Side Case Latch Problem

[simskid]

I have a 2016 RT and just returned from a trip.  I took the side cases off to wash the bike .  I put one side case back on with no problem but the left side case latch fails to latch successfully with the bike.  When I depress the latch it goes only part way but dead stops before it Latches.  My first inkling is to take the case apart.  But before I do that I thought I would ask if any of you had this issue and found a way to resolve?  If not I'll just dig into it.  I searched the forum for a thread on this issue and didn't find one.  Any help or advice is appreciated.  I am currently looking at the parts fiche to see how this thing is put together.

 

Thanks

 

John

[Bob H.]

I have had this problem on my 14 and 18RTs on occasion. Do not try and force the handle down or you'll damage the mechanism inside the side case. I have found if the handle won't go down the side case isn't properly seated in the upper and lower guides usually a tap front and rear will align it properly and the handle will go down with ease. Practice makes perfect :).

[simskid]

Thanks Bob H.  I tried that several times but it didn't seem to help.  So I jumped in with dread and took the case apart.  here's what I found (and by the way - I couldn't find any of the mechanism parts on a parts fiche).  The sliding mechanism that lowers the bolts to secure the case to the bike was stuck because a spring loaded part next to the Bolt was for some reason blocking the sliding mechanism from moving. I cleaned all the parts up and re lubed but the part that was suspect would not cooperate.  My temporary solution - which seems to work quite well and may become a permanent solution - was to remove the suspect part completely.  Its role seems minimal.  I put it all back together and it works perfectly.  I'll give MAX Bmw a call tomorrow and hope they have an answer.  

 

Thanks for the input.  In the meantime, if you're riding down the road and see a RT side case lying on the shoulder, its probably mine!!!

[Scott9999]

 

my side case locks have been bulky, to the point where I don't trust them enough to use them.   Need to work on them, so I'm watching your progress.

[Lowndes]

I have an earlier version of the side cases, but found that WD-40 "SPECIALIST DRY LUBE" works very well for making the complex locking mechanisms function properly.  Spray just a touch on the pivots , slides and lock cylinders.  It dries very quickly and looks like nothing is there except that everything functions normally or better now.  And it doesn't collect dust and crud.

 

[Scott9999]

3 hours ago, Lowndes said:

I have an earlier version of the side cases, but found that WD-40 "SPECIALIST DRY LUBE" works very well for making the complex locking mechanisms function properly.  Spray just a touch on the pivots , slides and lock cylinders.  It dries very quickly and looks like nothing is there except that everything functions normally or better now.  And it doesn't collect dust and crud.

 

Lol, took a quick check of Lowes online; no go.  (Later found that it's at Home Depot.)   Check Amazon, yep, it's there, less than $7, and ... hmmm ... the label displayed is in Spanish.🙄   I thought that maybe PTFE (i.e. liquid Teflon) was one of those 10,001 "bad chemicals that actually work" that was outlawed by some or other US or state agency, but that's probably because I lived in Commie Kalifornia for too long.  

 

Anyhow, it's on it's way, and I'll spray the holy sh***t out of everything in the locking systems, test it 101 times, and just maybe I'll have side cases that I can trust to work when I need them (i.e. like, standing outside in the rain for 15 minutes, trying to open the *@!$#@% thing so that I can get my helmet out). 

 

Thanks for the tip!  🍻

[Scott9999]

So, yeah, I DID in fact, order the WD-50 PTFE Dry Lube Spray, put it on my work bench, and then proceeded with my dozen (more or less) other ongoing projects.   I looked at the can the other day, and thought to myself "Now, what the heck did I buy that stuff for again?"  🙄😖  I had to do an open search for this posting thread, to figure out why.  🤣🤣😨

 

Old age related memory loss really does suck!  (And, as my best friend would be quick to remind me, this proves that I'm not riding that RT nearly enough, or enough for the stuck locks to piss me off again.)

[lkraus]

So you remembered why you bought it, but did you remember to actually try it?

[Scott9999]

1 hour ago, lkraus said:

So you remembered why you bought it, but did you remember to actually try it?

I'm on the road for the next couple of weeks.  It's sitting on the unused seat of the unused bike, waiting for my return.😏👍

 

I'll get 'er done if I can still remember why that can is sitting there, by the time I get back. 🙄😁

[Tri750]

The 05-13 or so RT-GT-ST saddlebags starting seizing up back in ‘11-12. 

the complex sliding locking mess would get dirty and gummed up slowly and require more and more force to latch until the spring would jump off a pin or something would just seize . 

I’ve  been able to bring a few back to life with time and a can of WD40 spraying into every crevice and working the lock and handle many times until the mechanism slowly  frees up .

It beats the alternative of using a hole saw . 
regular lubrication. Into the rectangluar holes in the body of the bag and nooks and cranny of the handle mechanism keeps it working freely . 

I use a synthetic aerosol grease from my locksmith . 

[lkraus]

To get them working like new the panniers really need to be taken apart, cleaned and re-greased.  Most of the dirt and grime is in places that cannot be reached from the outside.  Work carefully, and chart the location of each of the different types of screws. This thread will help with the 05-13 models, but take many pictures as you work - you'll need the reference to get it all back together again.  Once re-assembled, you can easily operate the latches with a single pinky finger.