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Need Help New Member


BurtCL

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Hello

 

I own an R1200CL and I'm having trouble with one of the hard saddle bags. It does not close all the way. I see that the latch is connected to 4 things for lack of a better term that are suppose to slide when I pull the latch handle up and down and they don't move very much. Has anyone encountered this problem and know how to fix it. If this isn't the place I should be asking this please give me some guidance.

 

 

Thanks

Burt

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Thank you. I checked Chromeheads out prior to registering here and spent a lot of time on the Internet to almost no avail. And it's interesting because this issue was and is prevalent.

 

Burt

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Cleaning and lubing the latching mechanism on my RT's bags made a HUGE difference in operation. They went from "hope this lever doesn't break off" to a smooth, easy, two finger squeeze.

 

The mechanism resides in the space between the inner and outer shells, and is not sealed, so dust migrates in and collects in the grease lubricating the movable parts.

 

I removed the lids to make the back of the bag easier to work with. There were lots of differently sized screws to keep straight, so I made a sketch of the bag on a large piece of cardboard, and poked holes with a screwdriver to mark the screw locations. As each screw was removed it went into the appropriate hole in the cardboard.

 

With all the screws out, the inner shell could be lifted out of the outer shell. The mechanism was designed by Rube Goldberg, so it's not easy to see how all the parts are supposed to work. I took lots of close-up digital pictures from different angles at the highest available resolution before I touched anything. Two of these proved essential during reassembly to get springs and washers in the right places. I gently wiggled the latch handle a bit to figure out how things worked, but eventually things began coming loose on their own, so I just started cleaning everything in sight. I took more pictures as underlying parts were exposed. I removed quite a bit of sand and grit.

 

Re-assembly with clean grease on all the moving parts took a few tries to get everything working in the right place. In spite of dozens of pictures, there was a wire that attached to the lock that had been hidden from the camera. I had to take the other bag apart (without touching anything inside!) to see how the wire attached.

 

I also had some guidance from a post here at BMWST. The pictures are now missing, but I've temporarily posted my PDF copy of that post here, if you are interested in seeing what the RT mechanism looks like.

 

I'm sure the CL's bags are different, but hopefully they are still sufficiently similar that this will help.

 

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Morn. Kwik question. Looked at your photos and am wondering if you got the latching mechanism for the main hatch on the International Space Station mixed up with a simple motor bike bag latch ??

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Thank you all for your help and comments. I found some pictures on Chromeheads. I bought two Bikes in one week a R1200c Montauk and a CL. The Montauk is fine. The CL may have been a mistake. I should have bought a new RT. Or maybe a used one a few years old. I'm not a tall guy and the CL is a little scary. I haven't ridden that much yet but the extra weight and top heavy feeling it doesn't want to track well at low speeds especially around corners. I actually like the way it looks and that's why I got it to ride with my wife on the back. I may just sell it. Its in very nice shape with 6200 miles. Or I may just drop it on my foot and leave it sitting in the street and take the plate off with of course the saddle bag opened because the mechanism was designed by an idiot. I did have the windshield cut down and it looks great. Now I can see over it.

Edited by BurtCL
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You should check the date codes on the CL's tires and pst pictures of the tires. If they are old or worn, the bike will have that uneasy feeling you mention.

Also a new rider should not be riding with a passenger for everyone's safety until you get some miles under you (in my opinion)

Have you taken a motorcycle safety riding class ?

Remember, an RT is taller than a CL. Work on getting more proficient with the bike you have,

Also, the C-CL motor is more forgiving, less prone to stalling than any RT motor. More torque.

Edited by Tri750
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