gearsack rack

[2wheelfreak]

Hey guys & gals,

Have a question re Gearsack racks.

I have been looking around for a rack & baulk at paying $460 for a ventura rack. I have seen quite a few gearsack racks on ebay etc & they appear to be a "universal" fit. I remember Dad had one many years ago but can't remember much about them & can't find much info on them.

Are they truly a universal fit? Are they hard to fit on a busa & can I retain the grab rail with one?

Assistance much appreciated, piss taking tolerated.

[Greeny_SA]

Hey guys & gals,

Have a question re Gearsack racks.

I have been looking around for a rack & baulk at paying $460 for a ventura rack. I have seen quite a few gearsack racks on ebay etc & they appear to be a "universal" fit. I remember Dad had one many years ago but can't remember much about them & can't find much info on them.

Are they truly a universal fit? Are they hard to fit on a busa & can I retain the grab rail with one?

Assistance much appreciated, piss taking tolerated.

Make you're own mate. How hard can it be?

[TimF]

Earlier this year I bought the following Ventura rack/pack setup.

L-Bracket S111/B
Pack-Rack PF16/B
Grab-Handle GH14/16/B
Aero-Spada VII 51L Bag

Cost me $350 for the lot.

I heard that the guy I bought from, HiSide Leathers in Salisbury QLD, has since put his prices up to $390 for the above setup.

[Neddy]

One of the cheapest and best mods i've done with the gearsack is to hammer a bolt up either side on the top half making sure it goes past the tightening lug by 2 - 3 inches, cut the bolt head off and leave enough length at the bottom so that when you push it into the arms the bolt goes down to the bend. This makes the whole thing stronger and stops the bending and rusting around the tightening screws area.

Have carried a 90 ltr rjays bag full of stuff on many a long trip with no breakages or snap offs and only takes 2 bolts and 15 mins to do

Cheers Ned

[Bundybusa]

TimF,

I've been looking at the Ventura bags on the net today (none of the local shops have any in stock). Does the Aero-Spada bag hang out much on either side when sitting on the rack (compared to the smaller Aero-Delta)? I was leaning more towards the Aero-Delta because I thought it would fit snugger and not catch too much wind compared to the Aero-Spada.

Thanks

Michael

[TimF]

G'day Bundy

To be honest I've only ever had it facing forwards, with the load resting on the pillion seat. The size of it is pretty ugly, but any big bag is going to spoil the looks. Looks ok from behind the bike though.

Never had an issue with wind resistance and have done reasonably quick speeds with it. As Shredder pointed out though, there are weight/speed limits to the rack and plenty of people on here will tell you horror stories about how the rack snapped and damaged their bike.

I'm interested in Neddy's suggestion as above.

Let us know how you go!

Tim

[BLACKZOOK]

Three of us did a tour late last year, all fitted with heavily loaded Ventura racks and all failed.

To be fair they were all loaded far over the max limit suggested by the manufacturer.

All three racks failed at the welded connection to the flat bar that supports the rack, the bar that bolts to the rear subframe under the seat.

This is the weak point of the rack. The cure was to weld a small piece of 25mm angle to the rack and bolt it to the grab rail where the tie down bolts are. After this mod we had no more problems even with the overload.

[GRUNTMAX]

My 08 Ventura recently busted as per picture that I sent to Ventura's Aussie distributer. A new improved one (2 x L Brackets)with thicker flat bar was sent as soon as they received the photo by email.
GOOD SERVICE!. Absolutely no charge whatsoever. Freighted from Sydney to Emerald. Welded up the busted one for a spare.
[attachment=5950]

[BLACKZOOK]

Doh - what an idiot why didnt we think of contacting the manufacturer. I will now thats for sure.

Thanks for the heads up mate, I'll take photos and send them including photos of the modification with the angle welded to the side frames.

[Heidi1]

Clearly we were in the sun too long! I'm taking photos of mine too!