Two up luggage question

[tlwood28]

In addition to side cases, I have a medium motofizz bag which I love for one up camping trips. Without a passenger I can simply put it on the rear seat.

My question is how can I use it for two up riding. The BMW OEM packing shelf is just too small to support the Motofizz bag. Bestrestproducts make a nice replacement which combined with a shelf they make would be a perfect fit:

http://www.bestrestproducts.com/s-12-bmw-r1150r.aspx

However it has two drawbacks: First the price (the two pieces together cost about $150(!). Given the few times I will need it, I hate to spend the money. Second, their product replaces the OEM backrest, which means my wife will also lose the Pirate's Lair backrest that is attached to it (the backrest cannot be fitted on the Bestrestproduct shelf).

I don't really want a traditional top case. I want to use the motofizz bag. I thought about bolting a pelican case (as a kind of topcase) to the OEM packing shelf and then strapping the motofizz bag on top of that as needed. Not too sure I am crazy about that idea either. I would be back up where I don't want to be cost-wise and I am not too sure the OEM packing shelf can take that much weight. I can rest the bag on the OEM shelf and support it in part by strapping it to the backrest, but it looks really sloppy and offends my sense of neatness not to mention questioning whether it will be there for the whole trip.

Finally, from a capability standpoint, I find unfolding a metal ladder to tax my engineering capabilities, so suggestions that include metal cutting and welding won't be too helpful.

As always, any suggestions would be most appreciated!!

Tom W.

[R1150Rclean]

Buy a piece of sheet aluminum and a piece of bar aluminum and two/three bolts and nuts with lock washers and you are done, oh, but you have to cut the sheet aluminum with metal shears to the right size, and the bar aluminum with a hack saw, and then drill holes for the bolts. Sheet Al on top of the existing rack, bar Al underneath, bolts go through each and lock in place (carriage bolts entering on the top side will give a smooth finish).

[Airman]

In addition to side cases, I have a medium motofizz bag which I love for one up camping trips. Without a passenger I can simply put it on the rear seat.

My question is how can I use it for two up riding. The BMW OEM packing shelf is just too small to support the Motofizz bag. Bestrestproducts make a nice replacement which combined with a shelf they make would be a perfect fit:

http://www.bestrestproducts.com/s-12-bmw-r1150r.aspx

However it has two drawbacks: First the price (the two pieces together cost about $150(!). Given the few times I will need it, I hate to spend the money. Second, their product replaces the OEM backrest, which means my wife will also lose the Pirate's Lair backrest that is attached to it (the backrest cannot be fitted on the Bestrestproduct shelf).

I don't really want a traditional top case. I want to use the motofizz bag. I thought about bolting a pelican case (as a kind of topcase) to the OEM packing shelf and then strapping the motofizz bag on top of that as needed. Not too sure I am crazy about that idea either. I would be back up where I don't want to be cost-wise and I am not too sure the OEM packing shelf can take that much weight. I can rest the bag on the OEM shelf and support it in part by strapping it to the backrest, but it looks really sloppy and offends my sense of neatness not to mention questioning whether it will be there for the whole trip.

Finally, from a capability standpoint, I find unfolding a metal ladder to tax my engineering capabilities, so suggestions that include metal cutting and welding won't be too helpful.

As always, any suggestions would be most appreciated!!

Tom W.

Tom,

I'm going to throw out some pictures to give you some ideas. (This is not my bike BTW) With some modifications this is what I want to do. This is the 31 ltr BMW case with the mount bracket from an RT. This installation was done by kjax909. Notice the relatively simple re-enforced nount and the extra weight support arms. The only second guessing I did was to consider using tubing for the support arms. More a looks issue than strength. I need to look at the Pirates mount plate again. That might be a strong basis for mounting a flat rack and allow you to keep the backrest.

[tlwood28]

Thanks guys for the ideas.

The Pirate's Lair backrest includes a metal plate that would appear to substantially strenghten the OEM rack. Of course the rack's weight bearing ability seems determined by where the rack bolts in to the side rails but I am not too worried about that. I figure at most the motofizz bag with clothes or camping supplies we might pack will be well under 30 lbs (anything heavy would go in the side bags)--I would hope it can withstand that much.

I want to take the simple (and cheap) approach so I am going to give r1150rclean's idea a go with a little modification. In stead of sheet metal I am going to head over to the Container Store and see what I can come up with in the form of a lightweight but rigid shelf that more or less lines up with the bottom profile of the bag, and bolt it down with the carriage bolts and alluminum bars you suggested.

There is a small bow to the OEM rack, and I am thinking for it to lay right I will need to put some foam in between or even a pile of rubber washers or a couple of thick rubber grommets between the head of the bottom of the shelf and the rack.

I will post some pictures when I get this done. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Tom W.

[Sunbeemer]

There is a small bow to the OEM rack, and I am thinking for it to lay right I will need to put some foam in between or even a pile of rubber washers or a couple of thick rubber grommets between the head of the bottom of the shelf and the rack.

That's exactly what I did to mount my top box to that bowed, plastic, over-priced, but very-nice looking rack.
Too bad I had to cover it up to make it usable!
I used a few short strips of 1/4" thick X 1-1/2" wide, adhesive-backed, spongy-neoprene weather-stripping. It has the firmness and elasticity (durometer) that supports yet conforms.

That rack, BTW, is only rated to carry 15lbs, but I have certainly pushed that limit by a few pounds...

[tlwood28]

15lbs!!! Jeez, factoring in the weight of the shelf and bag doesn't leave much weight allowance for anything else.

Great idea on using weather striping. I understand from other posts on this site that I have to be careful in that some materials will cause the silver paint to discolor.

[FloridaBeakster]

I used the mounting ears from the BMW rack and mounted a plastic cutting board to the top. Shaped the cutting board a bit and added slots for attaching straps. Drilled and countersunk holes for flathead bolts and used some of the scrap cutting board to make spacers to fit between the ears and the board. Extremely functional, even for one-up use (I can swing a leg over easily and can still access my under-seat area with my luggage still attached). Oh, yeah, I gave it a couple coats of Krylon Fusion flat-black paint.