Sw-Motech Alu-Rack Topcase Adapter Plate Failed!

[marriedman]

Just wanted put this out there, if you have the PT.00.152.405 SW-MOTECH Alu-Rack Topcase Adapter Plate (GIVI / Kappa Monokey) make sure and check the quarter turn bolts. Tonight I hit a bump on the expressway and all three sheared of cleanly. Luckliy my Givi V47 was still there when I drove back in the car. When I unlocked the plate from the now destroyed topcase, these three bolts fell out:

If you are familar with this mounting system, you would know that there are supposed to be rods that run through the bolts perpindicular to the shank.

[marriedman]

No joke, they want $9.00 a piece for these replacement bolts!

[MaxSwell]

Thanks for the heads up.

I believe the holes at the end of those things are for cotter pins or split-rings. My racing catamaran used many of those and were made of stainless steel (ocean salt water). The split-rings were ss also. Perhaps the cotter pins or rings wore/rusted away. S/b easy to fix.

[marriedman]

The couldn't have rotted away, they were brand new. I bought the setup in March and installed them on the bike in April. There is literally less than a 1,000 miles ridden with those on the bike. Here is the replacement camloc:

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-standard-quick-lock-for-alu-rack-topracks-replacement-part-each

So far, Twisted Throttle is being very cool about it and I will be posting a follow up thread to give them their proper kudos. SW-Motech I have heard nothing from yet.

Now that I think about it, I like the idea of cotter pins instead of these camlocs. Thanks for the idea.

[Volfy]

The whole adapter plate kit cost $42, which includes the screw kit.

I've thought about doing away with these fancy 1/4 turn screws and just use good old bolt and lock nuts instead. I have no need for quick detach. The only time I take the plate off is when I'm selling the bike and need to defarkle. I might do that now I've seen what happened to yours. Still though... all 3 bolts at the same time?! That must have been one helluva pothole!

[luvtoleanit]

Sometimes it pays to stick to OEM.

[crakerjac]

I'm going to have to go out and check mine. I have always been more worried about the catches on the plate braking before the 1/4 turn pin... Time to raise some hell.

[marriedman]

That must have been one helluva pothole!

That's just it, it wasn't that big of a bump. It was a line of ashpalt/tarmac patch that was well worn and has been there for years. I know it well because it is right after a cloverleaf highway entrance. Instead of getting on the throttle to merge with traffic, I always wait until after that bump. This time was no different except for all three camlocs shearing off of course. I was maybe up to 40 mph at the time.

I am just glad this didn't happen on a tour ride instead of a commute.

[Rider14]

The whole adapter plate kit cost $42, which includes the screw kit.

I've thought about doing away with these fancy 1/4 turn screws and just use good old bolt and lock nuts instead. I have no need for quick detach. The only time I take the plate off is when I'm selling the bike and need to defarkle. I might do that now I've seen what happened to yours. Still though... all 3 bolts at the same time?! That must have been one helluva pothole!

I'm kind of in the same boat, no need to detach the plate. I leave it on even for the rare rides without the topcase... I posted in the topcase thread that you can use plain old bolts...

Cotter pins won't work as those pegs on the bolts actually provide the tension in the cam, so they need to be there upon installation for a tight fit between the rack and the plate...

This is also the same system for all Aluracks, not just the VFR... Same bolts on the alurack on my Sprint.

-Dan

[marriedman]

One more thing of note, in the top case was a 24 oz Contigo water bottle, summer mesh gloves, gym bag (gym shorts, shirt, & headphones) foam earplugs, and a towel.

So what is that, 5lbs rounded up?

[marriedman]

After talking with SW-Motech and Twisted Throttle, I decide I will journal everything that happens in regards to this situation. It can either serve as a testimony to their dedication to the motorcycling community or as a example of their indifference.

On my VFR1200 I bought on 03/16/2015 and installed on 04/02/2015 a SW-MOTECH Alu-Rack Toprack To Fit TraX, Givi & Other Topcases For Honda VFR 1200F '10-'14 Part #GPT.01.723.15000.B

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motec... r-1200f-45.....

I also ordered & installed the monokey adapter plate SW-MOTECH Alu-Rack Topcase Adapter Plate (GIVI / Kappa Monokey) Part #GPT.00.152.405

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motec... pa-monokey.....

I bought a Givi V47 top case to mount on the hardware.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/givi-v47... iters-case.....

On Wednesday 06/03/2015 I was coming home from my motorcycle club meeting. The entrance to the highway is a long sweeper that has a poorly done patch job on the merge lane that stretched across the entire road. It is not a dangerous bump, just enough so that you know it is there. It has been there as long as I have been a member of the club so I know to keep my speed below the speed limit until after the bump. As soon as my rear tire goes over the bump, I feel something thump me in the back. I reach back and it is gone. So I pull over and look behind me and my top case is gone! I ride down to the next exit and make a loop and find my case in the middle of the highway. It tumbled and was most likely hit by a car. Every corner or edge is rounded and there is a crack in the lid.

In the case, I had my gym bag (pair of shorts, a shirt, and headphones), Contigo water bottle (empty) bungee net, extra foam ear plugs, and a towel (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for those in the know!). I tried using the bungee net to secure it to my bike, but it was just not big enough. So I set my case on the side of the highway so as to not endanger anyone else. I rode home and grabbed the car and came back to retrieve the case. Thankfully it was still there!

Once home I inspected the case. On these first two, you can see how the lid will not longer close:

This is the bottom of the plate where it attaches to the Alu-Rack.

The top of the adapter plate with the female part of the camloc secure points.

And these are the camloc pins that failed. All three of them sheared off.

I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but when I was installing the SW-Motech mounting kit & plate, I was very impressed with how well it appeared to be made. When you are assembling Givi kits, you leave everything loose until the end and slowly tighten things down then loosen to adjust as necessary to fine tune the alignment. The Alu-Rack was precise! No adjustments. Just follow the easy to read instructions and done in 20 minutes.

That night (06/03/2015) I went to the Twisted Throttle website and dispassionately described the incident from the SW-Motech parts failure. I also sent a message to SW-Motech from their Facebook page. I received a reply from Twisted Throttle the next day.

Hi Paul,

We're all riders here and never like to hear about anything falling off a bike regardless of the reason. Since you purchased the carrier and adapter plate from us we would like to send you a replacement adapter plate under warranty. Please provide me with a current shipping address to do so. As far as the case is concerned. We can extend you a discount on the purchase of a replacement case to help you out. I'll be waiting for your response on your address.

Best regards,

Matt

Alright, they recognize this is an issue and are going to take some steps to rectify the situation. However, This ruined my top case through no fault of my own. It is clearly a case of manufacturing quality. I believe that they should offer more than a discount on a 2 month old top of the line top case. We will see how much of a discount they offer.

SW-Motech unfortunately are not impressing me much with their communication. via Facebook messaging:

SW-Motech

Hi Paul,

thank you for your request. Sorry for the late reply we had national bank holiday in germany. My colleagues will contact you as soon as possible.

Have a nice day.

SW-Motech

2:58am

SW-Motech

Hi Paul,

please send us your e-mail adress to contact you directly.

Thanks.

And here is the email after I gave them my information:

Hi Paul,

we received your request via facebook. We can only apologize that the you have such big troubles with our products. Our official partner in the US, Twisted Throttle will get in touch with you as soon as possible to take care about your problem.

Cheers.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best Regards

Marius Sarrach

Sales

I am not getting the warm fuzzies, but that could be because of the language barrier or perhaps they will work with Twisted Throttle behind the scenes. Here is my reply to them:

Guten Morgen Marius,

I appreciate you emailing me; however I am already in contact with Twisted Throttle. I have included them on this email so that we can all be on the same page. That being said, they only sell your products. I wanted to make sure that SW-Motech and potential customers are aware of any issues or faults with your designed and manufactured components. Twisted Throttle appears to be wanting to help, but things are moving slower than I believe they should.

Since it is the SW-Motech manufactured parts that failed me and not a vendors customer service, I wanted you to know that I will be very vocal on social media platforms (as well as motorcycle forums) on how this situation is resolved. I was referred to SW-Motech on VFRDiscussion. I of course will be keeping a journal thread on that website as well as VFRWorld & UJMforums to let potential customers know how my situation plays out. As you know, motorcycle accessories are expensive, and I do not want other people throwing their hard earned money away on a product that cannot last 2 months and destroys a $400 dollar piece of luggage. As you are most likely aware, motorcyclist are a close knit group. You can be assured of word of mouth advertising spreading whether it be good or bad.

In closing, I hope that we all can come to solution that not only rectifies this egregious situation, but also convinces me to become a lifelong SW-Motech fan purchasing all my accessory needs through Twisted Throttle instead of the person that decries your brand in every luggage thread that appears on the web forums.

Respectfully,

Paul H

I am not passing judgement yet, I will of course wait until this entire situation plays out. But I will be keeping this thread updated here and on the other forums. This way it will be indexed for searches and other people may be able to use my experience when deciding on what mounting kit to purchase. As of now, I have no animosity towards SW-Motech nor Twisted Throttle, but nor am I endeared towards either as of yet.

[Dutchy]

that the part failed is bad but

FWIW SW-Motech is following the consumer law in the EU which is clear that any complaint goes via the person/company that sold you the product. Never the manufacturer direct.

Any (perceived) lack of action by Twisted Throttle (they have yet to tell you the discount no?) you must take up with Twisted Throttle. If the solution is unacceptable, you read up on your US laws and if you find a relevant article, you take action. You then inform SW Motech of how their representative in the US is behaving

You could have asked Twisted to contact SW Motech on your behalf to see if SW too would chip in with regards to your top case, as well as making them aware of the case. That is Twisted's job.

Germany had indeed a public holiday (Fronleichnam) which is I'd say 100% observed

Your expectation level of how things should work is not how things are working.

You now tell SW they must come your way "or else......" which imho is a pity.

For again imho, (German) companies will always try and be fair. You now effectively acting like a little child stamping its feet.

[marriedman]

I respectfully disagree Dutchy. I explicitly state that I am not passing judgement yet. I am in communication with both the manufacturer and the retailer. I want us all to be on the same page. I am not telling SW-Motech to come my way, I am asking them for customer service. I tried composed my email as matter of fact and without rancor. If the situation plays out the way I hope that it does, I will be singing praise for both the vendor and the manufacturer.

I cannot see anywhere in my post where I was sounding petulant. Nor do I see where I was questioning whether they were observing a holiday. My lack of warm fuzzies came from the response that I perceived as a brush off.

I have no problem buying from overseas vendors or manufacturers. I have purchased items from the UK, Italy, Belgium and Germany. If there is a better deal to be had over there, I'll take it. I do not expect them to be the same buying experience as one I would find here in the states.

Sorry if the post offended you in some way, I really did not expect a chiding from anyone over it. It is only posted here to be informational. I will update it no matter how it plays out from here. Both Twisted Throttle and SW-Motech will either be praised or admonished. It's not personal, it's business.

[Dutchy]

You did and do not offend me.

But telling a manufactuter that you will be posting on a lot of forums and if matters are not settled to your satisfaction will decry sw in each luggage topic, is not what I would state upfront in a 1st mail.

your contact for resolution is twisted, and they will at 1st operate under their t&c's. If these state that they are not liable for follow on damage, then they can stick to that and the rest is service ir what we call coulance.

as is them speaking with sw on the case and gave them "fight your corner"

so just as i donot feel offended, i hope you are neither. I like to add my "european" pov as it may help you and others achieve their aims.

The bolts failure is serious and i have little doubt that sw is keen to understand all factors involved. Once they do, they too will revert to their terms and conditions, the rest coulance.

now, the question is if getting coulance by your approach is the best, i am of a different opinion. Nothing more nothing less.

[marriedman]

I am happy to report that I have resolution already! I just got off the phone with Twisted Throttle and completed my order of a new adapter plate and replacement Givi V47. As I said previously, I contacted both SW-Motech and Twisted Throttle. I do not know if Twisted Throttle had any communication with SW-Motech or not, but Matt at Twisted asked a few questions, got a lot of pictures, and made the judgement call.

The adapter plate is being replaced at no cost to me as a warranty issue. The top case is being sold to me heavily discounted. They did not ask me to keep it private, but out of respect to Twisted I will say that it is a price that I am happy enough with. So in this case, everyone wins. Twisted Throttle converted a casual customer to a fan and most likely loyal customer. I'll buy a $1 item for $2 if I trust the company selling it you get my meaning. My only tip is to make sure all your ducks are in a row. Receipts with money and dates are important.

So in conclusion, Twisted Throttle is a website that you can buy from with confidence that they will stand behind what they sell and they will not treat you like a scammer. SW-Motech accessories are usually of high quality, this is most likely an aberration and just an unlucky incident.

[crakerjac]

That's great to hear. I purchased my ALU Rack and SW Motech stuff in the past from Twisted Throttle. I'm glad Twisted Throttle stepped up to the plate and handled this appropriately as I would have started shopping elsewhere if this had gone sideways.

[TomP]

I've had nothing but great experiences with Twisted Throttle. Upstanding people who understand riders because they are riders.

[Rider14]

Good to hear this was properly resolved.

Now go ride!

-Dan

[007]

I'm having similar problems, but thankfully caught it before I lost the top case.  Luckily, kebrider noted my case was a bit loose and we found the quarter turn screws to be failing.  I will be replacing the adapter plate screws on both bikes.  SW Motech should fix this problem.  Not sure it is necessary that these adapter plates are quick release if the trade-off is damaging $400 worth of gear.  I'm surprised the screws on the VFR were the first to go because the top case has only been mounted maybe 10 rides.

 

Sorry for the pic quality, but if you squint really hard, you can see where it is broken.

 

Which replacements did you use?  I messaged Twisted Throttle to see what they recommend.

[marriedman]

I ended up just using stainless cap head bolts. I never take the top case off anymore it seemed anyway.  Also pay attention to where the arms attach to the bike. I lost one bolt there and decided to do the same thing as before. Stainless. Not as pretty, but it's been over a year and no issues anymore.

[marriedman]

I have a late night tonight, but I will try and get out to the garage and snap a picture if you think it helpful.

[bayarearider]

I never felt right about those T-screws and also learned a few weeks ago that they're not engineered for the long haul. Was mounted about 1 year.

My 6th Gen O.E. Box/rack had several years mounted without issue. 

All 3 screws sheared the T's leaving the Givi to bounce down the road like a beach ball. 

F'd it up. If I keep the rack, straight threaded bolts may replace those sketch Screws. The screws are not lost because they're trapped between the plate and the Box after they let go. 

My concern of a rigid mount is stress cracks to the box anchor points. 

 

Twisted Throttle did offer discounted replacements. Contemplating options. 

 

 

[marriedman]

bayarearider - just saw your post on this thread when I came to shoare it on another thread. Your situation sounds like a mirror image of mine! How did everything turn out for you? Did you end up replacing the case and switching to traditional bolts?

[VFR4Lee]

I just put one of these racks on my Duc, but used the adapter plate that came with the Givi case.

Didn't have any 1/4 turn bolts, just regular bolts, but will keep an eye on it.