Homemade Top Case Rack!

[Roaddawg]

So, originally, I bought this big ass top case off of Ebay for $65 and did a thread about how I mounted it to the passenger seat area. It's worked great there, but I haven't been able to take a passenger, plus I wanted a rear rack.

Original thread: http://www.600cc.org/forum/f89/easy-mounted-cheap-top-case-21801/#post283251

Well, I was tinkering in the garage and came across some 1/2" galvanized conduit pipe and had an idea! .....I began to mock up a rack and here's where that went..... (see pics) The first few pics with the zip ties is just mocking it up to see if it would work. I bolted everything together for the final version. The last couple pics is the final product. It turned out better than I thought and flows perfectly with the lines of the bike. And, you can still us the hand bars.

It ended up costing me nothing, since I had all the stuff already. But, if I had to buy the parts, It could be built for under $10! And, I like the clean look so much better than any of the aftermarket ones I was looking at. It's very stable and secure, as well.

Enjoy.

 

[BrueThru]

I do alot of conduit bending and those crimps are killing me.

Thats beside the point though. Nice use of your brain and some extra material laying around the house. :thumbup:

If your going to use tie wraps to secure the rack, make sure you get something thats a bit more heavy duty. Don't want your rig coming off if you hit a few good bumps.

There are some 200lb tie wraps HVAC guys use to wrap duct work that would do the trick.

We tie them onto the new guys' driveshafts to haze them a bit. Makes a hell of a noise when they pull their trucks out of the parking lot.

 

[Roaddawg]

I do alot of conduit bending and those crimps are killing me.

Thats beside the point though. Nice use of your brain and some extra material laying around the house. :thumbup:

If your going to use tie wraps to secure the rack, make sure you get something thats a bit more heavy duty. Don't want your rig coming off if you hit a few good bumps.

There are some 200lb tie wraps HVAC guys use to wrap duct work that would do the trick.

We tie them onto the new guys' driveshafts to haze them a bit. Makes a hell of a noise when they pull their trucks out of the parking lot.

Haha, I don't have a conduit bender, but it works and is solid. Plus, once on the bike, you don't see them unless you look under the box.

The tie wraps were ONLY for the mock-up. I'm not that much of a white trash engineer!! I made little tabs and mounted the rack to the tabs and the bolts that hold the hand rail on. The fourth pic shows the mounting points before I rolled the tabs up around the rack frame. It's a little crud, but this is my prototype. I would like to make a cleaner one later, but this was just a "messing around the garage" kinda thing.

 

[BoneJj]

The those crimps in the pipe are just hurting me to know they are there. I wouldn't be able do that to my bike, just knowing they were there would drive me nuts.

 

[Uno979]

Dude thanks for the idea! I'm gonna do this( with a pipe bender) after my cm400a resto.

 

[buzzbomb]

I think it's a wonderful idea. I've been toying around with making a rack at my dad's shop. Everything I envisioned was way more complicated, and probably wouldn't look any better than what you did. Well done.

 

[Roaddawg]

Sorry for the crimps to all you crimp crazies...

If you have access to a pipe bender, then by all means, use it. Remember, I built this on an idea and a whim with what I had at the time as I was tinkering around the garage. I made this as a prototype to see if it would work. Eventually, I would want to bend or weld some nice corners, but I wasn't about to go run to the hardware store and buy a pipe bender at that moment. Also, once painted and with the mounting plate there, you can't even see the bends, unless your looking under the plate. To each their own.

I posted this in hopes to spark creative ideas for others thinking of making their own rack. Marthy's post on the rack he made is what gave me this idea. Hopefully, someone else will come up with even a different and better idea or something that is suited for them. That's what this forum is all about...at least in my little world. :iconbeer:

 

[BrueThru]

Sorry for the crimps to all you crimp crazies...
I posted this in hopes to spark creative ideas for others thinking of making their own rack. That's what this forum is all about...at least in my little world. :iconbeer:

I'm sure we were just being hyper critical.

Its just when you do it for a living and see it, its a knee jerk reaction.

I pick apart electrician's work all the time on the job site. Just the nature of the beast.

I love the idea and am looking foward to seeing the final product.

 

[bleedinblue]

Haha, I don't have a conduit bender, but it works and is solid. Plus, once on the bike, you don't see them unless you look under the box.

The tie wraps were ONLY for the mock-up. I'm not that much of a white trash engineer!! I made little tabs and mounted the rack to the tabs and the bolts that hold the hand rail on. The fourth pic shows the mounting points before I rolled the tabs up around the rack frame. It's a little crud, but this is my prototype. I would like to make a cleaner one later, but this was just a "messing around the garage" kinda thing.

Good thinking, it isnt your fault you havent learned to bend pipe.
Its a art and takes time to learn.
If you don't have access to a 1/2'' bender, you can still make a nice bend with 1/2'' if you know what your doing..Its the easiest pipe to learn with.
It takes 5'' to make a 90degree bend without crimping the pipe, so you can find a object with a diameter of 9'' + and use it as a guide to bend the pipe around (I say 9'' instead of 10'' becuase after you wrap the 1/2'' pipe around a 9'' object it will have about a 10''diamater
Im a electrician and have bent this stuff 10+ years, feel free to pm me.
Here is a link showing how to make basic bends
(EMT Bender)Conduit Bending Instructions - Electrical References - Elliott Electric Supply

 

[Roaddawg]

I'm sure we were just being hyper critical.

Its just when you do it for a living and see it, its a knee jerk reaction.

I pick apart electrician's work all the time on the job site. Just the nature of the beast.

I love the idea and am looking foward to seeing the final product.

I totally understand and I'm not pissed about it. I just didn't want to see people keep posting about my poor pipe bending skills. I get it. Bends would be ideal. The pics might not look it, but in person, the rack looks great. I am totally excited about my $2 rack! That saves me $198 to spend on something else!

Good thinking, it isnt your fault you havent learned to bend pipe.
Its a art and takes time to learn.
If you don't have access to a 1/2'' bender, you can still make a nice bend with 1/2'' if you know what your doing..Its the easiest pipe to learn with.
It takes 5'' to make a 90degree bend without crimping the pipe, so you can find a object with a diameter of 9'' + and use it as a guide to bend the pipe around (I say 9'' instead of 10'' becuase after you wrap the 1/2'' pipe around a 9'' object it will have about a 10''diamater
Im a electrician and have bent this stuff 10+ years, feel free to pm me.
Here is a link showing how to make basic bends
(EMT Bender)Conduit Bending Instructions - Electrical References - Elliott Electric Supply

I'll give it a shot. I've rebuilt many cars and have built my home but have never had the need to bend conduit before....so, I've never tried or looked into how to. Thanks for the tips and I'll give it a try.

 

[bleedinblue]

I'll give it a shot. I've rebuilt many cars and have built my home but have never had the need to bend conduit before....so, I've never tried or looked into how to. Thanks for the tips and I'll give it a try.[/QUOTE]

No problem, I agree with what you said.
Your rack looks good enough unless your doing a endo.
If you do try again when your bored one day, just try to do it in a way that keeps constant pressure on the area being bent.
1/2'' is so flexible you could probably use a basketball or something as long as you brace it somehow and slowly, but constantly bend without releasing pressure until your finished.

Iv used those yellow pylon things in parking lots alot with 1/2'' on days that I somehow didnt have a bender with me.But I pulled my truck up close to the pylon, and braced the pipe under my tire.

Iv actually thought about doing this before, I have a 1/2'' bender in my truck, the only thing stopping me was the platform on top.Did yours come with your trunk?
Also I was thinking about finding a cap to cover the end, kind of like the rubber feet on old fashioned tent poles or something.

 

[Roaddawg]

Yeah, the plate came with it and its metal, not plastic. I was going to look for some rubber caps as well, for the ends. I think I've seen some before at home depot. That would clean it up nice.

 

[bleedinblue]

It would be a nice place to add a white led strip to.
Iv been wanting to light up my bike a bit, in case I drop something, or need some light to pack.
One strip would probably light up the ground most of the way around your bike from under there

 

[buzzbomb]

Anyone who has made a better trunk rack, please step forward. Ok Marthy. Anyone else?

Edit: Damn. Several posts in between what I read and when I wrote this. Sucks looking like a lost ass. Story of my life!

 

[BrueThru]

Edit: Damn. Several posts in between what I read and when I wrote this. Sucks looking like a lost ass. Story of my life!

I hate when I do that.

Have something really good to say but it needs to be the next post or it loses its effect.

 

[yfz6r]

Roaddawg, I love this. I have the same case. How long is the pipe you used? And where did you get the mounting brackets that attach it under the seat?
Also, what are the rubber pieces that are on top of the pipe by the seat?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm a cheap a$$ and really like this. A trip to lowes and a few hours later I can have a rack for my case

Also, is this plenty durable? I do my grocery shopping using this case. Put it in the shopping cart, load it up, then clamp it on its stand and go home.

 

[Roaddawg]

Roaddawg, I love this. I have the same case. How long is the pipe you used? And where did you get the mounting brackets that attach it under the seat?
Also, what are the rubber pieces that are on top of the pipe by the seat?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm a cheap a$$ and really like this. A trip to lowes and a few hours later I can have a rack for my case

Also, is this plenty durable? I do my grocery shopping using this case. Put it in the shopping cart, load it up, then clamp it on its stand and go home.

Thanks. I just went out and measured it and the long sides are 20" and the rear section is 5 3/4". I had a piece of pipe left over from something, so I'm not sure how long it was before I started. About 5 feet or so. I made the brackets too. Get some 1" wide metal bar and then use a grinder to round the ends where they mount under the rear hand bar. As far as the rubber pieces on the pipe by the seat....those are actually black allen head bolts with lock nuts. That's what I used all around, except for the stock bolts for the hand bar.

It's very stable/durable. I wouldn't load it up with four gallons of milk, but I think I would limit it to about 10lbs. Not because of the stability of the rack, but because of the high center of gravity at the rear of the bike (and, that would go for ANY rear rack imo) I put a 20lb dumbbell in the case and it seemed to be fine. Plus, now that the rear seat is open, I can wear a backpack or strap a bag there, if more room is needed. I'll send you a PM as well.

 

[Roaddawg]

Anyone who has made a better trunk rack, please step forward. Ok Marthy. Anyone else?

Edit: Damn. Several posts in between what I read and when I wrote this. Sucks looking like a lost ass. Story of my life!

Is this a compliment to Marthy and me?? Not sure how to read it.

 

[buzzbomb]

Is this a compliment to Marthy and me?? Not sure how to read it.

I was actually busting on the people who were busting on your pipe bending. Having the ingenuity, skill and confidence to create one's own mod is rare.

I thought that those who were busting on the kinks in your conduit needed to pony up with the racks that they'd made, or step back.

As far as I know, you and Marthy are the only ones who have made custom racks on this forum. Marthy's work is professional and well liked. Yes, it was a compliment.

Anyone who has made a better trunk rack, please step forward. Ok Marthy. Anyone else?

 

[Roaddawg]

Thanks man. I thought it was. Marthy does good, clean work. I don't have much metal working experience yet, but I'm working on it. Someday, I too will weld like Marthy! I find it challenging and enjoyable to try and make something for myself...especially if it works out better than what the aftermarket companies are putting out there. And, for the price...can't beat that. If it doen't work and looks like crap, I still enjoyed the process. Again, thanks.