GS Tourer Mods

fred_jb said:
That looks really good, and there are so many different shades of grey/silver on the GS, that if the top cover isn't a perfect match to your panniers then I don't think it really matters!

My bike is now all ready for the aluminium sided SH35 panniers which match the SH59X, but they are also unavailable until September. :eh I've looked at alternatives, but like you will get the SH58X top box. I will use it with the SH36 panniers I bought to use for checking clearances with while modding the panniers frames and mounts while I waited for the SH35s. I'm touring Spain in August and will be near Barcelona for a week so may visit the Shad factory which is there, and see if there is any chance of getting the aluminium lid from the SH59X to fit to my SH58X!

Here is a pic of the finished frames and custom made brackets, now all nicely powder coated by CBS Engineering in Long Eaton. I can recommend them, they did a great job and were really helpful, just ask for Keith who does the motorcycle stuff if you contact them. I also fitted some tool tubes, and made them lockable with a hole in the mounting bracket plus a stainless eye on the tube lid to take a padlock.

Fred

A6K-3047129-5681-X2.jpg
A6K-3047129-5680-X2.jpg
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Your bike is looking splendid and really functional. Good luck with visiting Shad - if the other top fits I may have to consider it too !
 
Thanks Xpilot

I use the topbox EVERY time I use the bike to store the hemet, so if I had to keep it on the max setting all the time it would be better (and less expensive) to buy a fixed box
 
Pit said:
Thanks Xpilot

I use the topbox EVERY time I use the bike to store the hemet, so if I had to keep it on the max setting all the time it would be better (and less expensive) to buy a fixed box
Click to expand...

It only takes a moment to expand the box, so my plan is to ride with it on minimum and then pop it up when I park so that we can stash the helmets. I think the lower position as well as looking better probably also gives slightly less drag. The slightly higher cost compared to top boxes of comparable maximum volume reflects this flexibility. It is worth it to me, but I'm sure other people will feel differently.
 
Great work, love it. It's a R1200 RS adventure. BMW would do well to take your lead.

Looking on eBay, I presume some of the top boxes are single skin like Givi Monolock as some are quite cheaply priced?
 
Montrose Sun said:
Great work, love it. It's a R1200 RS adventure. BMW would do well to take your lead.

Looking on eBay, I presume some of the top boxes are single skin like Givi Monolock as some are quite cheaply priced?
Click to expand...

Thanks - at least it will be different anyway!

I think the Givi Monolock range are their cheaper ones aimed more at scooters, etc. I've used Givi Monokey panniers and top boxes, and the equivalent Shad products in the past and I think you can't go wrong with either - well made, don't leak, and look good. I'm not sure if they are double skinned construction but as long as they work well it is not something that bothers me. I have to say I've found Givi to be better with things like spares as you can buy almost any part individually if you need to repair damage. For Shad, last time I looked into this, you can only buy the top covers separately.
 
XPilot said:
Just had a check, and my large size C3 Pro fits in the middle size as long as it's to one side of the case. In fact you could fit 2 in. I bought the GS adapter kit and it's very secure with no movement. The base plate comes with the top box and is easy to fit. You remove the top (4 screws) and then use the included fittings to mount it to the base plate. I could only find 1 position that work for the holes - the rear 2 are secured underneath the adapter plates with nuts and the front 2 screw directly into the adapter plates. I'm really pleased with it and bought it primarily for touring, but in the small size it works well for everyday use.
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Was your wife happy with the position of the top box? I've had problems in the past with a padded top box and had to remove the cushion as my wife said it pushed her too far forward.
 
Final pic here. Have had to settle for the older Shad SH58X top box and SH36 panniers as the newer versions with aluminium outer panels have now been delayed until September. Shame as I think they are more stylish and suit the bike better. Will have to save my pennies for September!

A6K-3047129-5693-X2.jpg
 
fred_jb.

Thats a really good look. Personally ( as I only ride on road ) I think the lower exhaust looks as good as the normal one. It raises 2 questions though.

1. have you had the fuel map altered to match the different exhaust ?

2. as it hangs down further, is the exhaust firmly fixed or does it move at all.
 
fred_jb said:
Was your wife happy with the position of the top box? I've had problems in the past with a padded top box and had to remove the cushion as my wife said it pushed her too far forward.
Click to expand...

Hi Fred. Apologies for the very late reply ! To be fair, the wife only had a short sit on the bike, and said she appreciated the backrest. We need a good run to properly check it out, but she's enjoying the weather solo on her new Kawasaki Vulcan S.
 
XPilot said:
Hi Fred. Apologies for the very late reply ! To be fair, the wife only had a short sit on the bike, and said she appreciated the backrest. We need a good run to properly check it out, but she's enjoying the weather solo on her new Kawasaki Vulcan S.
Click to expand...

Sorry - I realised after I posted the question about the backrest that you had previously said your wife liked it. Ours seemed OK when we tried sitting on the bike with it held in position before attaching it, so I went ahead and attached it. We did nearly 200 miles today visiting a friend over in Worcestershire and it gets the thumbs up from the wife. I may however have to get some pillion footrest extenders as she has long legs and was getting sore knees by the time we got back - more expense!

The Vulcan S is a nice looking machine - I can imagine you will be tempted to take that out yourself on occasion - if allowed!
 
stever1 said:
fred_jb.

Thats a really good look. Personally ( as I only ride on road ) I think the lower exhaust looks as good as the normal one. It raises 2 questions though.

1. have you had the fuel map altered to match the different exhaust ?

2. as it hangs down further, is the exhaust firmly fixed or does it move at all.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the approval! To answer your questions:

I have only replaced the end can, so that is most unlikely to require any fueling changes. Also the end can and heat shield is a genuine BMW item which came from a R1200RT LC, which has pretty much an identical engine, so I can't see how it would cause any problems - other than possibly being a little quieter than the original! That is why it fits so well - the entire front end of the exhaust system seems to be identical across all of the LC engined models, with only the end can and its integral link pipe differing between models, so the RT end can just bolted on, as did the heat shield.

Once clamped onto the front part of the system the end can is pretty much self supporting, but obviously does need a support to avoid putting a strain on the rest of the system. What I did was screw one of these anti-vibration rubber bobbin mounts: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222064888698?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT on to the frame bracket that the original exhaust bolts to. The thickness of the bobbin was chosen to give the correct offset to line up with the bracket on the exhaust.

I then made up a stainless steel bracket to take the weight of the exhaust. Once clamped up, the exhaust will only move a few millimetres up and down so I made the length of the bracket such that it was held in the middle of this range. This bracket bolts directly to the RT exhaust at the bottom, and to the rubber bobbin at the top. I used the original exhaust fixings at the top and bought an additional indented aluminium disc/washer thingy from BMW (£12!!!) for the bottom, so that the top and bottom fixings would visually match. You can see it in the following picture.

Fred

A6K-3047129-5673-2-X3.jpg
 
Excellent and very tastefully executed

The exhaust looks spot on you might of been able to get the RT panniers on as well

Best mod I have seen on here for a long time :beerjug:
 
fred_jb said:
Sorry - I realised after I posted the question about the backrest that you had previously said your wife liked it. Ours seemed OK when we tried sitting on the bike with it held in position before attaching it, so I went ahead and attached it. We did nearly 200 miles today visiting a friend over in Worcestershire and it gets the thumbs up from the wife. I may however have to get some pillion footrest extenders as she has long legs and was getting sore knees by the time we got back - more expense!


The Vulcan S is a nice looking machine - I can imagine you will be tempted to take that out yourself on occasion - if allowed!
Click to expand...
I'll probably help her run it in - if she insists. She's already told me I'm taking it for servicing if it's raining, so I need to get to know how she handles :)
 
Rederic said:
Excellent and very tastefully executed

The exhaust looks spot on you might of been able to get the RT panniers on as well

Best mod I have seen on here for a long time :beerjug:
Click to expand...

Cheers - as a newcomer to the GS and to this forum that is much appreciated!

Did think about the RT panniers, but an initial look at the fixings on an RT made me think it might be quite difficult.

Fred
 
fred-jb I have some Wunderlich pillion rest extenders if you are interested. Not sure they will fit with lowered exhaust? pm me if interested!
 
matchbox said:
fred-jb I have some Wunderlich pillion rest extenders if you are interested. Not sure they will fit with lowered exhaust? pm me if interested!
Click to expand...
Where were you when I posted a wanted ad a fortnight or so ago? :D

Looking at fred-jb's setup, no reason why they would not fit.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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