The passenger backrest secures to the tour pack in 3 places with 3 bolts on the 2015 RGU. I would suspect it's pretty much a similar design on the Limited as well.
I have only 400+ miles on my new RGU, and while cleaning it up last night I noticed the left side of the padded passenger backrest felt wobbly. Upon closer inspection, I found that there is a molded plastic (for lack of a better term) connector that joins to the inside of the backrest with a cotter pin assembly and then that piece bolts to the front of the tour pack. There are two each of these connectors or brackets on the backrest. There is also a center bolt, but it is secured to the backrest in a slightly different fashion.
I found that my left side bracket had broken clean in half, as if sheared in half from a poorly molded part, leaving the backrest only secured now by the two remaining bolts. And it was really wobbly on the side that was broken. After thinking back, I figured out that this thing had to break while I was solo riding, and not while my wife was in the backseat.
I contacted my dealer and convinced them to mail me a replacement part under warranty since I am over 150 miles from them. It's an easy remove and replace item. I was told that this was the second one they've seen (the other one also occurred while the bike was being ridden solo) and that they are a little concerned about this development.
Anyone who knows anything about plastics/polycarbonate molding knows that voids inside the part or curing or temperature variations or mold lines or whatever can affect the structural integrity of the finished part. Plus a poor design can make for a weak part - and this design looks marginal to me. There is no doubt in my mind that this part should not have failed after 400 miles.
If it happened to me and one other bike (in the same week or two from the same dealer), it's bound to happen to other owners out there.
Keep an eye on these connection points on your scoot. The easiest way to see them is to lift the lid on your tour pack and inspect the brackets on either end on the inside of the backrest where the backrest is joined to the tour pack. They are right out in the open for you to see.
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Topic: Broken Plastic Connectors on the Passenger Backrest - Check your bike! (Read 1018 times)