1100GS Racks breaking

Hi all, I'm looking to go two up camping in a couple of months with the system panniers and a bag (49L Ortlieb or similar). I hear stories of the racks breaking but the Wunderlich reinforcements are NLA and Givi want you to buy a whole fitting kit.

Could somebody tell me just where the racks break and whether it's likely to occur with ordinary road riding? I'm thinking of making up some kind of bracketry and could do with benefitting from someone else's experience.

TIA
Dick

Ive seen an 1150 rack (same as 1100) cracked just in front of the grabrail.
Overloaded topboxes seem to be the culprit.You dont mention one,just panniers and a bag.Think about where you place any heavy weight and try to keep it as far forward as possible.

That's about the size of it,overloaded top boxes,but I can't remember of ever hearing about one breaking with a roll bag strapped to it.

I've never seen the racks break, but I have seen about three alloy spars break.

The pillion seat sits on a smooth alloy spar, about midway between the tool box there is a rectangular hole with rounded ends, I have seen two crack on the right side there and at least another one crack further to the rear on both sides.

In all cases a top box was fitted and a pillion on the rear often.

Never seen the spar break with overloaded Touratech or standard panniers.

I myself have removed the pillion grab rail and run my Ortleib bag north south behind me, works brilliantly. I have made up a square (ish) flat tray that bolts to the rear rack out of plywood. The bag sits perfectly.

Running the Ortleib bag this way gives instant access to the panniers. I have a lowered exhaust and run the largest Touratech panniers very close to the bike, so this was important to me.

Mick.

Mick Fagan said:

Never seen the spar break with overloaded Touratech or standard panniers.

Click to expand...

That's because pannier racks (OE or aftermarket) don't mount to the alloy part - they mount to the steel subframe

The risk of the alloy part breaking is why Givi provide steel reinforcement brackets with their top box mounting plate - I have these and they're very confidence inspiring as I ride a lot with both a pillion and a heavily-(over)loaded top box. They bolt to the rear pannier frame mount on either side.

Without a top box I don't see that you'd have a problem because the bag would either be inline with the seat (minimal rear overhang) or across the pillion area and panniers in which case there's no strain on the alloy rack/frame at all. So don't bother buying the Givi kit unless you want to use a Givi top box.

Sproggy,

If you look at my original post you'll see that I'm two up so having the bag either in line or across the back seat is a no go. I intend to make up an alloy plate to sit on top of the system top box rack which will offer more support to the bag.

Having loooked at the bike again, I'm thinking of making up a couple of blocks to sit between the alloy seat frame - around the tool box - and the system pannier mount - which is just below. That way, more of the pillion weight and mcuh of the stress from the rack area can be transferred to the back of the steel subframe. If you remove the tool box lid and look at the two mounts just inside whilst loading the rack, there is a LOT of flexing going on.

Dick

A fair few years back... late 90's a chap on the Micapeak listserv posted a picture of a luggage support he had fabricated. (sorry the picture was lost when the computer died)

At the time the only alloy cases available were the Al Jesse ones.. at a monstrous price.

However.. he made a plate that extended from under the pillion seat - with a cut-out for the seat loop locking mechanism.. it went under the grab handle.. and then extended out the rear over the rear rack a fair old way.. with a curved up 'lip' at the very rear... because it was held so rigid both by the seat (with his wife sat upon it) and the grab handle.. there were no issues about strength or weakness of the whole caboodle. Looked quite neat and allowed him to carry a fair old weight of stuff. he made it from steel as I recall.. so no real problem with it flexing. And flexing is something you absolutely need to avoid. as Its that, that will crack the 'rack'

by this time.. cracking racks was a known issue with these bikes.

edit.. if memory serves.. he put rubber strips (like draft excluder) under the steel plate along its length on both sides and across the rear, where it was in contact with the alloy 'rack'.

hope all that meandering makes some kind of sense.