their back the way they sit so straight.

I have a 2014 Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport SE(satin black with orange accents). Previously I had a GTS 250 and obtained a driver's back rest from Utopia Products. It worked very well. I contacted utopia about the 300 and they said they were not sure about a back rest for my particular bike as the seating surface is ridged and not smooth like the 250. I sent them pictures of the underside of the seat as they requested and they said they still could not make a determination on it without seeing the bike in person. I live in NC and they are in Ohio, so that's out. Does anyone have a driver's back rest on their Super Sport(with the ridged seating surface)? If not, does anyone have any other suggestions for a driver's back rest for this particular bike?

Exercises to strengthen torso core. It'll make you feel better too.....and it won't cost anything.

These guys have some interesting bags that can be used as back support. I seriously thought about getting one.

http://www.bikersfriend.com/index.html

They work reasonably well when I've used one on a tour.