Considering top and side cases

[zeke]

Greetings! I have a stock luggage rack on my 2004 R1150R. I want to add a top case or side cases, or maybe both. The bike needs something to make commuting a bit easier. Hauling my lunch and other stuff to the office in a backpack is getting old. Currently I am leaning towards the top case. Any suggestions regarding luggage are welcome. Will the current rails support the side cases? Will other mounting hardware be required? Is this the type of addition that I think will might cost $150 and end up costing $250-300 because of mounting hardware?
Thanks
Added some pics of the current setup for reference:

[Dr. Strangelove]

Those are the rails needed for mounting side cases.
I find a top case more practical and have the hepco becker 42L, I think. Very satisfied with it. iirc out the door, everything ~~$200, but I could be wrong--it has been a while
I have the side cases also for touring, but the topcase stays on for day to day commuting
John

[brem]

I have the Hepco-Becker Journey as well. I had to buy the rack that replaces the BMW plasticky thing. The whole setup ran about $450 shipped but it's very good. Fits two helmets, reasonably waterproof, and the rack doesn't look totally out of place when the case isn't on the bike. The case looks basically like BMW made it, matte black plastic. It's overpriced, frankly, given the the case itself is basically two giant pieces of molded plastic, but like pretty much all of this stuff it had to come from Germany. Apparently some people on this board have adapted a generic case sold by JC Whitney to the plastic rack, but I'd be reluctant to put much weight on that.

The H-B back rack has the additional benefit of having a bar that's high enough above the passenger seat that my girlfriend is willing to let me whale on the throttle with her on board. She says it gets rid of the feeling of being hurled off the back of the bike under hard acceleration.

I just bought the straight BMW side cases. H-B makes them as well but theirs are a) not particularly large, b) not particularly good looking, and c) require their own $200 rails that eliminate the passenger grab handles that the OEM rails have. ADVRider.com's Parts forum pretty regularly has people selling compatible side bags- just be careful to get the set where the left bag has the exhaust cutout. I got a new set for $100 off from Sierra BMW myself (still cost $650, aaaarrrghhh).

[ride2red]

I got a top case from J. C. Whitney that cost $69.00. It will fit on your luggage rack as is, and can easily be taken off and carried. It will hold a full face helmet and there is plenty of room for your lunch and other things. I pretty much leave mine on all the time as there is always something I want to throw in and carry with me.

[rdsmith3]

I also have an inexpensive top case from J. C. Whitney. The quality is not too bad, especially for the price. When my first one was damaged when I was rear-ended, I bought another one from them.



I use my bike for commuting. I go back and forth between preferring the top case or the side cases. The BMW system cases are great quality and seemingly water proof. I think they also look better. The top case looks a bit out of place, IMO.

[OU812]

I like the full size cases as the one on the exhaust side is half the size of the opposite one. This would require the removal of the canister, or a lowering kit.

[zeke]

Excellent stuff! Thanks to all. Think I'll try out that top case from JC Whitney, need something quick, and the price is good tooo.
I really do like the look of the side cases. Maybe see if I can score a pair used somewhere down the line.
OU812 I really like that lowered exhaust pipe so you can have cases of equal size! The stock pipe causing one case to be smaller really annoys me personally. I think I'll copy that if you don't mind.

[OU812]

Johnnjs1 can make the bracket as it is 1 piece and very strong. Also need a "S" pipe from BMW. Called the Police "S" pipe.

[zeke]

Wow! That is great. I may have to contact him separately once I am ready to add the side cases.
So I checked out the JC Whitney site. There are two sizes medium 17-1/2"W x 15"L x 11"H and large 22-1/2"W x 16-1/2"L x 11"H. Not sure if the large to wide for the bike. Think I'll go large, rather have too much space than not enough. Suppose I can exchange if needed. Comments?

[jfslater98]

Comments?

I recently purchased and installed the JC whitney top case, probably the medium. It was $80. It has a warning not to put more than 8kg (17.6 lbs) in it. It came with the wrong screws for mounting. And I was not comfortable with how it would mount to the BMW rack, so I did the "cutting board" mod. Two trips to different home centers to get the correct screws and several hours of my time later, I have... a rack system I haven't really tried out yet. I am hoping to have an update with pictures here soon:

http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13784

The H-B and Givi crowd probably didn't have that level of struggle, but that's a personal decision to make. Your money will buy a much better looking and probably longer lasting case.

As far as the muffler blocking the use of a full case, you may also consider the complete removal of the muffler. A number of posts here discuss it, sometimes referred to as the DJ mod. The cat muffles much of the noise. I am currently can-less but am thinking of putting the muffler back on, for a variety of reasons. Noise isn't really one of them though.

As far as the side cases go, most here feel the BMW side cases are best in terms of functionality and looks. Worth the investment in other words. A recent discussion:

http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13830

Hope that helps.

[zeke]

I opted for the JC Whitney case. Ordered the large size for about $80 US. Arrived on time and with all the parts, surprising since I heard often shipments arrive incomplete. The universal mounting plate and screws really do not fit well on the BMW luggage rack that is in place, but I made it work with little effort. Took about 15 min to detach the luggage rack affix the mounting hardware and replace the rack then mount the case. Went for a quick spin after the installation. The case did not come flying off at 50 mph. I'll hit the highway and see how it fares are 80 mph. Attached pics of the mounting plate after installation and the installed case. I'll let you know if it comes flying off on the highway. I hope not, but there is only one way find out. Thanks for the help and comments.

[bmwr1150rbmw]

Does the case extend into or hang over the passenger seat at all? Would a passenger feel more cramped with the case being used? It seems from your photo that it does although the photo comes from the back so it's hard to tell. Thanks.

[zeke]

I think the case extends a bit into the passenger area. I rarely ride 2 up so I am not concerned. I'll check tomorrow and maybe snap another photo for you.

[Biff's R]

zeke,
Keep an eye out for used system cases. They can be found for less than $400, and they are worth every penny if you want to travel. The ones for the R are the same as the ones for the GS. RT bags are the full size ones.

[johnnyjs1]

I made my own aluminum rails for underneath the rack(flat bar 6061). The ones provided extend too far back for my liking and they are a bit awkward. I was also able to slide the box back a bit so the s/o has more room and isnt invading my space. Now all you gotta do is paint that ugly orange bumper flat black

[zeke]

In the future I'll add more storage with side cases. Definitely would considered used items. Right now I needed something cheap and sturdy. Hopefully this case will be sturdy enough.

Johnnyjs1: I really do not like the way the rails sit under the rack, and the washers are a bit large for the rail and really do not fit properly. Can i easily get a flat bar 6061 at any hardware store? Do have pictures of your installation? I agree the orange bumper needs to go, as does that little iron cross decal that is on the top, what is up with that. Thanks -Zeke

[johnnyjs1]

Dont think the bars are readily available at the hardware store. I kinda "borrowed" a piece from work, cut it into two lengths, drilled the holes where i could move the box back a bit on the rack. I'll see if i can find a picture. The bars I made are installed under the rack from left to right(your pics show them front to back), unfortunately that is the only way to install the supplied rails unless you cut them down, otherwise they are too long to install left to right. The bars I made were around 3.5" for the front(closest to the seat), and a bit shorter for the rear one(because the rack tapers towards the back, gets narrower). I'm not sure i took any pics of the set up before i sold the bike. I could probably send you a drawing in a PDF if your interested though. The set up was very neat and clean . I can however take a pic of the flat bar stock I used.

[zeke]

A picture of the flat bar stock would be useful if you have one handy. If not don't sweat it. No need for a .pdf drawing your description has been very helpful. Thanks