Top case mounting help!

[tucsondog]

I won a Pelican 1550 Case off eBay and it just arrived today! I'm super excited to say the least. I purchased it for transporting my laptop/books to and from school in the fall, so should anything happen en-route, my computer will be fine. Now for the tricky part: mounting the thing to the back of my bike.
Here's what my plan is so far; but any and all suggestions are more than welcomed:


I've been thinking about buying some square tubing attaching it in place of the existing luggage hooks. I've looked closely and i'm pretty sure that I wouldn't need to bend the tubing too much to clear the rear fender, although if I have to bend the tubing or trim the fender, I don't mind. Then, I was going to attach 2 or three cross members to add support and stability to the frame. As far as attaching the cross members, I was thinking a combination of bolts and JB Weld, or even rivets (I don't know any local welders )

For a top plate, I was going to bolt & a steel plate to the top of the frame, having the threaded end sticking up about inch. Then, I was going to drill holes in the bottom of the case and from the inside, attach the case using in order: rubber/silicone gasket, large washer, and then a nut (maybe two, but I'm pretty sure the force of compressing the gasket should hold keep it snug). From there, I can put in the foam inserts and be good to go!

The only thing I wouldn't mind would be a quick release mechanism that allows me to retain the watertight properties, but beggars can't be choosers i suppose.

Sooo... That's my plan thus far, so any feedback is more than welcomed! I don't plan on starting this project until august, so there's plenty of time for brainstorming.

Ps. I love these cases!!!

[noworries]

Hi Tuscondog. Congrats on the ebay find. Pick up points on the rear of the bike seem to be fairly limited. Pulling the rear plastic enclosures reveals two bolt points on either side where the passenger grab rails secure. Other useful pick up point is the bolt up under the rear fender mudguard where a bracket can be fitted. If you do, best to use a slightly longer bolt there than the OEM.
I confirm that a j-shaped tube attached (maybe using small u-bolts) to the outside of the grab rails clears the rear OK. I tried using square tubing drilled to accommodate the mushroom but it wasn't too successful.
Overall, probably not the friendliest bike to attach rear carriers and things to. Worth thinking about that even though the box might not be that heavy, there are some leverage issues (compounded by us bumping along at 100kph or so)  regarding attachments and stresses. Have fun!

[gsJack]

I made a rack for my 97 GS that I used for years with soft luggage.  I found a Suzuki rack no longer made for my 02 GS and had to add some bracing when I put a 33L Givi case on it.



If I needed another rack for a GS and no longer had the GS factory rack available I'd just make a simple rack to carry the Give baseplate that comes with the Monolock cases.  The Givi on my 02 GS hasn't been off for over 6 years and 70k miles, wouldn't leave home without it.

[gsJack]

More pics of my racks:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GiviRackPics.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/gsrackpics.jpg

[tucsondog]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will be doing a few cardboard mock-ups in the near future to actually see what works etc. I've got a few more ideas to try out. I'll definitely post pics of the build process and do a full write up for anyone who attempts it in the future.