1 gal Rotopax on OEM luggage

gv550

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Has anyone tried mounting a 1 gal Rotopax fuel can to the inner side of the right hand OEM pannier? The Rotopax measures 3 inches thick and there appears to be enough clearance between the pannier and the frame, and to the brake caliper. I'd mount it lengthwise on the pannier with the filler at the top and rear facing. The Rotopax wouldn't be lower than the bottom of the pannier, so I don't think the swingarm comes high enough to hit it.
I'd have to remove the pannier to get the fuel can off, not a bad thing since it would be theft-proof. And I should be able to fill the can with it mounted to the bike.
I welcome comments.
 

scott123007

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gv550 said:
Has anyone tried mounting a 1 gal Rotopax fuel can to the inner side of the right hand OEM pannier? The Rotopax measures 3 inches thick and there appears to be enough clearance between the pannier and the frame, and to the brake caliper. I'd mount it lengthwise on the pannier with the filler at the top and rear facing. The Rotopax wouldn't be lower than the bottom of the pannier, so I don't think the swingarm comes high enough to hit it.
I'd have to remove the pannier to get the fuel can off, not a bad thing since it would be theft-proof. And I should be able to fill the can with it mounted to the bike.
I welcome comments.
I did it about 4 years ago on my '12 and now the bags are on my '14. It works fine, but on the '12 the OEM turn signal is in the way so you might have to modify them. The signal on the '14 clears. I did grind a tab on the caliper down and "bent" the brake line inwards a wee bit because there was a mark on the can from it hitting. It may not have been a problem because the plastic can is pretty thick, but it was easy to do...
One extra thing that I did was to put Velcro in four spots around the perimeter of the can to help stabilize it instead of just depending on the locking mechanism of the Rotopax. That little extra thickness may be the reason that the can slightly hits against the caliper/brake line. It is a little tricky getting the bag on and off, but nothing you can't get the hang of. Also, I never remove the can when filling or emptying, I just hold the pannier itself, and pour.

Hope this helps...
 

gv550

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Thank you Scott, I'm going ahead with this. Parts ordered.
I was thinking if there was potential interference with the caliper I would bend the lower mounting bracket out a bit, or add a couple washers to the footpeg mount to space it out from the bike. I will consider adding velcro to steady the can on the pannier.
Did you use fender washers on the inside of the pannier to prevent the fasteners from pulling through?
Could you post (or email) a photo of your setup?
 

scott123007

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gv550 said:
Thank you Scott, I'm going ahead with this. Parts ordered.
I was thinking if there was potential interference with the caliper I would bend the lower mounting bracket out a bit, or add a couple washers to the footpeg mount to space it out from the bike. I will consider adding velcro to steady the can on the pannier.
Did you use fender washers on the inside of the pannier to prevent the fasteners from pulling through?
Could you post (or email) a photo of your setup?
rocketman & gv550, sorry no pictures, but I can explain...

The mount for the Rotopax is centered exactly 5-3/8 up from the bottom of the bag and 9-3/8 from the front (opposite side from key). To be fair, I don't recall exactly how I came up with that location, so there might be a better one, but I know that one works. The bolts, nuts and washers I used were stainless 8mm with nylock nuts and about 1-1/4" diameter flat washers. I ground off the excess threads of the bolts so they would not interfere with luggage. If you do that, be careful not to overheat the bolt, (if you decide to grind it in place) because not only could the nut be compromised, but the plastic bag could melt too.

gv550, that is a great idea about spacing out the mount! If you can space the whole assembly (and not just the footpeg part) out about 1/8", not only would it clear the caliper, but it would make it easier to install the pannier because the Rotopax rubs against the bike frame at the very top front when installing, so that may possibly give you some necessary added clearance.
 

gv550

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I have the Rotopax mounted onto the pannier.
I followed Scott's advice and measurements, but it didn't work for me. I had to place the can further back in order to attach and remove the pannier from the bike. Possibly some variations in our bikes, pannier and fuel can. The centre of my mount is 5 3/8 up from the bottom but 10 inches from the front. With the can further back it places the top chamfer on the can under the frame member for more clearance.
The can clears the brake caliper and brake line without any modification, the filler cap is accessible but can only be filled 3/4 full while mounted.
 

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gv550

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This is the mount fastened to the pannier.
When I placed the can further back I discovered all 4 bolt holes of the adapter plate were going to go through the inner stiffener ribs and I didn't want to cut the ribs out. With the Rotopax mount fastened directly to the pannier the bolt holes are beside the ribs and I used large steel washers to help distribute the load.
 

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AVGeek

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gv550 said:
Why are my photos upside down?
Any pics taken with modern smart phone cameras add an orientation tag to the metadata. Most software will orient the pic correctly, but our forum software basically ignores the tag, and displays the pic in its native orientation, hence upside down pics.
 

scott123007

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gv550 said:
I have the Rotopax mounted onto the pannier.
I followed Scott's advice and measurements, but it didn't work for me. I had to place the can further back in order to attach and remove the pannier from the bike. Possibly some variations in our bikes, pannier and fuel can. The centre of my mount is 5 3/8 up from the bottom but 10 inches from the front. With the can further back it places the top chamfer on the can under the frame member for more clearance.
The can clears the brake caliper and brake line without any modification, the filler cap is accessible but can only be filled 3/4 full while mounted.
Good job, gv550! In retrospect, I think the reason I came up with that location was because it was initially on my 2012 which had different turn signals. When I put the bags on my '14 there was plenty of clearance for the signal so it could have been mounted a little more rearward.
 
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