Several weeks ago I received an MMoto Parts Complete Rack. A full write-up on the un-boxing of the rack is available here. The short story of this post is that it isn’t all that difficult to install the rack and the rack looks absolutely beautiful once it’s in place.
This is the seat of my PC800. The first thing you will do is say goodbye to the stock grab rails.
Unbolt the four bolts. Mine were VERY hard to remove. They had quite a bit of corrosion. That’s as a result of my bike being stored outside under a shoddy cover. Someday I will have the money for a nice heated garage. Until then, I have to deal with corrosion.
Note that the two bolts are of different lengths. The short bolt goes on the front and the large on the rear. This is important for installing the rack and also if I were to put the stock grab rails back in place.
These spacers fell out of the seat and grab rails when I pulled the grab rails off. They turned out to not be necessary for installing the rack.
Next, undo all of the plastic screws holding the duck bill trunk lid in place. I think there are about 14 or so of these screws. There are two plastic tabs on the duck bill trunk plastic that are somewhat difficult to unhook. Be gentle but forceful. This would also be a good time to inspect the trunk cables and locks to see if you need to replace the cables or locking mechanisms.
The two bent unpainted pieces of metal go in the trunk as shown here. Note that there are two bolts that you must install in place of existing bolts that hold the lower latch mechanism in place.
The bolts come with two nuts each. One nut is larger than the bolt and acts as a spacer. Put that on the bottom of the stack. This separates the piece of bent unpainted metal from the latch mechanism framework.
The two nuts side-by-side for size comparison. To the naked eye they look the same. I figured out that there were two sizes by actually putting them on the bolts.
The metal pieces installed. Note that I had to bend the flanges at the bottom of the metal pieces so that they would sit in the trunk properly and contact the upper trunk frame in a good location.
The first test fit of the rack. The rack was a little difficult in getting lined up but I was able to do it by myself without any help.
Here you can see the substantial collars that are included (and powder coated!) with the rack. Every single piece of hardware you need comes with the rack.
A rear view. Having the trunk plastic off gives me some wonderful ideas for what I can do with that extra space. It looks like a good home for some electronic equipment! Note the black rectangle hanging down from the rear of the top of the rack. By simply bolting that right side up, you are ready to accept Givi top boxes.
Looking down at what needs to be welded.
I took a paint removal wheel on a rotary tool to the frame in order to clear a place for welding.
Don’t forget to disconnect the negative terminal from your battery before you weld!!!!
My buddy preparing to weld.
In retrospect, it would have been a good idea to put a drop cloth on the riders’ seat.
Not the best weld on the planet but it will get the job done.
I attempted to paint the new pieces of metal black but we were having some issues with the wind. Next time I am in this part of the bike, I will do a better job with the paint.
This is how I determined where to drill through the duck bill trunk plastic.
All bolted on and ready to go! Note that I think a passenger backrest would actually fit with the rack if you were to take off the stock grab handles. I haven’t tried this yet but holding it up to the bike, it looks like it would fit.
The black spacers go right into the trunk. In the future I will see about sealing that with a grommet or a little bit of clear sealant.
I think I also might paint those bolts black.
The rack fully installed. It is TOTALLY worth every penny I paid. Next up on my shopping list is a nice top box. After that, I want to find a good CB radio setup (maybe amateur radio, too) and deck it out in style. I can’t wait to go touring now that I finally have proper external storage space.
Nice Job, Doug! How much do you charge others?
You may wish to go with BOTH ham (for real usefulness and WOW!) and CB (for the rest of ’em). The CB’ers have their own world, but usually perk up with a little HF DX, even if it’s on 10 meters. Talking with the next state just doesn’t compare with Africa or Australia!
73
Terry
de wd4aon@arrl.net
Thanks Terry!
I do want to go with both systems. Space and power constraints will be my biggest enemies. I will probably tackle the CB system first since CB radios are so much less expensive than decent portable amateur radio rigs. I haven’t quite sorted out antennas yet though… The PC800 doesn’t have enough metal on it to act as a good ground plain.
73
Douglas
Doug:
Look at Yaesu the FT-857. They can be wide banded, and power is adjustable to suit the battery drain of the PC800. There is also an FT-817, which is a low power rig to begin with, can also be wide banded, and not a significant battery drain at about 2-3 amps drain. The FT-857 control panel can be remoted to the handlebars; I’m not sure of the FT-817. Either radio can be removed and taken inside the house and used as your main radio with a good outside antenna.
Checkout the ham radio classifieds at QTH.com for going prices of used gear.
And get a license — its super easy now without a code requirement.
Terry
de wd4aon@arrl.net
Terry,
How would you suggest I interface something like the FT-857 or FT-817 with a mic headset in a helmet? I’ve seen a few systems that can take multiple audio inputs/outputs and also interface with PTT systems. It will probably be a year or two before I can afford all of the gear that I will need to run…
I’ve actually had my license for several years now (KD7YBQ) but I haven’t ever had the time/location/money line up to buy a radio and start using the license. Recently I downloaded some Morse code apps for my smart phone because I do want to learn how to key properly. My grandfather was an amateur radio operator for most of his life. I always saw his keys and paddles, and wanted to learn how to use them.
Amateur radio is such a big, wide world of new technology for me to learn. Considering all of the remote locations I routinely visit, I really should have bought a radio years ago.
Cheers!
Douglas
So, do you have plans for your now un-used passenger backrest? I could meet in Portland should you want to part with it.
Hi Sheila,
I want to test to see if the back rest can fit onto the PC800 with the rack in place. If it doesn’t, then let’s talk about disposal of my unused passenger backrest.
Cheers!
Douglas
Doug:
There was a headset/comms package last I looked at a cost of about US$350, plus radios and music sources. Not for me.
There is a budget job out there, though. The Wouxun 2m/440 handheld runs about US$100 and includes a built-in FM radio receiver that switches to the 2/440 when a call comes in. Not easy to program compared to some, but has free mfr and independent programming software. I got a couple extra batteries and the programming cable off fleaBay from our universal supply and mfr source (China).
I’ve checked into local nets while riding and listening to my Wouxun.
73
terry
wd4aon@arrl.net
Terry,
Thanks for all of the radio suggestions! After I defend my dissertation and wrap up some other work, I will spend some time looking more deeply into my options and will start making some decisions.
Cheers!
Douglas
I just ordered the smaller luggage rack, with shipping it was $205. The confirmation email showed up in my spam folder no doubt because it came from the Ukraine.
Break a leg on your defense!
Sheila
Let me know what you think of the rack when it arrives and anything else you’d like to share with others. It’s too bad that MMoto Parts emails go to the spam folder. Hopefully bringing awareness to it on my website and elsewhere will help people when they can’t figure out where their rack is or what happened to their money.
Cheers!
Douglas
PS: Passed my defense!! 😀
Congratulations! Should we call you Doctor now?! 😉
Douglas..have followed the Rack with much interest… completed order and received confirmation, should be shipped in next 5 days…appreciate your detailed reports…will be most helpful with assembly.
have 95PC, so the Black color be perfect..
thanks.. Ron Hudson Union, KY (Northern KY…20 miles from Cincinnati, OH)
Ron,
Let me know what you think when you get it. I just heard from someone else who got his rack very quickly (a couple weeks). He says he likes it. It seems that the Ukrainians are taking the PC800 world by storm!
Cheers,
Douglas
I ordered my rack on Wednesday, April 25 and it arrived Monday, May 7. Amazing to me if you consider the 12 hour time difference between Seattle and Ukraine (I ordered it in the middle of their night) It is perfect and I will install it tomorrow.
Wow that is fast! Good luck with the install. What color of rack did you get?
Cheers!
Douglas
I got black. I got the smaller one. So, since I don’t have a PhD in Mechanical engineering, just a BS in history from the University 45 minutes south of you, where do the washers go? Between collar and rack or rack and bolt? Also, my original grab bars have two more bolts that went from the under side of the seat to the back of the grab bar. Now I have two holes in the seat cover that are not covered. Duct tape?
It took me about an hour to put mine on. I also had trouble getting the original bolts out, but a little Tri-Flow and a towel between my palm and the end of the Honda-supplied allen wrench got them off in just a few minutes. After much trial and error, my recomendation is to put the two back bolts in first and then the two front ones. would have been nice if the bolts had been black, Sharpie?
Washers? Hmm… There were some washers that could go between the the anodized spacers and the frame of the motorcycle. Otherwise I’m not sure where they would go…
Black electrical tape would probably hide the holes better. Did you have a non-Hondaline set of grab bars and back rest?
I believe McMaster sells black bolts in the proper size. Personally, I’m going to leave mine as-is. There are enough other minor cosmetic defects on my bike to make it not worth worrying about 🙂
Glad you like your rack!
Seems as though your ’89 has 4 holes for the Hondaline grab bars and my ’98 has 6 holes. If you look at the photos on the mmotoparts.com site for the rack you bought you can see that they just stuck the bolt back in the hole from the top of the seat. My solution was $2.50 at Woodcrafters for a package of stick-on PVC “hole covers”. Looks great. The GIVI Monokey top box snaps on with no additional mounting platform. Those Ukrainans think of everything. I spent a total of $449 for the rack, shipping and Givi V46.
I ordered the complete rack on May 24, it shipped on May 29 and I received it in Montpelier, VT on June 12. YMMV.
That’s fast!
I am in the process of fitting a complete rack to my PC800. Thank you Douglas for your fit-up description.
The one comment I would make is that the 2 bolts that go upwards from inside the boot space do not feature the spacers / shoulder necessary to allow appropriate tightening of the bolts without unduly stressing the plastic . The original Honda bolts feature such a shoulder. It should be simple enough to machine up a couple of spacers & put on the bolts – but this must be done before final assembly.
I can recommend the kit – ( with the addition of the 2 spacers)
Hi John,
Did your bolts not come with the double set of nuts? Mine came with a set of nuts that were the correct size and another set that were oversized. The oversized set act as those spacers. Or maybe I’m confused about which bolts you are talking about?
You might try contacting MMotoParts and telling them about the need for a spacer. The owner is very good about responding to issues with the racks to improve them. He was top notch to work with when I had questions and issues.
Cheers!
Douglas
I was looking into the MMoto rack that you purchased for my PC800. It looks like it works great for touring.
My one question is, do you have to weld it to have a sturdy connection? It all looked fine until I saw your buddy with the welder mask. Way passed my skill level.
Hi Matt,
Yes, you absolutely need to attach those pieces to the frame. Now… if you need to weld it… I would say yes but someone clever might figure out a way to do it with hose clamps and whatnot. I would suggest that you get it welded. Your local neighborhood welding shop should be able to do it in a couple of minutes. Just make sure that you disconnect the battery so you don’t risk frying any of your electronics when they do the welding. Oh, and protect the plastics. I rode my bike over to my buddy’s shop for him to do the welding and then rode it back to finish the installation. It’s not as scary as it seems. Just find someone who can do the welding for you 🙂
Cheers!
Douglas
HELP PLEASE! ANYONE OUT THERE THAT HAS INSTALLED THE COMPLETE MOTO RACK ON A PC AND KEPT THE BACK REST ON? I HAVE TBAGS I WOULD LIKE TO STILL BE ABLE TO SECURE ON THE BACKREST AND RACK… ANY IDEAS? ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!!!!
Hi Scott,
I recently put my back rest back on the bike with the complete rack. I had to take off the grab handles that came stock with the backrest and bike but otherwise it was easy enough.
Cheers!
Douglas
just finished up with the full rack conversion on my 97 pc800…. gota say your instructions were great and made it so much simpler to do as didn’t get instructions with kit….but I did make a few observations when it came to mig welding the brackets in….did learn from your mistake and removed my seats and protected all the plastic by using a fiberglass welding blanket and wrapped it around all the areas except for where the welds were taking place, the welding blanket was bought from harbor freight for $27.00 which was a small price to pay for keeping everything still nice and original looking…also the two bolts that screw into the metal block that the Givi top case secures on, id suggest using medium strength thread locker for two reasons, 1 for keeping bolt from coming loose even slightly, and 2 for security purposes to keep someone from undoing the 2 bolts and stealing the Givi case…..again just a few thoughts on improvement…
also with the bolts supplied for bolting up through both sides of the seats, id noticed their bolts are not as high quality as we have here in the states….so id used 2 of my original seat bolts for the shorter bolts, as for the longer ones, id suggest going with a grade 8 bolt setup instead or at the very least a grade 5….I think id read somewhere where another guy had one of those bolts break and it was a real pain to fish out the remaining if he ever got it out, but higher quality bolts with thread shield anti seize shouldn’t give you any issues and a lot easier to take out if need to remove the rack for any reason…another key would to at least lubricate any of the kit bolts when installing, makes them less likely to heat up or bind up….
everything else worked our well without a hitch…..thank you for your site and wealth of info, it’s greatly appreciated…..keeps us guys from trying to reinvent the wheel so to speak….lol
I’m glad that it all went together well for you!
I was just looking at my trunk today and I’m pretty sure a mouse has built a nest in the area where the mechanism is for the lower latch. I’m going to have to get in there when I get back home at the end of the week to see what’s going on. I’ll get to re-inspect the welds after a decade and see how they look.
Cheers,
Douglas