I know a few others on here have done this, but I'll post mine as well. I wished there were more pictures or writeups of this type of setup when I was thinking about doing it, so hopefully this will help out the next guy.
I wanted some way to keep my helmet and jacket (and possibly overpants as well) secure on the bike when I ride somewhere and will be walking around for a while. I also wanted a way to carry my laptop bag to work, pick up groceries, etc without having to wear a backpack or use a bungie net. My simple solution - a top box mounted to a spare passenger seat.
I bolted a large JC Whitney top box directly to the rear seat, positioning it as far back as I could without removing the grab bar and while making sure that I could still open the box and remove the seat without the grab bar interfering. Didn't bother to use the mounting plate that came with the box, since it should be more secure this way and swapping seats is just as fast as getting the box on and off the plate. The only downfall of this setup is that if I go somewhere and want to carry the box with me, the area under the rear seat will be left open. I don't do any real 'touring' though, so I can't really think of a situation where I'd want to do that.
In my normal riding position I don't even know the box is there, but sitting straight up (like waiting at a traffic light) my back does touch it. I don't do any two up riding, so not having a passenger seat isn't a concern for me.
The box holds my size large full face helmet, gauntlet gloves, and armored jacket (with foam back pad - not sure it would work with a CE back pad because it has to fold) easily, and will probably also hold a pair of armored overpants if I can stuff most of their bulk inside the helmet.
It can wobble a bit because the seat doesn't attach tightly to the bike, but it's secure enough to hold light weight stuff while riding. I'm thinking about mounting some cam straps to the sides to cinch it down to the luggage rack under the tail and eliminate its ability to wobble. I tested the concept by wrapping a strap over the box and under the tail, and I could shake the whole bike by grabbing the box. I may end up adding those side straps if I decide I want to carry slightly heavier loads or cover longer distances with the box.
It should be secure enough to keep the casual thief from getting in when parked, but of course, if someone really wants to get in the box it won't be that hard. That's no different than the trunk of a car, though.
On to the pictures!
I wanted some way to keep my helmet and jacket (and possibly overpants as well) secure on the bike when I ride somewhere and will be walking around for a while. I also wanted a way to carry my laptop bag to work, pick up groceries, etc without having to wear a backpack or use a bungie net. My simple solution - a top box mounted to a spare passenger seat.
I bolted a large JC Whitney top box directly to the rear seat, positioning it as far back as I could without removing the grab bar and while making sure that I could still open the box and remove the seat without the grab bar interfering. Didn't bother to use the mounting plate that came with the box, since it should be more secure this way and swapping seats is just as fast as getting the box on and off the plate. The only downfall of this setup is that if I go somewhere and want to carry the box with me, the area under the rear seat will be left open. I don't do any real 'touring' though, so I can't really think of a situation where I'd want to do that.
In my normal riding position I don't even know the box is there, but sitting straight up (like waiting at a traffic light) my back does touch it. I don't do any two up riding, so not having a passenger seat isn't a concern for me.
The box holds my size large full face helmet, gauntlet gloves, and armored jacket (with foam back pad - not sure it would work with a CE back pad because it has to fold) easily, and will probably also hold a pair of armored overpants if I can stuff most of their bulk inside the helmet.
It can wobble a bit because the seat doesn't attach tightly to the bike, but it's secure enough to hold light weight stuff while riding. I'm thinking about mounting some cam straps to the sides to cinch it down to the luggage rack under the tail and eliminate its ability to wobble. I tested the concept by wrapping a strap over the box and under the tail, and I could shake the whole bike by grabbing the box. I may end up adding those side straps if I decide I want to carry slightly heavier loads or cover longer distances with the box.
It should be secure enough to keep the casual thief from getting in when parked, but of course, if someone really wants to get in the box it won't be that hard. That's no different than the trunk of a car, though.
On to the pictures!