Re: Top rack: M8 x 40 mm?? Where?!?!

[Jeff Munsey <jmunsey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Howdy All,

I just put the top rack on last night and now understand
why the discussion about hardware.  Yes, they really do
give/sell you the right pieces and the instructions do
technically say the right things, sort of.

The trick is that it involves a musical chairs rotation
of bolts between existing and new.  The stock grab handle
is attached with the "short" and "medium" bolts.  The
new rack comes with the "long" bolts.

Here's an example of what I found to work, and even matches
the instructions.

	Consider the possible bolt positions:
	<- back end    [A]      [B]      [C]         front of bike ->

	As delivered:
	<- grab handle [short]  [medium] [N/A]       front of bike ->

	After installing the top rack and brackets:
	<- top rack    [medium] [long]   [short]     front of bike ->

Tightening the "short" bolts to the recommended "one thread showing"
results in distorting the front piece.  I wasn't impressed.
The whole thing strikes me as a lot of flimsy brackets to install
(and work around to remove the tail section) for a rack that clearly
states its maximum load is 11 pounds!  After seeing the whole thing
together, I would vote for simply bolting the rack in place of the
grab handle and forget the other brackets and hardware that requires
a stubby flex head ratchet to install (and remove).  It may just be
a matter of what could they do to scare away the liability lawyers.

Once the rack is in place, it looks like it sticks up about two inches
higher than it really needs to.  Let's see... if we put the luggage
as high into the air as we can, what will that do to the handling?
The thing already does nice wheelies as is.  (insert really big grin)
It might just be time to cast/machine a shorter pair of side pieces 
for the rack.

- -Jeff

|
|Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 21:03:03 -0500
|From: Rich Weyand <weyand@xxxxxxx>
|Subject: Top rack: M8 x 40 mm?? Where?!?!
|
|Hi All:
|
|For those who have done the top rack, where are the M8 x 40 mm spoken of
|in step 15?  I have the M8 x 45 mms that came with the kit, and which are
|used in step 23.  I have the M8 x 35 mm used in step 22, which came off 
|the existing grab bar, and I have some M8 x 20 mms off the existing grab 
|bar, but no M8 x 40 mms.  Am I missing something?  Everything else went 
|as described and as you have all previously commented.  Just no M8 x 40 mms.
|
|
|Rich Weyand      |  _______   ___,---. ---+_______:_   |Rich Weyand
|Weyand Associates| |_N_&_W_| |_N_&_W_| |__|________|_  |TracTronics
|Comm Consultants |  ooo ooo ~ ooo ooo ~ oOOOO- OOOO=o\ |Model RR Electronics
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|

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