[SOLVED] Are Hepco & Becker C Bow mounts compatible with the OEM Rear Rack?

[JRD]

EDIT: After trying a few other options (see comments) I have the answer.  I'm posting it up here for to make it easier for any time travelers from the future who might stumble across this in their quest to mount their own side racks.

You have to mount them outside of the rear rack. The stock screws are not long enough so you need to buy four new screws. They all need to be 8mm x 1.25mm. Two of them should be 90mm button top; two of them 80mm socket flat head.


I asked this in the comments of some old posts but I don’t know that it had the visibility I needed so I’m making the question its own thread.

I have a 2017. It is equipped with an OEM rear luggage rack. I love that rack and want to keep it. I am also shopping for detachable side cases and the C Bow system look good (and is kinda’ the only game in town).
https://www.motomachines.com/hepco-becke...mold-mount
https://www.ebay.com/itm/166036920040?_s...R_a9-YfJZw

Anyone know if the Hepco & Becker C Bow luggage mounts are compatible with the OEM Rear Rack?

Or, as a consolation, can someone who has the C Bows on their 2017 send me various angles of how they are mounted? The photos available via a google search are limited and I can't tell how things are mounted and spaced.

Thanks!    

[rdprdp01]

I am also looking for detachable side cases for my CB1100EX. Thanks for this thread. I am monitoring it closely and look forward to following your example.

I do have a SW-Motech Top case that I like very much. I used the rear luggage rack to mount the top case more elegantly than my friends at SW-Motech recommended.

They also offer side mountable, detachable cases but it is not clear to me if they will work with the beautiful rear luggage rack we both like. Thought you might like to check out these links. I am considering buying them too along with the permanent mounts to see if I can machine/modify everything into a presentable setup.

Side Cases: https://sw-motech.us/en-us/p/40525720455...10000L%2FB
Top Case: https://sw-motech.us/en-us/p/40525720551....22000%2FB

You have a beautiful motorcycle. Be safe and ride carefully. David

[LucienLeFranc]

Regarding the SW Motech cases mentioned above, unfortunately, you need the SW Motech "SLC carriers" (side racks), which are NLA for our bikes at this point.

Or you need a custom solution, which I'm working toward to mount SW aluminum side cases on my 2014 DLX (I've taken a brief break to let my subconscious work on the puzzle while wiring up my handlebars for Quadlock, Garmin and AUX).

Where I've left off on the side-luggage project:

https://cb1100forum.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=14720

Just waiting for my Quadlock items to deliver, then I'll see about finishing up my side racks.

[JRD]

The message I just received from Hepco & Becker in response to my inquiry:

Hello,

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately, we haven't tested this combination, but we suspect that the two products cannot be assembled together.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

[JRD]

Quick update, in case someone in the future comes looking:

According to some helpful rando on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/HondaCB/s/xYozl3aNm5) the C Bow mounts *ARE* compatible with the OEM rack *for the 2013/2014 model years.*

I have just bitten the bullet and ordered the 2017 racks. They are coming from Germany and won’t be here for 6-8 weeks, but I will report back with a definitive answer when I get them!

[JRD]

Just got the mounts in today. It wants to mount outside the grab bar and does not anticipate the rear rack being there instead.

A preliminary analysis suggests that I can Ignore the spacers, get slightly longer machine screws (8mm x 1.25mm. Two 90mm button top, two 80mm socket flat head) and set up the racks on the outside of the rear rack. This will be ugly but also will be quick and easy and will work.

Edit: two things won’t work:

Cutting space out of the rear rack spacers and squeezing the mount between the grab bar and rack won’t work. You need to cut 35mm out of rear rack and it only has 30mm to give, and even that requires cutting so close to the edge as to compromise a weld. You then need to stretch the rack out another 10mm to squeeze the mounting bracket in. Not sure if that is posible or not.

Per Pekingduck, below, I also tried to just remove the grab rail entirely. And squeeze the mount on the inside of the read rack. I needed to cut anout 25mm off the rear spacer and then shim the rest of it out with spacers. It looked good and fit great… but the rear mounting bolt on the rack blocks the c-bow from attaching to the bracket. Hmmm.

I’m guess first idea best idea. I’m ordering longer bolts.

   
   
   
   
   

[pekingduck]

I have a 2017Ex and after installing the same rack, felt that the grabrail was no longer needed., so replaced it with appropriate thickness spacers.  
Maybe the black Hepco-Becker mounts could go inside the rack mountings in place of the grabrail, moving the bags inward a few inches.  

With the mounts in place, the grabrail becomes obscured and redundant.
   

I wasn't familiar with the H-B mounting system, so found a couple pics.
   
If the chrome portion of the mounts is too close to the shocks or rack, it could easily be spaced out further.

[JRD]

I have a 2017Ex and after installing the same rack, felt that the grabrail was no longer needed., so replaced it with appropriate thickness spacers.  
Maybe the black Hepco-Becker mounts could go inside the rack mountings in place of the grabrail, moving the bags inward a few inches.

Interesting. I was looking to steal space from the other direction, but that would probably work as well, and require less cutting....

I went outside and mocked it up by using washers as spacers. This will work. Will still need to cut the OEM rack at the front spacer, but it will be much less tight and preserve the weld.

As you say, it would look better if you keep the grab bar, but with the rear rack and the chrome mounting bracket you don't really notice its absence.

Edit: Please note that the highlighted numbers in the body of the picture are not ideal: they don't provide quite enough clearance from the rear fender. Also cuts the C-mount clearance from the rear shock pretty close.. The green numbers (in millimeters) on the diagram are correct for giving maximum clearance.

Edit #2: this doesn’t work. The c bow mounts fit fine (after a bit of cutting and and shimming) but the c bows themselves bump into the rear rack bolts.

[LucienLeFranc]

I'm not sure if this helps, but--for my own project of mounting SW Motech side cases on a 2014DLX with Honda rear rack--I'm using the rear rack as part of the side-rack structure using clamps like these:

   

There are dozens and dozens of different clamps that will fit the rear rack tubing diameter--Im doing most of my searching on Amazon.com.

For my specific project, I'm currently conversing with a fabricator about making something like this out of 6061 1/4" aluminum:

   

(Above is not to scale.)

Anyway, maybe you could use similar clamps onto the rear rack to hook yours up?

[JRD]

I'm not sure if this helps, but--for my own project of mounting SW Motech side cases on a 2014DLX with Honda rear rack--I'm using the rear rack as part of the side-rack structure using clamps like these:



There are dozens and dozens of different clamps that will fit the rear rack tubing diameter--Im doing most of my searching on Amazon.com.

For my specific project, I'm currently conversing with a fabricator about making something like this out of 6061 1/4" aluminum:



(Above is not to scale.)

Anyway, maybe you could use similar clamps onto the rear rack to hook yours up?

Yeah, multiple ways to do it and that would probably also work, but bring it's own measurement, engineering challenges, and eathetic compromises. Pick your poison, I guess.

I've committed to this particular approach and I'm pretty confident it is going to work. Need to make two cuts to the OEM rack and buy some spacers, but that should accommodate the H&B C Bow mounts. A little spendy but they allow for locking, quick-release bags; and accommodate any other 3rd party bags/paniers/hard cases that your heart desires. This way I can use my existing bags which I think look good and will save me a little money (or at least off-set the cost of the mounts, themselves).