Further
Well-known member
So I got my ’08 FJR in late Spring and spent a good 6 weeks adding multiple farkles, most of which I got advice and inspiration from on this forum. I can’t tell you what a great resource you all are. As good or better than the great online community for BMW’s, which I accessed for the previous 14 years I rode K bikes. Thanks !!!
It’s time to try to give back. I’m not a great mechanic or fabricator, but I did come up with this one idea.
When my wife and I discovered how small the FJR bags are on the inside, compared to the outside, (who the hell thought double walls was a good idea?), we faced having to get a topcase larger than I would like.
I hate topcases. Aesthetically they don’t look great, plus they put weight just where you DON’T want it. And I especially dislike the look of most of the ones I see today… gimonga tall and shaped like mutant gumballs.
I wanted the smallest, least obtrusive bag I could find that would hold a good amount of stuff. Thus… a Pelican case. They’re fairly cheap and strong, and come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. The one I settled on is the 1510NF pictured above, (NF means No Foam). The price can’t be beat, $119 at: Pelican-Case.com https://www.pelican-case.com/15cawinofo.html
It’s a standard airline approved carry-on. I removed the wheels and the exterior sliding handle thingy, and the larger front handle – leaving the smaller side handle. I had to Dremel off a few of the raised mount knobs on the bottom too. It’s not beautiful, but it has a very small profile from the side and it looks kinda "business-like". Like, “I’m ready for the Dempster Hwy, if I could just find some knobbies for my FJR.
So this is how I attached it. I got the smaller topbox rack from Premier Cycle Accessories for $158. https://www.premiercycleaccessories.com/Top...ack_p/11997.htm The newer version on their site is the same size as mine, but they’ve rearranged the bungee cord holes a little and added the fancy FJR cutout.
Now here is where I’m gonna disappoint some of you. This is a dead-simple install. You don’t need me to draw fancy templates for you. Anyone can figure this install out by themselves, once they have the components.
Bolt on the rack, and measure for 4 holes at appropriate spots. Only caution: for the 2 holes closest to the grab rail be careful to leave enough space below the rack so the tail section doesn’t interfere with getting a hex wrench under there. Once I did that, I just positioned the case on the rack by eye and had someone hold the case in place while I put a magic marker through the holes to determine where the corresponding holes go in the case. Simple. I cut some ¼ inch black closed-cell foam to line the inside and cover the nuts up.
Pictured here is the hardware I chose, and it’s key for security. Nylock nuts and hex head bolts, with very large washers to distribute the pressure where it’s attached. Insert the hex bolts from underneath. I Dremeled off the exess bolt length. Now, if someone tries to dismount your case while it’s locked, what will happen is they’ll start turning the hex heads but as soon as they loosen up, the bolts will just spin in place because of the Nylock nuts. Pelican-Case.com sells nice little black padlocks. I just use one on one of the 2 latches for minimal security.
I only mount the case for long trips. I found a nice, compact nylon bag that fits this case pretty well at AeroStitch https://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Zipp-Sacks-p-16414.html . It’s the largest of the Zipp Sacks they offer. I leave the case on the bike and just pull out the sack and carry it into the motel with the panniers. Lacho Drom.
It’s time to try to give back. I’m not a great mechanic or fabricator, but I did come up with this one idea.
When my wife and I discovered how small the FJR bags are on the inside, compared to the outside, (who the hell thought double walls was a good idea?), we faced having to get a topcase larger than I would like.
I hate topcases. Aesthetically they don’t look great, plus they put weight just where you DON’T want it. And I especially dislike the look of most of the ones I see today… gimonga tall and shaped like mutant gumballs.
I wanted the smallest, least obtrusive bag I could find that would hold a good amount of stuff. Thus… a Pelican case. They’re fairly cheap and strong, and come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. The one I settled on is the 1510NF pictured above, (NF means No Foam). The price can’t be beat, $119 at: Pelican-Case.com https://www.pelican-case.com/15cawinofo.html
It’s a standard airline approved carry-on. I removed the wheels and the exterior sliding handle thingy, and the larger front handle – leaving the smaller side handle. I had to Dremel off a few of the raised mount knobs on the bottom too. It’s not beautiful, but it has a very small profile from the side and it looks kinda "business-like". Like, “I’m ready for the Dempster Hwy, if I could just find some knobbies for my FJR.
So this is how I attached it. I got the smaller topbox rack from Premier Cycle Accessories for $158. https://www.premiercycleaccessories.com/Top...ack_p/11997.htm The newer version on their site is the same size as mine, but they’ve rearranged the bungee cord holes a little and added the fancy FJR cutout.
Now here is where I’m gonna disappoint some of you. This is a dead-simple install. You don’t need me to draw fancy templates for you. Anyone can figure this install out by themselves, once they have the components.
Bolt on the rack, and measure for 4 holes at appropriate spots. Only caution: for the 2 holes closest to the grab rail be careful to leave enough space below the rack so the tail section doesn’t interfere with getting a hex wrench under there. Once I did that, I just positioned the case on the rack by eye and had someone hold the case in place while I put a magic marker through the holes to determine where the corresponding holes go in the case. Simple. I cut some ¼ inch black closed-cell foam to line the inside and cover the nuts up.
Pictured here is the hardware I chose, and it’s key for security. Nylock nuts and hex head bolts, with very large washers to distribute the pressure where it’s attached. Insert the hex bolts from underneath. I Dremeled off the exess bolt length. Now, if someone tries to dismount your case while it’s locked, what will happen is they’ll start turning the hex heads but as soon as they loosen up, the bolts will just spin in place because of the Nylock nuts. Pelican-Case.com sells nice little black padlocks. I just use one on one of the 2 latches for minimal security.
I only mount the case for long trips. I found a nice, compact nylon bag that fits this case pretty well at AeroStitch https://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Zipp-Sacks-p-16414.html . It’s the largest of the Zipp Sacks they offer. I leave the case on the bike and just pull out the sack and carry it into the motel with the panniers. Lacho Drom.
