"DIY your bike!"
"Hacker culture is the best!"
"Budget solutions best solutions"
I spent some time this morning mulling over a cup of coffee and reading about how saddlebags are set up.
There's a lot of DIY designs out there - one person had the idea of using ammo crates, another building some from fiberglass and plywood, among others.
Very interesting designs, but hard to make. Ammo cans are cool, but not nearly as high-capacity as I need, and I could only dream of having access to enough tools to make an entire fiberglass setup station.
So, have to sort out a way of making my own with the tools I have on hand - that is, a $25 socket set and rapidly thinning wallet.
Here's what I came up with.
Voilà !
The brackets are secured to the frame with four M10 bolts - 1-centimeter-thick stainless steel bolts - and the brackets connected together with M7 bolts. When I have access to a drill next on Monday, I'm going to drill holes in the base of the plastic holding-crate and drill it to the bolts, then place DeWalt TSTAK crates in them.
The TSTAKs are awesome. Expensive. But awesome. They're made of some really thick plastic, are rated full waterproof, and have incredibly satisfying latches. I can fit my MacBook Air flat on the base with no issue, and they're tall enough to be able to fit everything.
There is definitely risk with this setup. The bolts can shear - I chose as high-tensile and thick as possible, and tightening them as tight as I could should help - but it's a risk nonetheless. Also, the M10 bolts anchoring the entire setup to the frame aren't secured with bolts on the other side - rather, they're matching the existing threads in the bike.
They felt tight and impossible to remove - but I wonder what a few dozen miles of shaky road will do to them. I'll keep an eye on the setup regardless. Even if one bolt fails, the other should hold the box up long enough to stop.
Tackling the fuel issue on Monday, once I have access to more tools.
