Hi all,

This is my first attempt to add something to the pot-o-knowledge about the GS so please be gentle.   I've spent hours (maybe days if you add all the hours up ) searching and researching this forum, other sites, and "the internets" for luggage rack information for my 99 GS. This is a VERY detailed write-up about what I did. It's full of images 'cause I'm a visual learner. Plus, I know that secretly, you're all photo whores. I know I am!



Before starting, I need to give a huge "thank you" to everyone who has contributed to this conversation in one way or another. Whether you were just a n00b (like me!) willing to ask the question or a long-time rider/expert with lots of answers, THANK YOU. 

An especially big THANKS to luksi who took the time to email me additional pictures and info on his fabulous homemade rack.    His responses and photos (page 2) on this thread inspired my hack:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=16314.0

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This started because I wanted an easy and safe way to keep stuff on my bike. I'm much more likely to wear my armored overpants - instead of just jeans - if I can stash it when I get to my destination. I wanted a luggage rack so I could get a top case. Givi makes two main lines of cases: Monolock and Monokey. RL Motorcyles  has a great little write up with Givi FAQs and photos on their site:

http://tinyurl.com/54k6d8

What informed my rack-making decisions and design:

-  I got a Monolock case (E350 Flow) so I was working with a Monolock mounting plate;

-  I wanted a rack that had the smallest possible footprint for the mounting plate;

-  I wanted a rack that wouldn't interfere with the passenger seat;

-  I wanted a rack that was as low as possible and hovered over the tail fairing:

        - keeps the weight closer and minimizes the "stick out" factor
        - easier access to the stuff inside (I'm on the shorter end of the spectrum)

-  I wanted something SOLID. After reading about cracking frames  and adding braces and bouncing top cases  , I decided that - above all else - it had to be secure!



Materials:

- 5 pre-bent 90 degree EMT tubes, 3/4" diameter

- 3 feet of straight EMT tube, 1/2" diameter (the smallest I could find was 5' length)

- 1 piece of steel plate: 1.25" x 10", 12 gauge or thereabouts

- 1 piece of Simpson strap tie: 0.75" x 15" (20 gauge)

- 2 stainless steel (SS) machine bolts: #10-32 x 3/4"

- 2 SS locking nuts to match: #10-32

- 2 SS washers to match

- 1 can of spray paint

I got everything at big box home improvement stores.

Additionally, you'll need:

- the skills to weld; or

- the skills to convince a welder friend to help you for some pizza and beer  ; or

- the skills to save money for a very, very, very patient welder.

Steps:

1. Modified pre-bent tubes into three types

- Cut 1.75" off the end of two pre-bent 90s (B pipes)

- Cut one pre-bent 90 into two equal halves; then shortened them to ~ 6.5" each (C pipes)

- Flattened one end (approx 1") of both remaining tubes (D pipes)



2. Put the B pipes together

- Pieced together the B pipes (cut off ends touching) on a flat surface so they're on the same plane.

- Then made two marks across the pipes so that they could be matched up when welded. It's hard to eyeball how straight the pipes are lined up otherwise.



3. Added the C pipes

- This was the tricky/trial-and-error part because I had to keep track of multiple things at once. It may drive you kinda crazy if you don't have a helper or two (or eight). It's a real exercise in patience.

- Matched up the cutoff end of each C pipe to the B pipe's free end. This felt a little weird because after cutting pipe C in half, you're basically "in" the angle. This meant no perfectly round opening; looked more like a rounded triangle. But it's round enough that it could still be welded to pipe B.

- Turned each C pipe in a little so that the outside edge of their terminal ends were about 9.5" apart.

- Marked the pipe positions (relative to each other); welded.



4. Measured twice, chopped once

- I had to cut the terminal ends of each C pipe so it'd be ready to weld to the steel plate. Some important numbers:

     - the tail fairing is at a 17 degree angle relative to level
     - the grab bar mounting part of the frame is at a 22 degree angle relative to level

- So, while holding the luggage rack body at a 17 degree angle, I made a line at level mark on the leg (C pipe); then measured 22 degrees up from that; and cut.



5. Welded the frame body together

- This meant the B pipes to the C pipes and then to the steel plate.

- The steel plate looked something like this, with holes drilled as shown; I reused the original grab bar hex bolts.



6. Measured out and cut crossbars

- I didn't really plan out where to put the crossbars. I just put the three bars on about equal distances apart. I forgot that the downtubes had to be welded to the last crossbar. Lucky for me, the downtube still reached the fender. For my rack, this meant 4.75" (centered) from the B/C weld spot. Double check your bike's measurements.



7. Welded the crossbars and downtubes (D pipes)

- I measured the width of my fender at 7" so that's how far apart I wanted the flat ends of the D pipes (but still centered on the cross bar).
          ** I should have added about 1/4" - 3/8" to that value. I needed the extra space to accommodate the frame attachment pieces. Doh!



Welding's all done! 

8. Made the frame attachment pieces (like Part A on the Five Stars rack)

- I used the 0.75" wide tie strap to make these attachment pieces. Cut the strap in half. Bent each half around a piece of 1/2" pipe and drill two holes on either end for the attachments: hex nut on top and downtube/fender on bottom

(Your measurements will vary depending on where your fender attachment is.)



9. Dry fit everything

- Lined up the flattened part of the rack, part A attachment strap, and fender. (This is where I really wished for a little extra space!) Drilled a hole straight through and slipped the bolt in. Everything was a really tight fit. My face looked something like this while doing it (see ** in step 7). Threw a washer on the other side of the fender and then fastened the lock nut.



10. Paint

- I had to take everything apart. (I know! ) Used a couple coats of rattle can black and added a couple of clear coats. I should've been more patient. See smudge.



11. Reassembled everything

- The license plate (sans bracket) fit perfectly in the space right below the brake light. Went nicely with the fenderectomy.



- Added the Monolock mounting plate, snapped in the topcase, and ta-da!



Additional info

- There are lots of other ways to get a luggage rack on your pre-01 GS. At least half a dozen members have posted on how they've done it. Here are just a few links:

          This one has a pretty comprehensive explanation of gsjack's construction of an aluminum angle rack and the bracing of the Suzuki rack
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=39389.0

          This one has links to the rack that davipu made
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=35033.0

          This is PuddleJumper's creation
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=37964.0

          This is buzz's luggage rack beta, but I couldn't get the images to load 
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=23728.0
         
          jjr_vw set up his top case on a bike rack!
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=30222.0

          A really informative thread with lots of the experts contributing - dated 2004, but still useful
          http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=11819.0

          Sorry if I missed anyone!

Aftermarket Racks for '89-'00

I'm focusing only on pre-2001-specific racks and purposely excluded the Suzuki OEM & Five-Star because they can't be purchased easily, if at all. The Five-Star obviously influenced my choices in design, but so did the racks below. The prices were all high, some ridiculously so  . I've done a comparison with each of the ones that are still available for sale.

- Givi (F524, '97-'00): $136 + free S&H = $136, shipped; tax in OH
  http://www.sporttour.com/luggage/givi/Givi_fitment_kits_Suzuki.htm

I'm not sure why this is only listed as '97-'00, but there it is. This is the cheapest of the aftermarkets and is a Givi so I'm sure the quality is there. I'm not sure how much weight it can take, but I'd hazard to guess it's pretty solid given the lack of complaints. And it retains the original grab bar. However, I'm with gsjack on his opinion that the rack sticks up too high and out too much.



- Renntec: $129.50 + 13.50 shipping + $2.95 handling = $146, shipped; tax in GA
  http://www.revsperformance.com/renntec/sports_racks.htm

First, this is pricey. But it also didn't have the (down tube) support braces, which seemed to be an important factor given everything I'd read. There's also a wide footprint. The nice thing is that the '89-'00 version has a replacement grab bar built into the rack. I liked this  but I liked minimizing the "stick out" factor more so I didn't try to retain/replace the grab bar.

This photo is comparing the '01+ Renntec because I couldn't find a photo of the '89-'00 rack on a bike. You can see that the rack sticks out and up more, relative to the rear turn signal lights.



- Krauser: $220 + 11.10 (and up) shipping = $231.10+, shipped; tax in RI
  https://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/533

The design looks fantastic and (along with the Five-Star) was a major influence in my homemade rack. Unfortunately, the price is . It's pretty much cost prohibitive once you add in the fact that it only works with the Krauser K4 case ($275).



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Additional photos - click to enlarge:

Close up of the fender attachment point, with fairing on


Steel plate screwed into grab bar mounting points


Looking up at Givi mounted plate installed. (That's not mud under the brake light. Nope. Definitely not. )


Side profile


Top case installed - view from front of bike


View from behind

Awesome write up! 

Nomination for F.A.Q. status. 

Thanks! 

I have to admit, I did feel a little embarrassed about how much I had to scroll (past my ridiculously long post) just to read your comment. 

That's called thoroughness, I bet it will help somebody. Probably you too, won't get as many questions from idiots like me. 

Also love seeing pictures, I happen to be a visual learner myself. 

ok, nominated for a sticky, howto, or something. very nice right up !:)

what's the significance of the '17' ?

Superb writeup! 

Thank you for taking the time to share this knowledge and information.

Very nice work  Awesome HOW TO!!! 

Glad you guys like! Pictures rock! 

Amazing how much you learn in the process...and only in the process. I guess that's why prototypes exist. There are already modifications and improvements I'm thinking of.

So, if any fabrication-disinclined folks are interested in buying a luggage rack instead of making their own, I can ask the welder I worked with for some sort of group discount. Plus, it'd give me a chance to tweak the design and implement those changes. All for the better, I promise!

wow, im in the middle of deciding how to make a luggage rack

Very nice illustrations.   

Well done!


Shows true skill, and a great write up 

ohgood, sorry I missed your question about the "17." Okay, I know you all are gonna laugh but it was on the sheet that my reflective wheel rim stripe kit came on. It doesn't actually mean anything but I thought, hey, another point of reflection from the side, why not! 

Someone with even more attention to detail than me pointed out that my top case is not a Givi E35, and he's right!

Typo on my part - it's actually a Givi E350 (Flow). Thanks!

Glad to see your design turned out so well. 

Really looks like a professional job....I like the looks of the GS with the rack and box on it.
Have gotten a couple of compliments on mine while stopping for rest/gas.

I haven't checked to see if this info made it into the OEM, but it
really would be useful as more commuters are showing up due to gas prices...and the box is necessity.
The detail of this post is great...

I still wonder what would happen if someone tried using the emt connectors and jb weld
instead of arc welding.

kudos

Thanks, luksi! Your help was instrumental...thanks for emailing me those photos and answering all my questions! 

I'm hoping other folks will be able to use this info for their own projects because having a top case for commuting, weekend trips, or just day rides is AWESOME! 

Hmm, I've never worked with JB Weld before so the idea of putting a rack together with it makes me nervous. But hey, maybe someone out there who doesn't have access to arc welding will do this and share the results.

The only time I've used JB weld was when I lengthened my kickstand. I don't know if I would trust it structurally for much more than that.