Top Case for XL Helmet

[jfslater98]

I've researched a bit here on the site for top cases and thought that the JC Whitney Givi knockoff would be OK. But one of the customer reviews had this to say

However, my XL helmet does not fit inside, as advertised, either standing up or on its side.

Any one out there have some advice on top case XL helmet capacity? I don't want to buy the wrong case and have to "cry myself to sleep on my huge pillow".

[Sunbeemer]

This is the trunk I have:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/TRAVEL-TRUNK/G ... _10111.jcw
and it just fits my XL Nolan N100E with the sunshade installed (a necessity here in the sunny south).

[stilldking]

The Emgo I have is almost identical to the one Sunbeemer shows for a little less $$$.

http://www.mawonline.com/newsite/emgo-trunk_bags.htm

And here it is mounted


JC

[Sunbeemer]

Except for the nameplate and price, I think it is identical! It has worked well for ~3 years.

[ASQTec]

Going into the fifth summer, and holds my XXL RF1000 with no problems.

[boxermania]

Darn guys.....no ofense as to the practicality/cost of the case but they are butt ugly. When I saw the Whitney ad it reminded me of a mini Port-O-Let......Yes, I know what would you recomend I do with my helmet......on the other hand, will the two bike washers fit in it?.........just a bit of levity this early in the morning.......

[OU812]

My XL helmet fit it inside mine.

[jfslater98]

My XL helmet fit it inside mine.

Looks like the top case fit on top of the BMW rack plate OK, is that right?

And Boxermania is just jealous, we have lots of brains to carry around in our big melons

[OU812]

Yes, it mounts with four bolts and two brackets provided with the case.

[johnnyjs1]

I have the jcwhitney top case on my bike, (painted the orange bumper thing black). Looks ok IMO, and fits my Caberg Solo XL helmet just fine, with a bit of room to spare. Just make sure you put a rubber bumper or something over the screw thingy sticking out on the inside of the box, otherwise it may scratch your lid or visor. I'll post some pics of my set up later today when i get home

[ASQTec]

Darn guys.....no ofense as to the practicality/cost of the case but they are butt ugly. >

Ugly shmugly! When I'm riding, I ain't looking at it.

When I was bike shopping back in 2003, I walked right past the R1150R at the dealer because I was insulted by its ugliness. But after looking at all of the other BMW's, the R started to look good to me. Five years later, it's looking darn attractive.

While not the most aesthetically pleasing additions, my giant windshield and "moderately unattractive" trunk are my favorite accessories to date.

[jfslater98]

Ugly shmugly! When I'm riding, I ain't looking at it.

Alright, I know how to spend part of my gift card: mini-port-o-potti it is

Thanks for the weigh-in guys, I'll be posting pics when it's installed.

[jfslater98]

Well I would be posting pictures, but there must have been a "misunderstanding" when my case was packed. Sorry to bring this old thread back up.

Yes, it mounts with four bolts and two brackets provided with the case.

The trunk would not stay mounted on the plate provided, once it was attached to the BMW rack. The bolts JC whitney packed were roundheads, not flat. The included bolts place the case too far up on the plate to lock. Not this is a huge deal, I can buy a few bucks worth of bolts, but did any of you have that problem?

[stilldking]

That was the EXACT problem I thought I'd have. Mine too came with the round-top bolts. I changed-out the bolts for countersunk ones before I even attempted to mount the base-plate.


JC


(Edit: The hole size is 1/4". I used 1/4"-20tpi screws to make the install go smoothly. Hope this helps a little. JC)

[jfslater98]

Hope this helps a little. JC)

Sort of. I would have felt better if I had your foresight and didn't curse and bang on the trunk for 15 minutes in the garage like the Samsonite gorilla. My trip back from the home center was not much salve either, as the pack had only 3 screws in it. Curse you Home Depot!!! And what's up with the slot head screws, they didn't even have Phillips in 1/4.

Joking aside, I do appreciate the specs you've provided, JC. Thanks!

[stilldking]

Glad I could help (a little).
Oh, something I forgot to mention, I recommend using lock nuts and something to brace the bottom of the plate.

On mine, I used 1/2" aluminum "C" channel. Just chopped it to length with a mitersaw.
(The extra hole is from a botched test fit. That's why there aren't locknuts in this pic, still testing.)


JC

[jfslater98]

Got the JC whitney installed, probably 4-5 hours in total for me. But I was in a fussy mood, so 3.5-4 hours could get chopped off of that. When I initially tried fitting the mounting plate to the stock BMW rack plate, I was not happy with how much air was underneath the case 's plate and the BMW's. So I did the kitchen cutting board mod.

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 2469151986

One thing I noticed with the BMW rack is that there is a dip on the mounting rails closer to the front of the bike. So I shimmed it with some nuts

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 1059086594

But you can also see in that picture a problem that will haunt me later. The bolt heads aren't flush with the cutting board, so the plate was still not as secure as it could be. Never thought I would have to counter sink anything, but I did

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 9778563442

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 8368498050

The slot heads were getting chewed up with my constant fiddling with the plates, so I made a trip to Lowe's to get proper phillips heads and wider washers

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 7152745954

Eventually I need to cut that last little bit of cutting board off the back, and put in the rest of the phillips heads. But I think it's ready to roll now

http://picasaweb.google.com/slater.f/20 ... 7023203762

The challenge now will be to swing my size 14 around the bike without kicking the "porta potty".

[stilldking]

Looks like a nice install. Hope it works for you as well as mine has.

JC

PS: Mine has lots of scars from swingin' my foot across the front of it. Cleans-up easily enough. JC

[jfslater98]

So the JC Whitney case so far has worked out well. About 800 miles have been run on it, with nary a problem. The recent Bash was quite rainy, and everything inside the case stayed dry. Including an aborted attempt to follow Daryl Stamp into a forbidden area of Centralia, PA. Mud got into just about everything except inside the case.

Outside of the installation, the only reservation I would have for it would be the capacity. I had purchased it primarily to have a dry place to store my helmet. However, it will not store the helmet and my rain gear (plus other essentials) all at once. But the fact is, if I'm worried about rain, I should really be carrying the rain gear with me so that I put it on before getting out to a wet bike.

So another cubic foot would satisfy the lazy pack rat, but maybe it's for the best. Overall, I would give this case a thumbs up.