Let me preface this by saying that I freely admit that I am a cheapska...er, a tightwa...thrifty, yes thrifty...I am a thrifty bastard. So, when I decided to go to hard cases vs soft, I decided that I didn't want (couldn't) to spend the dough on Givi's, and threw down a scant $130.00 on some Sears/JC Whitney travel trunks http://auto.sears.com/MATTE-BLACK-TR...ductId=2022700

Purchased a large for the top case and two mediums to use as side cases. Before the flaming begins about buying these cheap alternatives, let me say that yes, I know these aren't as nice as Givi's and the like, and may not survive a tip over, much less an all out laydown, but seriously, if that happens, my side cases are the LAST things I'm gonna care about

So my next dillema was as such: do I spend upwards of $200 on a Givi/SW Motech sidecase rack to mount my $80 worth of cases, or try to fabricate my own? Remember the first line in this post, about me being cheap? Take a wild guess what I did. Went to the LOWEcal hardware store and purchased a 4ft long piece of 1 1/4" by 1/8" flat stock aluminum and with a hammer, Workmate, clamps and a ruler, made a simple yet sturdy side case mount. I apologize for the crappy picture quality...iPhone cams suck.



The second pic shows where I mounted it to the two forward holes in the rear rack. Mounted the lower part to the exhaust canister mounting bolt. Bolted the mounting plates that came with the cases to my contraption and voila, $6 and 30 minutes later, I can has sidecase mount too!

With the left over flat stock, I fashioned a simple gps mount too



Just happened to have a slighlty longer OEM bolt for the risers, so no loss of connectivity there.

As far as the cases go, I'm happy with them...cheap, effective, more water resistant than the soft bags I was using previously (which I'll probably be lookin to get rid of, so if anyone is interested...), and since the medium trunks that I used for the side cases are actually designed as top cases, they have the little backrest attached to them...some folks go to the bother of removing them, but I couldn't care less that they are there...shoot, I got pannier pucks, sidecase sliders...you don't

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Strom Squadron Member #6

Silver Strom Club #29

Nice work - no flaming required.

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'04 650, and goshdarnit it's fun - matte silver (#9 in the Silver 'Strom Club)
farewell to an '81 KZ550, '83 GPz750, '83 V45 Sabre, R-Reg GT380, '84 GPz550, early '70s DT175, and a '72 Peugeot 102

Looks fine. What is that saying about the Mother of Invention?

Anyone can just walk in and pay retail! It takes a creative mind to come up with something just as good for less $$.

Now if this was another " buy a Chevy air filter and cut up to fit story....that's different.
That is the ultimate ridiculous Cheap for no reasonable cause.

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Riding since 1973

If Evolution is outlawed... Only outlaws will Evolve.

* 2012 V I C T O R Y Cross Country Tour
2007 1000 " VroomHilda"
2007 Moto Guzzi 1200 Norge - La Dolce Vita

The Sears box is IDENTICAL to the E460

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Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch
STOC 1905
IBA 28154
2011 White Wee under construction
05 Wee @ 50 K ( Gone @ 56 K Loved that bike)
02 1800 Wing @ 83K
Home just outside of NYC & THE YANKEES RULE

Boy you really are a skinflint. Almost as bad as me.

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09 Pumkinwee: stuff

I was interested until I saw you blew money on a piece of aluminum.
There's too much of this wasteful spending. Couldn't you have found a cheaper way?

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Fred
Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
Sarcasm is not just a right, but a responsibility.

Those cases look great! and as cheap as they are you can always replace if they bust up on a lay down.

I'd show off my Tupperware gps mount but am not in the mood to be laughed at today. I get enough of that from my teenage daughter. It costs $6.49 plus a little black paint and is Velcroed to my tank bag. Water proof, glare proof and good dampening by the bag. The downside it the looks I get.

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DL650k9 Grey/Silver

I know I know...I should have broke out the hammer and anvil and banged out a support bracket out of an old shovel or something

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Strom Squadron Member #6

Silver Strom Club #29

Much better thinking.
Possibly a roll of used alum foil, forge welded into a billet?

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Fred
Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
Sarcasm is not just a right, but a responsibility.

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Strom Squadron Member #6

Silver Strom Club #29