Visio Top Box ...won't lock :-(

[Lippiatt]

Apologies if this has been asked before (but I can't find it mentioned). I've brought the Various panniers and Top Box for my F800GS, the bike came with the various mounting fittings etc and the side pannier fit perfectly. However, despite confirming with BMW that the Top case is the correct part and the bike has the official/correct top box plate I can get the top box to 'connect' but then it won't lock.

Im sure Im doing something silly but when I spoke to BMW having confirmed the parts etc are all ok, plus I don't believe the Top Box is broken (as it locks fine when off the bike) , they also could not give me any advise or examples of other owners having the same issue.

Any ideas ?

 

[steadysteve]

That’s weird. I can’t see why the box being on the bike would affect the locking of the box.
Is it the old style Vario boxes or the newer ones that also fit the LC bikes? If it’s the newer type it might just be the little red tabs that need pushing in a bit more. The box sometimes needs a sharp tap on the back corners to push them forward a bit and allow the red levers to go all the way home. This in turn would let the handle snap all the way home into place and the lock be turned.

 

[Lippiatt]

That’s weird. I can’t see why the box being on the bike would affect the locking of the box.
Is it the old style Vario boxes or the newer ones that also fit the LC bikes? If it’s the newer type it might just be the little red tabs that need pushing in a bit more. The box sometimes needs a sharp tap on the back corners to push them forward a bit and allow the red levers to go all the way home. This in turn would let the handle snap all the way home into place and the lock be turned.

Thankyou for the response...I noticed that i couldnt even spell Vario properly in my thread .... They are the black plastic ones, all three are the correct versions and BMS confirmed that they and the top plate are comparable. When the top box is not on the bike it opens and locks perfectly, when I unlock via the red levers it then slides into position also perfectly but the red tabs then won't close , the large rear one is too stiff to move, however as per your comment I do wonder if there is a 'trick' to finally adjust it so they close...I'll give your 'sharp tap' suggestion a go

 

[SuperTed]

Are you sure that the top plate is actually fitted flat and not slightly twisted? I would loosen off the mounting bolts, give the plate a tap, and then tighten it up again. It might be okay but I’ve seen this before. Worth a try at least.

 

[Lippiatt]

It looks fine to be honest but I will check again, it wasn't fitted by me it came pre-fitted along with all the other additions this model came with.

 

[steadysteve]

Are you sure that the top plate is actually fitted flat and not slightly twisted? I would loosen off the mounting bolts, give the plate a tap, and then tighten it up again. It might be okay but I’ve seen this before. Worth a try at least.

Hmmm good idea. Maybe if it has spacers of different sizes under the plate they could be mixed up causing it to twist.

Be careful ‘tapping’ it, don’t knock the bike off its stand.

 

[Bem]

It looks fine to be honest but I will check again, it wasn't fitted by me it came pre-fitted along with all the other additions this model came with.

Find yourself a mate/friend/enemy with an existing Vario mount, whether 310/675/800/1200 etc and try it on there, then try theirs on yours.
Comparison can be your friend (unless his is bigger than yours of course).

 

[Lippiatt]

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who falls into those categories (even enemies) who owns a BMW.

 

[Matty589]

The Vario topcase locks onto the bike on the front two lugs and the rear two lugs contain movable bits of plastic, which engage underneath the two rear parts of the luggage grid. These engage as you push the large red lever shut on the rear of the topcase. This is directly related to the red tab in the lid of the topcase and the bottom red lever will often not shut without some coaxing of it together with the top lever. I’ve had many F700/750/800/850 GS bikes and the Vario topcase on each one was the same. If it works off the bike it’s very unlikely the mechanism is broken. However the movable lugs on the bottom could be misaligned and not engaging properly, preventing you from pushing the red levers shut.

The other possibility is that the two rear lugs on the luggage rack are with bent or misaligned as the lugs on the topcase only just slides under by a few mm.