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K75 hard luggage/panniers

lisacapsmith

New member
I've written to Don and Brian, but haven't heard back, so I am posting to all:
You're going to think me really, really stoopid, but...
the BMW side cases on my new old K75 (see photo) have handles on them
that make me think one can easily take them off their mounts and bring
them into the house, pack them and then mount them to the bike and
drive off to, say, a hotel, and then bring the bags up to the hotel room once arrived. But that's not true, is it??
 

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No, it's true. You must be having problems. I have the same setup. Most of the problem is in sliding the the bag slightly forward after the lower attachment point has been pulled away from the z bar. Give that a try and see if that will helps.
 
It's true, but (IMHO) there's a tad more efficient way of packing and keeping your property/valuables/possessions with you when you travel, without having to resort to mounting and remounting your side cases: dedicated liners.

Bob's BMW sells Kathy's Journey Design liners. I use them for my K75 system cases and can attest to their convenience and quality.
 
No, it's true. You must be having problems. I have the same setup. Most of the problem is in sliding the the bag slightly forward after the lower attachment point has been pulled away from the z bar. Give that a try and see if that will helps.

My 91 must be different because I move the bag to the rear and then wiggle it off.

I usually pack a small bag in each saddlebag when touring and leave the saddlebag in place.
 
It is easy.

1. Open and unlatch bottom latch.
2. Lift up and tilt bottom out.
3. Slide back a little.
It will come right off. Putting back on is the exact opposite.

k75bags.jpg


You appear to have the newest of the three types of hard cases fitted to classic K Bikes. The first used flat latches and a strap handle. The second, round tumbler latches and a strap handle. The third and best, round tumblers and a plastic handle.
 
Well I knew it slid one way coming off and the opposite going back on. Or vice versa. Sorry for the bad info. I will try to do better.
 
And once you get it down, it becomes second nature. However, the dedicated liiners really are the ticket. Water resistent versions are wise as the seals on the bags tend to degrade...
 
The Kathy bags are OK, I have them and use them. You can wash them with Nikwax to provide a little bit of waterproofing should your bag leak. BMW actually made a set of bag liners specifically for these bags - same color scheme as the Multivario bags and rare as hen's teeth - they are really excellent and I would love to have a set myself. RKA also makes an excellent pair here.

I try not to remove the bags, they not only hold a full-face helmet, they lock onto the bike and provide an excellent cushion should the bike fall over (they bend - and when they do crack from really hard go-overs and low-sides, they are much cheaper and easier to replace than fairing parts.) Lastly, having low-sided myself with bags on, they are actually a nifty safety device, keeping the bike off of legs. With my lowside all I had to do was replace the $5 hinge at the bottom (and put a sticker over the scratches ;) )

As an aside, if this is a new bike for you check carefully two things... First, as 58058 mentioned above, the rubber gasket that fits in the bike-side half's channel - these get crushed and degrade over time allowing water to seep into the bag in really heavy rain. I haven't priced the replacement lately but last time I checked it was pretty cheap. Second, the bags use two strips on the bottom of the bags as hinges - they do go bad over time and are cheap and simple to replace.
 
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Well I knew it slid one way coming off and the opposite going back on.

Haha - I haven't taken the bags off in so long that you may indeed be right ;)
 
+1 Nickwax (wash & treat with the 'Stitch) for the Kathy's liners - always like the BMW ones but never owned a set
10-4 on the body protection as well, kept me from getting trapped under the bike at a stopsign. I also actually preferred that style of locking to the newer style on the 1200RS, seemed more secure to me.
 
+1 Nickwax (wash & treat with the 'Stitch)
10-4 on the body protection as well, kept me from getting trapped under the bike at a stopsign.
Ditto, on the body protection. (Hey Jim from the Seagull. :wave)

Here in the big apple, the bags are a great defense from the distracted efforts of cage drivers, when parked as we do, in between cars.
 
These are the same bags I have on my 92 K75RT, no matter how many times
I've done it, I always have trouble getting them off. They can be moved forward
and backward about an inch, but they have to be in exactly the right spot with
just the right upward lift or they don't come off.
 
These are the same bags I have on my 92 K75RT, no matter how many times
I've done it, I always have trouble getting them off. They can be moved forward
and backward about an inch, but they have to be in exactly the right spot with
just the right upward lift or they don't come off.

Same here. :dunno

(However, the ones on my R1100RT go on and off soooooo easily.):ca
 
Easier with age.

Mine are so worn (new in 86) that they just pop off with little effort.

Taking them off and into the house/motel to pack/unpack has always been my method.

As far as bag liners go. I pack all my stuff (clothes) in zip lock bags, squeezing the air out so I have a bunch of "vacuum packed" packages, allows me to pack more in a small space. Additional trick, put t-shirt, socks, and shorts in one bag. Make up a couple sets so that you don't have to open a bag of socks then one of shirts....
 
Better late than never

Lots of great ideas in this thread.

Tessler (12/17) is right about a bag liner - at least in one side for clothes and toiletries when touring.

Ron Cooper and Ted are both right on about how to get the cases on and off. They just forgot to mention how you have to hold your mouth right and then fiddle a bit. The ONLY person who could steal your cases is another BMW owner - even if you don't lock the cases to the bike, though I can't think of any reason not to.

Ted, I didn't realize my Shoei would fit in the case - but it does. Great idea for stops on local rides!

Ted, your remark about hard luggage being leg savers had never occured to me before and I've never read it elsewhere. I've had two motorcycle accidents (a low speed low-side, and a low speed head-on collision with another motorcyclist.) I emerged totally unscathed from the first - I, to this day, don't know how, and was able to ride the bike home. It cost about $1000 to fix the plastic and replace the "engine protection" bar on the left side and also fix the left saddle bag. The second collision totalled my K75 and did bad things to my left leg; now almost totally healed. That collision caused me and the bike to topple to the right. While the engine protection bar was probably helpful, I never even thought about that right saddle case being helpful in preventing further injury. I'm almost certain it did. This idea deserves wider circulation.

If you live in a cold climate where your bikes are not ridden for 4-6 months of the year, I would suggest that you remove that plastic hard luggage and keep them someplace above freezing. Not scientific, I know, but many plastics get brittle in freezing temps. Why take the chance?
 
Ted, your remark about hard luggage being leg savers had never occurred to me before and I've never read it elsewhere.

Having lowsided on a 600 Ninja and having a matching lowside on a K1100RS with hard bags (I stay off the FUN hidden little road off Mass Ave. behind Jack Kent Cooke's house now) I can tell you from first-hand experience the results were remarkably different :) With the Ninja the bike slammed onto my leg, trapping it between the bike and the road and taking me along for the slide. With the K11RS, the bike thumped onto the left rear bag (it emerged surprisingly undamaged) and went one way as I went another, sliding a little and also emerging surprisingly undamaged.
 
Hah - it is not the frequency but the ferocity ;)

Besides, I've turned over a new leaf in the last decade :thumb
 
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