The CheapChuckRider Backrest
OK,
the Lazyrider Backrest/Storage unit
is real nice
but
at $175+ is not exactly inexpensive,
if you are not going to be using it much.
I usually ride with my wife.
A couple of trips a year alone
do not really justify me spending
that kind of money on a commercial unit.
My buddy wanted one until he saw the price,
so I told him to make one.
I got interested in the project and made my own
waterproof storage unit and backrest,
for about $30.
We were going to use a 10" piece of plastic sewer line
but my wife suggested an alternative.
We went to the local Ames department store
and bought a Rubbermaid Water Cooler, Model #1683.
It is a little over 11" in diameter and 17" long
with a screw on waterproof lid.
The thing is almost already built.
All you have to do is add the bike tiedowns,
make a backrest and paint or cover it.
Here's how to complete the transformation
into a finished Backrest/Storage unit.
I'm trying to do this quick and dirty
and come up with a cheap, usable,
comfortable product that doesn't look bad.
Before you begin, go to the Lazyrider site,
and check out everything
so you are familiar with the device.
Lazyrider site: http://www.Lazyrider.com.
Go out and buy:
Rubbermaid Water Cooler Model 1683 (3 US Gall/ 11.4L)
(they have other sizes
but this one works best on a Intruder 1400)
(4) Eyebolts 3/16 X 2.5" long
(4) T-Nuts to fit the above bolts.
These are the devices you put into a hole
in a wood product to receive a bolt.
(4) Washers to fit the above bolts.
Self Sticking Velcro strips
(one package of 2 Strips) (Home Depot)
Spray Paint
Hard Foam Garden Kneeling pad
(Gardening Supplies- Target, Home Depot)
1. Cut off the handle on each side as close as possible.
(Hacksaw)
2. Break off the cupholder bracket.
3. Sand down any areas that need it. (Belt sander)
4. If there is any places that need filling in,
take the handle you removed,
heat with a propane torch
and drip the molten plastic into the areas.
Sand down after cooling.
5. Place the cooler on the bike seat
and mark the locations of the holes for the tiedowns.
I would suggest keeping the LID end away
from the kickstand, so it points uphill at rest.
This will help keep the contents from falling out
when you open it on the bike.
6. Drill the holes just large enough
to get the eyebolts shafts through.
7. Cut the spikes off the T-Nuts.
I used a Dremel cuttoff wheel.
I guess you could bend them back
8. Enlarge the inside holes to accept the T-Nuts.
I used the Dremel and a big burr.
9. Put the washers on the Eyebolts,
insert through the holes and assemble.
10. Mark or measure how much bolt
is sticking out of the T-Nuts.
Cut this amount off the bolt.
Again I used the Dremel cut-off wheel.
11. Reassemble and put a little Silicon chalk or Goop
under the washer and T-Nuts to get a good seal.
Use a little Locktite in the T-Nuts.
12. The garden kneeling pad makes a perfect backrest.
It's 16" long and 8" wide.
Mount the cooler on the bike
and place the pad vertical behind you
and wrap it around the cooler from the seat up.
Mark the location.
Stick the hook side of Velcro onto the pad
near the top and just above the handle cutout.
Attach the soft side of Velcro to the cooler.
Rub the Velcro into the cooler ribs.
13. Check the fit on the bike
and try out he backrest on a ride.
14. Do any readjustments.
15. Cover the Velcro on the cooler with masking tape.
16. Cover with Nauguhide (contact cement) or whatever.
17. Spray paint the cooler cover.
18. Mount on bike.
19. Tips:
There was something making a noise
rattling around inside the cooler lip:
There is a little air vent hole on one edge.
Squirt some household glue into the hole
and then shake it to grab that annoying rattling thing.
To make it easier to align the cover when replacing it:
Paint a white dot at the top edge of the cooler
next to the cover.
Align the threads to the starting position
and add a white dot to the top of the cover
opposite the first white dot.
When putting on the lid, just align the dots
and spin the top on.
To Safety Lock the cooler cover from opening:
Drill a hole through the edge of the cooler cover
when closed opposite the white dot on the cooler
so it passes through the edge and into the cooler.
Insert a nail to prevent the cover from opening
due to vibration.
These coolers only take 1/3 to 2/3 rotation
from open to fully closed.
>>>>>
Thanks to Chuck for this great idea.
You can catch him on the IntruderAlert.com message board
or email him directly at:cmcurtin@earthlink.net
(1) the Cooler
(2) Cooler label
(3) hardware, Velcro, paint
(4) test position
(5) test position
(6) bolt positions
(7) inside view
(8) pad
(9) attaching pad
(10) masking
(11) attached
(12) finished . . . lets go