Bulltech Pannier Racks

[Oldbull]

OK fella's heres my pannier rack that I have decided to run with.
After looking at all the options and reading the threads on here with all the pro's and cons, taking note especially of the cons
Ive ended up with this.

First and formost I wanted something simple with easy on easy off.
First bridge to cross was the indicators, didnt want to have to keep messing with these everytime so I got round it by
removing the rubber extension arm and remounting in the same place they came from. Havent got to touch these ever again
now because they clear the rack and are good without the rack.

Next thing I did was to drill 8.5mm hole in moteck rack. Didnt want to use the original grabrail bolts for two reasons,
(although you easily can if you want to)They are awkward to remove and if overtightened crack plastics.
I run with my back rack on all the time so I didnt have a problem with that.

Next I got some 20mm x 1mm gauge mild steel box section and made the racks up as you can see in the pics.
had a play with tube and flat bar but found the box to be the best. It is extremley light and very strong in the right places.
Each side is half the wieght of the universal plate that you see in the pics.Decided to fit a cross bar even tho its over engineering a tad
as the racks are solid without it but it stops any vibration when loaded.Rear wheel clears easily.
(12mm stainless tube, captivated 6mm nut welded each end) Was going to use a piece of box but the tube looked better.
You can see that I have rotated the pannier anticlock wise from vertical to gain maximum footroom for SWAMBO,
another 'con' I learnt by taking note of the negative feedbacks on here.
All in all Im very happy with the end result, they take a couple of mins to fit and remove and are solid.
Going to get them blasted and powder coated black to make a job of them, They look a lot more 'industrial than they actually are,
I think its because they are box section but the pics dont do them justice. As it was pishing down I had to take them in the garage
but I will take some proper pics when they are done.
Just used bolts for temp fixing but all will be replaced with stainless and alloy bobbins...

Anyone got any ideas for me before they go off to be powder coated ????

 

[Oldbull]

heres the rest of the pics

 

[Oldbull]

last for now.. Ill get some better ones outside when its done

 

[Oldbull]

Close up of the under seat bolt that replaces the bungy bolt thingy lol

 

[Oldbull]

Close up of the 8mm captivated nut welded on end of box section
The cross pieces can be used as a grabrail as well... bonus

 

[Lebowski]

Think they look superb mate, very nice work. :bow: :bow:

So, can you get your toes on the pegs with the panniers in place?

How long do you reckon to remove and replace it?

I'll weigh the motech pannier rack if you like just so you can compare the weight.

Oh, and a suggestion, photoshop out the can of WD40 before Jaws sees it?

 

[Oldbull]

Yes Jon ..swambo can get her toes on the pegs no probs, heels rest on the
bottom rail as well if she puts her foot right back, says its even more comfy..
2 mins tops to fit even if your cak handed lol..

Still mite put some buell pegs on the rears yet tho.. not because of the panniers but just for comfort (brownie points)

Wiegh the motech stuff please mate, just out of curiosity..

like I say tho, pics are crap and do not do it justice .. They will blend in with the bike a lot more when they are powder coated..

 

[Lebowski]

Yes Jon ..swambo can get her toes on the pegs no probs, heels rest on the
bottom rail as well if she puts her foot right back, says its even more comfy..
2 mins tops to fit even if your cak handed lol..

Still mite put some buell pegs on the rears yet tho.. not because of the panniers but just for comfort (brownie points)

Wiegh the motech stuff please mate, just out of curiosity..

Each side weighs 1.9kg, that's without the small mount brackets though.

Joy, on hearing about the 'foot room' said, have I put my order in?

Might be able to do you a deal on a set of Buell pegs and I'll even chuck in a tank cover............. it won't fit, but, hey.

:neenaw:

 

[mick the knife]

Mr Oldbull, are you an engineer or in the engineering industry by any chance?

 

[Oldbull]

Mr Oldbull, are you an engineer or in the engineering industry by any chance?

No Mick .. just Fred in a shed self taught over the years..

could not afford the blingy bits in the early days so the only way we could have them was to make our own.. ermm.. crash repairs included as well lol

learnt a lot along the way and I now actually get pleasure out of it as a hobby.Couldnt wait to get in the garage freezing my nuts off over the xmas hollidays to sort a rack out for my bird. The touring bits I have made so far is a bit of a new direction for me ie, the oiler, garmin mount and now the pannier racks as it usually entails normal trick bits for our road/ track/ classic race bikes..
Cant take all the credit tho as its usually our bunch of biker friends that are like minded and help each other out.. ie I dont have a tig welder but my mate does so I designed cut drilled the racks and took them over to my mate to weld them up.

Its a bit like a red rag to a errm bull .. If I see somthing out there that I need I have just GOT to make a better one and cant settle untill I have.
Its an illness I think lol.. But I do get a lot of pleasure out of the final result,
especially if it works..

The Bulltech thing is just tounge in cheek mate

 

[Oldbull]

Thanks for the advice Lumps, duely noted..

Most of the proprietary stuff is pants.

I have to agree m8, tubing flatened at the end, bent, drilled and bolted on :tosser:

If I remember right you have warned peeps before about the monkey metal bolts that come with the motech top plate.. They will be replaced with some higher spec ones when all is finished.. I meant to replace them before but never got round to it..

The welds are sound as well m8 , he allso does it for a living..

which brings me to mention that there is a strong possibillity that he is going to be made redundant very soon and he his seriously thinking about going self employed.. he told me over the weekend that if anyone was interested in them he would make up a jig to make some more... not sure about this tho, could be pie in the sky.. whole new ball game as he would have to charge to cover costs etc so I cant say for sure..

probably best to wait and see the finished items and take it from there..

 

[Oldbull]

Joy, on hearing about the 'foot room' said, have I put my order in?

she would be more than welcome to try them out first to see if she feels more comfortable than what you allready have .. There is definatley more room in that area tho ..

will have to sort a ride out mate before season starts proper and get you sorted.. can make you some new stub brackets if you like but again it would be better to have the bike or your rack here to do it properly..

Ill send you a pm Jon

 

[Lebowski]

Ok mate, sounds good, you worked out about Assen yet?

 

[Oldbull]

Right chaps.. Ive had my rack powder coated black and Im over the moon with the results.. just waiting for the bottom bobbins to come, my mate is turning me some down at work then all will be good..

heres some more pics .. stop me if you get bored lol

 

[Oldbull]

dont think they look to bad in black ??

 

[Oldbull]

Also I think indicators look ok even with the rubber extension removed..
Where do the indicators fasten on the motech set up ??

 

[Oldbull]

BTW.. Im after one of them small backrests that fit onto the kappa/givi top boxs if anyone has one for sale..

Also many thanks to Jon and John (Lebowski, Jaws ) for their input with the racks...

:beer:

 

[Lebowski]

Dave, the indicators don't have to move with the motech system, there are brackets on the rear mount, but I don't use them.

You can see the mount just above my 'plate.

 

[Rolfy Dave]

Dave, the indicators don't have to move with the motech system, there are brackets on the rear mount, but I don't use them.

You can see the mount just above my 'plate.

The only reason you would have to move the plate, was if you wanted to get the bike registered in Germany & pass the TUV test... That is the reason the rear indicator mounts are fitted to the rear stabiliser bracket...

I believe the reason is that when moved back, the rear indicators are visible from the side of the bike as well as behind it.

Hope that helps.

Rolfy
:beer:

 

[Oldbull]

Interesting Rolfy, I know there is a simular law over here regarding side visabillity.. new stuff has to meet with a certain criteria as well. If you went for an MOT with the panniers on in theory he could fail it. Im hoping that it isnt going to be to much of a problem with my set up as I didnt want to have to mess with the indicators every time I mounted my rack..

Dave, the indicators don't have to move with the motech system, there are brackets on the rear mount, but I don't use them.

You can see the mount just above my 'plate

Hmmm I thought that they had to be removed and remounted with the motech system Jon... dooh.. Looking at your pic m8, are they the reason that your rack is mounted low and therefore loosing the rear legroom ???
Maybe worth a try .. remove the indicator and see if the plate will mount in a higher position.. and instead of trying to alter your rack, have a look at remounting the indicators as an easier anternative option ??
just a thought pal