Hey guys! First post in the garage. I've been wanting some hard panniers for my TW for some time now. I don't like what Cyclerack offers as far as supports so I decided to make my own. I got the idea from a gentleman on the TW200 forum, so I can't take the credit for the idea. Started off with some rusty old 1" square tubing that was laying around my dads shop for a few years. It attaches to the Cyclerack using 4 j-bolts that I run through 1/2" square tubing and then I use lock washers and wingnuts on the bottom side. No tools to attach/remove. (NOTE: I didn't weld them with the aerosol can sitting there ) Used rubberized car undercarriage coating instead of paint. Figured that would hold up a little better over the long run. So far so good. Attached the two Seahorse SE520's to it. Got it all loaded up and ready for the 400 mile journey that I took this past weekend. It survided, SUCCESS! So when it was all said and done it came out to $130 INCLUDING the cases! That includes a $6 3' piece of 1/2" square tubing that I only used 4" of, and a 1/4" Dewalt drill bit that was $6 (my 1/4" bits seem to always disappear :huh). Not too shabby, eh?
Definitely strong enough! I was going to buy some thinner tubing but what I used was free. Saved a little money, gained a little weight...oh well.
I see you just looked at the pictures...clearly states underneath it that I didn't weld with it sitting there.
Nossir -- read each and every word . . . . . my post was intended to be humorous, and it was. Just not the funny kind of humor. My wife says I'm best at that kind.
Good job. I like your set up. Are the cases easy to remove? Can you post a shot or two of how it attaches to your bike? I have an XT225 that I'd like to mount some cases on.
Beefy..... I like how with the rack being a heavier, beefier structure that you dont need a bunch of extra attachment points to the pegs and tying the two sides together at the back. Simple, effective, and it wont bend easy when the TW gets a little tired.
Hey Glenn, I'll try to get a few shots of how I attach this weekend. Keep the racks at the 'rents house when they're not on the bike as I don't have room in the duplex.
It's extremely beefy, maybe a little too beefy I laid it down on a dirt road last weekend, scraped up the case but the rack held up just fine. Might be a few pounds heavier than I'd like but I can't complain due to the cost.
You've inspired me to get some panniers for my XT225. I decided to be a cheapskate and bought a set of Plano 1404 pistol cases, which are about the same size as the Seahorse 520, but only $11.50 each & free shipping. I had one already that I bought from Walmart last year, but they don't carry them anymore. I found them online. I'm sure that they aren't as sturdy & waterproof as the 520, but I don't crash or ride in deep water, so they should be fine.