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DIY Topcase Rack!

11K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  arcticcatmatt 
#1 ·
I really enjoy my Cortech tailbag, but I have wanted a hard topcase for my SV ever since I bought the bike last year. I can't believe the cost for a givi topcase rack ($130 or more with shipping). I am an el cheapo and I love to tinker around in the garage, so I decided I would try a homemade version of a toprack. Hopefully, it will work great and I'll ride into the sunset and you guys can make your own if you are so inclined. Be warned, this is text only at this point and the project is not finished. I will get pictures up as soon as I finish and give the thing a test.

First of all, I go to Lowe's with no idea of what I'm going to come up with. I've looked at the Givi rack and the SW-Motec (Motec doesn't have a model for the first gen). I kind of knew how I wanted to attach the rack, but no real solid plans. I came up with a mental picture of leaving the grab rail and just forming a rack that would attach to that in some manner. It seemed a waste not to use the grab rail since it seems so solid. I found some 3/16" x 4' flat steel stock. I bought 2 of them. I bought one 3' piece of 1/8" flat steel stock. I also bought some 7/16" band clamps, and a small pack of bolts (I later went back and bought longer bolts and some washers for the passenger peg mountings. My idea was to use the 3/16" stock and attach it using the passenger foot rest bolts and attach it to the subframe (the part with the little nubs for attaching a cargo net) with the circle clamps. After drilling the holes for the passenger peg mounting, they didn't line up very well due to the angle. So I flipped the piece end over end and only drilled one hole and mounted the stock to the rear passenger peg hole. I then secured the stock to the subframe using the clamps. At this point I decided to try to see how hard it was to bend the stock. I used a 4" drill press vice and a pair of vice grips and found that it could be twisted and bent to the shape I needed. I then did everything on the other side trying to get the sides as equal as possible. I came pretty darn close too, not bad for a guy using vice grips and a little vice.

I now have a rack but haven't attached it to the passenger grab bar yet. I'm going to the hardware store later to see what I can come up with. Hopefully, I can finish this thing and get some pictures up in the next couple of days.

This was my inspiration but was way too flimsy looking for my taste:

 
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#4 ·
And mabe bolts with bigger heads, or larger washers to spread any load through a larger section of the bracket.

BTW, good on ya for the DIY stuff. I'm making my own fender extender ($40+sh for a piece of plastic my arse :p). It's coming along great and I enjoyed working with the metal, and rattlecan painting that is coming up now. I'm thinking of doing different patterns now. It's addictive!
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys. So far the DIY on my bike is a 12v outlet mounted to my windscreen and a heated shirt.

I would love to see pics and a description of the fender extender. I know they have to make a profit, but like you said, $40 seems mighty steep for a piece of plastic.

BTW, that pic above is not my picture, I found it on ADVrider and it gave me a starting point. Mine is coming along very well and should be finished over the weekend. I suppose the load limit will be somewhere around 20 lbs, but I'll have to wait and see. I mainly want the box to store my helmet and jacket when I'm not on the bike.

I still can't believe a metal guy on svrider hasn't fabbed up a low cost (say $75 bucks to allow for profit) luggage rack for 1st and 2nd gens. I believe the market is there for someone to make a nice little sideline business out of racks.

My version is definately version 1.0 for me. After a few revisions, it should work great. Hopefully, someone much smarter and talented than me will get some ideas from this and crank out some goodies for the svrider folks.

BTW, I think I'm going to scrap the circle clamps and try to find some small u-bolts to clamp the supports to the subframe. Now, as soon as I determine the best way of connecting the rack to the grab bar and either bolt (or have someone weld) on some cross braces, I should be ready for some testing. Then pull it all off and prime and paint black. Should blend in with the bike nicely. The main thing I worry about is sturdiness. But, it seems pretty darn strong right now and I don't even have it attached up top.

I'll keep you guys posted.
 
#8 ·
Well, I worked on the rack for maybe an hour or two over the weekend and it is now fully attached to the bike's passenger peg, subframe, and grab bar. I replaced the circle clamps with small ubolts to add strength and attached the flat steel to the grab bar with ubolts also. Here are some pics, but please bear in mind the rack is not finished. I still have to put some crossbraces on the top. The crossbraces will be located parallel to the grab bar if you were looking straight down from above, just like in this first photo:


The second photo shows where the flat steel is connected to the rear bolt of the passenger peg. I slightly longer bolts at lowes to offset the thickness of the steel. On the front passenger peg bolt, I used a couple of flat washers as spacers and the longer bolt so the passenger peg would be flat against the steel.


The third photo shows the steel mounted to the subframe with ubolts.


The fourth photo shows a side profile shot of the rack. I know the long ubolts sticking up and the unfinished ends of the flat steel look like impalement material, but this is unfinished. The bolts will be cut off flush during final assembly. The flat steel will either be bent down and back, or will be cut off and grinded into a rounded dull shape with the dremel.


This last picture is a little dark, but it may help you visualize what I've done.


Like I said, this thing is unfinished. After I receive my case and mounting plate, I'll finish the thing according to how everything lines up. I'll make any final adjustments and then pull the whole thing off and prime and paint everything with black enamel.

I know the method and materials are crude, but this thing is rock solid and I don't have it all tied together yet with the crossbraces. I can put a lot of weight on the supports and the rack and grab rail barely move at all. The only movement is from the rear shock compressing.

I'm ordering a box today and should be completely finished with the project by the end of the week, depending on how long it takes to get the topbox. Stay tuned!
 
#10 ·
I just ordered a topbox off of Ebay. These off brand boxes had great reviews on the ST owners website. Here is the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140114703926

I went back and forth with the 42L or the 46L. I went with the 46L just b/c I'm more into functionality than aesthetics (which is probably not hard to imagine the way I cobble things onto my bike). The 42L 2012 model looks a lot better, but the 46L 929 model is a little bigger. I knew if I got the smaller one, I would eventually go to put something in it and I would need a couple of inches more to make it fit. So I opted for the uglier but bigger case. Hopefully it will come in soon since the seller is only 150 miles from me.

I'll take some more pics when I get the case.
 
#11 ·
There is a similar post in the FAQ section on the forums that I did recently. I haven't given it a test ride yet, but it worked quite well and just removes with the rear seat so there is nothing showing after you take the seat off (bought an extra seat of another sv'er on this site).
 
#12 ·
Yeah, I liked the idea of using the rear seat and thought of that after seeing a few posts here detailing the idea. However, one of the reasons I didn't do it was b/c of how hard it would make it for me to get on and off the bike. I'm short and have trouble getting on the bike with my cortech tailbag if I don't slide it back as far as it can go. I seem to hang my foot or leg on it all the time. I just like the idea of the topcase behind the bike.

I have to agree, the rear seat method would be fairly easy and would work just as well if not better for the majority of riders.
 
#13 ·
bogey78 said:
I just ordered a topbox off of Ebay. These off brand boxes had great reviews on the ST owners website. Here is the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140114703926

I went back and forth with the 42L or the 46L. I went with the 46L just b/c I'm more into functionality than aesthetics (which is probably not hard to imagine the way I cobble things onto my bike). The 42L 2012 model looks a lot better, but the 46L 929 model is a little bigger. I knew if I got the smaller one, I would eventually go to put something in it and I would need a couple of inches more to make it fit. So I opted for the uglier but bigger case. Hopefully it will come in soon since the seller is only 150 miles from me.

I'll take some more pics when I get the case.
thanks for posting this. I just emailed the seller to see when I can swing by their warehouse to check out their topboxes. They're ~10 minutes away from where I work.

I'm also coming up with ideas for a DIY rackmount for the 2nd Gen. :)
 
#14 ·
bogey78 said:
Yeah, I liked the idea of using the rear seat and thought of that after seeing a few posts here detailing the idea. However, one of the reasons I didn't do it was b/c of how hard it would make it for me to get on and off the bike. I'm short and have trouble getting on the bike with my cortech tailbag if I don't slide it back as far as it can go. I seem to hang my foot or leg on it all the time. I just like the idea of the topcase behind the bike.

I have to agree, the rear seat method would be fairly easy and would work just as well if not better for the majority of riders.
That makes a lot of sense. I put mine on to see if it would effect me sitting at a light or getting on or off the bike, and it doesn't effect me sitting as far back as possible, but getting on and off you kind of have to be aware that its there or you'll end up kicking it.
 
#15 ·
bogey78 said:
I just ordered a topbox off of Ebay. These off brand boxes had great reviews on the ST owners website. Here is the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140114703926

I went back and forth with the 42L or the 46L. I went with the 46L just b/c I'm more into functionality than aesthetics (which is probably not hard to imagine the way I cobble things onto my bike). The 42L 2012 model looks a lot better, but the 46L 929 model is a little bigger. I knew if I got the smaller one, I would eventually go to put something in it and I would need a couple of inches more to make it fit. So I opted for the uglier but bigger case. Hopefully it will come in soon since the seller is only 150 miles from me.

I'll take some more pics when I get the case.
I have the 46L mounted where my passenger would be. It's really not as gigantic looking there as you might think and the mounting plate is the exact width of the passenger seat though a bit shorter (i will eventually make somethign to fill the gap in the back.) I'll put pictures up when it's done, which it is not (or you can check it out at the ralley).
 
#16 ·
bogey78 said:


I know the method and materials are crude, but this thing is rock solid and I don't have it all tied together yet with the crossbraces. I can put a lot of weight on the supports and the rack and grab rail barely move at all. The only movement is from the rear shock compressing.
A simple and clever design, good job! However, I would suggest that you replace the grab rail with a more solid bracket. Although it's quite strong, the grab rail is made of quite soft metal and will probably bend if you ride with some load on it.
 
#17 ·
skumlerud said:
A simple and clever design, good job! However, I would suggest that you replace the grab rail with a more solid bracket. Although it's quite strong, the grab rail is made of quite soft metal and will probably bend if you ride with some load on it.
Thanks for the compliment. I came really close to fabbing something up to replace the grab rail. However, it seems to me that it will likely do fine unless I load up 46L of bricks. I thing the grab rail is already stronger than it's mounting bracket under the seat. Believe me, I will be keeping an eye on all of the parts during my testing and I'll be checking the metal and fasteners for any sign of bending or fatigue. If the thing seems weak or doesn't hold up to a fairly heavy load test of about 20 pounds, I'll either modify it or scrap the idea.
 
#19 ·
Nice!!!

I have to post my DIY job in this thread also.. I purchased a used seat.. tore off the foam and mounted a rubbermaid waterproof container to it with 5 bolts. I keep my passenger seat in it along with all my stuff for trips.

Total cost - approx 20$ for a junk seat, 15$ for the bin, 4$ bolts.

It isn't going to win any beauty contest but its functional, waterproof, cheap, and doesn't hamper my riding ability at all.

 
#20 ·
arcticcatmatt said:
I have to post my DIY job in this thread also.. I purchased a used seat.. tore off the foam and mounted a rubbermaid waterproof container to it with 5 bolts. I keep my passenger seat in it along with all my stuff for trips.

I've had the same idea bouncing around my head but with a tool box of some sort, so I could secure it.
Good work.


DNK
 
#21 ·
That's my post in the faq about mounting a box to the rear seat, btw.

I'm 6' tall and have long lanky legs, and I sometimes hit the box with my foot when swinging a leg over the bike...so, yeah, I could see the downside of that especially for someone short.

Mine is still going strong. I use it mainly for errands around town, and taking my lunch to work. I have a Cortech setup for touring.
 
#23 ·
Tdawg said:
Nice photoshop on the duct tape!
Thanks, I have mad skillz yo!

Articcatmatt, are you having Kaneman withdrawals? I've been following the thread on ADVrider since it began. It looks like you were a great host and both had a lot of fun.

Gahdzilla, you were the one that initially put this in my head.

Back on topic, I just received my tracking # for my topcase and it should be here today. I'll get it mounted up tonight and get some more pics.
 
#24 ·
> I have to post my DIY job in this thread also.. I purchased a used seat.. tore off the foam and mounted a rubbermaid waterproof
> container to it with 5 bolts. I keep my passenger seat in it along with all my stuff for trips.

That's great! Is it wearing on the plastic on the back of the bike? Have you put on a bunch of miles with a bunch of stuff in there?

Jeremy
 
#25 ·
^ I drove 6 total hours with it on there from low speed to 125 mph. Even hitting twistys with it with ease. I don't remember everything but inside it were- (and it was raining for 1/2 of the trip)
1. stuff for shower
2. clothes
3. towel
4. passenger seat
5. digi cam
6. shoes
7. small pillow

And still had room for rain gear (that I have yet to buy)

I guess whats so nice about it is that it goes on and off in seconds with the turn of your key and doesn't touch the paint anywhere. I am mounting it up friday and filling it for a 8+ hrs of riding this weekend, I will take additional pictures and post them here. I didn't know there was such interest in my cobbled up jobby. And its total cost is 35$ or less. Get to where your going, take the "box" off and put the passenger seat back on in less than 10 seconds looking stock and pristene. If you wanted to never take the box off you could leave the seat at home and have that much more room.. or hell, even strap the seat to the top or back of the box.

A funny thing I noticed the other day, if you wanted it to match and had a blue SV, walmart had blue ones that matched the SV HAHA instead of black. Not for me.
 
#26 ·
Well, I got the topcase and it looks great. Real solid and this thing is big. I'm not sure if I should have gotten the smaller size. Oh well, I'm keeping it anyway. I know a lot of people on here have mounted cases before and they seem big at first but you get used to them. Anyway, I had some things I had to take care of last night so I didn't get the box mounted up. I will definately get it finished by tonight.

If anyone is thinking of getting a topbox, I don't know how you could go wrong with one of these I found on Ebay. $60 + $20 shipping is not a bad deal at all.
 
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