A trunk for a motorcycle is undoubtedly a necessary and useful thing, especially for those who love long-distance travel, and the need to make it with their own hands often arises for novice motorcyclists, since most factory products may not fit some kind of bike and after purchase it will still have to be altered. This article will describe a couple of options for making a motorcycle luggage rack, depending on the cargo being transported, or on the availability of trunks.
In general, a modern motorcycle luggage rack is significantly different from the luggage racks of the Soviet era, since now you can easily purchase plastic or leather trunks(in detail about the manufacture of wardrobe trunks). And the design of a modern trunk is designed specifically for fixing not a load on the trunk, but wardrobe trunks (plastic or leather).
And the cargo itself is already packed into trunks fixed to the trunk. It is much more convenient and compact, and the things transported are always dry and clean. Well, the safety of things in wardrobe trunks is ensured, if, for example, you need to move away from the motorcycle somewhere on the way.
In addition, thanks to the trunks, the trunk itself, intended for securing them, is made much more compact and neat, unlike the trunks of previous years, designed for securing and transporting some kind of bags or just cargo.
Nevertheless, both options will be considered below, that is, at first the trunk for a motorcycle, designed to secure trunks, will be considered, and the second option is a regular trunk (such as Soviet) for fixing some kind of cargo, or ordinary bags on it.
Indeed, some novice motorcyclists do not yet have wardrobe trunks, and it is often necessary to go somewhere far, especially with the onset of holidays, and in this case an ordinary trunk will help out, which can be done with your own hands in just a few hours.
In addition, an ordinary trunk (not intended for wardrobe trunks) has a big plus - it can be used to fix and transport some kind of oversized load (for example, boards to the dacha), which will not fit into the wardrobe trunks. But first, we will describe the manufacture of a more compact trunk, designed specifically for wardrobe trunks.
The simplest trunk for a small rear trunk, or for small and light things, such as the one on the left, is not designed for heavy loads, since it is attached to the fender, and not to the frame. But such a trunk costs more than 12 thousand rubles.
And the trunk in the photo below costs more than 14 thousand. So is it worth paying that kind of money when it is not difficult to make it yourself, having several tubes, an angle grinder (grinder) and a welding machine available?
Moreover, if you wish, you can improve the mount and fix the trunk to the frame in order to transport something heavy.
However, for not heavy things, you can attach the trunk and wardrobe trunk to the wing (if the wing is made of steel).
Motorcycle luggage rack for securing trunks.
Such a trunk can be made from a metal bar or tubes (diameter 10 - 14 mm), but the most accurate trunk (more precisely, the trunk platform for securing the trunk) will still turn out from a steel sheet, or from a sheet of duralumin. In addition, even if you are going to make a trunk from tubes or a bar, you still have to make an upper platform for securing the trunk using a steel or aluminum sheet. After all, the lower part of modern wardrobe trunks is designed just for landing on a flat surface.
Therefore, in order not to make additional parts (platform and ears for fixing it to the bar), I advise you to make the upper rack from steel sheet (even better from stainless steel), and the lower rack mounts to the frame themselves can be made from a bar or pipe.
The design of the neat and compact roof rack, made of sheet steel, designed to hold the topcase in place, is clear from the photograph. It is advisable to use a steel sheet or stainless steel with a thickness of at least 3 mm. appearance, I advise you to contact a familiar milling machine to cut out the windows (see photo). Although simple straight windows, as in the photo, it is quite possible to cut out using a conventional grinder, drills and a set of cones.
By the way, now you can already find many companies that have CNC machines for laser cutting sheet metal (well, or for cutting with a milling cutter, it doesn't matter) and the services of such companies are not at all expensive. By contacting them, you can make a trunk no worse, and even better than factory branded products. And the product made by you will be exactly the right size for your bike and wardrobe trunk.
The sheet of the upper platform itself is first cut out of cardboard (template) by attaching the cardboard to the inverted trunk (to the bottom of the trunk) in order to outline the attachment points and from them draw the dimensions of the template for the upper trunk platform. By the way, many factory plastic trunks already have their own factory site, which also has a system for quickly removing the wardrobe trunk and a lock that fixes the wardrobe trunk. So we make the trunk platform (first from cardboard) exactly for the factory platform from the trunk.
When cutting out a cardboard template (and further when cutting out a steel sheet), you should keep in mind this: for the trunk to have rigidity, after cutting out the facilitating windows, and also in order to be able to fix the fasteners just below the platform, you will need to bend the steel sheet along edges by 90º or a little more (see the photo and it is better to use for this), which means that the material (steel sheet) will need more in width.
The bend of the trunk platform is needed for rigidity, well, in order to secure the platform to the motorcycle frame, or to the wing, if the wing is made of metal, not plastic and the cargo being transported will not be heavy (for example, some kind of warm things, or a travel mat) ... Further, after making the platform, you need to make the elements for attaching it to the frame or wing (better, of course, to the frame).
The design and configuration of the luggage rack fasteners depends on the design of the motorcycle frame and it is difficult to give precise recommendations here, since everything is measured and done locally. Most often, motorcycle trunk fasteners are made from metal tubes or steel bar (but steel sheet can also be used for individual fasteners).
Wardrobe trunk with a subwoofer, fixed on the rear trunk of my Dnieper.
And here you should consider this: if you plan to transport something heavy on the trunk or in a trunk (for example, like I have a podium in my trunk for a subwoofer and an amplifier, which weigh 10 kg together - see the photo where they are fixed on the trunk), it means that your trunk must necessarily have descending pipes (which are attached to the frame at the bottom), which, after being welded to the trunk platform, have the shape of a triangle, when viewed from the side and are reinforcing kerchiefs.
That is, the structure of fastening the rack platform to the frame should be such that, if possible, from the edge of the trunk platform, tubes are fixed, extending to the bottom and fixed to the frame. This design is quite rigid (after all, the triangle is the most rigid figure) and is able to withstand heavy loads.
The pipes themselves can be fixed to the site with bolts, but then you have to weld the ears with holes on the ends of the pipes. But you can weld the pipes to the platform, but you still have to weld the ears at the bottom in order to be able to fix the trunk to the frame, and, if necessary, remove it. Mating ears with holes are welded onto the frame, and where to weld them is measured in place by attaching the finished trunk to the frame (when we apply it is useful to use a laser or regular level).
After fixing the descending tubes to the trunk platform and the counter lugs to the frame, it remains to paint everything and fix it with M8 or M10 bolts.
If it is planned to fix also side trunks, then support frames are made (bent) from a steel bar (10 - 12 mm) or a tube and they are attached with their upper part to the upper rack, frame, or to the wing. To fix the support frames to them, steel ears with holes should be made of steel sheet 3-4 mm thick and welded.
Well, then both frames are applied from the sides to the wing or to the trunk, and through the holes in the ears, counter holes are outlined and drilled to fix the frames to the motorcycle (you can simply weld the side frames to the trunk, as in the photos below, where the trunk for Yamaha is shown). On the frames, it is advisable to weld the ears with holes in advance to secure the side trunks themselves.
However, some side trunks (depending on the design) have special straps, thanks to which both trunks are thrown over the rear fender (that is, they hang on the straps), and the frames are only needed to support the trunks so that they do not cling to the wheel when turning the bike.
Roof rack for a motorcycle with side shelves for transporting cargo.
Since Soviet times, a conventional trunk for securing and transporting cargo (and not trunks) has been made entirely of steel bar or metal pipes (for example, with side shelves for bags, such as in the drawing below). And with such luggage carriers, many owners of Java, Izha and other motorcycles traveled across the vast country.
motorcycle trunk java
But below will be described a trunk for more modern touring motorcycles, and if you want to make it more beautiful, then you can also, as for the trunk described above, make a cargo area from steel sheet, and make the rest of the structure from steel bar or tube. However, as anyone, and below will be described the manufacture of a trunk completely from steel pipes.
However, for the normal bending of the tubes, at least the simplest is needed, and not everyone has it. Therefore, to make the bend look beautiful, just use a steel bar in the places of the bend, which can be bent beautifully and without a pipe bender, it is enough to heat it with a burner and bend it, for example, in a locksmith's vice. By the way, almost all trunks of Soviet times (as in the drawing) were made from a bar.
The photo on the left shows the trunk, which is sold in some online stores and is designed for off-road motorcycles. Such a trunk for a Yamaha motorcycle costs $ 170 plus shipping. However, a trunk of this type is not difficult to make on your own, and not only for a Yamaha motorcycle, but for any bike. Only the hardware is made depending on the frame configuration and the rear fender of your bike.
As you can see from the photo, all structural elements are made of steel tube, but as mentioned above, you can also use a steel bar. And although the bar structure will turn out to be a little heavier, the bar can be bent without any problems without a pipe bender.
Let the readers forgive me that all sizes are not indicated, but they are individual and depend on the size of a particular motorcycle (after all, it is impossible to describe the sizes for all bikes). And in order to clearly see in advance what size your trunk will turn out to be, it is first useful to bend the template in place from ordinary aluminum wire, and then bend the bar or tube along this wire template.
First, we cut and bend from the bar, then we weld the upper platform and jumpers for it, then bend and weld two identical side frames for the side bags, and then we connect (weld) the upper platform and side frames using the four jumpers indicated in the photo above with red arrows.
Moreover, the length of these jumpers depends on the height of the motorcycle saddle and everything is measured and seized by electric welding in place, and then the structure is removed and finally boiled. It remains, again, to attach the welded structure to your motorcycle and mark where the attachment ears, indicated in the photo with red arrows, will be welded, depending on the design of the rear of the frame, fender and the layout of the rear of the motorcycle.
Here, too, everything is individual and it is impossible to describe something specific, and sometimes the welded structure of the trunk simply has nothing to fix it on the motorcycle. In this case, just on the frame in the right places we mark with a marker and carefully clean the paint, then in these places we weld the fastening ears (made of sheet metal with a thickness of 3 - 5 mm) well, and already relatively welded on the frame ears with holes, attaching the trunk, mark where mating ears should be welded on the trunk itself.
Motorcycle rack made of steel pipes (additional support indicated by the red arrow).
And one more thing, if you plan to sometimes transport heavy cargo (for example, some kind of iron or spare parts), then I recommend adding (welding) additional persistent jumpers, which are indicated in the photo on the left with a red arrow, which will be attached to the mounts of the footpegs for the passenger and which will create two additional support points. Also, a reinforcing triangular scarf should be made and welded from sheet steel (highlighted in yellow in the photo).
This is much more reliable, and you only need two additional pieces of steel bar or tube, the ends of which we flatten and drill holes in them for fastening bolts. Well, we grab these jumpers in place to the side frames from the bottom, then remove the trunk and finally scald the entire structure.
It remains to clean everything, degrease, prime and paint. Of course, only two options for motorcycle luggage racks have been described above, from a variety of designs, but I hope they will be useful to novice motorcyclists who love to travel, success to everyone.
Own alteration of work shoes into motorboots, and now a story about iron.
We didn't always have a camera at hand during production, so some of the shots were taken with a lousy phone.
So, a few photos of the process and short description.
Trunk
To begin with, I threw a simplified sketch in CorelDraw of the motorcycle itself with a trunk. View from above. 
Thus, it became clear what I really want.
It remains to find materials. I went to the metal market, chose a square tube with a wall width of 30mm. For aesthetics, it could have been narrower, but such was not found. However, looking ahead, I will say that the trunk turned out to be, albeit somewhat cumbersome, but very durable. But if aesthetics is more important to you, it is better to choose a profile with a width of 25 mm - the loss of strength will be insignificant, I think.
Well, he began to shred. Angle grinder (aka "grinder", aka "impeller") to help.
Rounding was done as follows: made several cuts, while trying not to damage one of the four edges of the profile. I calculated the number of cuts at random, based on the bend angle I needed and the width of the cut itself. That is why he squinted a little and sawed off the excess on one of the sides. Well, nothing, welding will fix everything.
Then, with a gas burner (an ordinary Chinese one, which is put on a can for a portable stove), he heated the remaining untreated side red-hot and with a slight movement bent the metal that had become malleable.
It turned out something like this: 
The next bend was more difficult. Because it was necessary to set the bevel angle precisely. I will not say that the result suited me, but on the whole it turned out what I need. True, next time I would change this angle by a few degrees. 
Well, then - the welding of the slots obtained during sawing and the welding of the crossbars. It is easy to read, but in reality difficulties arose. No matter how delicate the inverter was, no matter how thin (2mm) electrodes were used, metal burns could not be avoided. And no wonder, because by that time I was just studying at the courses of a welder (I was leaving for exactly a month, moreover, on theory) and before that I had held this hellish device in my hands only a couple of times! But the head is what you need for this, that under the welding mask there are also a couple of connected neurons, and therefore I came up with this way: I cut out the linings from sheet metal and closed my own jambs with them.
In the picture below, I showed it schematically. 
Figures 1 and 2 just show these overlays. Figure 3 shows the edge of the luggage rack with fastening. There I sawed off a piece of the profile, but the thickness of the remaining wall (about 1.5 mm) did not suit me and I welded another piece of a metal plate (shown in a lighter color) with a thickness of 4-5 mm. Then he drilled a technological hole in this disgrace. I did the same on the other side.
Then I bought 4 bolts of 8mm and welded them on the bottom so that it was possible to hook onto a luggage net or a rope. The idea itself was spied on my own Chinese mot, and in general, probably, all factory trunks have such fasteners.
It seems that that's all, but then he warmed it up many times, turned it back, sharpened it; I polished the crooked welds ... Then I painted it, bypassing the putty process, which I somehow did not even think about - the complete lack of experience affected.
It turned out far from ideal, but the trunk fulfills its role and has almost no effect on speed :-)
On a motorcycle, the product looks something like this: 
As you can see, the rear turn signals are located on the stems so that they are located partially under the trunk, and not on the sides of it. This is done so that these same turn signals do not break off, which previously happened repeatedly even with a simple rolling out of the motorcycle from the garage.
So, time is running out (from the date of purchase it will soon be 2 years), the old kava finishes the stage of metamorphosis and becomes less and less like the one I met at the motor market.
Shl. I was going to talk about arcs in the same post, but I realized that it turned out to be a lot of letters, and therefore I’d better prepare a separate post. If, of course, it will be interesting to someone.
ZYY. Post about arcs.
Even before buying our maxiscuter Honda Silver Wing 600cc, my wife and I were already planning future trips. Well, what kind of "dalnyak" is without luggage, which is sometimes quite problematic to attach to a motorcycle? No ready-made version of side frames or wardrobe trunks can fit as much luggage as a homemade one.
I must admit that up to this point I have already tried to make side frames on my previous maxiscooter - Honda Forza 250cc. In the end, it turned out to be too weighty, and did not have time to fulfill its purpose, since the motorcycle was sold and bought by the Silver Wing. Based on my previous experience, I started to design new trunk, which would have high strength, but did not have too much weight. What came of this, I will describe further.
First of all, you need to think carefully about where the attachment points of our trunk will be. It is great if the motorcycle from the factory has such a design that allows you to easily attach the rack to the frame. Sometimes it is worth resorting to researching the factory options for roof racks that are on the market. For example, the Givi company specializes in the production of such add-ons for motorcycles. Which I did: I found photos of my motorcycle with the side frames installed in a search engine, then I adapted them to my trunk, slightly modifying them.
After that, you can start making the ears of the mount. At the top points, my future trunk will be attached to the standard places on which the platform for the trunk is installed by the manufacturer. This greatly simplifies the work. The material from which the fasteners will be made is a steel strip, the thickness of which is 4 mm.
To give the bindings the correct shape, the strip must be marked and bent in a shape that repeats the site. Having a yew tree and a hammer, this is not difficult to do. That's what I did: 
Now you can start making the trunks themselves. As a material, I chose a 10mm square rod. If you wish, you can look for a square pipe, but there will be problems with bending it. Therefore, it is better to stop at a "square" or a rod, which I did. I made the frame with small shelves, the main task of which is to support the bags. Here's what they looked like:
As you can see, I reinforced the structure of the racks with kerchiefs on the sides and added transverse rods to prevent the bag from sagging and falling out.
Next, you can weld the trunk to the mounts themselves. It is best to do this locally in order to guess as correctly as possible with the location of the "ears" on the frame. To do this, it is necessary to protect the motorcycle as much as possible from the effects of the temperature and voltage of the welding machine. I completely removed the battery, and wrapped the plastic in wet rags, cardboard and old linoleum. This is how it looked:
I’ll clarify right away: on a motorcycle, it is enough just to grab a frame at several points, you need to boil it only when it is removed.
To prevent our frames from touching the plastic of the motorcycle, to be rigid and immovable, they must be fixed at the lowest points. I made a jumper between them, which, in turn, is fixed to the motorcycle frame: 
To the frames themselves, I also welded brackets of the required length, allowing you to fix the trunk at the bottom:
And, of course, I painted them. Here's what happened in the end:
And here's my trunk on a long journey:
At the moment, we have covered more than 25,000 km with this trunk. In 2015, 11,000 km journey to Altai. In 2016 - 14,000 km to Lake Baikal. It helped out more than once with its strength when the motorcycle fell on its side, resting on it. Only thanks to him he remained safe and sound every time. I am attaching a video, which also shows the operation of my wonderful trunk.
Attached videos:
In modern realities, one of the rather necessary things for a motorcyclist is the trunk. This can be especially noted among lovers of long trips and travels. It should be noted that novice motorcyclists often have the question of how to make a trunk for a motorcycle with their own hands.
The racks themselves can be divided into 2 types, these are structures for attaching cases, and separate ones for directly securing the load. In modern times, the first option is somewhat more practical and popular.
But consider both variations.
If you pay attention, in the market of components, elementary elements are quite expensive. An ordinary trunk, which you can make with your own hands, and quite quickly, will cost more than 10 thousand rubles on the market. Consider whether you need to buy a motorcycle rack, or do it yourself.
Trunk for attaching wardrobe trunks
Such a design is used when it is necessary to transport small loads. It is quite possible to make it from several metal tubes or rods. If you want a more design solution, you can do it from a sheet of metal, which will complement the style of the bike quite well. Moreover, if the manufacture is carried out from rods or pipes, then additional parts will need to be created, since it is necessary to create a completely flat plane on which the trunks will be hung.
In order not to provide those very additional components, it is best to completely manufacture the part from a solid sheet. Alternatively, the upper part can be made solid, and the fastenings using rods or tubes.
A dash cam is useful not only in cars. We will tell you how to choose it in this article. If you also own a car, which also lacks space for cargo, we recommend that you see how to do it. expeditionary trunk - .
This design is intended strictly for attaching the wardrobe trunk at the top. At the same time, it is not advisable to use metal for manufacturing with a thickness of less than 3-4 millimeters, this will cause sufficient rigidity of the trunk itself, and also improve the overall appearance. For a larger design solution, you can engrave the sides or cut out "windows". It is quite possible to do this yourself using a drill or grinder.
If you want something more original, you can contact specialized workshops that have equipment for laser cutting and engraving. So let's take a full look at the manufacturing process:
First you need to cut the layout out of cardboard. We attach the sheet to the wardrobe trunk and mark the boundaries of the trunk lid along the contour of its bottom. In some cases, the wardrobe trunk already has its own platform for fastening, in this situation it is necessary to carry out the top of the trunk strictly under the platform of the bag itself.
Also, when measuring, we provide projections in width, since it will be necessary to fix the entire structure, for this the edges will need to be folded.
Further, after measuring, making a layout of the site, and its direct preparation, it is necessary to prepare the fasteners. It is desirable to provide elements for fastening to the frame. At the same time, there are no clear instructions for them, here it is necessary to be guided strictly by the shape of the motorcycle frame itself. But it should be noted that the best variation would be provided on the edges of the platform, extending to the frame of the mounting tubes.
After that, it remains to paint, and then fix the wardrobe trunk itself directly. If in the future, in addition to the top, side trunks are also planned, then additional fasteners should be provided. They can also be made from tubes or rods, fixing them to the top of the entire structure.
In some cases, the factory assembly of the saddlebag includes connecting straps, and in the end, the side frames are strictly necessary for support, in order to avoid friction against the wheel.
Cargo carrier
The next type is a separate cargo rack. This design appeared in Soviet times. At that time, it was made mostly of steel rods. Let's consider its features and variations of making such a trunk with our own hands.
Of course, let's move a little from the old times, and using the example of manufacturing, consider a trunk for more modern motorcycles, since they currently prevail in the world of motorcycles. Such an example would be the manufacture of a structure only from metal tubes.
First of all, you need a pipe bender. In its absence, steel rods must be used to obtain the desired beautiful bend. The complete bending procedure is carried out using a torch. The metal element heats up and slowly, gently bends.
Just think that buying a trunk for a motorcycle of this type will cost about $ 150-200. But let's go directly to the process itself:
Initially, we prepare the site. To do this, you need to cut from the rods, then fold the pieces into the required shape.
Further, in the same way, the side parts of the trunk are prepared and welded to the general structure. For fastening, metal jumpers are used. Moreover, their size depends only on the model of the motorcycle, or rather on the features of the frame.
On the frame itself, in the places of the intended attachment, the paint is cleaned. In the future, measurements are taken and the trunk is welded onto the jumpers directly to the frame. V depending on the lugs welded to the frame, it is measured and the location of the "reciprocal" lugs is noted.
Basically, all manufacturing is carried out individually, depending on the characteristics of the motorcycle itself, therefore, it is necessary to consider in more detail on the example of any of the models.
Also, it should be noted that when planning the transportation of especially heavy loads, it is necessary to provide additional support frames, bringing them to the frame, preferably closer to the central part, in which case the weight of the engine will compensate for the weight of the load. It can be made from metal bars. We drill holes in the ends, then we fix them with bolts on the base of the frame, and for reliability, we can additionally grab them by welding.
After installation, the last steps will be cleaning, degreasing and painting or varnishing, depending on personal preference.
Thus, two variations of how to create a trunk for a motorcycle with your own hands were disassembled, which in turn will help novice motorcycle lovers as much as possible. And perhaps it will be a good cheat sheet for experienced drivers who, before that, could only buy a trunk for a motorcycle, but did not know how to make it themselves.
Our main object for customizing (alterations "at home") and the most popular transport for "choppers" are "Urals", "Dnepr", "Kasiki". They are the main freight transport in the village.
Often, after a "cosmetic repair", many bikers cling back bags for different luggage and just for "effect". On the new "Urals" they can already install something like luggage racks from the factory. This applies to the type "tourist", "Retro" (there is a small shelf in the back instead of a saddle).
But there are those who use them to the fullest. However, you can't take a lot in them, and even those who use "Solo" not for show off, but for business, sometimes it becomes necessary to transport some kind of cargo. You can, of course, dress the motorcycle with three very voluminous strong trunks, but not everyone needs it and not everyone can afford it.
In this case, the trunk is an economy option. Unless, of course, you have not radically altered the motorcycle. I just want to introduce you to one of homemade options given "tuning". It was built in a garage and tested on several long journeys.
The design of this trunk differs from the one that everyone is used to seeing on IZH and Java, because the Ural frame has a different design of the rear and the mufflers are lifted up.
As befits a tourist trunk, the proposed one has three cargo areas: one at the top behind the seat (Fig. 1) and two - on the sides above the mufflers (Fig. 2 and 3). They are all made of 10mm steel tube. The unusual pentagonal shape of the sidewalls was chosen so as not to violate the main compositional lines of the "stern" of the motorcycle: the lower tube and shelf run parallel to the muffler, and the upper one - parallel to the seat. Along and across the sidewall, rods from a 6 mm bar are welded - for additional rigidity.
The sides are attached to the frame at five points, and the top shelf at four (Fig. 4). and there is no need to weld anything to the frame or drill additional holes in it. Trunk fastening elements are shown in fig. 5.
Now let's look at what each is for. Element A is simply a flattened end of a pipe with a 9 mm hole drilled into it. Here the sidewall is screwed on with the muffler bolt. Alternatively, a plate with a hole welded to the bottom of the pipe will fit.
At point B, the sidewall is attached to the upper bolt of the shock absorber by means of a steel angle welded to it.
The top shelf is attached to the frame at point B with a plate of suitable length. At the bottom, it connects to the direction indicator mounting points.
The spacer, with which the sidewall is mounted at point G, gives the trunk lateral rigidity. With its threaded part, it is inserted into the hole in the wing attachment, and the other side is bolted to the sidewall.
Rod D carries the main load on the trunk. On a motorcycle, it is mounted at the attachment point of the fender and seat using a triangular bracket E with a bolt welded to it.
A few words about the lower side shelves. They are small so as not to spoil the appearance of the motorcycle, but they are large enough to hold a 20 liter canister. Some of the narrowing of the shelf forward along the motorcycle is due to the design and repeats the location of the muffler.
The total load capacity of the luggage compartment is about 50 kg. But if you try hard and a little ingenuity, then you can come up with more impressive (if really necessary).
I think this rack can be used with a stroller too.
