locked 2016 RT pannier lid pops open on highway - oops!

[RANBUSH]

So yesterday I'm coming home from a three-day trip, riding on a busy freeway about an hour from home. I'm in the #1 "fast" lane (they're ALL "fast" lanes on California freeways these days), and a blue Toyota speeds up behind me. I pull over to let her pass, but she stays next to me, and I see that she is frantically pointing to the back of my bike.

I look into my left-side mirror and see that the _locked_ left-side pannier lid had popped open. I pull over in a safe spot and see that the contents of the pannier were now somewhere back on the highway.

The only good news - it was just my clothing and shaving kit in the left-side pannier; the right-side pannier had the expensive tools, tire plug kit, air pump, and spares. I shut the left-side lid, and I had to unlock it to get it to close, so I know that it HAD been locked when it popped open. I had been riding for a couple of hours, decent pavement conditions, I hadn't hit any huge pothole to cause the bag lid to pop open. Thinking back on it after the incident, I had felt a slight "shimmy" a mile or so back, which must have been when the lid popped open and the bag liner full of clothes fell out.

Back when we all we had were the Krauser bags, you always ran straps around the bags to make sure lids stayed shut.

Has anybody heard of / had this happen to a locked pannier on a modern BMW? Do I have to start using straps again?

 

[BC1100S]

Has anybody heard of / had this happen to a locked pannier on a modern BMW? Do I have to start using straps again?

Happened to me 2 weeks ago on my RS in the wilds of western Oregon. The lids weren't locked but I was "sure" the mechanism clicked shut when I closed the lid. I rode about 30 km before I noticed the right lid was open. Ack! Fortunately I was just cruising as more aggressive riding would have had the lid dragging on the road. Would have been good for bragging rights at the next club meeting, though - "I REALLY leaned into that corner, guys!"

The bag's inner retaining straps kept the bag liner in place so I didn't lose anything.

 

[pglaves]

Just one of the reasons that top-loading panniers are far superior to the suitcase style.

 

[RANBUSH]

Taking a look at the left-side pannier yesterday, I see that the spring-loaded reel for the lid retainer leash does not extend and retract as it is supposed to. So the lid can fall 180 degrees down. The right-side leash holds the lid open at 90 degrees.

I am also thinking that maybe the loose leash on the left side may have gotten in the way slightly and kept the lid from completely locking. But that doesn't explain why I got two hours down the road before the lid popped open, on smooth pavement. Maybe it just jiggled itself open after awhile.

I'll try to repair the non-functioning spring-loaded reel, as I don't see it listed as a separate part on the Max fiche. There are other messages here about that reel failing.

I've got ROK straps on both bag lids now, and I will start using the interior elastic straps to retain the bag liners. Lesson learned.

 

[migrant]

Ran,
I recall having to remove the rewind cartridge for some reason (can't remember) and struggling to remount it. There is no cover plate on the back side, so when you remove it the narrow spring band can fall out, unwinding to a relaxed state. That's what happened to mine, requiring a tedious reassemble involving experimenting with the number of windings that would allow sufficient hold-back to the lid (while holding it in with my fingers), then using a thin piece of plastic or cardboard to cover the back side as I mounted it to the case, then sliding that out before tightening the screws.

During my struggle with it, I wondered how the factory assembled it, and how much money was saved by not fully enclosing the spring.

Hope this didn't muddy the water too much, good luck to you.

 

[Omega Man]

“Rewind” style springs can be held “captured” with monofilament fishing line- once wound. In this case a couple of small holes can be drilled for the (opposing) lines to be thread through and later removed……sometimes with a bit of wiggling while working the spring.

OM

 

[RANBUSH]

“Rewind” style spring ...

Thanks, gents. Your replies gave me the term to search for on youtube university, where there are (of course) several repair videos. The BMW pannier leash mechanism is pretty much the same as the rope you pull to start a lawn mower or chainsaw.

https://tinyurl.com/xjyua6yb

And a person on the BMW Sport Touring forum gave me the part number: 46 54 8 529 461 and BMW part name "COVER HOLDER" which is not what I would have named it. It is also REALLY hard to see in the Max fiche, but once you have the p/n, there it is. If you can't fix the one you have, BMW will sell you a new one for $64.

I'm almost tempted to buy a new one to see how they keep the spring in there when they ship it.

8P

46 54 8 529 462 COVER HOLDER, RIGHT
Hope this helps the next person.

 

[easy]

Happened to me 2 weeks ago on my RS in the wilds of western Oregon. The lids weren't locked but I was "sure" the mechanism clicked shut when I closed the lid. I rode about 30 km before I noticed the right lid was open. Ack! Fortunately I was just cruising as more aggressive riding would have had the lid dragging on the road. Would have been good for bragging rights at the next club meeting, though - "I REALLY leaned into that corner, guys!"

The bag's inner retaining straps kept the bag liner in place so I didn't lose anything.

What year RS do you have?

 

[BC1100S]

What year RS do you have?

2016. The fast year.

 

[lee]

2016. The fast year.

Don't forget Lupin was the fastest color that year

 

[RANBUSH]

Working on the bags last week, I notice all four hinges on both the bags are missing one screw. WTH?

Was this bike built on a Friday afternoon, after a five schnapps lunch?

 

[pglaves]

Working on the bags last week, I notice all four hinges on one of the bags are missing one screw. WTH?

Was this bike built on a Friday afternoon, after a five schnapps lunch?

Supply chain issues: a screw shortage? Somebody selling screws on eBay? New weight saving policy? Thread locker shortage?

 

[RANBUSH]

New weight saving policy?

Good theories, Paul. It does seem to idle a little smoother without the extra weight.