top.case

[dd]

hi.
i am outfitting my r1200r for two road trips this season.

1. down the blue ridge parkway from northern virginia to deals gap.
2. a big oval from portland to yellowstone to the rockies to lake tahoe and back to portland.

i need a top case, and don't really want to use the bmw one.
i have the bmw side case rails with luggage rack.

does anyone know how to affix a pelican box to this?
i can't find appropriate places to drill the luggage rack to bolt on a custom top box.

on my r1150r, i used a givi top case mounting rack without the mounting plate, which worked great since all four holes were level.
however, on the r1200r mounting rails, to attach the luggage rack piece, the front two holes are staggered at a different height from the rear two holes.

any suggestions are welcome.
thanks.
-daniel.

[NeilS]

I'm in the process of doing something similar. I have a Givi monolock top case, and I've bought a couple of pieces from SW Motech that are for mounting Givi cases onto their Alu-rack (which you can't use on the RR if you have the BMW side cases). I'm making a flat aluminum plate which will attach to the BMW mounting rails (where the luggage rack would normally attach) with unequal-length aluminum spacers.

I've already done a mock-up of all this using plastic parts. It seems to work well, but the plastic probably isn't strong enough to take on the road. The plan is to have the metal version done in time for MY long trip, which starts in late June.

I'd be happy to give you additional details on this. PM me if you're interested.

[Caroanbill]

Since you already have the BMW rack, the BMW top case is worth considering - that is, unless price or its relatively small size are an issue (or if the off-bike functionality of the pelican case is important). In fact, the rack is so expensive that you're halfway there!

In favour of the BMW case: it is totally unnoticeable on the bike from it terms of wind / weight / width. It's easily the least intrusive BMW case I've used (as are the panniers themselves) - I've always noticed a topcase (and certainly notice the one on my F650) - but I just don't notice this one at all. It's also a doddle to use or remove, and is very secure on the bike. It holds one helmet easily. It adds to resale, at least in Oz, unlike an aftermarket case (which actually drops resale, so most guys remove them to sell).

Cons are price, size and off-bike weight and all are good reasons not to buy if they apply to you. Plus it is fugly - but not as fugly as the alternatives (I colour-matched my topcase lid to reduce the fugly factor).

That's just FWIW - it's your bike and your call. I hope you find the right solution for you.

[hankth]

I'm with Caroanbill on this one. I have the BMW top case on my R1200R, and I think the integrated look of it fits the bike really well. It is not felt in any way, even at higher speeds. It has served me very well on a couple of multi-day trips too. Granted, I did not have my wife with me, so between the top case and side bags, I had more than enough room for my stuff. ride safe, Hank