Homemade Top Case Rack!
- Thread starter Roaddawg
- Start date
LOL, thought the same thing.I do alot of conduit bending and those crimps are killing me.
Thats beside the point though. Nice use of your brain and some extra material laying around the house. :thumbup:
If your going to use tie wraps to secure the rack, make sure you get something thats a bit more heavy duty. Don't want your rig coming off if you hit a few good bumps.
There are some 200lb tie wraps HVAC guys use to wrap duct work that would do the trick.
We tie them onto the new guys' driveshafts to haze them a bit. Makes a hell of a noise when they pull their trucks out of the parking lot.
Thumbs up for innovation though!
Another trick is to fill the pipe with small particle sand. It will help to prevent creases and also help it to keep it's nice round shape. This is normally for doing copper pipe for well other forms of preparation for alcohols but yeah it works pretty good for just about any pipe really. You can get some really nice looking bends with it. Just temporarily cap the ends with something that's going to hold strong.
Not at all..
People that have spent years mastering a skill just notice what would drive themselves up a wall if they looked at it daily.
No different than a painter noticing a run in somebody elses work.
If it were to break, it would near the mounting points where theres more leverage and stress.
I doubt it will unless somebody sits on it or something stupid, just saying..
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do you think a passenger could ride with it on? doubt it was your intent to use it as a passenger backrest, but it looks like maybe a couple inches extended back and it woul work well for that? great work, must say. if I'd thought of this before I got my givi rack, I would have went this route...plus this looks very easily removable unlike the givi.
I was going to move it back a couple more inches, but I didn't like it hanging out that far. I had my 15 year old (who's 6'1"/175 lbs) just jump on the back with me on it and he had about 2-3 inches of room behind him. As for using as a backrest, don't know for sure. He leaned back on it some and said it felt pretty solid...no flexing at all. The case to the mounting plate is what is a little wobbly (manufacturers design, not mine). That's why I put a bunch of rubber pads on the plate to reduce the case wobble. But, I suppose a passenger leaning on it a little wouldn't hurt it.
Removal wise, its only the four bolts under the rear seat. 5-10 minutes to remove.
I showed a couple guys at work (who are bike riders as well) and they couldn't believe I made it. Said they thought I bought an aftermarket rack. So, I'm more than happy with it. Might work on a cleaner version on my days off this week.
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Nice. You gotta love that big ol' case. It's huge but so very functional.
Thanks for the inspiration Roaddawg
I found a top case on clearance for $45 today, the largere of the 2 models.It says a fullface will fit inside, and has a passenger backrest.I just thought id try it for $45.
Garage Pro Universal Motorcycle Travel Trunks - JCWhitney
I have 100' of 3/4 emt, and a bender.But im not doing it until spring, or at least a warm weekend.But i'll make sure to post pics when im done.
I found a top case on clearance for $45 today, the largere of the 2 models.It says a fullface will fit inside, and has a passenger backrest.I just thought id try it for $45.
Garage Pro Universal Motorcycle Travel Trunks - JCWhitney
I have 100' of 3/4 emt, and a bender.But im not doing it until spring, or at least a warm weekend.But i'll make sure to post pics when im done.
Glad I could help. That large one might fit two helmets...or at least a lot of room for one plus gear. Look forward to the pics!
I got my case in the mail today.
The lid won't close with 2 helmets inside.The lid is curved, so the helmet has to be centered for the lid to latch.
I havent looked at it very good yett, but it seems to be worth the $45.The hardware doesn't seem as bad as the reviews made it seem.It should just need locktite instead of new hardware.
I dont think that it has running lights.I didn't notice any leads for them.
Even if I don't have lights when I mount it, id like to get a couple pair of wires back there for the future.If I ever upgrade to Givi or something (supposedly a Givi will latch onto my mount) the hard part would be done already.
Do Givi's have quick disconnects, or do you guys use plugs for trailer hitches or something?
The lid won't close with 2 helmets inside.The lid is curved, so the helmet has to be centered for the lid to latch.
I havent looked at it very good yett, but it seems to be worth the $45.The hardware doesn't seem as bad as the reviews made it seem.It should just need locktite instead of new hardware.
I dont think that it has running lights.I didn't notice any leads for them.
Even if I don't have lights when I mount it, id like to get a couple pair of wires back there for the future.If I ever upgrade to Givi or something (supposedly a Givi will latch onto my mount) the hard part would be done already.
Do Givi's have quick disconnects, or do you guys use plugs for trailer hitches or something?
also structuraly your deign uses the two sides to cary the wheight. the cross peice doesnt do much other keep them from bending side to side which the plastice peace aslo does so those bad crimps arent really a problem for your apllication.
Dont get me wrong you cant have those crimps whith cable in their thats horrible but not a concern for his application IMO
Dont get me wrong you cant have those crimps whith cable in their thats horrible but not a concern for his application IMO
Im not bending my rack the same way.I have a few ideas, but I didn't want to mention them until after the fact.
Regardless I can still use the pipe as a chase.Roaddawg can to, just need to drill a hole to pull the wires through the side.It might be better to just bring it out of the tail instead.I'll browse the other luggage threads later for wiring advice if nobody chimes in before I try to tackle this.Im not in a hurry or anything.Theres a foot of snow where ill be building at lol.
Just trying to think ahead a little, and figure out enough for a full day of wrenching when I do this.
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Brilliant solutions!
First I read your post on the how to mount the case without a rack. That was way cool!
Then I saw this post on how to make a rack. Wow! Amazingly simple, functional, and cheap.
I'm ordering the case, and will make the rack when I have time.
Thanks Roaddawg for posting the ideas with all the details.
First I read your post on the how to mount the case without a rack. That was way cool!
Then I saw this post on how to make a rack. Wow! Amazingly simple, functional, and cheap.
I'm ordering the case, and will make the rack when I have time.
Thanks Roaddawg for posting the ideas with all the details.
How to get mount tabs under grab rail mounts?
I took a close look at the grab rail. The rail tabs have about half an inch of material below the tab and curves around the bike's rear plastic. Thus, the rack mount tabs can't get a straight shot to the bike's mount holes. I can take a pic to explain if this isn't clear.
Did you bend the rack tabs to go under the rail's material, or did you cut the material off the grab rail? Or some other slick solution?
I took a close look at the grab rail. The rail tabs have about half an inch of material below the tab and curves around the bike's rear plastic. Thus, the rack mount tabs can't get a straight shot to the bike's mount holes. I can take a pic to explain if this isn't clear.
Did you bend the rack tabs to go under the rail's material, or did you cut the material off the grab rail? Or some other slick solution?
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