Jump to content

Converting the 900GT to a tourer


flyfifer

Recommended Posts

I am in the process of putting together soft pannier support plates for my 900GT to increase the pannier capacity to Thirty litres each side.

In the meantime Lomo 6litre crash bar bags have been fitted together with water bottle carriers.

48688620851_f026d9fe9e.jpg[/url]

The sheepskin now fitted to the seat.

48688285883_6f2811c8ba.jpg

Givi EA123 Tankbag fitted after great deliberation. I cut a hole in the lower side of the bag, just outside the mounting plate, and fitted a USB cable through a sealing gland. Phone charging now sorted (via Hela socket).

48688780872_0bc88b7e47.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Progress is being made with a pair of aluminium plate mounts for soft panniers. The plates have multiple slots to accept straps from the panniers.

Nylon "hooks" to fit in the Givi pannier "slots" have been made and mounted on the aluminium plate.

Nylon "tongues" have been made to slot up into the recess that the Givi pannier lock tongue fits into.

A 6mm rod and tube nuts, have been fashioned --- to go through one plate, through the number plate mount and out through the other aluminium plate to keep everything tight.

Pics will follow next week.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

as promised pics of the mounting plate.

First things first; the plan was to replicate the pannier hooks and tongue to mount the plate, a hook and tongue (the tongue lower left)..

48754636503_55b2d19da8.jpg

A soft wood former liberally coated in epoxy putty, wrapped in cling film and pushed into a hook socket gave me a pretty good model of what a hook could look like. This also revealed that the front sockets are slightly bigger than the rear sockets. I have no idea why Yamaha designed them like that.

48754638693_8e2c3e7718.jpg

The little aluminium plate is a copy of the shape to use as a master.

 

14mm nylon was used to produce the "hooks" and the spacers.

48754641888_b141ebe935.jpg

The mounting plates are made from 3mm aluminium chequer plate with strap slots and some lightening holes (they look smart as well!)

8mm nylon was used to make the tongues ( I don't seem to have taken a pic for some reason!).

The four upper dome head screws fix the hooks to the plate. The Large  dome head in the centre is a tube nut which joins the 6mm rod across the two plates. The small centre dome head locks the tongue in place.

 

And the objective of the exercise, 30litre Lomo soft panniers on the bike.

48754650373_f016c0d007.jpg

48755168467_28bf8f6880.jpg

48754647868_4e72db1fdf.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by flyfifer
  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will be using my new GT for touring but, since my wife has had to give up pillion riding with arthritic knees, I can live with the stock panniers and a tankbag plus maybe a soft bag on the pillion.  A sheepskin seat cover in Scotland????  It's OK for Californians but what do you do when it rains?  Each to his own and I realise that looks are secondary to a well set up tourer but I couldn't live with turning an elegantly styled bike into the dog's breakfast shown in your photos.  Mind you, this coming from someone who managed to graft most of a Gold Wing screen onto a Ducati Multistrada!  Enjoy your touring.

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The side plates are now fully finished off with a coat of Hammerite and the pics show the pair as they would be mounted on the bike with the function of the cross rod obvious.

48880243852_c5c48f6c22.jpg

 

The reason for making the side plates to carry 30litre soft panniers, a recent short trip.

48880241787_6e6cae9b4c.jpg

 

 

  • Thumbsup 2
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fine craftsmanship indeed.  And you do need a bit more volume that stock cases offer to carry a full camping kit.

I'm still trying to determine where to lash my collapsable camping chair on the rig!  (I don't seen any comfy chairs in you nice picture.)

cb

Edited by nhchris
1968 Triumph Bonneville 650
1971 Norton Commando Roadster
2002 Harley 1200 Sportster
2003 Honda ST 1300
2016 FJ 09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/24/2019 at 1:56 PM, flyfifer said:

Sheep are waterproof as long as you feed them regulary 😀 on anything except a Californian diet 🤔.

Happy to get a reaction though !

I'm not sure if I were a Scotsman that I'd be defending sheep this enthusiastically...  just sayin'... as I eat my gluten-free toast with organic avocados and fair trade quinoa spread, sprinkled with cruelty-free salt, coaxed gently from the walls of a natural cave in Slovenia, carried to California by hand. 

  • Haha 3

’70 Yamaha 125 Enduro; ’75 Honda CB360T; ’81 Yamaha XS650SH; ’82 Honda GL650 Silver Wing Interstate; ’82 Suzuki GS650L; ’87 Yamaha Virago 535; ’87 Yamaha FJ1200; ’96 Honda ST1100; ’99 Yamaha V-Star Classic; ’00 Suzuki SV650; ’07 BMW K1200GT; ’12 Suzuki DR200; ’15 Yamaha FJ-09.  Bold = current

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

The seat looks exactly the same as stock as the rework was to the padding with the external cover retained so no point in a pic !

Tom's pretty seats are nice tho !

Edited by flyfifer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×