Tail Racks, Saddlebags, Tank bags & Misc. luggage

Teep wrote:

The riders weight is carried on the main triangle of the frame whereas the rack sits on an extension of the main triangle. The main triangle design will handle passenger weight but not the extension. If I were to design a weight carrying tail rack I would find some means of adding more support for the tail section, possibly adding strutts from the main triangle.

Teep

I see what you're saying. But I would hazzard to guess that the extension aft of the main triangle would still hold a decent amount of weight in stock form. There is already a small brace on the left side where the helmet lock is located. The tubing is the same size as the main triangle, and in fact the top section of that extension is the same tube as the top of main triangle. In other words, the extension is not welded on. I would not hessitate to strap 50 pounds to that tail without even a rack, and it would not be a problem. Just how much gear does one need to carry back there anyhow? If you need that much carrying power, you are going for the CycleRack type rack anyhow, and it already has the extra support struts like you mentioned. But for most of these little add on type racks bolted to the tail, I would be more worried about how they are mounted, and not be so worried about how strong the subframe is. It's plenty strong. This white PVC rack pictured above is mounted (I assume) to the cross section pieces under the tail, and not to the frame tubing itself. All the load is on the welds of the cross section, not the actual frame. I'm sure those welds and that thin metal cross piece were not designed for any major load bearing weight. Not to mention I don't like the idea of having to drill holes in the plastic to mount it.

Quote :

This white PVC rack pictured above is mounted (I assume) to the cross section pieces under the tail, and not to the frame tubing itself. All the load is on the welds of the cross section, not the actual frame. I'm sure those welds and that thin metal cross piece were not designed for any major load bearing weight. Not to mention I don't like the idea of having to drill holes in the plastic to mount it.

Yep. mounted using the 4 bolts designed for it.(by the looks) I'm not going to load it up at all. The 4 bolts are very close together. there's no strength for large loads and no support for uneven loads. But for small loads woulle be perfectly fine.

The rear plastic fender has special marks on the bottom so you can drill straight in the right place.
The promotobillet rack has the same mount. (and looks much better than mine) That's what gave me the idea where to put the bolts.

Just to confirm... the "special marks" are the raised circles, yes?

Louisbiker wrote:

[The rear plastic fender has special marks on the bottom so you can drill straight in the right place.
The promotobillet rack has the same mount. (and looks much better than mine) That's what gave me the idea where to put the bolts.

SheWolf wrote:

I was talking with the Yammi rep and he said that these racks from the XT WILL fit the WR as well.

Sport Rack
Rugged Rack

I'm contemplating this one.

I love the look of the Sport Rack, but are they kidding? 150 dollars and the rack is only rated @ 11lbs carrying capacity? I hope that's a typo...

spikehead wrote:

Just to confirm... the "special marks" are the raised circles, yes?

yes, that's correct. start drilling directly in the small holes..

malibu_dan wrote:

I love the look of the Sport Rack, but are they kidding? 150 dollars and the rack is only rated @ 11lbs carrying capacity? I hope that's a typo...

I'm not sure the cost has anything to do with the carrying capacity... I think the lack of support from the 4 small mounting bolts dictate the carrying capacity.

malibu_dan wrote:

SheWolf wrote:

I was talking with the Yammi rep and he said that these racks from the XT WILL fit the WR as well.

Sport Rack
Rugged Rack

I'm contemplating this one.

I love the look of the Sport Rack, but are they kidding? 150 dollars and the rack is only rated @ 11lbs carrying capacity? I hope that's a typo...

It's hard to tell from those pics, but it doesn't look like they will bolt up to our bike. Where does the forward most brace on the left side of that XT rack bolt to our WR's???

Has anyone tried the Borrego rack from TurboCity?



This looks like just what I need... Perfect for hauling a 12-pack.

They also make a 1.5 gallon fuel tank that fits this rack.

now see, I knew the moment i bought the Yamaha rack i'd see something i like better and that rack is cool. but, oh well haven't picked up the rack yet but my Wolfman packs came in today. i got one for the rear then got these things called 'paneers' or 'paniers' and i'm not real sure how they are gonna work out. they straddle the tank and when i got on my knees were all over 'em. i would only use them for trailing, my commute i'll just use the rear one, but those things might not have been made for this bike. i believe i should have done more scopin' has anyone else gone this route?

Well so much for that. The rep said the XT tail racks will NOT fit the WR without heavy modifications...dammit I need that damned welder...

Here's my little tip for the day . . .

If you're running the yamaha tail rack, the left side dirt bagz rack won't mate up to the upper mount. Both BigDog and HF cut the upper tab off the DB rack and re-welded it in a location that would work. I tried to find an easier way. I found by sticking a nut just big enough for the mounting bolt to slide through (without threading it) worked perfectly by getting the DB mount out far enough to clear the yamaha rack. And I can still use the helmet lock with this setup.

I had the big nut just laying around, but I did have to go to the hardware store to buy a longer mounting bolt (m8x50).

Thanks LB!

Louisbiker wrote:

yes, that's correct. start drilling directly in the small holes..

I wrote to Happy-Trail.com on Friday (10pm) to ask if they had plans to make racks for the WRR… got a reply at 4pm (on Saturday believe it or not) saying “Yes we do. It should be soon”.
Whatever “soon” means is open to interpretation of course, but I’ll be on the lookout.
They make a sort of generic pannier rack to which you can attach any number of types of bags (soft bags from Ortleib, Pelicans etc). They also sell some aluminum pannier boxes directly if you're into that.

Here’s a pic of their rack on an XT225.

asheville thumper wrote:

Could you post some pics of the paniers and tailbag? I'd like to see how they look on the bike.

if you go to Adventure Reports and read boogn1sh's AR2 Sunday you'll see some good shots of my bag set-up. those things just were not going to work up front so i just hooked one strap through the Yama rack, cut off the rear straps, put the front straps to the frame and it worked out really, really well today.

I use the Yamaha rack to carry a Kriega US-10 and 5L extra fuel when needed.
The Kriega US-10 is big enough for a tool roll, a few spare parts and what else I need for a long days ride.

Don T wrote:

I use the Yamaha rack to carry a Kriega US-10 and 5L extra fuel when needed.
The Kriega US-10 is big enough for a tool roll, a few spare parts and what else I need for a long days ride.

What fuel can is that? Looks like a great size for the rack.

mwakey wrote:

What fuel can is that? Looks like a great size for the rack.

It's just an old "no-name" fuel can, but it's allmost indestructible and 100% leak proof

I got it second hand from a shop that sells lawnmowers, chainsaws ect.

Carbon Fiber Rack:




RAM mounted Micro tank bag and GPS:

Here's a picture of my RR with a Cycleracks.com rack and Cortech bags. I like the rack because it is plenty stout and large. I almost feel like I could get rid of the 4Runner and carry sheets of plywood on the bike now.

I want to mount a Pelican 1300 case on the back of my WRR. It will be used for stuff for my work commute, nothing heavy. Do you think I should use a rack, or can I bolt it right to the frame? I'd like to be able to not use a rack and keep it as low profile as possible.

jpkrass wrote:

I want to mount a Pelican 1300 case on the back of my WRR. It will be used for stuff for my work commute, nothing heavy. Do you think I should use a rack, or can I bolt it right to the frame? I'd like to be able to not use a rack and keep it as low profile as possible.

I don't see why not. You could bolt it down similar to some of the racks in this thread. Just make sure you bolt through the subframe cross members and not just to the plastic. You may have to make some spacers to go under the Pelican so it sits level.

jpkrass wrote:

I want to mount a Pelican 1300 case on the back of my WRR. It will be used for stuff for my work commute, nothing heavy. Do you think I should use a rack, or can I bolt it right to the frame? I'd like to be able to not use a rack and keep it as low profile as possible.

EDIT: Just noticed my description was previously nicely shown in this thread.... (It's on page 3 for me).

If you take the rear fender off, the typical four bolt pattern is molded into the underside of the fender. You can drill those holes out in the fender, mark the same hole pattern in your case, make some spacers, and bolt down through the "frame".

It's kind of a small pattern, and the bolts go into some stamped cross pieces. It would be ok for light loads. For heavier loads, you would want to be tied into the helmet lock, the muffler hanger bracket, or even the passenger footpeg mounts.

Just looked up the size of a pelican 1300 case. I think you're fine bolting down to the 4 bolt pattern. That's how the carbon fiber rack a few posts up is mounted.
Here's a shot of the spacers (as much as you can see anyway)

Hey thanks guys. Ya the 1300 case is just a little thing, but I think it will look cool and come in very handy. Maybe a MSR fuel bottle strapped on the side. I think I will just bolt it down with spacers. Again thanks!

Great idea Krabill - thanks!

While I was working your plan, I started playing around with another option: If you're not running passenger pegs, you can run the front mounting spot in the bolt hole between the two peg bracket mounting holes. (Install it on the inside of that plate). Then the rear lines up perfectly with the hole on the GYTR rack for the helmet lock. I find this is just a little easier to get on and off, and it keeps the Dirtbagz rack tucked in a little tighter.

Sure is easier than dicking around with a welder to change the end!

Krabill wrote:

Here's my little tip for the day . . .

If you're running the yamaha tail rack, the left side dirt bagz rack won't mate up to the upper mount. Both BigDog and HF cut the upper tab off the DB rack and re-welded it in a location that would work. I tried to find an easier way. I found by sticking a nut just big enough for the mounting bolt to slide through (without threading it) worked perfectly by getting the DB mount out far enough to clear the yamaha rack. And I can still use the helmet lock with this setup.

I had the big nut just laying around, but I did have to go to the hardware store to buy a longer mounting bolt (m8x50).