[daddysbike]

. Do the aftermarket backrests on the market really help avoid upper back pain from rides..??

Worst pain I've ever had riding in 20 years..

In one word yes!
The first thing I did on both my 1800's was put on a Utopia backrest. It makes a huge difference, like sitting in a chair. You don't have all your back/nec muscles straining to hold you up, the backrest does that so you can relax. Also the Utopia is adjustable and looks like an OEM part w/o ugly brackets.

Steve