2019 RT 49 L top case parts i.d.

[wbw6cos]

Greetings,

 After a fully overloaded top case use to and from START (2 -up), it seems to other riders chasing me that the OEM top case for my RT has started to show signs of wear; most noticeable during bumps as it wiggles up and down.   I have removed it for a more thorough inspection and have not found any cracking or broken tabs, however, I think there may be some wear on some parts.   Before I go ordering anything, I need to confirm what I see on the online fiche.

 

What I believe is worn down is pointed to in red.  I think I may need to order new ones.  The questions are: 

- is that correct item I think I need, as in fiche, #7?

- how is it secured?   I believe adhesive, as I started prying at it a little.

 

I know loading limits are stated for a reason, so I would like to get this resolved and pay more attention in the future.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

[Boxflyer]

Hi William,

I too suffer from a shaky back-end thingie!

 

My top box looked like it was going to fall off when I was riding down the road,  I found that there was little or no adjustment on the actual top box and used some "shim" material to tighten up the connection between the top box and the rear rack.

 

I sacrificed a large white plastic cutting board to cut these strips of material so my top box is nice and snug when latched to the rack.  

This method distributes the load of the top box over a large area on the bottom of the box so it does not just deform and still have the sloppy connection when riding.

I secured it with zip ties that have a recessed track to run in and not create pressure points.

 

Hope this helps.

[wbw6cos]

Thanks, brad.   I seem to remember seeing something about those, either in person, or on the world wide web.  I was thinking shims and that might be the ticket.

[TEWKS]

Or, you could just get the GS version.  They automatically inflate and tightens the case as the road surface changes. 

 

[Scott9999]

4 hours ago, wbw6cos said:

Greetings,

 After a fully overloaded top case use to and from START (2 -up), it seems to other riders chasing me that the OEM top case for my RT has started to show signs of wear; most noticeable during bumps as it wiggles up and down.   I have removed it for a more thorough inspection and have not found any cracking or broken tabs, however, I think there may be some wear on some parts.   Before I go ordering anything, I need to confirm what I see on the online fiche.

 

What I believe is worn down is pointed to in red.  I think I may need to order new ones.  The questions are: 

- is that correct item I think I need, as in fiche, #7?

- how is it secured?   I believe adhesive, as I started prying at it a little.

 

I know loading limits are stated for a reason, so I would like to get this resolved and pay more attention in the future.

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

Man, this kind of freaks me out.  My wife intends to rest her back against this thing while ridding pillion, and if the mount is unstable or unreliable by design, as it looks like to me, that's a hell of a safety risk for her.  Adding shims wouldn't change that.  The old (hexhead) 49L case seemed to be rock, solid stable.  BMW is really beginning to piss me off.  

[TEWKS]

See now Harley just came up with a workaround, they made a tee shirt.  
 

[MikeB60]

1 hour ago, Scott9999 said:

Man, this kind of freaks me out.  My wife intends to rest her back against this thing while ridding pillion, and if the mount is unstable or unreliable by design, as it looks like to me, that's a hell of a safety risk for her.  Adding shims wouldn't change that.  The old (hexhead) 49L case seemed to be rock, solid stable.  BMW is really beginning to piss me off.  

My wife has at least 50000 miles probably more on two RTs and on GT riding 2 up with this style of top case.  We have loaded them down and ive mounted rack on the top loaded with crap as well.  The old hexhead case and the new cases are interchangeable. Its not a new design nor is it unstable or unreliable by design.  There is some play I don't worry about it but it looks like Brad had come up with an easy fix. No surprise there!  

 

 

[Boxflyer]

1 hour ago, Scott9999 said:

Man, this kind of freaks me out.  My wife intends to rest her back against this thing while ridding pillion, and if the mount is unstable or unreliable by design, as it looks like to me, that's a hell of a safety risk for her.  Adding shims wouldn't change that.  The old (hexhead) 49L case seemed to be rock, solid stable.  BMW is really beginning to piss me off.  

Wow Scott,

This is not a SAFETY issue, it's an annoyance at best.

The top case that was on my 2016RT that I was rear ended on, was first on my '08RT, then my 2013 K1600GT, then on my '16RT...NEVER did it look, feel, or otherwise indicate that it was going to be unsafe for me or a pillion.

 

The shims are the best way to take up any space between the top case and the rear rack.

Not all top cases appear to wiggle or shake, obviously William's does and mine did...this is not something to be alarmed about and have you get "pissed off" about towards BMW.

 

If your bike does not need something like this, then don't worry about it...if it wiggles, it won't fall off and be as spectacular as your comment suggests.

[John Ranalletta]

4 hours ago, Boxflyer said:

 

I too suffer from a shaky back-end thingie!

 TMI.  Let's stay on the subject of top boxes.

[wbw6cos]

1 hour ago, TEWKS said:

See now Harley just came up with a workaround, they made a tee shirt.  
 

 

 

 

"wife?"    I think I have read a different version of that saying.    

 

 

 

 

 

[wbw6cos]

From what information I have read on the world wide web (it must be true,) it will not fall off unless there are cracks in the base or frame parts; I found nothing.   The #7 parts in the photo are indeed worn down.  I went ahead and ordered so new ones to verify.  When excessive weight is added to the top of the top case (I have a rack on the lid,) it multiplies the teeter-totter affect.  I have a waterproof bag to strap there with extras, such as rain gear, extra light-weight jacket, but during the last trip 2-up, that bag had a 17" laptop and most of the tea biscuit goodies that Laura passed around. That bag was just too heavy for that rack.   I shouldn't have carried it, but.......I did.

 

I also use this bike for commuting and I ride over a set of R / R tracks, twice per day.  I do rotate the bike to every other week, but it gets used.  I also carry my Scooby Doo lunchbox in it, with water bottle and it adds to the use, but is not the root cause.  Just normal wear on some rubber parts, I believe.

 

Even with it wiggling a little, Laura still rode on the back when we went to Church.  No issues about her falling off.  I did hit some mildly hard throttle only twice, but other than that - I ride the bike like she is back there.  If you know what I mean, and I think you do!

 

 

Funny thing is, after inspecting it, I remounted it and it seems okay (or a little less wiggly.  Piggly.  Giggity..)   I will hold off on any shimming, for now.

[TEWKS]

25 minutes ago, wbw6cos said:

 

 

 

"wife?"    I think I have read a different version of that saying.    

 

 

 

 

 

There’s decisions to be made in comedy and my writers gave me the option, I chose the safer route! 
 

[wbw6cos]

classic!

[Scott9999]

1 hour ago, Boxflyer said:

Wow Scott,

This is not a SAFETY issue, it's an annoyance at best.

The top case that was on my 2016RT that I was rear ended on, was first on my '08RT, then my 2013 K1600GT, then on my '16RT...NEVER did it look, feel, or otherwise indicate that it was going to be unsafe for me or a pillion.

 

The shims are the best way to take up any space between the top case and the rear rack.

Not all top cases appear to wiggle or shake, obviously William's does and mine did...this is not something to be alarmed about and have you get "pissed off" about towards BMW.

 

If your bike does not need something like this, then don't worry about it...if it wiggles, it won't fall off and be as spectacular as your comment suggests.

Well, Brad, I may have overstated my irritation, but sometimes it seems like stuff BMW made that always worked gets replaced by other, more questionable stuff.  I could use the example of the original BMW tank bag, which just snapped on, and I used nearly every day I had the bike.  The strapped version they replaced it with on subsequent models, wasn't nearly as good.  Also, I just finished my LED upgrade, eventually requiring me to break down the front end to get to the headlight assembly.  It wasn't rocket science, but it was a whole lot of screws and an interlocking jigsaw of parts, which ~~ seems ~~ even more complicated than my 1150 and hexheads.   It shouldn't take that much work to change a freakin' light bulb.   

 

So, yeah, BMW has annoyed me with some of their design decisions, and hearing that the $1500 top case might have an unreliable mount (yes, even if I overstated that situation), was "just one more thing".   YMMV.

 

I'm not selling off my RT, but during the LED light work, I was cursing auf Deutsch, and probably, a couple of other languages I barely know.  😏