Cracked rack

[John L]

Just got back from a two week 6000km tour two-up and found the rack had had cracked, anyone else had a problem? Not blaming Moto Guzzi because it was well overloaded and some of our roads in Oz are not much better than goat tracks and even though cracked on both sides it was still solid enough that I never noticed until I was cleaning it. Just thought that I would put it out there as something to keep an eye on if you are doing a lot of touring with luggage.

John.

 

[Zazu]

Just got back from a two week 6000km tour two-up and found the rack had had cracked, anyone else had a problem? Not blaming Moto Guzzi because it was well overloaded and some of our roads in Oz are not much better than goat tracks and even though cracked on both sides it was still solid enough that I never noticed until I was cleaning it. Just thought that I would put it out there as something to keep an eye on if you are doing a lot of touring with luggage.

John.

Yikes! I did have a break on my rack, not on the bar, but on the rear centre support tab. Improper install contributed to the stress; snapped the rear fender tabs, sheared the top fender bolt and broke the weld on the support tab. I replaced the rack, installed properly, and have the original up for sale on the WildGuzzi Swap Meet site. I think it's a simple fix, but not a welder

 

[John L]

Yikes! I did have a break on my rack, not on the bar, but on the rear centre support tab. Improper install contributed to the stress; snapped the rear fender tabs, sheared the top fender bolt and broke the weld on the support tab. I replaced the rack, installed properly, and have the original up for sale on the WildGuzzi Swap Meet site. I think it's a simple fix, but not a welder

Likewise with mine, simple fix to re-weld it but then that is going to bugger up the chrome which then means added expense of getting it re-chromed. Mine is on my Eldorado so I might get it powder coated black if it's cheaper. Might also cut the top tubes as well while I'm at it and slip some solid bar inside the tube to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[John L]

Yikes! I did have a break on my rack, not on the bar, but on the rear centre support tab. Improper install contributed to the stress; snapped the rear fender tabs, sheared the top fender bolt and broke the weld on the support tab. I replaced the rack, installed properly, and have the original up for sale on the WildGuzzi Swap Meet site. I think it's a simple fix, but not a welder

Hi Zazu, when you say 'improper install' what was the problem? I'm just wondering if maybe I have done something similar that has caused it to crack.

 

[Zazu]

When I had the H&B saddle bags installed, they shared common side mounting point with the rack. The installer removed the side support bolts for the rack and attached only the saddle bags. I since followed a thread here and modified the H&B mounting brackets, cutting off approx 1/2 inch on each side, to permit both to share the mounting point; solid now

 

[John L]

When I had the H&B saddle bags installed, they shared common side mounting point with the rack. The installer removed the side support bolts for the rack and attached only the saddle bags. I since followed a thread here and modified the H&B mounting brackets, cutting off approx 1/2 inch on each side, to permit both to share the mounting point; solid now

Thanks Zazu, that wasn't the cause of my problem then, mine had all the brackets in place. I will have to put it down to too much weight and rough roads and see if it happens again once it's been re-welded.

 

[Curt Russell]

Mine broke at the center tab also. Never even had it heavily loaded. Sent pictures to,the dealer and asked if Moto Guzzi would replace it. I don't really expect them to but I thought I'd try before having it welded. The weld won't be noticeable.

 

[John L]

Mine had also broken at the centre tab, didn' realise until I took it off, had it re-welded and powder coated black, looks ok on the Eldo.

 

[Curt Russell]

Mine had also broken at the centre tab, didn' realise until I took it off, had it re-welded and powder coated black, looks ok on the Eldo.

That actually looks really good. Way to improvise! I was just looking at mine and I can see that my Corbin seat will block any view of that weld so I'm not to worried about it now.

 

[Curt Russell]

I had the center tab re-welded this morning. The welder told me that even though the tab is beafy the tubing material used for the rack is very thin. It had broke away around the weld. I think it may be a flawed design placing to much stress on that center tab. i guess I will have to pack the trunk very light from now on or I'll be visiting the welder again.

 

[John L]

You would think by the weight of it that it would be the last thing to break. I bought a couple of bags that I can strap to the top of the panniers when we are travelling 2 up, which also helps in getting the weight lower down, decided that would be easier than trying to get the wife to pack less. Perhaps part of the problem in that the trunk is also the back rest when 2 up which puts even more stress on the rack. I've also now ditched the tank bag as well because no matter what I try it scratches the tank and on full lock hits the horn switch on one side and the kill switch on the other.

 

[Curt Russell]

Yeah I agree about the trunk/backrest adding to the stress. That could be what caused it because I never really even packed it heavy. I've never tried tank bags because I am always hearing that same comment about scratching the tank. I wonder if it is more common with black paint.

You really have that baby loaded up in the first pick . Stock shocks?

 

[John L]

Yeah I agree about the trunk/backrest adding to the stress. That could be what caused it because I never really even packed it heavy. I've never tried tank bags because I am always hearing that same comment about scratching the tank. I wonder if it is more common with black paint.

You really have that baby loaded up in the first pick . Stock shocks?

They were at that stage, almost fully wound up on pre-load but they handled it pretty well except over sharp bumps where it could be a bit painfull especially for the missus. I've since replace them with a pair of Ikons which offer rebound damping as well and springs to suit the laod, smoother ride and my better half is happy which is the main thing.
OEM on the right.

 

[Curt Russell]

Isn't the OEM on the left? The one on the right is much more progressive and appear to have more adjustability with preload collars.

 

[John L]

Isn't the OEM on the left? The one on the right is much more progressive and appear to have more adjustability with preload collars.

No mate, the OEM is the one on the right, that's an Eldorado shock with the covers removed. It has got a much finer preload adjustment with the rings but they are a pain in the arse to adjust and there is no rebound adjustment and it is a much weaker spring overall, the one on the left takes 5 seconds to adlust for solo, 2 up and 2 up plus luggage and has a 4 position rebound adjuster up by the top eye. The rings on the OEM are just on the bottom threads, in use they were almost to the top making the spring much the same length as the other

 

[Curt Russell]

Oh OK, I was thrown by the collars. My OEM Ca Touring has the four preload settings like your aftermarket ones.

 

[Chet Van Aken]

Mine had also broken at the centre tab, didn' realise until I took it off, had it re-welded and powder coated black, looks ok on the Eldo.

Mine broke a couple years ago but the reason was that the bolts above the rear wheel used for the mounting were installed improperly and come partially out. This lead to the whole thing bouncing up and down breaking the tab in the same place. The dealer made it right since they installed the top case and I made sure to locktite the fasteners. If you have a top case its worth the time to check it out.

 

[John L]

Maybe it's me and I'm just too hard on my bike but the rack cracked for the second time about a month ago, so third time lucky hopefully. It ain't pretty and it weighs almost as much as the bike now but fingers crossed it won't crack for a third time.

 

[kiwi dave]

In my past life when I was riding Triumph twins, I was advised to braze rather than weld broken items on the bodywork. Never had a repair go bad again.

Edit: I just looked at your finished repair with the gusset added. Looks really professional.

But I note that the rack does not share the same mount to the frame that the H&B C-Bow mounts use. On my 1400 Custom, the rear mount for the C-Bows is shared with the rack. Obviously, the Eldorado is different, but it does mean that there is less support available towards the rear of the rack.

 

[John L]

In my past life when I was riding Triumph twins, I was advised to braze rather than weld broken items on the bodywork. Never had a repair go bad again.

Edit: I just looked at your finished repair with the gusset added. Looks really professional.

But I note that the rack does not share the same mount to the frame that the H&B C-Bow mounts use. On my 1400 Custom, the rear mount for the C-Bows is shared with the rack. Obviously, the Eldorado is different, but it does mean that there is less support available towards the rear of the rack.

When I bought the bags H&B didn't make any specifically for the Eldo so I had to adapt Cali ones, same for the rack it was never made to fit the Eldo because the mudguard is much deeper. Maybe that all contributes to the problem but it doesn't seem any less solidly mounted compared to the original Cali set up.