Product Review: Monstrack Rack/Backrest
09-06-2004
reviewed by: Michael Moore

Intro
One of the wondrous things about the Monster is that its owners see it as a blank canvas. It is a bike full of possibility. One possibility is to style down to the local cafe and hang with your friends, the use I think Ducati thought of when it designed the Monster. Another possibility is to turn it into a credible track bike, bolting on rearsets, clipons and the like. Yet another possiblity is to take the Monster touring, adding an aftermarket seat and some luggage. Unfortunately, for passengers, the Monster has been likened more to a Medieval torture device than a form of transportation.

If you're in the category of someone who loves to ride long distances, and yearns to share that experience with your significant other, then the Monstrack Backrest (www.monstrack.com) should be of interest to you.

Product
I first met Kevin Kachuck at a local ride over a year ago, and immediately spotted a striking looking piece of rackery on his bike. I learned that Kevin is one half of Monstrack, a maker of Monster accessories, and an enthusiastic Monster rider.

It turned out the backrest was a prototype, and that it would take another year of refinement to get it to its present form. It was clear from just looking that the thing was incredibly beefy, and Kevin confirmed that the bike could be lifed by the backrest. Now that is some serious engineering!

As I'm a person who likes to do some distance on my Monster I wanted to try it out, and got a production review unit sent to me. The other thing to know is that I'm a mechanical dolt, so I knew the installation would need to be pretty simple.

Just as with the Monstrack mirrors, it was obvious when I opened the box that the Monstrack backrest was a beautifully machined piece of work. It was also much lighter than I would have expected from something that looked so substantial.

The backrest consists of two cylindrical pieces that are designed to clamp to the passenger grab rails on the Monster, plus a curved backrest. The unit provided to me included a matching backrest pad. Also included are two hex wrenches, which are all you should need to be able to install the backrest.

Installation

Installation of backrest was complicated for me by the fact that my Ohlins shock reservoir was sitting where the Monstrack was supposed to mount. It was a fairly simple change (even for me) to move the reservoir to a section of the frame just above the clutch.

Having moved the reservoir, I took apart the outer bolts (black zinc coated) and disassembled the cylinder. To install, you slide the inner portion of the cylinder between the grabrail and the frame, and then use two bolts to attach the outer part of the cylinder. A groove machined in the inner cylinder keeps the assembly from rotating on the frame.

Once the frame cylinders are installed the backrest is bolted on. The angle of the backrest is maintained by two hidden pins. This design means that by removing two bolts you can take off the backrest quickly, leaving the mounting cylinders in place. According to Monstrack, the bolts have been "passivated" for corrosion resistance.

When the full backrest is installed it forms a rigid semicircle, and when torqued down, this baby is not going anywhere!

The pad for the backrest attaches with a pair of clips:

While stable enough, the clips on the pad seem less bulletproof than the rest of the unit - you might want to add a ziptie just to be sure it doesn't get knocked loose accidentally.

Abacadabra...

Now folks, if that wasn't enough, you can remove the back pad, flip this rack over, and it becomes a tailbag rack. The benefit here is that your S.O. can still ride and you have a place for that six pack. As most tail bags are designed for a relatively flat surface and square corners, you may need to get creative when attaching a bag. I could definitely see an attachment platform being a good add-on here.

The only caveat is for those folks who've performed tail surgery on their Monsters - this will stick out past the end of the tail light!

(Note that this photo of the rack in the down position is of an older unit, minus the vertical bars between the hoops.)

Testing

To fairly test this backrest I decided to throw my worst case at it - my non-Monster riding wife. My wife is a lovely woman, but one look at the pointy perch that is the Monster pillion and she's flatly refused all entreaties at a ride. It doesn't matter how much I plead, she just smiles and shakes her head. So with the Monstrack, I played the Work and Science cards; this was important, a duty that could not be shirked! The ploy worked and she agreed to a moderate ride on my favorite road. Watching a sunset had to figure in the deal, but that was fine.

After we got back, my non-moto riding honey proclaimed the backrest comfortable. She especially liked it when going uphill, providing as it did a sense of security that even if I gunned it she'd not shoot off the back. As the guy up front I can attest to her gentle grip, indicating a relaxed state of mind vs. her deathgrip on prior rides. She said that it was comfortable for a short jaunt, but for long rides she'd want to be able to really lean back and the Monstrack wasn't tall enough for that. Sadly, love has its boundaries, and there's no way I'm putting a sissy bar on a Ducati!

Conclusion

The Monstrack Backrest is a well engineered and built accessory. The ability to remove it or flip it over easily is a real plus, especially for the occasional tourer or ride-giver. As a backrest it is a good compromise between comfort and style. It does make the prospect of two-up riding on a Monster more appealling, however there remains the issue of the Ducati seat, and a backrest can only be expected to do so much. For a quality passenger experience I'd say the Monstrack Backrest plus a custom seat would be the thing.

The mounting points really are ingenious and I could see them being the basis for all sorts of luggage options, or perhaps a kind of 'system' that would let you swap various parts on and off as needed.

The Monstrack Backrest is introductory priced at $$349.95 without the pad and $399.95 with the pad, and will increast to $399.95 without and $469.95 with on January 1, 2005. The pad and backrest can be ordered through Monstrack's website.

Scoring

Function: 9 out of 10
The backrest does what a backrest should, and is extremely sturdy and confidence-inspiring. It is not so high as to be visually distracting, but high enough to be comfortable. The only negative, and this is quite minor, is the work that may be needed to attach some tailbags. The ease of installation, and ability to quickly swap and remove the rest are great attributes, and should contribute to frequent use.

Form: 9 out of 10
As stated before, the fit and finish are excellent. Installation was a breeze, even for a mechanical klutz like me.The only negative is the lightweight attachment of the pad to the backrest. Everything else shows great attention to detail and pride in the product.