2012 R1200 RT saddlebag top mount fit sloppy?

One thing I have noticed on my RT is that the saddlebags move around a bit on the upper mounts. It has done this since new. This is while the bike is stationary and I grab the bag and gently move it with my hands. I have not noticed anything amiss while riding. My question(s) are:

Do other peoples bikes bags have the same bit of "looseness" to the top mount fitment when attached to the bike?

Has anyone ever "lost" or had a bag fall off?

Do they get looser as time goes on?

Great bike regardless!

Not a condition I've ever noted and I've ridden 30 or so RT's since 2008 and currently have a '13 model. Assume you've checked the lower mount bolt torque?

Helen's 07 R12R does this as well. My 05RT was loose, but not as bad as the R.

Yep, they move around on mine as well. As far back as I can recall with BMW, Krauser, Wixom and a few others I've had on BMWs, the bag mounts have all had a little play in the them. Some, pretty loose, others not so bad. Pretty much going to be some play in any easily removable mount system for side bags. Otherwise they wouldn't be so easily removable.

Only time I've "lost a bag" was when Oldwhatshername crashed her Yamaha Seca II into the right side bag on the way to the National Rally in Midland, MI. Yep, we belong to the Spouse Hit Spouse Club.

Mine are a bit looser than when new, but nothing that I am worrying about. 2012 R1200R

Manufacturing tolerances at play, I believe. If you examine the mounting system, it's almost impossible for the bag to come off, if properly installed and nothing breaks (like from overloading or the bike falling on it) For the record, mine are just a bit loose, the right side more than the left.

I did lose a bag on the ST1300 Honda I had but that was because I failed to lock down the clamp that holds both the seat and left bag on. Kinda made the rest of the trip a little lopsided. Anybody find my bag along US 6 in PA back in 2004?

pete

They're not loose on my 2012.

If I grab the lid side, it moves a bit with respect to the back side, but grabbing the back side to check for looseness on the mounts reveals none. Lower mount is pretty key, as is obviously the locking mechanism in the bag.

I don't remember looseness with my 2008, but did have some loosening of the lid hinges--they merit periodic checking for tightness I think, maybe even some Loctite on the screws. Had one (maybe more) screw completely gone at one point before I learned to watch. Problems you think might have something to do with the locks can be maybe traced to loose hinges instead.

Kent - after losing several hinge screws they all got loctite, and no more losses. As far as the bag fit - I believe these bags are designed to pop off it hit from the rear. Reason I think this - mine did when a fellow rider got distracted tuning his XM radio instead of watching what I was doing (which was stopping for oncoming traffic.) The right side bag popped off - cracking the rear part of the rear top mount on the bag - exited the bike and I barely felt it. Bike did not go down. It wouldn't surprise me to find BMW designed it this way.

One of the problems with bags such as the large aluminum ones often found on GS's - they attach so tightly that they won't come off, and can cause a crash due to that, or cause injury due to how solidly they're mounted to the bike. A well known rider was recently injured - multiple breaks in his leg - when another rider struck the rear of his GS. Almost no damage to the bike, but if I had to guess - he probably had Jessie or another brand of fixed mount GS aftermarket cases - which well may have caused his injuries. All speculation on my part, but I have heard of the bags doing some serious physical damage to riders in a crash. Ted Simon reported this happening on his last round-the-world trip.

YMMV..

Mine are solid on a 2012 RT

I have a 2012 RT and mine are on solid as a rock. Actually almost too much as the are difficult to remove from the bike, it takes a lot of rocking to free them.

On my old 07 RT I did however have this problem, the bags were quite loose. There was a service bulletin for that condition and the dealer fixed it up under warranty. After that they were perfect.

I am not sure exactly what they changed to make them more solid but since the mounts are probably the same on both (the use the same bags) I suspect the dealer could solid yours up.

You might try rocking the bags on a new bike at the dealer to see if they are the same as yours...if not that could at least illustrate your point.

Some are snugger than others. Have a dealer take a peek if you don't feel comfortable with the free play present. My left in particular is quite loose.

2012R1200RT- Same

On my RT I noticed that the rear mounts wiggled a little. One side perhaps a little more than the other. Does not seem to be any adjustment. It seems to be quite secure and latches on strong, so I am inclined to figure it's okay. Doesn't wiggle at all when weighted down. On my airhead they always felt secure and latched well but after a couple "self ejecting episodes" and "self opening episodes" I always put a strap around bag and mount to be sure. Total PIA but beat walking down the highway looking for spilled contents of a bag. I'd bet your fine, the current design has been around for awhile and I bet if they were bad, it wouldn't be a secret.

Mine are a little loose (2010 model with 45,000 miles). If I lift up on the bottom rear edge of the bag the rear top mount moves up about 3/8 of an inch.

I rate the BMW bags a 9 out of 10. Last year I rode 1,200 miles with a fully loaded bag that was attached with the front mount and the bottom mount only. The back mount was not engaged. I think this is much more stressful on the bag mounts than if it had the bottom and rear top mounts engaged. I had crossed three states before I noticed it! I'm surprised nothing broke or worse that a mount breaks and I drop the bag at some unknown place. I was packed for a 10 day ride that included camping so each bag was heavily loaded.

tsp
http://www.airheadmoto.com

If you don't hear wiggles when riding just forget it. If a noise or loose fit annoys you, use a small bit of soft padding on the forward mount points to shim it but don't overdo it- you don't want to break anything locking it in place..