installing rear luggage rack/sissy bar

[ShirleySerious]

None taken. It looks fine to me, though, but that says a lot about me.

And I don't know what an angle grinder is, but whatever it is, it's not coming in my house any time soon.

[ShirleySerious]

So I went and tried to fix what I did last time. I changed the angle on some of the bolts, got new bolts, washers and nuts, and lowered the rack. The lower tube is now parallel with the ground. It still doesn't look as good as some of yous guys' bikes, but it's better than before. I'll let you be the judge.

[Planecrazy]

The position of the rack looks better now, but the problem I mentioned before still exists. If you put any substantial weight on the rack the first thing that's going to happen is that the two rear brackets on each side are going to pivot under the load, and the rack will land on the tailpiece (most likely causing damage.

Unless you change those brackets over to a single bracket design, you'll at least need to drill a second hole through both pieces and add a second bolt (on each side, of course). That will prevent the pivoting problem you're going to have otherwise. The other thing we can do is to weld those two pieces together so that they'll never move again. If we do that we can lose the bolt in the middle too (and fill the hole with a weld).

Ideally though I'd think about fabricating a completely new bracket for each side. The ones you're using clearly weren't made for your bike, and while we can make them functional they'll never really look "right."

Regards,

[Billy Ricks]

For about $5 you can get a piece of 1/2" aluminum rod at Home Depot. Hammer the ends flat and bend it to fit. It polishes up almost as shiny as chrome.

[ShirleySerious]

Hmm, I'm not sure where the rod would go, plus I don't have any experience with metal cutting or welding.

I can see where you're going with the whole pivoting thing, but I tightened those suckers real good and tested it and it seems sturdier than before. The bottoms of the brackets are attached to the bolts that hold the turn signals. I'm gonna have to talk to the seller about him giving me brackets for the wrong bike.

I don't want to have to spend too much money on making this work, since it was hard enough even finding a rack that would fit my bike.

[Billy Ricks]

A hacksaw and hammer are all that's needed. Cut the rod the length needed to fit the mounting locations you're using now. Then hammer both ends flat and drill holes to run the bolts through. A solid piece of metal will eliminate the problem Steve sees in your setup. If you don't want to go to that much trouble at least get a piece of flat steel bar and make the brackets out of a single length of metal. Hell, give me a measurement and I'll send you something.

[bonanzadave]

Im getting warmer :-D Looking better ! Now go get some chrome polish. Let the guys make U some brackets. Put a ruler by the brackets and take a picture.

Sorry to come off as an AHole. Theres plenty of things on my bike that are butt ugly that I need to do and I dont really need someone telling what I already know. Even tho a little constructive criticism is a good motivator.

[Planecrazy]

Hmm, I'm not sure where the rod would go, plus I don't have any experience with metal cutting or welding.

I can see where you're going with the whole pivoting thing, but I tightened those suckers real good and tested it and it seems sturdier than before. The bottoms of the brackets are attached to the bolts that hold the turn signals. I'm gonna have to talk to the seller about him giving me brackets for the wrong bike.

I don't want to have to spend too much money on making this work, since it was hard enough even finding a rack that would fit my bike.

The rod would replace the two "problematic" brackets on each side of the rack in the back. Using one piece instead of two completely eliminates the "pivot" problem you've got now (as mentioned) as well as cleaning up the look of the installation very nicely.

As far as welding, all you have to do is get the bike to my place and I'll be happy to weld your existing brackets into a single strong piece...

Regards,

[Commodus]

The positioning is way better now! But it still looks a little fragile, as has been noted.

[prxbadger]

definitely lose those 2 brackets in favour of one rod/bar/plate, whatever

the ones you are using are not meant for the bike and the pivoting is a hazard to you

it should look like the white area on this pic

[argonsagas]

I am embarrassed. Somehow I missed the fact that you are using two pieces of metal as one support arm.

This is a very bad idea idea as the parts will unquestionably pivot under load at some time, and it will not matter whether the load is sitting on the carrier or comes from a passenger leaning against the backrest. When it does pivot the unit will collapse.

It is preferable to have the carrier bed parallel with the ground when the bike is standing, but this is not critical.

Close, in this case, will do nicely, as the angle will change very frequently, due to differing tail loads, rider weight... and tire pressures unless you check those pressures religiously. That said, do you best to get it parallel, but worry not if, when completed, it is off a few degrees.

Placing a ruler against the item and then photographing it is a good idea.

To ensure accuracy, position the unit exactly where you want it, then place one end of the ruler at the centre of the first mounting bolt hole and take the measurement at the centre of the second bolt hole.


You already have offers to make the necessary supports, so take advantage of them. You will find (are already finding) that people here are more than friendly, and they really will help wherever possible.

[ShirleySerious]

I like the rod idea. But perhaps these photos are taken from awkward angles, so they don't show what's really the problem.

In this picture:

...What you probably don't see is that the bottom brackets curve to go under the plastic tail piece to the bolt that holds up the turn signals, not the turn signal stalk itself. I still don't understand where I would mount a straight piece of metal. It's probably the following picture that makes it look misleading:

I like Planecrazy's idea of welding it, but I probably won't be able to do that for a while because it's too cold to ride.

I'll try to get some measurements and better camera angles tomorrow. Thanks for all your help!



UPDATE: I just heard back from the seller of the rack, and he came up with an idea that, if it works, will eliminate the problem of pivoting and make me look stupid for not thinking of it in the first place. He said I should just remove the top part of the bracket; the top one that's attached directly to the rack and just use the bottom bracket. I shall try this tomorrow and see if it works.

[Planecrazy]

I like the rod idea. But perhaps these photos are taken from awkward angles, so they don't show what's really the problem.

In this picture:

...What you probably don't see is that the bottom brackets curve to go under the plastic tail piece to the bolt that holds up the turn signals, not the turn signal stalk itself. I still don't understand where I would mount a straight piece of metal. It's probably the following picture that makes it look misleading:

I like Planecrazy's idea of welding it, but I probably won't be able to do that for a while because it's too cold to ride.

I'll try to get some measurements and better camera angles tomorrow. Thanks for all your help!



UPDATE: I just heard back from the seller of the rack, and he came up with an idea that, if it works, will eliminate the problem of pivoting and make me look stupid for not thinking of it in the first place. He said I should just remove the top part of the bracket; the top one that's attached directly to the rack and just use the bottom bracket. I shall try this tomorrow and see if it works.

The "straight" piece would of course have to be bent around to attach the way your current lower bracket does. From the pics it looks like the current piece will be a little too short by itself, BUT what you could do is line it up with the upper bracket and drill two new holes (that match the two already in that lower bracket). Then attach the upper bracket to the lower bracket with the two new holes and cut off the excess. The result is that the rack will be level (as it should be) and you'll have TWO bolts preventing any possibility of pivoting.

You could leave it that way or we could weld it into one piece later...

Lots of options!

Regards,

[ShirleySerious]

Well I went to the bike today but didn't take measurements. I didn't think they were necessary. Well I took the idea from the seller and got rid of the top bracket and angled it. The result is that the rack is lower than before but is no longer parallel to the ground. This is not a big issue. I took some pictures that, IMO, look like a big improvement over the first picture.

[Planecrazy]

Most definitely an improvement over the prior setup, BUT come by with some straight bar stock this spring or summer and we'll fabricate some mounts that are exactly right!

Regards,