Sissy bar/luggage rack combo for the wife's 650 Maxim *pics*

A few weeks ago I bought a 1982 Maxim 650 for my wife, who just got her motorcycle endorsement. We went for our first tandem ride with our 8 year old daughter, who has ridden with me before. Of course the little one wanted to ride with me again, as my Victory has a sissy bar on it (with luggage rack). But our ride had to end at my workplace, as we got started later than I would have liked. So the Mini Goddess had to ride the rest of the way home on mom's XJ650. The following report was that the Mini Goddess kept pushing mom forward. She didn't like it at all...she was so used to riding with me (and leaning back against my sissy bar) that I guess she was afraid of falling off the back. Before mom could take advantage of the 50 mpg weekly bike rides up to Lansing to drop her off with her day (at a savings of $20 each trip if she drove the Jeep) something had to be done to the back of her ride.

So I found a used sissy bar/luggage rack combo on eBay. The auction ended Sunday and I threw in several frantic bids until it got to be waaaaay too much. I hope whoever paid $180 (with shipping) enjoys the heck out of it. I knew that I could do a LOT better for a LOT less. So on Monday, armed with some measurements and a tape measure, I rode my bike up to Mason, Michigan...to Slick's Great Lakes Cycle Salvage to see what I could find.

To be honest there really wasn't much there. There was a pile of mainly luggage racks...only 3 or 4 actual sissy bars with pads. I started going thru the pile of chrome tubes and bars. In about an hour of rummaging I found a luggage rack that I liked...and I picked the sissy bar, with pad, that was in good shape and not wierdly massive (although I knew I'd probably have to shorten the bars going up to the pad...it was oddly tall). To mate them together I found some clamps to hold the sissy bar in place on the luggage rack. But one was missing a tightening knob...which I got off another setup. The rear mounts looked like they might bolt right on but there weren't even any front mounts...so I got some from another setup in the pile. I knew I'd have to modify the front mounts...but everything I needed was finally there. $100 (and $6 for the state).

Yesterday I mounted the thing on her bike. I modified the front mounts, cutting them apart and rewelding them. I also had to round them over to fit in the bolt holes for the shocks. I had to cut a little bit off of the luggage rack, itself, to fit right up to the stock Yamaha grab bar. I also cut four inches out of both bars going up to the sissy bar pad to shorten the height of it and make it fit closer to the seat. Overall I think it is twice as nice as the $180 one I missed out on on eBay. Here are pics:

Installed and slid forward as a driver backrest.

Closeup. You might be able to see the 2 bars I trimmed next to the grab bar. But I put the plug ends back in them after cutting.

I cut 4 inches of bar, here, to lower the sissy bar pad. Installed a solid steel plug into it for strength, welded it back together, and ground it smooth. Hard to see, huh?

There was nothing to brace the 2 sissy bar pad bars together so I made this I-brace out of 1/8" steel. I was worried about the metal inserts in the plywood in the back of the pad holding it all together.

I had to completely redo the front mounting points. Sorry for the crummy arc-welding...30 year old 6011 rod.

The rear mounts only had to be bent a little to make them fit.


After completing it we went for a ride last night. 155 miles up to Birch Run and back. It works great!

 

You, Sir, do an amazing bodging job! Well done!
Congrats to the wife too!
And you both are braver than I -- for safety's sake, I don't think I'd let both of us on bikes at the same time... let alone with the little one aboard too.

 

Holy Cow!!! Nice work man!!!!!!!

 

Hey if you can make arc welds look that good your one up on me. Looks great.

 

really nice work! I just got a maxim 650, one year older than your wife's. So I'll be needing to figure out a luggage setup soon, though I'll have to find someone else to handle the metalworking.

Those saddle bags look like a good fit-- what make are they and where did you get them? and did you need to install guards?

 

Re: Sissy bar/luggage rack combo for the wife's 650 Maxim *p

The saddle bags were on the bike when I got it. They are cheap leather ones and there are no guards installed. They fit rather well, tho...if I do say so myself.

 

Nice work......Nice looking bike too!

 

I like the luggage rack! Very clean work.

 

Make another one up for me. I will pay!!!

 

Mike,

There is a place called EMC cycle parts in Yale ,MI as well. I may check out Mason too.

I own an "82 maxim 750 and want to do the same thing you did.

Since I don't speak welding, what would you charge when I found the parts/rack?

Where are you located?

Thanx,

PY

 

Nice looking bike - identical to mine even color. Can I ask you what kind of saddle bags those are?? I need those saddle bags

 

And just FYI for all the Michiganders in here, there is a motorcycle salvage yard in Mt. Pleasant also.

Very nice job, and glad you got the little one into motorcycles at an early age.