ACHTUNG!!!

[gggGary]

Yes there are more than structural reasons for the manufacturer's baggage weight limits.
When I packed up and rode Madness to the Ozarks one year it was stable til about 75-80 MPH then started to weave.

The weave was not self dampening and could have gotten nasty. Removed luggage and rechecked; stable!
This year WJL was only slightly weave prone, never became an issue trying to keep up with GLJ

 

[MaxPete]

Indeed Gary.

I am sure that JRP will recall the "Pan Weave" issue with the Honda ST1300. Apparently, loading a top box could really cause serious stability issues with these very fast and heavy bikes.

When the weight was kept low-down and as far forward as possible, the ST1300 is a delightful bike: big, smooth, stable yet maneuverable and very easy to ride fast. I never had a stability problem with mine, but in the early days of this model, a police officer in the UK was killed when the ST1300P he was riding started a speed wobble and quickly went out of control and flipped at about 210 km/hr <I think> as a result of being loaded too heavily on the rear with the weight too high up. In Europe, the bike was known as the Pan European (hence the term "Pan Weave") and they got a bad reputation for a while.

After that there was a BIG investigation and the many many police forces that employed ST1300s revised the loading of their gear. This stability concern is just one key reason why I always ride with a tank bag when I am going long distances. They help keep the weight low and forward as well as being very convenient for items like sunglasses, snacks and maps etc.

Anyhow - all good words to keep in mind as I begin to tour on Gretel.

Pete

 

[Mailman]

I installed a large top box on my commuter bike, my Suzuki 650 V-Strom, and even when empty, I noticed it affected my bikes stability if I pushed it up above legal speeds. I once found myself on a deserted highway and decided to try and find the upper limits and at around 85-90 mph, the bikes front end started to feel too light for comfort and I backed it off. This only occurred when I had the big box on the back, but this was a fairly light and otherwise streamlined bike. ( Sorry Pete for mucking up your thread )

 

[MaxPete]

I installed a large top box on my commuter bike, my Suzuki 650 V-Strom, and even when empty, I noticed it affected my bikes stability if I pushed it up above legal speeds. I once found myself on a deserted highway and decided to try and find the upper limits and at around 85-90 mph, the bikes front end started to feel too light for comfort and I backed it off. This only occurred when I had the big box on the back, but this was a fairly light and otherwise streamlined bike. ( Sorry Pete for mucking up your thread )
View attachment 194753

Not at all Bob - it is important that people hear these things and think about them the next time they load-up their bike for a trip....

 

[fredintoon]

Not at all Bob - it is important that people hear these things and think about them the next time they load-up their bike for a trip....

Hi Pete,
Gawd! I hated that stupid movie, Typical Peter Narcissist Fonda flick where everybody dies.
Far better movie IMHO was 1 Week. Mind you, the terminally ill rider's miracle recovery didn't make up for his classic Britbike's destruction.

 

[MaxPete]

Hi Pete,
Gawd! I hated that stupid movie, Typical Peter Narcissist Fonda flick where everybody dies.
Far better movie IMHO was 1 Week. Mind you, the terminally ill rider's miracle recovery didn't make up for his classic Britbike's destruction.

Ahhhh Fred - always a ray of sunshine from the Prairies.....

 

[fredintoon]

Ahhhh Fred - always a ray of sunshine from the Prairies.....

Hi Pete,
hopefully the sun will shine on the Prairies this August long weekend.
The Covid restrictions have been lifted and this year's CVMG SK Biggar British Bike Rally is being flung together at the last minute.
A rider from Ontario has a good chance at getting the "Furthest Ridden" plaque even if the snobby beggar rides in on a Beemer

 

[Jim]

even if the snobby beggar rides in on a Beemer

Take the Honda badge off the box and put a BSA badge there instead. They'll never know the difference.

 

[MaxPete]

Hi Pete,
hopefully the sun will shine on the Prairies this August long weekend.
The Covid restrictions have been lifted and this year's CVMG SK Biggar British Bike Rally is being flung together at the last minute.
A rider from Ontario has a good chance at getting the "Furthest Ridden" plaque even if the snobby beggar rides in on a Beemer

Oh Fred - you have no idea how much I would love to make that ride and some day, I will. I am just finishing grading the last set of students reports that I ever expect to mark and so my travelin' days will commence again....soon.

Take the Honda badge off the box and put a BSA badge there instead. They'll never know the difference.

But Jim - it doesn't leak oil and all of the lights work.

They'd spot me in a Birmingham minute and then, blimey, I'd be deep in it with that crowd!

 

[fredintoon]

But Jim - it doesn't leak oil and all of the lights work.
They spot me in a Birmingham minute and then, blimey, I'd be deep in it with that crowd!

Hi Jim,
believe it or not, given careful assembly, good gasket material & modern electricals a Britbike won't leak oil or blow lightbulbs niether
&fyi, the Brit term for the precision tool that North Americans call a BFH is a Birmingham Screwdriver

 

[madmax-im]

Pete..remove the Honda badging and replace it with a HMW Roundel in Red and White...That will truly keep them guessing...

 

[gggGary]

In interest of keeping this thread on track.
Advance to 8.20 for the item of interest.

 

[MaxPete]

Scary stuff eh?

 

[MaxPete]

Hey folks - my bimmer emblem for the Honda top box turned up and, as advertised, it appears to be an authentic 83 mm dia. trunk/hood emblem.

I ordered it on ETSY a week or two ago and it showed today - from Cardiff Wales - for about $22 incl. shipping versus ordering from a BMW dealer or parts place for about $78 PLUS shipping.

Nice!

 

[MaxPete]

Alrighty then - I am taking a mental health day and working on my bikes!

I have removed the Honda logo from Gretel’s new top box and also there was some grotty looking remnants of a transparent film that was laid-in under the lid handle (it is visible in some of the earlier photos). To get the crud off the Honda box lid, I used a pretty cool gizmo called a “decal eraser wheel” which went on sale at Princess Auto the other day. It is used in an electric drill and is advertised as able to remove the old glue etc. from decals and stickers but not be harmful to paint. For the most part, that is exactly what it did!

I also used JB Weld to fill the holes left where the Honda badge came off and then used spot glazing putty to fill in the rest and some other divots here and there. I then scuffed it up and used some grease & wax remover stuff to clean everything before priming it. All-in-all, I have done, what is for me, quite a bit of bodywork on the box lid. It is now primed with black high-build primer and I am ready to shoot some gloss black on the central panel of the box where the Honda badge and the nasty looking transparent film came off. It isn’t remotely as good as if a skilled person such as Jim had done it, but for a hacker like me working on a scrap yard part, I think it looks pretty good.

I am concentrating my efforts on the central panel of the box since that is where about 99% of the damage is located. I will post some photos of the finished product shortly!

Pete

 

[member28833]

The ladies sure like anything with the Blue / White propeller emblem on it.
Doing great on the nice Beemer

 

[MaxPete]

The ladies sure like anything with the Blue / White propeller emblem on it.
Doing great on the nice Beemer

Yup, and they also like the flag of Bavaria!

 

[Jim]

 

[MaxPete]

So, at first, the results were disappointing (see below)…with a low sheen and a mottled appearance.

But then, after the briefest of diagnostic sessions with our resident paint wizard (Jim), I slowed down my spray passes and the gloss came up quite nicely with no runs.

Geee - isn’t it amazing what talking to someone who is, you know, a really knowledgeable expert - can do? (Sort of like talking and more importantly, listening to experts on…oh, I don’t know….a complex topic like, say……. vaccines for example ).

Annnnnyyyyyhhhhoooowwww…..much better results now and tomorrow I am going to learn how to cut and buff (that sound either like some sort of drug addict technique or a new way to get off in bed….).

 

[Jim]

after the briefest of diagnostic sessions with our resident paint wizard (Jim),

Don't let 'im fool ya guys.... Pete can talk your ear off....

Geee - isn’t it amazing what talking to someone who is, you know, a really knowledgeable expert - can do? (Sort of like talking and more importantly, listening to experts on…oh, I don’t know….a complex topic like, say……. vaccines for example ).

I'll drink to that.

All kidding aside, glad I could help Pete. Look good!!