Another Dead AltRider Luggage Rack

StanBo

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Apr 10, 2019
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Central NJ
If you're going to use Givi cases, you need the the fasteners to be countersunk. If not, these other solutions are golden.
Thanks for the heads up. I think most of the hardware has been delivered so now I have to put it all together and see what plays nice.

A thought with the heads on the hex bolts. McMaster sells bolts with half height heads. I figure I have the normal ones and will see if they fit. If they need a little grinding I will give them some to make it all clear.

I have the givi v47 on the back of the bike now. Went for a ride with my wife. She doesn't need the cushion I got for the case. She didn't lean against the case at all. That was a weight off my head. I thought if she did it would add to the stress on the Altrider.

So all should go well. Will post pics and part numbers when all done.

Thank you all for helping!
 

Stef

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Apr 11, 2017
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Seattle, WA
AltRider got back to me today regarding my warranty claim. Even though they say it is out of warranty and they claim the damage is due to excessive weight or force, they are offering me a replacement top plate "at our loyalty discount rate of $70". I'm still waiting to hear from Nomadic and see if their racks are still available before I decide how to proceed.
 

StanBo

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Apr 10, 2019
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Central NJ
So then it's safe to assume that the Altrider stuff is no better than OEM?
I think the OEM doesn't have the same failure point due to the hardware they used.

Mine hasn't failed and I hope with the modifications I make it will not.

If I were to do it again I would just add the top bracket (the rectangle design) to the happy trails setup that I have coming for the bike. It isn't the prettiest but it is stout and works.

I would order the AltRider givi bracket standoffs and back bracket and make them work with the happy trails.
 

GSequoia

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Feb 27, 2019
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Torrance, CA
I saw this (via the Super Tenere USA FB group) just after I purchased my pair of Altrider racks. I chose them mostly based on the very solid construction of their crash bars, figuring that they would apply the same quality to their other products. Definitely not the case.

The use case I purchased this for was to run the pillion rack and the rear rack in low position to create a mostly flat deck like this:
1599711432693.jpeg

I will *never* do that. With the rear rack in the low position it has no support. Grab it by the end and shake it up and down and you can see it deflection *exactly* where Stef's ultimately cracked. I would't trust this with much anything even the 1 gallon Rotopax that was going to be my sole load for the trip I had planned (which may be scrapped with all California forests closed at the moment).

The rack is a lot stronger but still deficient in the high mode. They could fairly easily make this stronger by re-designing the base:
1599711542708.jpeg

It seems to me if they would lose the spacer height to just off the deck of the tail light housing and increase the size of the high position bracket while also extending it rearward and adding another pair of fasteners I think they could still use the countersunk hardware to achieve the flat deck. They should then make a similar bracket for the low position formation. Yes you would lose the pocket between bracket and rack being the same height as the pillion rack but I'd much rather have an overall stronger design. They also should ditch the countersunk bolts in the bracket as that is a major source of cracking there and with the additional space created by lowering the attachment point going to buttonheads will be a minimal loss, in my opinion.

BTW I had tried to contact Altrider in the same time frame as Stef to insure about the pillion rack. It took them weeks to get back to me (only to tell me that they are, indeed, discontinued). I got mine from a Bonanza seller for cheaper than list, at least.


For what it's worth I will never run any sort of heavy load on my rack. I had also purchased Altriders (handsomely priced) Givi bracket kit but will never use it, the temptation to load up my cavernous Givi box is too high. Rotopax is about all it will see at this point and, unfortunately, always in the high position. When going back to daily riding I'll remove the entire assembly and put my Givi base back on.

BTW while working on the installation I did confirm that you can easily fit a one gallon Rotopax on each of the racks if you so desire.

1599711839762.jpeg
 

AusTexS10

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Jan 24, 2020
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Austin, TX
Curious about which monokey adapter kits folks may have used on their Altrider plates. Revzilla shows one kit that Altrider sells for $29.97 and a very similar kit that Givi sells for about $12.00. Just wondering if there is something special about the Altrider kit that merits the additional cost. The only difference I see is that the Altrider kit has stick on bumpers for the plate that may or may not stay stuck on, while the Givi kit has bumpers that would require you drill a small hole to pop their bases through. I'm looking to mount a Givi Dolomiti 46 box, if that makes any difference in your advice.

Thanks
 

GSequoia

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Torrance, CA
Curious about which monokey adapter kits folks may have used on their Altrider plates. Revzilla shows one kit that Altrider sells for $29.97 and a very similar kit that Givi sells for about $12.00. Just wondering if there is something special about the Altrider kit that merits the additional cost. The only difference I see is that the Altrider kit has stick on bumpers for the plate that may or may not stay stuck on, while the Givi kit has bumpers that would require you drill a small hole to pop their bases through. I'm looking to mount a Givi Dolomiti 46 box, if that makes any difference in your advice.

Thanks
The universal GIVI one should work. I have the Altrider bracket kit, as well, but haven't removed it from the packaging.

Now that said I would strongly urge you not to do this. These racks are structurally weak and, overall, a flawed product. I wouldn't put a heavy load on it at all.
 

AusTexS10

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The universal GIVI one should work. I have the Altrider bracket kit, as well, but haven't removed it from the packaging.

Now that said I would strongly urge you not to do this. These racks are structurally weak and, overall, a flawed product. I wouldn't put a heavy load on it at all.
Thanks for the quick reply and the caveat. I read about the stress failures, but mine is on a 2013 bike and has never exhibited any problems. I had a "cheap" box mounted on it at first and saw no problems. I use a topcase mostly as a place to stow my helmet, not for freight hauling, so it typically has no more than the weight of the box and whatever forces the wind may exert on it. I'm also talking about probably 90% road use, so shock stress isn't much of a threat.
 

GSequoia

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Torrance, CA
Thanks for the quick reply and the caveat. I read about the stress failures, but mine is on a 2013 bike and has never exhibited any problems. I had a "cheap" box mounted on it at first and saw no problems. I use a topcase mostly as a place to stow my helmet, not for freight hauling, so it typically has no more than the weight of the box and whatever forces the wind may exert on it. I'm also talking about probably 90% road use, so shock stress isn't much of a threat.
Do you have the rack it in the high position?
 

GSequoia

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Feb 27, 2019
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Or, more appropriately, trapezoidal base.
Well it is at least a good deal stronger on that base but I’d still remove the top case frequently and check for stress fractures around the countersunk mounting holes so that if you do end up developing a problem you can catch it early.
 

GSequoia

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Also I don’t know if I’m going to be doing a storage run this weekend but if I do I’ll try to remember to grab that Givi mounting hardware and get you some photos.
 

Don in Lodi

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Didn't see this mentioned; the problem is how close together the bolts that mount any rack to the bike are and the amount of rack sticking rearward acting as a lever with weight on it. If you can add an extended layer you can minimize the flex causing the fractures. All this boohooing, sheesh. The material is thin, beef it up. Yes, the manufacturer should have done it. Just about any material this thin will fracture when flexed millions of times with a load bobbing up and down on the lever given enough time.
 
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