Pannier/luggage frames for the XT550

[Goose]

As the XT550's were specifically bought to do some touring with my sons, the addition of luggage etc was next on the list.

This was going to be interesting as I struggled to find plans or decent idea's for my frames. So first I had a few sets of lugge "hoops" made and then started planning out the type and design of the frames.
I wanted something sturdy - but decent looking....!

Step 1 - had some spare 20mm x 5mm flat bar lying around so started with this as a base mounting point!


once I guaged the angle of a mounting plate, this was welded onto the hoop and held in place with pliers to see whether it would work...


Looks decent enough.....


the other one....


I used 8mm Stainless bolts with mushroom caps and 5mm Allen key to mount - after tapping the thread in the mounting plate that was welded to the hoops




Mounting would be from the footpeg brackets to ensure minimal stress on the frame...


A Spare "hoop" will do nicely as a tail-end bracket for a topbox or to allow the side luggage to be fully interchangable with it as well...




Aaaah - the good old Tooltube! Perfect time to add the mounting brackets!




All the design and welding was completed and the sets sent for Powder coating.....
Arrived back after 2 days...........

SUPER CHUFFED

Of course there are 2 XT's ..... so two sets were made using the first as a template!




AND as "Dad" was the funder of the project... it's only fair that MY bike gets the first set fitted










So now for the design of the luggage & bags to attach to the frames.......... well technically I already have the design... just waiting for the quotes from China!

[nop]

Very cool! I shall have to steal your design for my own rack, although I will be using soft bags...I just have to find/make some hoops first.

It will certainly beat paying £200 for the hepco and becker rack.

[Goose]

Very cool! I shall have to steal your design for my own rack, although I will be using soft bags...I just have to find/make some hoops first.

It will certainly beat paying £200 for the hepco and becker rack.

Total cost for a set including Powder coating (ZAR R28.00) and the Stainless Steel bolts (ZAR 48.00) was around ZAR R 250.00 per set (or about £25/set) oh... plus my time & labour!

[nop]

Excuse me while I £25 vs £200! That is 1/8 the price!

I used to live next to an engineering workshop, I would steal offcuts and pieces from their scrap skip for whenever we needed to make something. There was always some mild steel plate offcuts, odd lengths of pipe etc. Now I live near no such place, I never realised how hard it is to 'find' materials.

Those look so good as well. Seriously you could build and sell a few. I am pretty sure NO ONE offers an XT500/550 rack. In fact the design looks simple enough to adapt to most dual sports bikes...

What bags/boxes are you putting on them?

[Goose]

Excuse me while I £25 vs £200! That is 1/8 the price!

I used to live next to an engineering workshop, I would steal offcuts and pieces from their scrap skip for whenever we needed to make something. There was always some mild steel plate offcuts, odd lengths of pipe etc. Now I live near no such place, I never realised how hard it is to 'find' materials.

Those look so good as well. Seriously you could build and sell a few. I am pretty sure NO ONE offers an XT500/550 rack. In fact the design looks simple enough to adapt to most dual sports bikes...

What bags/boxes are you putting on them?

Hehe - love the reaction!

I've started putting plans together to design and manufacture the frames and racks for most of the smaller model bikes. Obviously with the Yammie being my first love - that's where I'll start... and the idea is to make it affordable for those that don't own a BMW or KTM to also be able to have decent frames & luggage.

The bag/luggage design has been done - will be a combination of soft/hard panniers. Again the brackets and mounts will allow you to either affix Aluminium boxes to the frames.. or softw bags. The soft bags are being quoted at the moment, but they will sit on a mounting plate and will be 100% waterproof......... MOST imporatant - AFFORDABLE. .... this BULLS@#T that we have to fork out thousands for very basic equipment is not cool!

Obviously the frames costed above is what it cost me... but even if I treble the price - it will still only be about a third of the price you'll pay for the "other" brands!

[marcm]

There pretty similar to how mine ended up I made for my 34l,kept me out trouble for a weekend and cost me not much for some tube....
The guy that does my powder coating for me locally also does the frames and some boxes for metal mule,and mentioned his boxes are 500 quid each,he seems to think they are only interested in the end of the market that spend about a million quid on luggage for a BMW gs and probably don't ever leave the uk on one...
I know numbers are the deciding factor on if it's worth manufacturing something,but I'm sure a competent metal bodger could make racks in smallish quantitys,and do it much quicker than I did,for a reasonable cost and earn something out of it.?

[Mezo]

If any of you guys wanted to go ahead & try something your more then welcome to sell/advertize your gear on here, FOC.

Just PM me with your ideas or product & ill set it all up for you in the vendor section.

Even you Peter (Goose) if you wanted to plug your company & offer a service to the members its not a problem with me, but to you and any other potential donut`s thinking of trying a sneaky spam why bother? just ask the question & the answer would be normally be,,, "go for it" and good luck.

Im not saying your sneaky Peter (truly) im just letting potential spammers know i don't have a problem with guys offering gear for sale on here, the odd dono would be appreciated of course but if your just playing with an idea like Geoff with his exhaust solution its free, if you making millions (doubtful) bung a couple of quid our way, its a community.

Mezo.

[Goose]

Mezo - point taken matey......... but I don't want to punt my company..... the TBB was started in SA to allow me to sell a few bits that I'd made for my BMW through some of the SA forums (and only as local manufacturers did not want to make or supply anything on a once-off basis - so all products in multiples of 10 etc). I have nothing to punt here unfortunately and the Pannier frames I made with my son was "backyard" mechanic stuff........ and merely there to encourage others.

Trust me that if and when I reach a stage where we can get goodies produced for the market.... it will be offered via vendor sections (as I do on BMW forums) and any fees payable to the forum/site owners will be done without question.

Touratech sell those pannier "hoops" for a crazy amount of about 38.00 GBP each.......... I could not fathom why so expensive and approached a company in SA that made 10-sets (their minimum order) of which I needed 2 sets. The rest of our forum members took the remaining 8 sets and all are making their own frames.

as mentioned - for encouragement only!

As with the actual panniers......... a fellow UKGSer sent me the info he used to convert 2 Ammo boxes for his Beemer.......... so on Thurday I'm off to the surplus store to collect some I'd ordered...

These will fit quite nicely I'd think! (again not punting/smapping or selling... merely suggesting)









of course these would be hard-luggae, whereas I'm leaning towards soft-luggage for most trips local trips. In Africa though - hard panniers would be better due to the theft and opportunistic "redistribution" of one's personal effects!

Mounting of the panniers for the boxes was apparently done by using easily available Ice Hockey Pucks! Ingenious!!

[Bowler]

Mezo - point taken matey......... but I don't want to punt my company..... the TBB was started in SA to allow me to sell a few bits that I'd made for my BMW through some of the SA forums (and only as local manufacturers did not want to make or supply anything on a once-off basis - so all products in multiples of 10 etc). I have nothing to punt here unfortunately and the Pannier frames I made with my son was "backyard" mechanic stuff........ and merely there to encourage others.

Trust me that if and when I reach a stage where we can get goodies produced for the market.... it will be offered via vendor sections (as I do on BMW forums) and any fees payable to the forum/site owners will be done without question.

Touratech sell those pannier "hoops" for a crazy amount of about 38.00 GBP each.......... I could not fathom why so expensive and approached a company in SA that made 10-sets (their minimum order) of which I needed 2 sets. The rest of our forum members took the remaining 8 sets and all are making their own frames.

as mentioned - for encouragement only!

As with the actual panniers......... a fellow UKGSer sent me the info he used to convert 2 Ammo boxes for his Beemer.......... so on Thurday I'm off to the surplus store to collect some I'd ordered...

These will fit quite nicely I'd think! (again not punting/smapping or selling... merely suggesting)









of course these would be hard-luggae, whereas I'm leaning towards soft-luggage for most trips local trips. In Africa though - hard panniers would be better due to the theft and opportunistic "redistribution" of one's personal effects!

Mounting of the panniers for the boxes was apparently done by using easily available Ice Hockey Pucks! Ingenious!!

Looking good, but I'm wondering, aren't those cases heavy? Being made of steel and all....