Hard Luggage

Message

back_marker · #1 Post by **back_marker** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:48 pm

After much surfing and uming and ahhing, I managed to pick up a 2nd hand Wingrack on the cheap and have successfully managed to mount it to the Falco, giving me the option of full hard luggage. After searching through numerous posts about topboxes and the like there seem to be plenty of people who wish to go down this this route but have been unable to due to the lack of fittings available.

Once I got hold of the rack I found it was actually quite simple to fit to the Falco. The rack came with the universal fitting kit which was handy as you use the longest supplied bracket fixed to the exhaust mount and then up the front of the Wingrack with 3 p-clamps which are included. The clever bit then is to get a long piece of 8mm threaded bar which goes through he grab handle mounting holes and through one of the mounting holes in the top of the rack and cut a 55mm spacer from steel tube to fit between the rack and the bike.

This was attempt one and was largely successful. I would like to point out at this point that stumbled across a post on the AF1 forum where someone had done the exact same thing. My main concern though was that there seems to be some flex in the threaded bar and i wasn't sure how it would stand up to being fully loaded so I cut a couple of pieces of 1 inch angle iron which I cut an 8mm hole in then tack welded onto the tube spacers to give some rigidity. So far so good after a couple of test runs and a well-loaded trip to Silverstone at the weekend. I have to load up again toward the end of the week so i will try and put together some pictures.

As an aside, if like me you have always been put off by the price of hard cases and are not too keen on buying second hand, check these out:

http://www.getgeared.co.uk/MOTO-DETAIL_ ... tegory=205

They are made by Kappa but just with different badges. They are quite basic but sturdy and well made and spacious, not to mention a fraction of the price of Givi or Kappa branded originals and fully compatible with the Monkey system

furygan man · #2 Post by **furygan man** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:47 am

Interesting, ignor my ignorance but this is all new to me, what make/model of wingrack is it and am i right in thinking it's the fitting kit that's key here as you mention different options? Photos would be good for me when you can as i don't quite understand the aditional fitting with the grab rails etc i'm sure it will all make sense in time

Be interested in doing this as i'm planning a jount away in September

Cheers

Nooj · #3 Post by **Nooj** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:14 pm

The clever bit then is to get a long piece of 8mm threaded bar which goes through he grab handle mounting holes

You shouldn't be able to do that as the holes are at a very slight angle to each other, unless you have two bits of bar, one though each hole?

MartDude · #4 Post by **MartDude** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:07 pm

Perhaps he's got a hacksaw?

back_marker · #5 Post by **back_marker** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:28 am

Nooj wrote:
The clever bit then is to get a long piece of 8mm threaded bar which goes through he grab handle mounting holes
You shouldn't be able to do that as the holes are at a very slight angle to each other, unless you have two bits of bar, one though each hole?

Yep, that's exactly what I did. Much easier to fit that way as well.

I am now onto MkIII design which is a bit elaborate and uses a shorter piece of tube with an M8 nut welded to either end and the same piece of angle iron for rigidity. It is still undergoing testing as there are more parts to it that can come apart but it survived ok with a fuly laden top box and assorted camping gear attached to it at the weekend. A neater and probably safer option would be to get a local engineering company to machine two spacers that are threaded through the middle so that you get the benefit of bolting into both sides but from a single piece of metal with no welds to rely on.

The Wingrack is made by Givi and can be picked up for around £50 - £100 on evilbay. It is a universal rack which takes Givi or Kappa Monokey boxes and is fitted to the bike by way of a fitting kit which is not available for the Falco - hence the homemade one.

D-Rider · #6 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:09 am

back_marker wrote:
I am now onto MkIII design which is a bit elaborate and uses a shorter piece of tube with an M8 nut welded to either end and the same piece of angle iron for rigidity.

Pictures, Instructions etc etc required for the Technical Section once you've done it

.... if you'd be so kind

furygan man · #7 Post by **furygan man** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:34 am

yeah...will look out for that one!

back_marker · #8 Post by **back_marker** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 7:52 pm

Pictures to follow shortly however I need to wash the bike first - embaressed to show the state of her at the minute due to the bike park at Silverstone being right next to the moto X track.

furygan man · #9 Post by **furygan man** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:25 am

I know what you mean, i'm holding back posting pics of mine until all the mods are done and it's washed and the sun is at the right angle and the wilderbeast are migrating past the waterfall....aren't we a vain lot?

Aladinsaneuk · #10 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:04 pm

nope

I have a nooj.....

back_marker · #11 Post by **back_marker** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:12 pm

furygan man wrote:I know what you mean, i'm holding back posting pics of mine until all the mods are done and it's washed and the sun is at the right angle and the wilderbeast are migrating past the waterfall....aren't we a vain lot?

I wouldn't call it vanity as such - more a case of if the bike was a dog I'd be on a charge for neglect.

Anyway, as promised here are some pictures. I have deliberately left them quite large but they should be small enough to see on a sub-42" monitor.

These are the first set of brackets I made (please excuse the welding, I'm still learning)

And with the boxes fitted

I will try and post some drawings of the brackets when I figure out the best way to go about it.[/img]

furygan man · #12 Post by **furygan man** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:28 am

Excellent!!

Dusty · #13 Post by **Dusty** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 8:41 am

Very good! These are the same panniers I have on my ex-BMW Givi frames. They're great for camping trips but a bit wide for normal use, so I also got a pair of Givi E21s which are very neat, and ideal for day trips.I didn't bother with a top box mounting because I use my other bike for commuting and I don't need one for camping because the tent sits across the pillion in a dry bag. However, I never take a passenger, so I am considering some extra steelwork to mount it over the pillion seat for the odd time I need 3 boxes. IMO, it's worth the effort to mount hard luggage; so much easier to use and more secure on the bike. But it's a pain in the **** to store when not in use.

D-Rider · #14 Post by **D-Rider** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:00 am

Yeah - very nice job that

back_marker · #15 Post by **back_marker** » Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:43 pm

D-Rider wrote:Yeah - very nice job that

So far so good but the proof of the pudding will be this weekend when it all gets used together and fully loaded.

Having spent a long time prevaricating about the bush on whether or not to spend on hard luggage I must admit that it is well worth it, even if you only do a couple of trips a year. I am just not looking forward to the first time I attempt to filter with the side cases on.

As an aside the top box is one of those rebranded Kappa ones that I mentioned at the beginning of the thread. A bit deeper than the Givi ones so easier to fit a helmet in but as a consequence not so good as panniers. That said it is very sturdy and to my mind much less fussy looking than the expensive (around twice the price) Givis.