weight on the trunk

[gpolakow]

Does anyone have any advisable guidelines for weight resting on top of the trunk? I know it adds a bit to the already high center of gravity. I have done this before. But my wife and I have a long trip planned to Utah from Iowa for the World Super Bike race there on the 28th. Need to bring some extra clothes. Will pack a soft duffle style luggage and strap it there. Just can't remember what the max weight should be given the trunk itself will be packed. Is 20 lbs too much? 30?

[c00k1e]

ON the trunk itself, I wouldn't put anything you couldn't pick up with your little finger. Bulky but light gear (light rain proofs and light sleeping bags, tent canvas etc.)

[blueknightga6]

Good advice. We we travel a small roll bag with rain gear and sunscreen is what goes on the rack. That way nothing else is opened up or has the chance to get wet.

[saddleman]

My dealer told me no more than 25lbs. on the rack. He also said to avoid sudden movements such as on & off hard braking. I use a two foot long & one foot tall & wide Kuryakyn bag.

Also make sure the bag is tight enough on the rack so that it will not move at all. I use the four tie down straps plus two more at the rear of the bag. Be careful when you open the top case. I flip my back rest over & rest the top case on it to give equal load on the hinges.

I also check on the tightness to the rack all the time. Especially the first few miles. I have over 15,000 trouble free miles with the bag on the rack with a lot of miles well in excess of 100mph. You can see part of it in my picture.

[cealbrecht]

Once I hauled two of the 28lb boxes of Wal-mart cat litter on the top of my trunk. I tied them down with just a bungie net. I wouldn't go over 40 lbs if I were hauling more than a few miles. I must admit that I was a bit foolish with the litter - one quick stop and I'm sure the boxes would have flown into the back of my helmet. I only needed to transport them about 5 miles.

[zippy_gg]

Does anyone have any advisable guidelines for weight resting on top of the trunk? I know it adds a bit to the already high center of gravity. I have done this before. But my wife and I have a long trip planned to Utah from Iowa for the World Super Bike race there on the 28th. Need to bring some extra clothes. Will pack a soft duffle style luggage and strap it there. Just can't remember what the max weight should be given the trunk itself will be packed. Is 20 lbs too much? 30?Here is what we do when going to CCR, usually a 9-10 day trip. We ship via UPS some clothes and things we'll need once there but that we won't need during the ride itself. Then we ship back our dirty laundry and whatever else we won't need for the trip back. Since you will be travelling more days that you will be staying at your destination I would suggest shipping some extra clothes to your half-way point hotel... For a big box the shipping cost was $25-30 each way. The bike is not overloaded during our riding days, and that is paramount to us. Just a thought...

[BilletsGalore]

The trunk is plenty sturdy, in my opinion. Go for it, just don't get carried away... ;)

[jhsonderb]

Does anyone have any advisable guidelines for weight resting on top of the trunk? I know it adds a bit to the already high center of gravity. I have done this before. But my wife and I have a long trip planned to Utah from Iowa for the World Super Bike race there on the 28th. Need to bring some extra clothes. Will pack a soft duffle style luggage and strap it there. Just can't remember what the max weight should be given the trunk itself will be packed. Is 20 lbs too much? 30?According to the sticker in my top case, the top case, left saddlebag and right saddlebag limit is 22 lbs. each. The luggage rack recommended limit is 11lbs. It also states the the fully loaded weight including rider(s) and luggage should not exceed 1,323 lbs.

[lenny]

SPACEBAGS they work great i packed 9 days of clothes and all my wifes "stuff" for myself and my wife into the bike, i had a large duffel on top of the rear rack.not sured what it weighed but it was very secure

[BMWROLLIN]

I have put way beyond the recommended weight limit but made sure to secure it well. I felt no ill handling effects. As long as it is well secured, 25 or 30 lbs of weight is nothing relative to the overall weight of the bike. I'm sure you'll find many who would contradict this but this is my experience.

[Florian]

per the users manual, no more than 25 lbs


F

[BigGeo]

Two large pizzas with proper bungees have never been an issue.

[dlstepp]

I added the OEM rack to my '99 LT and have used a duffle type bag that weighs about 40 lbs. on numerous occasions when traveling two up with my wife with no bad effects.

[gbob]

Read the Manual I remember some speed limitations when top box is loaded , do you think BMW is just guessing ? same is in airplanes the factory does a lot of safety testing , but then it is your call .

Bob G

[gpolakow]

Here is what we do when going to CCR, usually a 9-10 day trip. We ship via UPS some clothes and things we'll need once there but that we won't need during the ride itself. Then we ship back our dirty laundry and whatever else we won't need for the trip back. Since you will be travelling more days that you will be staying at your destination I would suggest shipping some extra clothes to your half-way point hotel... For a big box the shipping cost was $25-30 each way. The bike is not overloaded during our riding days, and that is paramount to us. Just a thought...
Yes. I've done that before, too. It makes good sense. But we're camping so I have no place to send the package. Otherwise it would be a good plan.