GS-Riders International

I like the Hepco & Becker cases best, I know the quality is there and they look just right on the GS.

- 2 pcs. H & B Junior 40 Flash
- 1 pc. Journey TC42
- H & B side racks
- H & B top case rack
- 1 pc. H & B top case passenger cushion

Junior Flash


TC42



Hepco & Becker side racks, plus top case rack which is actually meant for the Honda Silverwing.



1000 different pieces - and no decent instructions. Unbelievable. I do understand the troubles some people have with this:



The top case cushion is actually similar to the Givi cushion, means: Lousy. It is a heavy and solid like a brick. I knew this and just need the rear part to make a decent backrest from it. This people should take a close look at the Shad SH46 cushion.




Price for everything together was S$ 1449 / Euro 727 / US$ 940, including a special BMW owners discount for myself at M-Technik right here in Singapore .

Hecpo & Becker Junior 40 Flash on H & B rack



The installation was quite easy then. First I did lay out all the 1000 small pieces in a logical sequence. Afterwards it was quite easy for me to see what needs to go where. Some details:

The side racks fit the GS very nicely



Well engineered mounting detail



Regarding the width I was a bit pessimistic. It is actually 104 cm. Not too bad - still the butt looks fat:



And this is just unbelievable wide



Even on the side without exhaust about 5 cm space wasted



No much different from a construction scaffold



This has to be different.


Conclusion

I like the general quality of the racks and the cases. The cases are to my knowledge the only ones which are made from ABS. In case of a crash they will often just pop back into shape, and not break like the others which are made from PP might do. The racks to my opinion are very well matched with the design of the GS - looking from the side.

What I dislike like is the space they waste to the sides. And then the quality of the mounting hardware! All these bolts and screws - some are too long, all are too soft. Furthermore on a motorcycle which uses torx head screws all over I do not really like having Allen head screws, and with them the need to bring even more tools with me. I do not think this a match with the premium prices they charge. It does not align with the otherwise good cases and racks.

Lastly: Such things like the bracket bolt hitting the exhaust
?(


that would be ok for Chinese standard with an entire set costing Euro 70. It does leave me with a sour after-taste for the premium brand.

Now the most exiting part starts. I brought the pieces to a workshop for welding works on the racks.

The removable rear seat is a nice feature


The nice people at Seng Kwan at the job


SENG KWANG METAL INDUSTRIAL CO
Contact Person : Gilbert Lee
10 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2A #05-31 AMK Autopoint, Singapore 568047
Tel : +65-6481-9580
E-mail : skmiclee@hotmail.com

In about one week time I am having a slimmer GS.

I got my modified luggage system complete.

The bike with lowered exhaust but without racks



A new bracket made from a "L" shape stainless steel profile



BMW R 1200 GS + Hepco & Becker Junior 40 Flash before and after luggage rack modification





The rear width shrunk from 104 cm to 88 cm!





Instead of an "exhaust in a cage"



clean



The handles on the cases, before too far away ...



... can now actually be used by the passenger, and the hand rails
on the rack double up for the passenger and as fixing point for straps



Doesn't this look much neater?




Cost in total for
- exhaust welding and bracket
- welding works on both sides of the Hepco & Becker luggage racks
- fabricating an adapter rack for the top case
- extra hand rails for the passenger
- powder coating
is S$ 590 / US$ 380 / Euro 290. Thank you William and Gilbert Lee! I feel very glad about this job.

Thanks for the flowers, man! (Why not sign in and add your location to the profile?)

Lowering the exhaust is the key for mounting almost anything. Once the cases are on, there is anyway not much visible from the exhaust. So why throw money at a nicer one? That was the one thought I had. The other one was this:



It is the rack of the R 12 ADV. IMO, that's what a decent rack should be like! I wanted something like this, and I think I got it!.

I then went around to the shops and strapped different cases to my GS. I checked for room for passenger, width, can I get it mounted level, etc.. Originally I was more interested in the Givi E35. Glad I checked in the forehand - they failed the test! Look at the room available for the passenger feet in comparison to a good sample:





I believe the Gobis should fit just as well. They are quite wide but not very longish. On a narrower rack they'd do well.

I got some PM's asking so here we are. The muffler has been re-welded to the exhaust pipe.

Wunderlich has now a kit for mounting symmetrical cases to the R 1200 GS / GSA available. The racks are made by Hepco & Becker under the LockIt range, which are quick remove racks. Note: H & B racks only accept H & B cases.

LockIt symmetric GS racks Euro 249
LockIt symmetric GSA racks Euro 249
Wunderlich exhaust lowering kit Euro 119

The following is a submission by Adrian from Switzerland. Seems this is the second symmetrical Hecpo & Becker set in the world, the first in Europe.

Works
- reweld so that the racks are as close as possible to the motorcycle
- H & B racks set rearwards by 5cm
- turn signals relocated
- extend turn signal cables
- sand blasting and powder coating
- reweld the exhuast pipe to the can and fabricate a new bracket
- main stand lock made fitting
- assembly

Parts
- Junior 40 cases, SFr 590
- Junior TC 45 incl. quicklock SFr 320
- Junior TC 45 carrier SFr 90
- side racks SFr 432

Total inclusive works: SFr 2200 / US$ 2150 / Euro 1360
Works alone: SFr 768 / US$ 750 / Euro 475






















Thanks to Adrian for info and pics!

Just as an update information, Hepco & Becker replaced the adapter lashes as used for many years to hook the side cases onto the carrier by welded on loops.