Hepco becker bracket mounting advice please

[Guest Britcheflee]

Hi,

I am about to put the mounting brackets for the hepco becker bags on my V11 Billybob - I have a pdf file in German on how to do it which I hope my mother in law who is german can translate - however I notice in a couple of the pics of bikes with the mounts that the turn signals (blinkers) have been removed and replaced on the brackets - I would like some advice as to the best way of doing this, if there are any alternatives and any other tips advice about mounting the brackets.

And, if anyone has instructions on how to mount the brackets in English I would be most grateful for a copy.

 

Lee

[VA Sean]

Lee-

Hopefully Rocker59 reads this thread... he mounted them on his Nero and did a really good job.

 

My recollection is that he had to take out a notch under the tail (can't remember why).

 

If you find the instructions in English, let me know -- that is the next purchase for my bike.

[rocker59]

Hey Lee,

 

There simply is not enough room to leave the winkers in the OEM location. You'll have to mount them on the H+B brackets. Not the tidiest solution, but it works. The brackets kind of ugly up the looks of the V11, but it sure is nice having the luggage!

 

Mounting the brackets is not that tough, but it does require some disassembly of the motorcycle and some time and patience on you part.

 

I'll go out and take some pictures in a few minutes and add them to this thread.

[rocker59]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To install the brackets, the plastic tail section has to be removed. Reinstalling it is tight. Take care not to scuff the paint.

 

Notching the inner mudguard was the only pain. I used a coping saw and then a file to shape it.

 

Getting the central bracket bolted to the seat subframe was kind of tedious.

 

Be sure and use antiseize on the bolts. It might be a good idea, too, to test fit the bolts prior to final assembly. A couple of the tapped holes were rought on my brackets and required some care to keep from cross threading the bolts.

 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

[Guest Britcheflee]

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for the great pics which really help - I was looking at the cross connector with the tab and wondering where on earth that was going to connect to - now I understand as that part needs to be notched out.

I am going to pm you with my e mail address as I probably will have a couple more questions but have asked the first here in case anyone else needs to mount these:

On the side mounts there are two tabs which connect to the two bolts on the triangular part of the frame of the bike (there are two allen bolts at the top and one at the bottom) - the bottom one is where the rear foot peg attaches to - I have posted two pics - on the upper one when you add the mount do you need to shim the other bolt where it connects? Or can you just crank down on the other allen bolt and it will take up the gap? Do I have the bottom connector in the right place or does it go on the other side?

When you notch out the underneath of the wheel area is there two obvious spots to connect the mount to or do you have to fabricate one?

I am going to get some loctite to make sure all bolts stay in place.

I was also going to see if there was a way of getting tricky and getting some led lights for the turn signals and/or the brake lights that I can attach directly to the bags with a quick connect/disconnect tab...if not Ill go to the method you have employed.

[rocker59]

There should be a longer bolt and nut to mount the upper front mount on the inside. The muffler mount also goes on the inside. Remember, you'll need to have the tail plastic off the bike to fully access the footpeg bracket bolts.

 

 

 

 

 

[Beuphonium]

Greetings!

 

I did notice that when I put mine on the fit was really quite tight. Having translated (and unfortunately since lost) the instructions out of the German, I do recall one of the steps saying that washers needed to be stacked 2 up in order to position a piece correctly. If my memory serves it was the bracket that bolts to the seat subframe, but I may be mistaken. The test fit is indeed a grand idea, as I experienced a cross-threading problem and ended up having to replace a couple of the fasteners.

 

I have found that sealing up that inner fender is a really good idea after notching it, as the paperwork I carried in the rear "cargo" compartment was soaked through after a wet ride, even in the protective sleeve.

 

The benefit of the bags, however, is definitely worth the frustration of installation.

 

[Guest Britcheflee]

There should be a longer bolt and nut to mount the upper front mount on the inside. The muffler mount also goes on the inside. Remember, you'll need to have the tail plastic off the bike to fully access the footpeg bracket bolts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes! Thanks for that info - a picture paints a.....I am off to Home depot tomorrow to get some longer allen bolts as the upper bolts are not long enough - I have a new dremmel tool so I am going to try to just cut a slot big enough to get that tab in through to connect to the two bolts under the seat. I will take your advice and put it together loosely then gradually tighten everything up and give it a shot of loctite as well.

I notice you have the Moto guzzi emblem on your bags - mine has the HB logo - can you buy a MG stick on logo to replace this.

I agree that the mounting frame does distract from the basic beauty of the bike - but I can live with that and look forward to being able to use the bags on longer trips.

 

Lee

[rocker59]

I started out with a slot, but made it into a notch to be able to access the nuts to bolt the bracket up tight.

 

Yes, the Guzzi logos are available. Eurotech Motorsports is the H+B importer and has them. I've seen them other places, too.

 

As you mentioned, it is a good idea to test fit everything loosely before tightening everything down.

 

Good luck!

[Greg Field]

The latest bags take the 60mm Guzzi logos.

 

If you live in a rainy area, consider making a slot instead of a notch underneath. This leaves a smaller port for water to be sprayed up and under the seat. Or, you could just seal the notch with duct tape or something.

[Zoom Zoom]

Lee, it looks like Mike has covered it pretty well. I would add a couple of things. Under the tail piece, where the cross bar mounts up, I needed to remove that piece and knock off the nuts that were spot welded in place. Otherwise, the bar was too low to line up with the side brackets. There are three nuts under there. I only needed to do that to the front two. They came off without much trouble. Also, in order to get the side bracket to line up properly, I needed to elongate the lower front mounting hole on the right side. Without doing that, I was unable to get things to line up properly. Mine may have been bent, but if it was, it was before the paint was applied. After you have everything loosely attached, minus the top rack, that is the time to put the tail piece back in. It is nearly impossible after you tighten things down. I can't remember if I needed to just set the tail piece in place or tighten it up before finishing the install. THE KEY IS THE CROSS PIECE THAT FITS UP UNDER THE FENDER. THE TOP OF THAT SHOULD FIT FLUSH WITH ITS MOUNTING, NOT ON TOP OF THOSE BLIND NUTS. Everything else should line up to that piece. The hole I needed to elongate was done to the bracket itself and was completely hidden under the washer after the installation was finished. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I would say the I know my way around a wrench. This job took much longer that I originally figured. Just take your time, make sure things line up properly. The end result will be worth the effort.

 

Zoom Zoom,

John Henry

[leroysch]

FWIW, I didn't have to knock off those captive fasteners which are part of the bike's rear bracket supporting the mudguard, license plate frame, etc. It was helpful to take the HB bolts and take advantage of the captive fasteners to make a cross brace/rear bracket "assembly" and then use the HB nuts to fasten it to the bike's frame. With everything loosely attached (rotated Ti exhaust, stock passenger brackets, both side brackets for the HB bags, turn signal relocation bar) everything lines up!