Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Damn Potholes on June 27, 2011, 01:21:20 PM
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The purpose of building this rack was to give the passenger more room when compared to off-the-shelf racks when mounting a Givi E55. I mounted an E55 tech case which is no different except for the asthetics. Its worth noting that the colors of the box almost exactly match the bike.
Standard Tools Required: Permanent marker, scissors, jig saw (w/ wood and metal blades), drill, drill bits, finish sander, scotch bright pad. You may need a dremel.
Non-standard Tools: Counter-bore bit (available on ebay).
I started off by tracing the plastic OEM rack onto a piece of cardboard and then added 2 inches to the length. The important part is to get the width correct so it fits between the rails and get the bolt holes correct. Everything else is up to your artistic discretion.
Once you get it into the shape you desire, trace the cardboard template onto a piece of wood. I used a 5/8” particleboard because it was thick enough to bolt it up and put the case on it…and it was sitting in my garage unused. I cut out the wood template with the jig saw and used a finish sander to do the final fitment adjustments. At this point, I didn’t have the counter-bore bits so I used a Dremel to recess the bolt holes. A counter-bore will give you a flat bottom bolt hole where a counter-sink with give you a cone-shaped bottom. These bits are available on ebay.
I was unable to find a local aluminum retailer so I bought a 3/8” thick piece of 12x12 on ebay for $25. The final length of my rack was 11 ¾” so this left no room for errors. Place your wood template on the aluminum and scribe it using a scratch Al. You could also use a permanent marker. I used the jig saw to cut aluminum but used a very fine tooth blade. Its very important to let the blade pull itself through the material. Do not try and push it through or you will destroy your blades. This takes a lot of patience so have a few beers handy.
Once its all cutout, use your finish sander to sand the rough/sharp edges. I then used a scotch bright pad to give it a uniform finish. Its going to get scratched taking the case on and off so no need to spend money on powder coating. I used my corded drill to counter-bore the holes. I damn near broke my wrist when the drill caught too much material.
The Givi mounting kit was bought from Premier Cycles. Make sure you get the kit with the shorter pieces made for mounting on a flat surface or the box won’t rest on the plate. I’ll load the URL when I find it.
The end result is a unique, functional luggage rack with more than enough room for a passenger. This took a good bit of time and if you don’t have this kind of patience, do yourself a favor and buy a Phil’s Rack. Awesome customer service over there.
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Damm Potholes, verry neat install, I would like to see a homemade farkle sticky. Also your dog looks laid back.......blanton
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(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/avatars/dblthumb2.gif)
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Is that dog behind your bike...DEAD!
;D
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Looks like he is comfortably sleeping in the sun. Wish I could be that relaxed.
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Real nice job! It looks like it was factory made. :thumbs:
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Nice job! I'm always envious of those who have the patience to fab their own parts for their bikes. My fab jobs usually start with the best of intentions and end up with me spending 2x the original plan and still breaking down and buying an off the shelf part.
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Nice looking rack. I wonder if the stock rack is made small to prevent us from putting anything on it?
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She's not dead. She sleeps about 20 hours a day and when we actually get some sunshine over here in Michigan, all of us try and soak in as much as possible. This winter I'm going to try and build some mid-controls. I don't want to lose a minute of riding time this year so its going to have to wait.
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Excellent
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Looks good.
I are impressed!!!
Ride safe, Ted
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Does she wheelie easier now. 8)
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Old post. Damn Potholes hasnt even been here since March 2013.
Jamie
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Great job, looks great! Here's what I did back in 07 since I already had an aluminum GIVI plate. Cut out and drilled a 5/16" aluminum plate patterned from the Givi Wingrack cross piece. I had a devil of a time drilling the holes but got it done.
I originally mounted a GIVI Maxia 52. Just recently upgraded to the Maxia 3 55 litre and had to move the mounting holes for the GIVI plate back and inch to satisify the wife. I am hoping it won't make the bike wheely prone.
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Old post. Damn Potholes hasnt even been here since March 2013.
Jamie
??? Can't believe I missed that!
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??? Can't believe I missed that!
Yeah, he moved to Florida and seems to be in and out of contact (Damn Potholes aka AST aka Advanced Sport Touring). Not sure what the current status is, some have trouble with their orders and some don't, his fabrication skills seem to be very good. I have the pull backs on top of Murph's risers that I'm very happy with, but I don't recommend to others because of the changing week to week customer service issues. I wish he would get back on here and clear that up for us.
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(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/stevewfl/avatars/gravedigger.jpg)