System Case Latch Failure

[Slainte]

The system cases on my 2004 R1150R are about two years old and have had minimal(light use). Last October, the right side latch broke and sent the, right side case, flying down the road. Dealer said that they had never seen such a failure. I fixed it and moved on hoping for the best.

 

Last week the left side latch gave up the ghost. These things are damn expensive to fix . I have lost my trust for these bags, as they have cost me over $450 in repairs alone! That's in just two years of intermittent use. These bags seem to be built well, but the most important parts (the latches) are made of pot metal.

 

Anybody have a better alternative to the system cases?

[Tony_K]

You may have actually caused the failure with improper closing sequence or not attaching the case to the rail properly.

 

You stated infrequent use, so my statement is probable.

 

Many of us have had our cases very well overloaded riding hundreds and thousands of miles at a time like this with nary a hint of your problem.

 

You should double check your installation and start inspecting your latches for fatigue before departure.

[Slainte]

Tony,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I am familiar with the system and always check that the "location foot" is in its proper place before latching down the mechanism.

[outpost22]

That is an odd issue. Those cases are fairly bomb proof. My old '96 cases have been stuffed, and still keep up the good fight. Maybe the cases were weakened by being incorrectly latched once or twice when the bike was new, or sitting at a dealer.

 

Or maybe since you live in Eugene, the eco-terrorists are messing with your bike

[SWB]

I had my RT city case (don't know how dissimilar it is to the R1100R) fail. The plastic that the metal "L" clip is riveted to gave way. (Riveting metal to plastic; why does that sound like a bad idea.). I was storing my laptop in the side case during trips to work, and it fit, but just "so". It probably stress fractured the plastic as it leaned up against the back of the lock.

 

Anyway, I've got some resin glue at home, and when I get around to it I'll add nylon or fiberglass reinforcing and "weld" it back in place with resin so that it's better than new.

 

The new RT (2005) cases are like night and day better built than the 2001 RT. Real, solid stuff.