AK550 Backrest

[Clampett]

HOW TO:
Went to junkyard and bought 2 Isuzu Rodeo headrests. Extra just in case I borked it.
BurgmanUSA site is what I used for a how to. Well, the rods on the head rest were 1/4" closer together than the AK. I spread them out, bent them according to the Burgman instructions and voila, they went right in.
BUT.....the rods only went through the first guides and was floppy on the seat. That wasn't gonna work. So I looked under the seat. The rods needed about 3/4"(guessing) to reach the 2nd guide (there are 3) which would make it steady and firm mounted on the seat.
Straightened out the rods, and bent them about 3/8" from the headrest. All that bending and they weren't perfectly straight, but the crooked part was in the seat tube so you can't see it. Being just a fraction off kilter instead of perfectly straight made them fit firm in the AK guides.
Also made the headrest sit further forward now (I'm short) so it was perfect for me. A taller person would want to force it further back into the AK seat guides.

NOTE: IF you try to make this yourself, please be aware of the notch on the headrest. DO NOT BEND AT THE NOTCH. Above or below or it will crack.

Pictures:

You can see the indent in the headrest where I was using a board for leverage to bend those suckers. It is slowing coming out.

Exposed rods look tacky. Some have used that split tubing to hold wiring and some have use 3/8" shrink tubing. Either way, I think that will make it look better.
Also, several have used flat black rattle can paint to spoof it up.

[Iahawk]

nice work. Can you explain a little more about the 'guides' under the seat that the headrest posts fit into? I'm not quite following that part. Looks comfortable, though.

[Clampett]

There is the initial entry point that is maybe 3/4" in length. Then a space. Then 1/2 way there is another guide (loop, or tube) for the rod to slide through. They are hard plastic. Then at the end is another one that the end sits in if the butt rest is pushed fully back.

Backrest rod represented by ===

|===O===O===O
^       ^-------tubes or guides.
Backrest

Looking from the bottom of the seat, the === is open space and you  can see the rod.
the O guides are black plastic as part of the seat pan.
It's late, but if you still don't understand my crude detailing, I'll be happy to take a pic of it tomorrow.

[Iahawk]

thanks, that makes more sense. Is it just a lucky coincidence that the seat is designed this way so that it can accept the posts from an aftermarket headrest?

[rjs987]

thanks, that makes more sense. Is it just a lucky coincidence that the seat is designed this way so that it can accept the posts from an aftermarket headrest?

Nah! More like a lucky coincidence that there are headrests from other vehicles with rods/posts that fit in the seat! 

[Stig / Major Tom]

It's kind of a shame...what those things do to the  lines of a scooter.

Stig

[Iahawk]

It's kind of a shame...what those things do to the  lines of a scooter.

Stig

I agree that they don't look the greatest...but in my mind it's the difference between sitting on a bar stool vs sitting in a chair. You can only sit on the barstool for so long before your back starts aching! You can sit on a chair with a backrest all day long.

Have considered a similar backrest from Utopia for my Helix...something about the relaxed, cruiser position that gets my back angry after a while..