Hey Smoothie,

I also have some back trouble associated with arthritis and an old back injury. It didn't bother me too much in the mornings when it was rested, but riding in the afternoon got to be quite painful after about 30 minutes. I had the same experience when I put on the CW drivers backrest. The pain vanished. I can ride 6+ hours now with no problems. I wouldn't take it off for any reason now.

When I first put it on, I felt like I was pushed forward quite a bit, but after riding with it on for 2-3 weeks I got accustomed to the feel and stopped pushing against it.

My biggest problem was the allen head bolts used to install it. I had the correct allen wrench and got it installed with no problem. But, the next time I had to get under the seat I stripped one of the allen heads and had to chisel it out. A regular hex head bolt won't work because the edges of the head hit the mounting bracket. I took a hand grinder and ground down the bracket till I could get a regular bolt on it. It is a little tight to get a wrench on, but it can be done and the backrest does not feel any weaker.

If you have highway pegs, put some offsets on them. If you don't have pegs, get some. They will help you stretch out a little more.

Ride safe.

Putz