RCinNC
Well-Known Member
I was asked about this in another thread by a member; I didn't want to hijack the other thread, so I'm posting this here.
The top case quick release was designed in conjunction with a homemade luggage rack, so they would work as a system. The system was designed around a bicycle seatpost quick release. This is just a cam lever that you push to create tension that holds a bicycle seatpost in a seatpost tube after you adjust it. Normally the quick release is a round clamp that works a lot like a hose clamp. I got rid of the round clamp portion and just used the clamping lever, shaft, and retaining nut.
There's an "L" shaped bracket on the rear of the topcase, and another one on the rear of the luggage rack. The topcase bracket has an open ended slot that allows it to slip over the quick release shaft. Once the brackets are lined up, you just push down the quick release and it locks the rear of the topcase to the luggage rack. The extra holes on those "L" shaped brackets are so you can run either a cable lock or a padlock through them and lock the topcase to the luggage rack. The brackets are just made from standard hardware store aluminum angle, cut out with hacksaws and/or a sabresaw and then shaped with a coping saw and a coarse wood blade, and hand files.
This is the quick release lever in the open position. Lifting the lever releases the tension that holds the bracket on the topcase to the bracket on the luggage rack.
The three big flat washers are there to spread the load out across the topcase bracket to provide more clamping force.
This is the topcase being lifted off the rack after the quick release lever has been released.
This shows the threaded shaft from the quick release passing through the rear bracket on the luggage rack. You can't see it in the photos, but there's a knurled nut at the end of the threaded shaft. Turning the nut increases or decreased the tension on the quick release. It doesn't require any tools to adjust it, the nut is tensioned by hand.
This is what locks the front of the topcase to the luggage rack. Those two front blocks on the underside of the topcase slide down through corresponding slots in the luggage rack. Once they slide down through the slots, you push the case forward, which pushes the lips on the clamping blocks under the luggage rack, effectively trapping the front of the case so it can't be lifted off. The blocks are spaced to hug that center rail of the luggage rack, so the topcase can't move from side to side. The clamping blocks were formed from pieces of 1/4" ABS sheet plastic, laminated together. The lips are formed from small pieces of aluminum bar stock; I think it's 3/16". For the blocks to work correctly, there has to be just enough clearance for the lips to slide under the luggage rack, or else the case will be loose in the front.
Additional close up photos of the blocks.
This is the attachement plate for the topcase. All the hardware related to the quick release system is attached to this plate alone; this was done so the plate, with all the hardware, could be easily removed from one case and put on another case without having to remeasure everything.
The top case quick release was designed in conjunction with a homemade luggage rack, so they would work as a system. The system was designed around a bicycle seatpost quick release. This is just a cam lever that you push to create tension that holds a bicycle seatpost in a seatpost tube after you adjust it. Normally the quick release is a round clamp that works a lot like a hose clamp. I got rid of the round clamp portion and just used the clamping lever, shaft, and retaining nut.
There's an "L" shaped bracket on the rear of the topcase, and another one on the rear of the luggage rack. The topcase bracket has an open ended slot that allows it to slip over the quick release shaft. Once the brackets are lined up, you just push down the quick release and it locks the rear of the topcase to the luggage rack. The extra holes on those "L" shaped brackets are so you can run either a cable lock or a padlock through them and lock the topcase to the luggage rack. The brackets are just made from standard hardware store aluminum angle, cut out with hacksaws and/or a sabresaw and then shaped with a coping saw and a coarse wood blade, and hand files.
This is the quick release lever in the open position. Lifting the lever releases the tension that holds the bracket on the topcase to the bracket on the luggage rack.
The three big flat washers are there to spread the load out across the topcase bracket to provide more clamping force.
This is the topcase being lifted off the rack after the quick release lever has been released.
This shows the threaded shaft from the quick release passing through the rear bracket on the luggage rack. You can't see it in the photos, but there's a knurled nut at the end of the threaded shaft. Turning the nut increases or decreased the tension on the quick release. It doesn't require any tools to adjust it, the nut is tensioned by hand.
This is what locks the front of the topcase to the luggage rack. Those two front blocks on the underside of the topcase slide down through corresponding slots in the luggage rack. Once they slide down through the slots, you push the case forward, which pushes the lips on the clamping blocks under the luggage rack, effectively trapping the front of the case so it can't be lifted off. The blocks are spaced to hug that center rail of the luggage rack, so the topcase can't move from side to side. The clamping blocks were formed from pieces of 1/4" ABS sheet plastic, laminated together. The lips are formed from small pieces of aluminum bar stock; I think it's 3/16". For the blocks to work correctly, there has to be just enough clearance for the lips to slide under the luggage rack, or else the case will be loose in the front.
Additional close up photos of the blocks.
This is the attachement plate for the topcase. All the hardware related to the quick release system is attached to this plate alone; this was done so the plate, with all the hardware, could be easily removed from one case and put on another case without having to remeasure everything.