Side case won't lock onto bike (left)

[Rex R]

The handle won't fold down to lock the L/S side case to the bike. Feels like the something is blocking the mechanism. The right side case is working fine. 2016 R1200RT.  No central locking system.  Tried removing and replacing it, wiggling it left, right, up down.   Tried locking the handle down off the bike.  Flipped it over to look for any pins or studs that must be depressed to unblock the locking mechanism.  Nothing's worked yet.

Did a quick search on this board.  Found a thread on this problem from 2 years ago.  But no solution was found. Any advice?

 

I was directed to a Youtube video on this problem on a 1600.

 

Next step will probably be disassembling the case.  Can anyone link to any other previous threads or videos on this topic or offer any other advice? 


Thanks in advance!

[Tohau]

You need to rattle the side case until you can lock it. I have the same issue.

[simskid]

I had the exact same problem with a side case on my previous 2016 RT.  I took the side case apart noting where every single screw belonged (there are a lot of screws).  What I found was a plastic piece that slides back and forth with the handle.  This part was either worn or not sliding properly.  It was catching on something that blocked the handle from working.  As I observed the action of the handle I could not figure out what this small plastic piece was actually doing.  So I did what I normally do and just removed it.  Put the case back together and everything worked  until the time I traded the bike in in January 2024.  I looked on the Max's parts fiche and the part does not show up.  I didn't take pix of it.  That's all I can tell you.  

 

Good luck.

 

John

[Rex R]

Thanks to Tohau and John!

 

I had already tried wiggling the case around to no avail.  This time I tried doing it more aggressively and after a few attempts it worked!    Took it off and re-installed it a couple of times.  Slamming it into the rear mounts a couple of times worked.   I don't consider this a permanent solution, but it works for now and takes off the pressure to find a proper fix.  Thanks!

 

To John,  

Sounds like you found the same solution I saw in the youtube video I mentioned in my first post.  My concern is that when I start disassembling the case, I may remove screws/parts in the wrong order and cause parts to fall apart before I can properly view and document them.  In your experience, did this seem to be a possibility, or was the disassembly pretty straightforward?

[simskid]

Shouldn't be a problem removing screws out of order, buts its not straight forward,   Just go slow and you should be alright.  I took pix of each step so I wouldn't screw up.  But putting it back together was pretty easy and didn't need the pix.  Good luck my friend and ride safe.

[Rex R]

 

[profbodryak]

On 3/10/2024 at 5:20 PM, Rex R said:

Thanks to Tohau and John!

 

I had already tried wiggling the case around to no avail.  This time I tried doing it more aggressively and after a few attempts it worked!    Took it off and re-installed it a couple of times.  Slamming it into the rear mounts a couple of times worked.   I don't consider this a permanent solution, but it works for now and takes off the pressure to find a proper fix.  Thanks!

 

To John,  

Sounds like you found the same solution I saw in the youtube video I mentioned in my first post.  My concern is that when I start disassembling the case, I may remove screws/parts in the wrong order and cause parts to fall apart before I can properly view and document them.  In your experience, did this seem to be a possibility, or was the disassembly pretty straightforward?

 

I've had this problem on 2015 RT for the entire duration of the ownership and never bothered to look into it (side cases stayed on the bike permanently until it was in service). Taking apart and reassembling the entire unit may or may not give you the answers as to what the problem may be. But certainly takes a good amount of time to do. I've disassembled a side case on a 2005 on two occasions in the past and it was a pain to do.