If I didn't have bad luck....

[gixxerjasen]

Pretty impressive breakage...and recovery Jason. I've been using the Givi E55 topcase with SR rack on cross country trips and otherwise well-loaded.

SR357 likely won't be in until Monday, so that'll get installed next week.

Right now I'm all set except for plastics. Gerauld is sending me some sticks for me to attempt plastic repair. I'm likely going to give it a go but I don't have high hopes for my skills. I can always mount them up ugly or as is with the breaks until I source some replacements. There's a few on ebay but right now my focus is spending money on getting it rideable and fixed. Making it pretty is secondary.

I've been using the Givi E55 topcase (did you know it will hold a case of beer?).

I should hope so! This is my old little Givi E370 on my FZ1 that routinely transported a cube of Mountain Dew to my work so I didn't have to pay the highway robbery that was our soda machines.

If it could handle this, I'm quite certain your big ole box was up to the task.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Alrighty, let's get some closure here. It won't happen without a grown man almost coming to tears in his garage.

So where were we? Oh yea, I've got a new subframe to install.

So I start removing bits from the bike to get the broken subframe out and it's a lot of work there. As I go along I'm reminded that my bike is an AE and as such is so seamless that I often forget that it's not like every other FJR on the road. I'm reminded of this as I remove the AE actuator from it's mount point on the subframe. Then I think...hrm, that mount point wouldn't be on every FJR now would it? Realizing I didn't check when I ordered my subframe off Ebay to make sure it's an AE subframe, I feel the emotions welling up inside me. The frame is sitting behind me in the garage and I'm so angry I didn't check that I could spit nails, and at the same time I just want to cry.

Oh look, I do have SOME luck. It's an AE subframe. A quick check of my ebay history shows that it was listed as an AS subframe....same deal, different continent, but it'll work. I almost cry from joy. A man alone in his garage is sometimes an emotional deal.

So, some interesting things I DID note when comparing them. My bike is a 2007 and the donor bike was a 2006. You'd think the subframes would be identical but in fact there are some interesting subtle differences between them. A little extra welding here on the mount point in question on the 2007

And here we have a comparison shot of broken next to unbroken.

Every once in a while I have a stroke of genius, and actually think and plan ahead. This was one of those times. The air filter is a huge pain to get to on the AE, so I figured while I have everything off, why not toss in a new air filter, it's needed anyway. Easy peasy...mostly. Yes, that's a spool of Christmas lights holding up the tail section to make things easier to work on. Tools can be made from anything.

I read where someone else did this that said they didn't have to remove the whole middle black plastic part. This is true, it requires more fiddling to pull the subframe off than you'd think but it can be done, which saves a LOT of work. It's already a lot of work to this point.

This is Gerauld's stiffy kit that I'm installing. It helps to beef up the rear quite a bit and will hopefully help to keep this from happening again.

This is what it will look like when it's fully installed. It's actually very hard to see when all the plastics are on.

Here's more shots of broken vs unbroken. This time it's the tail rack and grab rails next to the Givi SR357 that is much better able to handle the extra loads.

I'm working on some ideas to make the Shad case fit on the Givi rack. You can make it work, but I noticed that it sits further back on the rack than stock, so I think I want to change that. Working out some ideas.

On the plus side though, I'm riding again and very happy as this week spring has arrived.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Hey Jasen, before you get too far, didn't the '06AEs have some kind of recall or replacement for that actuator mount? I'm betting the extra weld on the '07 frame is the factory fix. Remember those actuator mounts were breaking off '06AEs causing all kinds of stress?

If I was you, I'd take that frame to a welding shop and have that weld done before you end up here later on. Sorry man, but I'm trying to help you here!!

 

[RadioHowie]

+1000 to the 'Zilla-man...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

At least you are moving in the right direction! Geaux Jasen! (A little Cajun liberty there)

Another positive thing is that this winter has been unusually harsh for us Southerners and part of the time you were down was during the "ice storms" and other misery.

Get that thing put back together. If there is any justice to be had I will see you on it sometime or other this year. Maybe at COTA for the MotoGP...

 

[gixxerjasen]

Aww geez. I've never heard of that with the 06, but I did wonder when I saw the extra welding on the 07. Now I'm going to have to tear it all down again. Not right away, but I'm tucking that one away. I'd bet that some just didn't have sufficient welds to start with and broke, so Yamaha "Fixed" it by adding welding on the other side. If this one hasn't broken yet...

Ok, so it's on the list of things to do.

RH, doesn't look like I'll be attending MotoGP this year. I might or might not pick up a single day ticket when they decide to offer deals at the last minute. It was looking like too much money to buy 3 day passes for the family when I was the only one interested in all three days.

I did ride to work yesterday. Freaking overnight low was higher than our daytime highs last week and was 68F when I woke up...hell yea I'm riding!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I rode mine too. I am working a string of nights and I smiled all the way to work. I did not smile as much at 4:30 am in all the fog for the ride home.

Again, I am extremely pleased to see you are back on the road. And I owe you another debt of gratitude for another of your threads. Dad had a fork seal blow out and leak all over the front wheel and the shop floor. He asked me if I thought we should tackle it on our own. I said, "Let me tell you about my friend Jasen..." The dealership is waiting on the middle bushings as I type this.

 

[mcatrophy]

Aww geez. I've never heard of that with the 06, but I did wonder when I saw the extra welding on the 07. Now I'm going to have to tear it all down again.

As far as I remember, this bracket issue only affected a few hundred early '06 bikes. Your '07 frame should be fine.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Aww geez. I've never heard of that with the 06, but I did wonder when I saw the extra welding on the 07. Now I'm going to have to tear it all down again.

As far as I remember, this bracket issue only affected a few hundred early '06 bikes. Your '07 frame should be fine.

He broke the '07 frame and replaced it with the '06 frame. With the new frame missing that weld, I'm betting it's one of the ones that's prone to breaking. Hell, nothing says it WILL break, I was just hoping you hadn't got it all together yet and could get it strengthened before having to take it all apart.

 

[FJRMGM]

remind me not to overload my sub-frame.

 

[Fred W]

I'm working on some ideas to make the Shad case fit on the Givi rack. You can make it work, but I noticed that it sits further back on the rack than stock, so I think I want to change that. Working out some ideas.
On the plus side though, I'm riding again and very happy as this week spring has arrived.

First off, glad to see you are getting through this. Between this and the front fork fiasco... you need a reprieve.

I would double check your measurements. I doubt that the Givi rack would have the Shad trunk riding further back than the Shad mount on the stock rack. Everyone is always complaining that the Givi mount puts the trunk mount too close to the passenger (not my problem as I have a small passenger) and they are always trying to push it back further.

In any case, the major advantage of the steel Givi SR rack is that it triangulates the pot metal casting that supports the trunk to limit the amount of flex it is subjected to. Obviously the further back the cantilevered load is the more leverage it will have on that triangular assembly, but it may be up to the task even if it does shift the load slightly further to the rear.

You could also just sell off the Shad and get a proper Givi trunk.

 

[gixxerjasen]

You could also just sell off the Shad and get a proper Givi trunk.

This is under consideration as well. I do like the Shad though, especially not needing the key to open it if it's unlocked. That's how I roll back and forth to work because it's easy.

There's four slots that 95% line up with the existing holes on the Givi. There's about a million other holes and there's no way to get four of them to line up. I saw someone else used the slots on theirs and that's how I mounted mine up.

When it was done I could still see the front two mount bolts for the three in the back on the Givi rack. I stepped back and noticed the bag is much further back than it was on the shad mount. Putting the Shad mount next to it I could see it was definitely further back. I pulled the Givi base plate that mounts to the 357 out of the bag and noticed that where the holes are it sits much further forward.

I've been mulling over some ideas. May try to find someone local that can cut some metal for me or maybe send my idea to someone online that might be able to do it. I still need to look some things over and take measurements.

Yep, bike is all back together so it'll have to come back apart to fix that welded area.

 

[RaYzerman19]

How about some JB Weld on that area if you don't want to weld it.......... ??

 

[mcatrophy]

Aww geez. I've never heard of that with the 06, but I did wonder when I saw the extra welding on the 07. Now I'm going to have to tear it all down again.

As far as I remember, this bracket issue only affected a few hundred early '06 bikes. Your '07 frame should be fine.

He broke the '07 frame and replaced it with the '06 frame. With the new frame missing that weld, I'm betting it's one of the ones that's prone to breaking. Hell, nothing says it WILL break, I was just hoping you hadn't got it all together yet and could get it strengthened before having to take it all apart.

Ouch. Sorry, got that one wrong way round. I'll go back to sleep.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Aww geez. I've never heard of that with the 06, but I did wonder when I saw the extra welding on the 07. Now I'm going to have to tear it all down again.

As far as I remember, this bracket issue only affected a few hundred early '06 bikes. Your '07 frame should be fine.

He broke the '07 frame and replaced it with the '06 frame. With the new frame missing that weld, I'm betting it's one of the ones that's prone to breaking. Hell, nothing says it WILL break, I was just hoping you hadn't got it all together yet and could get it strengthened before having to take it all apart.

Ouch. Sorry, got that one wrong way round. I'll go back to sleep.

Well, you get to make one mistake a year. Do NOT let it happen again!

 

[garauld]

Jasen - keep in mind, I can make up custom brackets and stuff and even powdercoat them for you...

 

[mcatrophy]

...

Ouch. Sorry, got that one wrong way round. I'll go back to sleep.

Well, you get to make one mistake a year. Do NOT let it happen again!

YESsir. I mean NOsir. Thankyou sir.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Jasen - keep in mind, I can make up custom brackets and stuff and even powdercoat them for you...

You were exactly who I had in mind. I'm mocking up some ideas first. Got me a cardboard prototype done last night but it ends up a little too far forward for the passenger. I might go with it anyway because I'll never travel long distance with my wife and thus will likely never need the top box with any passenger.

 

[Fred W]

If you are going through the process of making an adapter bracket, might as well make it adjustable for varying size passengers.

 

[SkySoldier]

Jasen,

I also have the same setup with the Shad box that I really like. I'm planning on keeping it if possible using the GIVI rack and Garauld's stiffener kit. Do you have any pics of the Shad box mounted on the GIVI rack? If it doesn't look right I'll just have to get a GIVI top case and sell the Shad.

Sad part is my bike is all torn apart right now. Started with the Clearwater Erica's and then decided on a fuzeblock so I had to wait for that as well as some other electrical goodies. Now I read this thread about the subframe failure and realize that's something I need to do. Bike will probably be apart untill mid March while I get the parts together and find the time to get it in order. Bummer.