side racks

[bykemeister]

i am considering installing the sw motec quicklock side racks
on my 07 1200 adventure.
i have seen pictures of the racks installed on the bike, but cannot
find a picture of what it looks like with the racks removed.
does any body have this set up on their bike and are able to show me such a picture,
or at least give me some feed back on the system?
thanks.

[scootertrash]

I just put this set up with the trax black powdercoated cases on my '10 GS 30th anniv.

As these mounts are attached to the bike with quick lock fasteners, they can be removed in literally under a minute. The only thing remaining then are two small silver mounting points. I'll try to take some photos today and post them tomorrow. (motorcycle show is in town, going there this evening)

I don't think these bag mounts are as attractive as the stainless set up for the factory aluminum cases, but the upside is that they do pop right off.

Another downside is that if you are doing any serious off-road stuff, where you may be dropping the bike, I don't think the attachment set up of the Qwik-locks would hold up as well as the factory bags, although I haven't any evidence to back that up

[cug]

Originally Posted by scootertrash

As these mounts are attached to the bike with quick lock fasteners, they can be removed in literally under a minute. The only thing remaining then are two small silver mounting points. I'll try to take some photos today and post them tomorrow. (motorcycle show is in town, going there this evening)

While you are at it - could you also measure the things and take some photos from the rear?

Interested in:

- Overall width of racks

- Offset on exhaust side

- How much they can be pulled in by a welder (SW Motech often leaves room to drive pickup truck through the gap between the racks and the bike )

Thanks!

[scootertrash]

Overall width is about 41 1/2". Without lowering the muffler, there isn't much room to tighten them up. You can see in one of the attached pics that after gringing off the last few threads of a bolt, the gap would be barely an inch, so you could only move the exhaust side in about 3/4 of an inch, max. Do the same on the other side and you're at 40". Handlebars are about 39".

[cug]

Awesome photos, thank you. That's way too wide for me though. I had that on my F800GS and I won't have it again. It's too bad for the handling when putting weight so far out of the centerline.

[scootertrash]

The overall width and placing weight that far out were concerns of mine too. I spend some time mentally debating the pros and cons of this set up vs the BMW aluminum panniers usually seen on the Adventure before going ahead. Here are my thoughts.

I alo have an '07 GSA with the BMW aluminum bags. I liked them for some reasons, but disliked them for three reasons. 1. The bare aluminum finish turns anything it contacts black, so using a liner of some sort is a must. 2. bare aluminum finish on the outside never has a consistant look to the finish. 3. Most importantly, the left pannier being "cut out" to fit around/over the muffler makes useful packing of the bag annoying to impossible, and the contents of the bag get really hot on a ride over a half hour or so.

Although it is very hard to find any published specs on weight of not just the bags, but also the mounts and hardware, one consideration is how much weight you are adding to the bike to start with. I haven't put them on scales, but I can tell just by picking them up that the trax stuff is lighter. Two benefits here: 1. Lighter equipment leaves more room for payload weight. 2. The reduction in weight partially offsets the handling concern of placing it (very slightly) further outward. Remember, the lower 2/3rds of the BMW left pannier is out there almost as far, it's just with the top third extending inward over the muffler it looks a lot closer.

Of course, as mentioned at the beginning of this thread, one of the big benefits of this set-up is the ability to completely remove the bags and mounts in like 30 seconds.

Another little "benefit" I see in my set up is by placing the entire left bag outside of the muffler, this creates a nice little storage space between the bags and the seat, on top of the racks. Obviously, it will be very warm here, but I'm thinking of getting or fabricating a "tool tube" made of PVC or something similar, where I can store stuff like tools that are not suceptable to heat concerns. It also places these heavier items in very close to the centerline

Lastly, imho, I think they look better, I much prefer the black powdercoated finish, and they are cheaper.

My only other concerns about the Trax stuff were the need to carry a second key as you can't use BMW locks, and that you needed to use the key each time you opened a bag. That was easily rectified via a hint I read on another thread here. I simply ground off the little nub that prevents the lock from rotating all the way around in it's bore. Now they can remain unlocked at will.

So, for all these reasons, I think they make more sense for me. If width were a concern for clearance reasons, such as serious off roading (single track) or lane splitting (I'm not in LA LA land, I'm on the east coast) then I would have probably gone a different direction.

Just my thoughts

[bykemeister]

the pictures and information are much appreciated.
i have on order the BMW sideracks, but the cases are still
astronomically priced, so i think i'll sell the BMW racks and go with the
sw moto racks and use a set of givi bags i have on another bike.
WAY less money, and i like the fact that the bike looks clean when the racks
are removed.
by the way, if that's your garage, i want one just like it when i grow up.
thanks again.

[bykemeister]

darn!
i just thought of one more question you may be able to answer,
since you said you had the oem parts on your '07.
i know you said you thought the sw moto racks may not be as strong as the BMW racks, but are they mounted as secure or as tight to the bike frame as the BMW racks? (i was thinking with the "quick lock" set-up, there might
be some sloppiness involved.)
thanks again

[cug]

I understand all the arguments, but it doesn't work for me that way. I had the too wide setup on the F800GS and I hated it (OEM Adventure aluminum cases). Will never do this again. Right now, I try to find the right thing for me but I'm not there.

I like this setup, but don't like the lowered muffler:



They are 32.5 inches with 8" cases and 36.5 with 10" cases.

[scootertrash]

Originally Posted by bykemeister

darn!
i just thought of one more question you may be able to answer,
since you said you had the oem parts on your '07.
i know you said you thought the sw moto racks may not be as strong as the BMW racks, but are they mounted as secure or as tight to the bike frame as the BMW racks? (i was thinking with the "quick lock" set-up, there might
be some sloppiness involved.)
thanks again

Actually, the qwik-lock fasterers really are nice. Once all are locked, the mount structure is amazing tight and solid. Yes, I can grab ahold of one of the bags and wiggle it slightly more than the oem stuff, but it is quite solid. My impression of the mounts themselves are that they are made of tubular (hollow) steel formed to shape, whereas the oem racks are solid stainless steel. I'm guessing, again without testing this myself, that in a "hard" crash you could potentially bend the racks, especially the left one as it sticks out further which would allow more leverage against it in a fall. My take is that the lighter weight and the ability to pop them off completely when not using luggage offsets that risk. If I were one who does a significant amount of serious off road stuff, I would have probably gone the other direction.

As for the garage comment, i took those photos in the showroom of my car business, where I often pull my bike in and "park" it just outside my office. My garage floor at home is actually much nicer, photo attached