Question about the factory luggage system

M

Magoo

New member
Location
New Mexico
I’m caught up in getting a 83 RGS 1000 ready to ride. The guy that he bought it from claimed that he had the bags for it so the assumption was that it would be good to go. Unfortunately now I have found out that he doesn’t have all of the mounting hardware. He was in the hospital for months and still had them in his garage and I finally got a chance to pick them up.

That’s when I found out that he only had one rack and he was working with a guy at a cnc machine shop to fabricate another one.
Long story short he gave me everything he had and I talked to the guy at the machine shop and he said that if I can figure out exactly what parts are needed to mount the bags. Let’s just say I can’t make any sense out of it.
Here’s what I have:
IMG_3042.jpeg
IMG_3043.jpeg
Here is what he thinks will mount the bags and the roughed in parts that the machinist has made so far.
I can’t make sense of any of it. None of the brackets seem to fit. I’m not sure if this bike was sold as an Executive or not. If not is it possible that an Executive has additional mounting tabs on the frame?
Does any of the hardware shown look correct? Can someone possibly show me some pics of how these racks are mounted.

Here is the bike in question:
IMG_3038.jpeg
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Any ideas are certainly appreciated!
 
sfcpiet said:
Quite a few bits missing...

I can take a pic of the fitted rack and scan the parts list with illustration tomorrow.

piet
Click to expand...
You’re my hero! I haven’t found any information about mounting the bags and the proper parts. If you happen to know of a source for the missing parts I would be eternally grateful. For that matter if you know where I can find everything I need for the left side instead of having it machined that would be fabulous!
I will say that the machinist had an interest in possibly offering them for sale. Once he has the program set up he could manufacture them at will. They would also be made of billet aluminum instead of the crappy Italian pot metal. He already has a plan for the lock. He said it’s just a $3.00 lock just like a toolbox or cabinet lock. Any idea if there would be much interest in buying them? Or is the market too small?
 
I thought exactly that, but two different locksmiths were unable to get it apart to remove the cylinder. They also couldn’t find key blanks. Both took a look at it and said no problem too….

If you find a solution let me know.
 
Take care to believe some locksmiths, I wanted a spare tube key for a disc lock, and 3 different locksmiths said yes and then no, the last was a 2-hour drive with another 2 hours of looking through catalogues for key blanks. Sometimes simple isn't. BTW, it's crazy how expensive some bike locks can be, lots are $500 and more. Piets great at getting oddball bits.
 
I searched fruitlessly for several months for suitable locks, my rack system was NOS but came without keys... I devised a system using screws to to locate the swiveling locking bars. Pretty surprised and happy to have been able to find another NOS rack system with keys (!) at the Imola jumble a few years ago. Once you have ascertained what's missing, I can go through what's left of my various bits and pieces, I've already passed on a few bits to others over the past years. Not sure how DHL Germany is handling Diaper Donnys' tariff bullshit though...

Sorry about the grubby bike, been standing for a few months... again. Doesn't normally look that bad!

Scan of parts list will have to wait until this evening.

BTW, it's not crappy italian pot metal, either nicely die-cast or even forged!

piet

DSCN1540.JPGDSCN1541.JPGDSCN1542.JPGDSCN1544.JPGDSCN1545.JPG

DSC_0043.jpg
 
Alzero said:
I thought exactly that, but two different locksmiths were unable to get it apart to remove the cylinder. They also couldn’t find key blanks. Both took a look at it and said no problem too….

If you find a solution let me know.
Click to expand...
The locks can hardly be removed without destroying them! They're held in place by a tiny roll pin in a blind hole. Spark eroding may be a possibility.

A locksmith that I consulted simply drilled out the lock... told him I didn't need him for that! Lots of similar locks to be found, but not the exact same unfortunately.

piet
 
Thanks for the replies! The pics are very helpful. I can now see why I couldn’t make any sense of the mounting hardware I was provided. I just talked to the owner that I am bringing this bike back from the dead for and he seems to be determined to mount the bags somehow. He’s in San Francisco and I am just outside of Albuquerque so I’m going it alone on making things happen with these bags.
I really appreciate the help from you guys. I had never even heard of this bike until a friend referred me to the owner. It was the usual story that he had taken it to a few shops but never got any results.

After fixing the charging system, fork seals, carb cleaning, steering bearings, clutch slave, new tires,headlight mount repair, and numerous other tweaks it is running nicely off the bottle and soon it will get a thorough test ride.
Now if I can just get the bags sorted……..
 
One other question. You might notice that it has a Telefix fork brace. I went ahead and put it back on when I was done with the front end. Any opinions? Is it a proper addition or could it just cause problems?
 
Magoo said:
One other question. You might notice that it has a Telefix fork brace. I went ahead and put it back on when I was done with the front end. Any opinions? Is it a proper addition or could it just cause problems?
Click to expand...
LMK if you need any parts-I have a small hoard of RGS bits! Also have my luggage rack off my bike if you require additional pics-
 
Have had a Telefix brace on my Motodd for 40 years. I think they're worth fitting as the legs a quite long on the triples.
Just need to be fitted correctly and checked its not binding.
 
motoddrob said:
Have had a Telefix brace on my Motodd for 40 years. I think they're worth fitting as the legs a quite long on the triples.
Just need to be fitted correctly and checked its not binding.
Click to expand...
It took a bit of tinkering but I got the axle spinning very freely with the brace properly clamped down. I’ll see how it goes tomorrow. I’ve got 13 miles of fabulous blacktop National Forest twisties to try it on a mile from my house. 7k to almost 11k.
We’ll see how it goes. I hope it doesn’t decide to die on me! lol
 
IAG said:
LMK if you need any parts-I have a small hoard of RGS bits! Also have my luggage rack off my bike if you require additional pics-
Click to expand...
I can tell you right now that I need parts!
And I would certainly like to have some pics of all of the needed parts.
 
looking at Piet's photos, the mounting to the the back of the foot peg mount panel is a modification. On the actual "Executive" model (of which there were very few), there is a mounting point molded in. The quality of the bag frames is very high.

As a longtime owner of an Executive model, while the factory saddle bags are fairly stylish, they hold almost nothing. Pretty much useless for actual travel..... This fitting process you are going through is a style exercise, not a functional one. If the bike is going to be used for long-distance work, go to large Hepco Becker bags or similar. Hepco Becker also used to offer mounting brackets specific to the RGS, don't know if still available?

Personally, I put the factory bags on primarily for occasional display at bike shows. When travelling any distance for several days, I leave the factory bags off and hang a pair of substantial soft luggage over the passenger seat and hanging over the sides where the hard bags otherwise go, the factory bag mountings are handy mostly to keep the soft luggage off the rear wheel. Any decent tank bag will hold more than both Laverda factory hard bags combined. Style over function.

I will shoot a couple of photos of the mountings for you if the bikes owner remains determined. I would not bother myself if the goal is actual function and actual travel, if the goal is style, go for it.......
 
Paul, they do look great though don’t they? I hadn’t really thought about having different footpeg plates. Thanks, that’s one way to tell if an Exec is original.
 
Is there any possibility of expanding the size by widening them to make them more practical, or is it all down to shape? They do have a dead sexy shape. The panniers I have also use a less-than-huge size, but I won't be living out of them on a round-the-world trip. They're great for a week away.
 
Imho, the Executive footrest plates are no different to the stock RGS, the factory issued a bulletin on how and where to drill the plates for the pannier installation. A threaded, cast-in mounting lug would have been ideal, but the factory opted for an ugly, simple hole through the plates... too crude for my liking. I decided to devise something more subtle leaving only small, nearly invisible holes should the panniers and carrier be removed. Mounting hardware is also a bit fragile and corrosion prone, I've had to replace an upper support bracket twice, the fasteners have been largely replaced with stainless steel and the lower support bars in stainless are waiting to be fitted once I get around to remove the seized lower countersunk screws.:rolleyes:

While the panniers do look stylish, they do miss the point somewhat. Too small and oddly shaped, their capacity is very limited. However, I've toured the length of Europe 2-up on the bike with a tank bag and always managed to carry enough luggage for wifey and myself for a good 2 weeks of vacation without having to resort to carrying a backpack. While they are well integrated and do not add excessive width to the bike like most aftermarket solutions, the overall build quality of the panniers is also quite questionable, I've had to renew the hinges because of wear and the latches are difficult to operate. But damn, they do look fine... ;)

piet
 
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The promised scans of the factory parts list.

Imo, re-manufacturing these parts for such a limited market is a rather pointless exercise, reckon no more than 3-5 sets could be sold. Break-even for these sort of things is usually around 10-15 sets. Unless the swarf can be sold as well, lots of that if made from billet! :ROFLMAO:

piet
 

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