system case mounting question

[sstein]

Hello all.

I just purchased a set of OEM system cases for my r1150r. They are in great condition. I went and got them re-keyed, removed the stock muffler from the bike and put on a nice exhaust tip and ordered the system case mounts from BMW.

Mounts arrived today, and when I went to fit the bags onto the mounts, I found that:

1) the mount is too thick to fit the clearance of the two plastic brackets that hook over it, and
2) there is no receptacle to receive the retractable latch that protrudes from the case when the handle is folded down.

On further inspection, it turns out the part numbers inside the cases and lids are for R1100S cases, not R1150R cases.

I'd like to keep the mounts as they look great on the bike, but should I be looking for R1100S mounts instead? Will they fit the R?

Would anyone be able to take a pic or two of the bottom surface of their R1150R side case mounts and post here? Also, maybe a pic showing how the retractable latch fits into the receptacle on the bottom of the mount - that is, if there is a receptacle on the mounts.. Bike is a 2002.
I hope this makes sense. If I could post pics, I would.

Any other words of wisdom?

BTW I love the exhaust tip and the deeper engine sound.

[riceburner]

On the underside there is no "receptacle" for the latch. It's an interference fit and the compression of the latch mechanism serves to keep the cases in place, similar to the way a set of Mole grips works. If you look underneath the mounts there may be a set of manufacturing marks that make it look like there should be a depression where the pannier latch meets the mount, but in fact there is no depression and to my knowledge never has been on a production example. Its my thought though that originally a depression may have been specified by the engineer who designed the mount - but pre-production testing may well have shown that it didn't work very well and they changed the tooling. I can easily envisage that if the pannier is only held onto the mount (not clamped like they actually are) then they'll shake about and fall off pretty quickly.

There should be no difference in the fitting system between the R-R and R-S cases and mounts. In part 1 of your query, when you mention the plastic brackets that hook over- do you mean the brackets on the pannier back? If so then it could be that the hooks are just very tight fitting, they will wear a little in time, and if I remember correctly, when the mounts and panniers are brand new they are a pretty tight fit.

[sstein]

That is good news. Yes I was referring to the plastic hooks on the back of the pannier. And, yes, I do see the depression in the mount that is where a receptacle would be if there were one. I initially thought there was some sort of plastic filler in there for protection during shipping.

So of these are held in place with a compression mechanism, it will take quite a fair amount of force to latch them on...
WIth this information (thanks Riceburner), I will be more forceful and see how it goes.

Steven

[riceburner]

That is good news. Yes I was referring to the plastic hooks on the back of the pannier. And, yes, I do see the depression in the mount that is where a receptacle would be if there were one. I initially thought there was some sort of plastic filler in there for protection during shipping.

So of these are held in place with a compression mechanism, it will take quite a fair amount of force to latch them on...
WIth this information (thanks Riceburner), I will be more forceful and see how it goes.

Steven

They do require "some" force to lock down, but if you're using more than your weight... STOP!

( - oh and make DAMNED SURE that the red catch is out of the way - bend that and you'll swear. )

[slowtorque]

Set the bag in place by first positioning the locator at the bottom of the bag in the corresponding "foot" on the motorcycle. I'd do the right side first. If you lowered your exhaust and did not also reposition the left side foot for the full size left bag, you will need to do so.

[sstein]

Can you elaborate on "reposition" the foot on the left side of the bike? Is there a way to get it positioned to seat into the boot on the pannier?

Right side is all set - thanks.

[sweatmark]

I just purchased a set of OEM system cases for my r1150r...

On further inspection, it turns out the part numbers inside the cases and lids are for R1100S cases, not R1150R cases.

I'd like to keep the mounts as they look great on the bike, but should I be looking for R1100S mounts instead? Will they fit the R?.

Check the image within this thread:
http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9506

The BMW fiche confirms that R1100S and R1150RT cases are same, and thus your only challenge is to fit the left side inner case's bottom attachment point, which has been discussed here many times. Search for "full size left case" or similar.

Suggest that you stick with case mount rails specific to the R/GS bikes. Either the "swoopy" R1150R parts, or the older simple R1100R rails.

[sstein]

I got the swoopy rails. Just need to affix the bottom of the bag. Am I going to be looking for yet another part?

[slowtorque]

Search this forum. This topic is well covered. For example search for: "Exhaust lowering/Side Case change


All u need to know you will find there.

[sstein]

Did the search and, yes, found what I needed. Thanks a lot, and sorry for any GI symptoms I may have caused in the process.

Steven

[MIXR]

[sstein]

Those brackets look perfect. Where'd you get'm? I Home Depot and Lowes. No luck.

[MIXR]

Mine are surplus from some past history in military aviation.

However, you will find them at specialist fastener shops, and also get stainless steel ones like these at marine fitting shops.

If you really get stuck, please PM me with your name and address details and I'll send you a pair. I still have a couple of spares in the shed. I think I gave them a slight 'squeeze' in a vice to make them bow very slighlty to better fit the contours of the case. I was going to paint them black, but never got around to it. They are designed for counter-sunk screws, but I only had some spare hex-heads lying around, so you could make them look even cleaner/neater.

Cheers. Mick

[omg1010]

Well done Mick!

Brgds
Oliver

[sstein]

Great. My next plan was to stop at a marine supply store today. Do you feel that the bag is stable enough with this set-up?
I will certainly PM you if I can't find them. Thanks for the offer.

Steven

[MIXR]

Steven - About 130,000 kilometres worth of 'stable' on my R and another 30,000 on my GSA! Dirt roads, big loads, used as a tie-down point for seat luggage. It's done the rounds and hasn't broken, moved or come loose.

The bags are not taking real loads at that foot. The foot just stops the bag from swinging in or out. It's just a locator, so no problem. The upper hooks lock the bag so it can't bounce out of the foot locator and also carry the loads.

I had concerns initially that the case plastic might not be strong enough, but the 4 reinforcing mudguard washers on the inside take care of that. You could use a single plate with 4 holes, but the separate washers fitted the case curve better for me. I added some thin adhesive EVA foam on the outside to prevent chaffing of the foot. It's never worn through has never been replaced. The colour was what I had and is mostly hidden!

There are a lot of threads about this. Some have used a fancy exhaust can lowering kit bracket. Another Aussie (DJ) had a special bracket made that replicates the original. Some guys have just used a piece of 'U' channel in alloy or plastic. You have many choices. I used what I had in the shed. All it does is prevent the bag from swinging.

I found my spares, so the offer is good if you want them. Cheers.

[sstein]

Thanks. Exactly what I needed to hear. I have reviewed the other threads and, other than the slight damage to the bag, this is the best looking solution.

[sstein]

So I think I found just what I need. At a marine supply store, black plastic flairleads by a company called Harken (www.harken.com). Seem rugged, reinforced internally with a strip of stainless steel, and best of all, BLACK PLASIC. I will measure to make sure they fit and proceed.

Last question (from a newbie): Can I drill through the plastic of the system case with a regular old drill, or do I need a specific drill bit for plastic? Yes, I know this illustrates my newbie-osity, but, hey, you gotta start somewhere...right?

Thanks,
Steven

[MIXR]

Steven - Measure carefully.

I couldn't find the ones you might be thinking of using on that site. Most fairleads have additional toothed cams etc? The slotted ones are quite large. They are also quite thick in the base, and generally for narrow ropes, so the sides are close-together.

Make sure they are wide enough for the foot. The plastic end-cap has to fit between two 'walls' to work. Also, if the base that the foot rests on is too thick, then the foot may sit too far off the case. This may impede the case hooks from locking down properly on the side-rails, and then the case locking mechanism from working.

Maybe just unscrew the plastic end-cap from the foot and take that with you so that you can be sure it will fit? Only held on with a self-tapping screw.



Drilling is no issue. The rough outside of the case tends to hold the drill tip in place. If necessary, place some masking tape on the spot which will further prevent slipping. Or use a small 1/8" drill and drill some pilot holes first. Or, just use a sharp scriber to press a start detent into the plastic. Hand drill? Power drill? Doesn't matter.

[Sunbeemer]

In most cases (no pun intended) you can drill plastic with a regular bit if it isn't too large, like bigger than 1/4" dia., but there is always a chance that a sharp bit will dig into soft plastic and try to twist itself in so quickly that it will jam and, especially in brittle plastic, crack it. These cases are not that brittle so there is little chance of that. However, if you want to be sure you can simply touch the sharp cutting edges at the bottom of a twist drill on a grinder and blunt them. Then the drill will scrape its way through the plastic and won't try to grab and bind. Note that it will melt the plastic with the friction from scraping and will leave burr at the bottom of the hole you can cut off with a knife (easy while it is still warm and soft.
With either type of bit use low rpm, go slow, and don't push down hard. If you use a sharp bit be prepared to stop quickly if it starts to grab and bind, especially as you get close to breaking through the bottom of the hole.

That's probably more than you wanted to know, but good luck!