Hepco & Becker C-Bow Softbag system

kiwi dave wrote:

I have them on my GRiSO, the C-bow brackets are held on with just two screws each, I ususally remove them between trips as it is so easy.

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The bags shown here are Givi E21 which required an adaptor from Motomachines to fit.  However, I also have H&B Nevada leather bags which are about 28 liters.


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You can see them clear the Mistral silencer in the rear view.

The c-bow system relies on the nylon strap that runs over the top of the passenger seat to keep excessive loads off the brackets- a bit like a wire suspension bridge. Your setup with the large boxes and no support strap must be putting a lot of strain on the bolts and brackets.


Back on track, I have the Krauser c-bow system and soft bags. Plenty of clearance with a Zard silencer. Just about enough space for a long weekend trip. If you don’t plan to take passengers you could bungee a waterproof roll bag across the panniers using the brackets for fixing points.

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Finally received my C-Bow soft bag system after deciding to pull the trigger on a set. Looks to be a good quality piece of kit. Not cavernous in terms of capacity, but sufficient for a weekend trip. The only issue I can see is that the left side bag sits VERY close to my termi muffler. Half an inch tops, and that’s unloaded. I can pull the bags away as such by another few mm by tightening the joining strap that sits over the pillion seat, but it’s a close thing. I don’t think that radiant heat should be a problem given it’s the far end of the muffler that we’re talking about, so just as long as it doesn’t physically touch, I should be ok.

Happy to report back with impressions once I’ve used them (planned trip in 2 weeks time).

Brent.

Brent, you may also be able to put the strap under the seat - I have done this on a few occasions, but I have that much shit, now I couldn't be arsed any more.

To forestall future problems, think about cutting up a silicone baking tray to fit the bottom of the bag, connect with Velcro. The silicone is rated for 500C. Half an inch is not much, and doesn't allow for much slippage.

eeyore wrote:

The c-bow system relies on the nylon strap that runs over the top of the passenger seat to keep excessive loads off the brackets- a bit like a wire suspension bridge. Your setup with the large boxes and no support strap must be putting a lot of strain on the bolts and brackets.  

First I heard of that.  Are you not getting confused with throw over bags?

There's not even a place for the non-supplied strap to attach to the C-bow mounts.

Attaches to the bags

Brent did you order from M.A.P? If so how long did they take to get? I odered some 2 weeks ago.

Yes, got them from MAP. Took about 3 weeks, as they were out of stock at the time.

Worst from MAP is about 6 weeks if it needs to come from Chermany. Depends when you order in their cycle. A discussion will clarify when to expect

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

Worst from MAP is about 6 weeks if it needs to come from Chermany. Depends when you order in their cycle. A discussion will clarify when to expect

Hi,

I use a BMW roll bag (has excellent straps) on top of standard panniers. I use plastic inner bags in panniers if it is wet.  
Hope these pics work. I am always very careful about a secure load.

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Cheers

Excellent. Can you still use/see with your mirrors with such a heavy loading ?

Richard_HdS wrote:

Excellent. Can you still use/see with your mirrors with such a heavy loading ?

Hi, Yes can still see. Also find that the roll bag is a good butt support and holds you in on the bike. 90% of the roll bag weight is on the seat and this keeps weight off the pannier frame.
Indicators are still quite visible too.

Cheers,

Moby

I like that 

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

Attaches to the bags

Since the bags are higher than the seat, I reckon this won't help very much. Besides, the C-Bow attachments are strong, and I've replaced the mounting bolts with longer versions.

We are talking about 21 litres here, not some of the superstructures I see posted here.

You'll be the first to know when it fails.

Agree - I use C-bow attachments to lift back of bike...... I think the Nylon cross straps just keep the bags more upright when they are loaded

Well I'm with Tony Oz1200.
I have the C bow.
Could not get the bracket to fit.
Gave up had two good vodka's and low and behold straight on.
I like them, look good not to big.

Harry

Moby, approaching "land barge" status...

Grisodude wrote:

Could not get the bracket to fit.
Gave up had two good vodka's and low and behold straight on.

Each of the four brackets are unique.  Mine came with paper tape identification in German which I google translated as:

vorne links -front left
vorne rechts -front right
hinten links -rear left
hinten rechts -rear right

After mounting them to the C-Bow brackets, I painted identification (red left, green right) on an obscure part underneath of each bracket.  Very quick to reattach when required.

My brother drove up from Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with us and brought along those extra H-B hard cases he had gotten through an insurance replacement following a (moronic) tow of his V7.  


Popped them on the GRiSO today.


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They are hardly capacious, but they look better mounted than I thought they would.  

We'll see how they do in real riding.  The soft ones annoyed me, but as Paul noted, they "give" nicely if one bumps up against anything. Haven't checked specs, but they also seem larger than the "new" hard ones.

Bill

Winner Bill!

Well, after fitting these up to the bike, I was planning on testing them out this weekend, but with the atrocious weather in Victoria at the moment, the thought of heading into wet, dirty alpine roads didn’t excite me or my riding companions. Will have to wait for another day.

Still don't have my bags as yet. Ordered 26th/10. Got a message last Wednesday at lunch time that they were posted. Tracking shows them sitting at a Sydney post depot since Friday 7.15 am. No wonder no one ever gets there post in a hurry. What the f#ck are they doing in Sydney. Do planes not fly to Perth from f#cking Brisbane???

Feeling your pain Stubbie. Australian logistics management seems to be 3rd world.

On a side note, I had made an earlier comment in this thread about the bags sitting very close to my Termi exhaust. I swapped them around and actually found that one bag sits slightly further away than the other. The bags and brackets are identical, so there's no technical reason for this. However, if I take them off and sit them side by side on a flat surface, I can see that the mounting bracket (that receives the C-Bow) sits ever so slightly higher on one bag compared with the other. You never notice it to look at when on the bike, but it gives me an extra 8-10mm or so of vital clearance to the exhaust. Just something worth checking in case anyone has similar issues.

Thanks Brent. I have a Termi also so I'll keep an eye on that. I'm a bit tired of waiting for things. I have something else on order from Adelaide that was posted 2 days after order was placed and it has been 5 weeks now and still don't have that.

.....and if you work out design logic of the internal waterproof bag, please let me know. It appears to be twice the size of the internal dimensions of the soft bag itself, hence squishing it in and folding it over etc seems like its just wasting valuable space. Best to use a simple plastic bag if there is a fear of wet weather on your journey.

Aside from that, I'm pretty happy with mine, albeit yet to use them for a trip. They aren't big though. Was surprised at the small size of the box when it arrived!