Passenger and side bag question

[WhiteBeard]

A question to Frank, Eric or any of you other guys that sport Hepco & Becker side bags...
can you still sit comfortably on the passenger seat with the bags mounted?

Dumb question maybe...


/Nat

[Yamifj1200]

Nat, the late model Hepco Becker rack holds the side bags a tad farther back than the early model rack does. TBH I have never had a passenger on the 91 since I installed the rack but I do believe there is enough room for a passengers leg and foot to get to the rear footpegs on either model rack..
Here is a side view of my bike, it might help you decide on the side bags placement.


Hope this helps...

Eric M

[racerman_27410]

On my 86 there is enough room for passenger to get her heels on the passenger pegs...toes on the little ledges of the footpeg exhaust hanger bracket.....IMO.there is slightly more room on Eric's late model setup as the bags are mounted further back but a little creativity and a welder could easily make the adjustment needed to move the early model bags back a bit.







KOokaloo!

[aviationfred]

I have a 91-93 Hepco & Becker frame on my 89. My girlfriend and I just had a 400+ mile ride Sunday and she never mentioned a word about her feet having a problem staying on the pegs or the bags contacting the backs of heer legs.




Fred

[airheadPete]

No, not a dumb question, it's your money right? I'll toss this in - I ordered just the top rack and case. I usually use her just for commuting & have RKA softsides (nice) for extra capacity. It took FOREVER for those things to arrive. Now that I have them, I think I'd do one thing different: order the full rack. It would leave the option of getting sidecases if you want to, or just stick with the top case. The problem is the topcase rack attachment is too flimsy, in my opinion. One of its attachment points is to the 'bungee hooks', I'm afraid to load it heavily (the whole contraption shakes), for fear of an eventual crack, or worse. The full racks I have on my BMWs are so much more sturdy. Something to chew on, if you decide the sidecases aren't your thing.

[kiwikeithfj]

Yeah, the pillion question is a bit tricky.
I have a pair of Niche soft paniers and a Ventura pack rack with a large square top soft bag.
My wife has a problem getting her leg past the paniers when they are fully loaded, especially if she has her full gear on. The width of the paniers seems to be the problem since she has no problem if the paniers are not there. Since these fit over the rear seat they are also quite well forward: also an issue as this limits access to the rear footpegs. I have experimented with attatching the paniers to the rack in some way but, unless they are actually fitted to the top bag, causing all the weight to be quite high up, they are still in the way or they foul the indicators. This is still a work in progress as we don't do a lot of long trips.
As for the handling issue, I don't notice a problem. With the pillion I keep the speed down, since she is not experienced and I don't want to scare her too much. When riding solo with the luggage the panniers are lower and more forward so they have almost no effect.
The idea of a back rest appeals but this may cause issues with getting a leg over. In addition I cant use the pack rack for this as it is not strong enough. I was unable to source a rack for a hard luggage such as Givi in NZ as the FJ is too old apparently. The other issue is the fact that my wife tends to slide back and ends up sitting on the top edge of the seat, where it meets the hard tail fairing. Most uncomfortable apparently! I wonder if a good back rest would help this or would it just get in the way when getting on and off. We tried an Air Hawk air cushion, and though it helps it does not solve it completely as the result seems a bit variable depending on where the air is in the cushion. I am currently trying to figure out a way to make an "extension" cushion without causing damage to the tail fairing. Another work in progress.
Does anyone over ther in the USA know of any gear available over there that might help?
Keith