Modern Buddy

Any owners of the Prima case have dificulty getting it to fit? It seems to sit back far on the rack and is loose. Right now I'm thinking about using heavy cable ties to hold it. This has the added benefit of deterring theft as well.

Can you post a pic of how it sits on the rack—the bottom of it? The rack seems a little shallow to handle the case.

JettaKnight wrote:Any owners of the Prima case have difficulty getting it to fit? It seems to sit back far on the rack and is loose. Right now I'm thinking about using heavy cable ties to hold it. This has the added benefit of deterring theft as well.

I cut off the Prima bag straps that are used to fasten it to the rack.

I then used 175 lb cable ties [sounds huge, but they are only about 1/4" wide] to fasten
all the points on the bottom of the bag to the rack.

I also used two cable ties on each side of the bag to fasten the D rings
on the bag to the raised part of the rack. I did this for two reasons: 1)
it holds the bag firmly in yet another spot; and 2) it lets everyone see that
there are cable ties holding the bag, so there is no use trying to remove
the 7 cable ties holding the bag to the rack.

You will notice that the bottom of the bag is way larger than the surface of
the rack which results in about 6" of the bag hanging off of each side of
the rack without support. So I put a large plastic cutting board that I had
in the kitchen into the bag. That provided a large, flat stable surface on
the bottom. You can use just about any firm object, such as a cookie
sheet, shallow baking pan or whatever.

Hope that helps. I'll take pics of the whole setup tomorrow and post on here.
for you.

Here is a pic that shows the ties on the bag D rings. I have some new
black 175 lb ties on order so to replace the visible white ties. Should be a
better look.

I used a grinder and removed the top bar on the rear rack, smoothed it all out, sanded and resprayed the rack flat black... you could re-chrome pretty easily as well. Once that bar is removed, the racks two mounting brackets fit between the small horizontal bars perfectly. The rack is now very secure, so much so that I can lean back on it from the pillion seat.

Kurzer wrote:I used a grinder and removed the top bar on the rear rack, smoothed it all out, sanded and resprayed the rack flat black... you could re-chrome pretty easily as well. Once that bar is removed, the racks two mounting brackets fit between the small horizontal bars perfectly. The rack is now very secure, so much so that I can lean back on it from the pillion seat.

Interesting. I have a rack bag my dad gave me from his old Yamaha Motorcycle that is pretty large so I have been trying to figure out how to attatch it. Could you post pics please. Both with your bag attatched and without of the rack would be awesome

we've been over here trying to figure out ways to best utilize the VERY small rear rack as well. Has anyone used crates and bungee cords? Definitely like to hear/see more people's storage solutions.

OK, not sure this post will be helpful, but here goes.

I have the very similar but not Identical S/X bag on my Blur. The Blur rack does not have the raised bar across the front that the Buddy rack has. But the attachment system seems the same.

The little nylon straps that you are supposed to attach the bag to the rack with are pitiful. They are too thin to create a sturdy grip with the cam locking mechanism, and even if they were properly engineered, they would still be too loose to make a secure connection. I did my best to connect it all the 'right' way, and tested it by grabbing the attached bag to see if it could be loosened. It popped right off into my hands.

Doesn't matter. Even though the bag makes some nifty looking luggage, I don't want it to be easily removable. So the straps are gone and the bag is firmly attached with multiple zip ties.

The base is firmly attached to the rack and doesn't budge. The case itself can wobble a little when pushed by hand since it is not completely rigid, but not enough to be a problem. It does NOT wobble while riding.

As an added measure I added two straps from the D rings on the back of the bag (which is the side that faces the front of the scooter) down to the first cross bar of the rack. So even if all 8 zip ties fail at the same time, the bag will remain attached. The straps I used were two medium size dog collars - in black to match the case. You should be able to find similar ones to match any color combination or decorating scheme you desire.

-Mark

Corsair wrote:we've been over here trying to figure out ways to best utilize the VERY small rear rack as well. Has anyone used crates and bungee cords? Definitely like to hear/see more people's storage solutions.

At the dealer I saw someone who had them put a black metal basket
on the rear chrome rack. Looked good. It was tapered so that the
bottom of the basket narrowed to a closer fit between the basket bottom
and the rack.

They used cable ties to fasten it. They looked like the 175lb ties I have.
Those are pretty strong. The basket would bust at the weld seams before
those cable ties would snap.

Yup, I can get some pics up... I'm treating the wife to a movie tonight and tomorrow will be sunny and the Triumph has been very patient, give me until monday

Kurzer wrote:Yup, I can get some pics up... I'm treating the wife to a movie tonight and tomorrow will be sunny and the Triumph has been very patient, give me until monday

Sure thing.

Kurzer wrote:Yup, I can get some pics up... I'm treating the wife to a movie tonight and tomorrow will be sunny and the Triumph has been very patient, give me until monday

Sure thing.

Ok, here you go. It's pretty easy if you have a grinder, a Dremmel will work too but you're going to go through a lot of cut off wheels and sanding wheels.

Here is a pic of the ties holding the Prima bag in place. So these with the
others on the D rings makes the whole thing pretty secure especially for
what you will use the bag for, which I assume will not be to tote cinder
blocks from Home Depot.

I put mine on today. I used five cable ties on the bottom and used the longer two straps that came with the case to hold via the D rings. Note hold how the two side ties straddle the bar.

Looks great on the Series Italia!

JettaKnight wrote:I put mine on today. I used five cable ties on the bottom and used the longer two straps that came with the case to hold via the D rings. Note hold how the two side ties straddle the bar.

The dealer was out of rear racks when we picked up our two Italias, so
only mine got the Prima bag. Mine is black, but today I put the tan
one on to the bike [rested it on the seat] to consider swapping the
black for the tan bag.

I am torn on which one to use. I think they both look nice, but that tan
sure looks elegant. But then the black kinda matches other parts of
the scooter, including the tires and rear fender. I dunno. You guys
decide for me.

The tan looks especially nice on an SI with brown interior panels, grips and seat...

... I think my dealer didn't tell me the truth, I'm guessing the soft case is the Prima, not the one I have

will go sit in a corner now

Corsair wrote:we've been over here trying to figure out ways to best utilize the VERY small rear rack as well. Has anyone used crates and bungee cords? Definitely like to hear/see more people's storage solutions.

I couldn't afford to drop any extra cash on a case or bag (though I really like the bags), so I went the cheaper route. I got an old milk crate and bungee'd it to the rear rack. It's got plenty of overhang, but it's not going anywhere. That thing is solid. It's not as secure as a closed bag or case, but security isn't too much of an issue for me (garages at home and work, curb/breezeway parking at the gym). Now that it's on there, I kinda like the way it looks. Not as classy as the bag, but sorta cool.

Hey that's how Lojical1 has her red Buddy We ended up using a black crate held on with a ton of black cable ties. When items are put in the crate they're secured down with bungee cord. It's be working like a charm so far (the motorcycle cover is just barely fitting now tho ...lol)


NIIICE pic by the way (love the color, light, and perspective)

I just did the same thing with a black crate and some cable ties. I like the utilitarian look!

I, too, have the S/X bag...I used all four straps underneath and just a bungee cord around the front of the rack and up to the "D" rings. Works like a charm and I don't have to cut zip-ties to remove the bag. Off and on in moments.

--Keys

Keys wrote:Off and on in moments.

That's what she said.

...but with unlimited enthusiasm.

--Keys

JettaKnight wrote:I put mine on today. I used five cable ties on the bottom and used the longer two straps that came with the case to hold via the D rings. Note hold how the two side ties straddle the bar.

thanks for the pics-- i love your setup. just got the large black prima bag because scooterworks had them for 50% off, and i'm trying to copy how you attached it.

ok, i gotta know how the heck you got the straps (especially the plastic clasp) through the d-rings on the back. i'm feeling pretty dense because they seem too big to fit through the d-rings. did you disassemble the straps? (and if you disassembled, how did you get the web straps undone??)

any tips appreciated!

I think he said he cut them.

I got the same bag from my dealer recently (for even less, lol!) and I think I, not wanting to do anything that couldn't be undone, pulled them out by the male end of the parachute clasp (it's the part that squeezes together when undoing the clasp) because it's more flexible. It just required a little bit of working it back and forth.

Then I took some 1" webbing and threaded that though and added a new parachute clip. Now I can strap it onto the passenger seat and I've got a pile-on bag.