RCinNC
Well-Known Member
I originally built this system for my V-strom, and I've refined it a little for the Super Tenere.
I got the OEM panniers when I bought the ST but I never really liked them that much (plus they made it difficult for my passenger to get on and off), so I decided to go back to the Pelican style cases. These are actually Duratool cases, which were about $35.00 each. Not Pelican quality, but amazingly constructed for the price.
I wanted a pannier release system that allowed them to be removed without opening the case, and also to be simple to operate. The mounts were designed to operate with Happy Trail SU racks, which I've used before and really like. The system is pretty simple; the lower clamp hooks on to the lower rail of the rack, the three small aluminum keys slide through the three oval openings in the SU rack, and the sliding clamp at the top slides down over the top rail. A single threaded knob secures the whole attachment. All it takes to remove the case is to loosen the threaded knob and slide the clamp up, and the case comes right off. It's very secure on the bike, though; I've kicked the cases when they are attached, and they don't move a bit. I put about 12,000 miles on a similar system on the Suzuki, with no issues. The design could be easily adapted to an aluminum case like the ones sold by HT (I don't like their system with the knobs inside the pannier; the knobs take up valuable space).
The lower mount and upper clamp were formed from laminated 1/4" ABS plastic, and 1/4" 6061 aluminum. Both were formed and shaped using ordinary hand tools. The inside of each case was reinforced with a piece of 3/16" ABS (which was actually overkill; the cases would have been strong enough without it), which was then painted white to make it easier to find things in the case in low light.
I'm working on a locking system now. In the meanwhile, if I'm touring and I need to lock the cases, a Python cable lock works just fine to lock the cases themselves, and also to lock them to the bike.
If someone is looking for a solution to mount their panniers, I hope this helps.
I got the OEM panniers when I bought the ST but I never really liked them that much (plus they made it difficult for my passenger to get on and off), so I decided to go back to the Pelican style cases. These are actually Duratool cases, which were about $35.00 each. Not Pelican quality, but amazingly constructed for the price.
I wanted a pannier release system that allowed them to be removed without opening the case, and also to be simple to operate. The mounts were designed to operate with Happy Trail SU racks, which I've used before and really like. The system is pretty simple; the lower clamp hooks on to the lower rail of the rack, the three small aluminum keys slide through the three oval openings in the SU rack, and the sliding clamp at the top slides down over the top rail. A single threaded knob secures the whole attachment. All it takes to remove the case is to loosen the threaded knob and slide the clamp up, and the case comes right off. It's very secure on the bike, though; I've kicked the cases when they are attached, and they don't move a bit. I put about 12,000 miles on a similar system on the Suzuki, with no issues. The design could be easily adapted to an aluminum case like the ones sold by HT (I don't like their system with the knobs inside the pannier; the knobs take up valuable space).
The lower mount and upper clamp were formed from laminated 1/4" ABS plastic, and 1/4" 6061 aluminum. Both were formed and shaped using ordinary hand tools. The inside of each case was reinforced with a piece of 3/16" ABS (which was actually overkill; the cases would have been strong enough without it), which was then painted white to make it easier to find things in the case in low light.
I'm working on a locking system now. In the meanwhile, if I'm touring and I need to lock the cases, a Python cable lock works just fine to lock the cases themselves, and also to lock them to the bike.
If someone is looking for a solution to mount their panniers, I hope this helps.
