R1300GS owners, don't overload your topbox

[MikeS]

Soon after this photo the bike looked a bit different.


On my recent trip to the French Alps around Briancon I met a nice German guy on his R1300GS at the now closed Tunnel De Parpaillon.

We had a long chat where he told me how had already suffered a hole in the bottom off his engine casing when riding offroad earlier in the trip despite having a bash plate. This resulted in him having to be towed out many miles by another GS which must have been fun off road. This was then fixed by another biker who had some kind of magic putty that fixes holes in engines. So having survived what would normally be a trip ending issue he wasn't looking for anymore problems.

I like to ride at my own pace off road (slow) so I left before him for the descent. I had a feeling he might ride faster that me and true enough he soon came past me and much to my shock/horror/amusement I noticed that whenever he hit one of the small but very regular culverts on the track his topbox swung down many inches and then rebounded way up above normal position and then rested back in normal position. I really wish I had a video of it, I couldn't understand how it could flex so wildly and not just snap off altogether, which it did soon afterwards.

He dissapeared from view but not for long, I came around a corner and there he was parked up with the topbox and it base and the rear of the bike now resting on his back wheel barely connected to the bike.

The rear light and number plate fitting had now also been snapped of by the swinging topbox and got caught in the wheel and was now facing forwards which is what alerted him to the problem as he saw his own number plate and rear lights in his mirrors.

I stopped to offer help but he didn't really need it as he was quite well equipped with spare ratchet straps and managed after some time to strap the rear end of his bike to his passenger seat.

Amazingly the rear structure of the bike behind the passenger seat appeared to be all plastic despite needing to support the topbox.

He said he was going to complain strongly to BMW but his only luggage for his long trip was in and around the topbox and looked very heavy so I don't think this is all BMWs fault. Add to that he had done a lot of off road tracks and the extra weight that is applied to the rear end every time you hit a culvert or similar is huge. I wonder if bike manufacturers take that into account when deciding on their weight limits for the topbox.


Below a gratuitous photo of the view from the top of the Parpaillon, I love it up there and I have been lucky enough to visit several times when the tunnel was open, I doubt it will open again, it was in a bad state the last time I was there.

 

[MikeO]

The top box is a terrible place to store weight - not just for the reasons in the above tale, but because it's so far away from the bike's centre of gravity. I bet that thing had a weave like Trump's hair at speed on the road...

I expect BMW will point him to the advice on load limits - which are very low for top boxes, in my experience. If he wants to keep all his kit in one place, a good tank bag with tank panniers is the best option...

 

[The Other PaulG]

I will admit to never taking notice of the max weight limits for panniers - which often seem to be only marginally above the weight of the pannier itself - along with the 'do not exceed X mph with panniers fitted'.... +20 or 30mph has always been fine and weave-free.

Having said that, yes, riding offroad introduces a whole new level of stress to all kinds of components.

Good to raise this issue though for 1300 owners.

 

[botus]

oh dear - on my old GS regularly have 40kg in there... planned to do the same on the R1300

the R1300GSA gets a very different back end to the bike - everything is totally different - subframe and ALL the trim - likely thousands to convert to a decent setup

opps its far worse there is NO subframe on the GS just some recycled microwavable food packaging - and people sit on this, how they hell can they expect this to be safe with a passenger onboard !!! rider alone must be a significant risk, give it 4 years of UV and we'll all be dying - time for a RECALL

 

[leadfarmer]

Amazingly the rear structure of the bike behind the passenger seat appeared to be all plastic despite needing to support the topbox.

There is a plastic carrier option which is not designed to hold a top box

There is also the top box support option which is made from aluminum and has the floating plate to hold the top box

Can’t see which he has from the photo but if it’s the first one that could explain the problem

As said above, either way it’s not a good idea to put much weight in a top box

 

[Smartbazza]

There is a plastic carrier option which is not designed to hold a top box

There is also the top box support option which is made from aluminum and has the floating plate to hold the top box

Can’t see which he has from the photo but if it’s the first one that could explain the problem

As said above, either way it’s not a good idea to put much weight in a top box

agree. My first 13 had the plastic rack which i removed and fitted the Givi metal rails and plate to support the top box. My current one has the metal top box mount which has to be specified as an extra.

if the lad above has fixed his topbox to the plastic one I'm not surprised it broke!!

Barry

 

[stick]

oh dear - on my old GS regularly have 40kg in there... planned to do the same on the R1300

the R1300GSA gets a very different back end to the bike - everything is totally different - subframe and ALL the trim - likely thousands to convert to a decent setup

opps its far worse there is NO subframe on the GS just some recycled microwavable food packaging - and people sit on this, how they hell can they expect this to be safe with a passenger onboard !!! rider alone must be a significant risk, give it 4 years of UV and we'll all be dying - time for a RECALL

40 kg in a top box !!!!!!!! I had 14 in 2 side cases with pillion for 10 days … what you carrying ,,, kitchen sink

 

[botus]

its has 11kg of tools every ride..... you can't even detect its there - I agree after 25kg if you bother to think about it you can just notice its there

 

[TaskMule]

oh dear - on my old GS regularly have 40kg in there...

I call bullshit on this. The rest of your post is just too ignorant to include.

 

[grantmac]

agreed. 40 Kg in a top box, even if i filled mine with water it couldn't hold 40 liters......

 

[botus]

48 ltr givi outback - pure water full up would be 48kg.... but the relative density of steel is far higher - fill it up with that and it would have 376.8kg in there !

 

[tspivey]

I got a refund for a new GIVI rack and plate from my dealer because at order I was assured I could just add a plate and use my GIVI box. When it arrived I and the salesman discovered it was plastic.
If you don’t tick the box for the BMW top box plate with central locking you get a plastic grab rail that looks like a rack but isn’t.

 

[Gee-]

In the olden days of first carrying a top box, a "Lid box" in the old days, as aware as I am of different needs for different steeds, basically it was designed to do away with having too carry your spare, partners helmet (lid) on your arm, and riding with it like that.
Also means of hiding the lids, some had larger double lid boxes, hiding them both from eager thieving eyes while milling around your bike while parked up, Nothing else.

 

[Hustler]

Of course if you'd used alternative transport it might well have been open ...........

 

[MikeS]

Of course if you'd used alternative transport it might well have been open ...........

View attachment 447225

Good photo, I have never seen ponies anywhere in that area when I have been there. Did you take that photo.

 

[Hustler]

Sorry Mike,
Not taken by me.
Your photo prompted my interest in the history of the tunnel and google linked me to the photo with the horses.

 

[harleyzx1400]

There have been a couple of subframes that have broken/failed in South/ern Africa with aftermarket topbox brackets. I have the modified (version 2, there is a version 3 out now) SW Motech setup, but it still looks like a dodgy business and I do not overload my top box. Nevertheless, an interesting point raised about the UV and a bit of time spent riding/standing in the sun after a few years. Maybe why the GSA has a different setup?

 

[botus]

is that the one they drive through on one of the grand tours

There have been a couple of subframes that have broken/failed in South/ern Africa with aftermarket topbox brackets. I have the modified (version 2, there is a version 3 out now) SW Motech setup, but it still looks like a dodgy business and I do not overload my top box. Nevertheless, an interesting point raised about the UV and a bit of time spent riding/standing in the sun after a few years. Maybe why the GSA has a different setup?

dealership informed me the backs of the bikes do fail on the early ones

 

[harleyzx1400]

is that the one they drive through on one of the grand tours

No, privately owned bikes, but they had the first SW Motech carriers and top boxes, so that was definitely a weak mounting system, but still concerning.

 

[Slipperyeel]

I've been looking at the 1300 with half the idea to make the leap. But this story has been noted!
I am eyeing the adventure. Did anyone know how this part of the bike is done differently? Cannot believe it's plastic

As for weight in the topbox. Never overloaded this simply because it ruins the handling of a great bike (all bikes!). 40kg. Botus. C'mon

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