Sissy bar removal

[GWS]

Hello all. New to the forum. I just got my 98 Valkyrie Standard home (blue and white) and took her for her first ride.....

FUUUUUUUNNN!!!!   I'm coming off a perfectly respectable V-Strom DL1000, but his Valkyrie is just a different experience altogether!

Anyway, while I'm waiting for the paperwork to get her legal, I have a question:

If I wanted to take off the rear seat and backrest, leaving just the driver's seat, would I need to remove the shocks? There are 2 ninety degree chrome pieces in between the backrest uprights and the horizontal chrome pieces bolted to the rear fender and shocks. The backrest unbolts from the upper part of the 90 degree pieces and slides out. The lower part of the 90 degree piece slides under the horizontal chrome that is bolted twice to the fender and once through the shock.
I removed the bolts that hold the horizontal pieces to the fender, thinking I could slide the 90 degree pieces back out. Nope. They're still on tight. I don't want to force/pry anything. Am I missing something?

Thanks for any help.

[hubcapsc]

Many of us do what you are trying to do. The "ears" you are trying to remove
usually stay on, get one of these things to make it look right:

https://www.bigbikethings.com/Cruiser_Bar/cat4325478_3541116.aspx

There's been other brands (hard to find now) and people have made their own.

Interstate fender rails don't have ears.

-Mike

[_Sheffjs_]

Or go for the clean look and take the connecting grab rail plates off.  Take off the back part of the rear fender and you will see the two bolts that hold the plate to the fender strut.  It is tight but I was able to get out this way if memory serves me right. 

[_Sheffjs_]

[Chrisj CMA]

Or go for the clean look and take the connecting grab rail plates off.  Take off the back part of the rear fender and you will see the two bolts that hold the plate to the fender strut.  It is tight but I was able to get out this way if memory serves me right. 

That's a way to do it if you don't want to mess with shocks. Take the aft portion of the rear fender off like Sheffjs said. I couldn't do it that way because the wiring harness for the hitch would have to be disconnected and that harder than taking the shocks off