TCMT tour pak
 

I wanted to leave a review about this specific product because I could not find ANYTHING and took a chance on it. I have no affiliation or incentives from TCMT or any other company, this is just "gee whiz" information to anyone who might be shopping for the same product. Forgive the pictures, it is after midnight and I am in my underpants.

I did a bunch of research on Advan Black, Harley OEM and TCMT. All I was really able to find out is everyone who buys OEM thinks the Chinese stuff is garage and the people who buy Chinese stuff think OEM is too expensive.

Anyway, I took the plunge and bought a TCMT chopped tour pak off of ebay. I ended up buying the TCMT tour pak because I bought a cheap luggage rack last year from TCMT and it has held up well. It is a solid piece and did not live up to the bad mouthing I heard about it.

I opted for the metal base plate also after reading about its effectiveness in distributing weight evenly to prevent flexing. All in I think I have $390 into this.

TCMT offers a lot of options and packages, I chose the one that came with the chopped tour pak, mounting base and luggage rack. I have no intention of using the luggage rack but it came with it.

First impression when opening the box was it looked good! Everything was wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent damage. When I removed everything it looked pretty nice. The lock and hinges were already installed which was nice. I read that the hardware it comes with is cheap and should be replaced but I have not yet seen a reason to mess with it. But that is after playing with it for a little while and one ride for about 125 miles.

The only thing I noticed that I did not like right off the bat is a little dimple dead center on the top of the lid. It is noticeable but not a deal breaker to me.

I took it all into the garage and started with the drilling. The base, metal base plate and quick detach mount holes all lined up perfectly. I used a small drill bit and gradually increased in size until the screws made it all the way through. I put the locking nuts on loosely and mounted it on my Road Glide. I added some blue loctite, as suggested by one of the reviews I was able to find, and tightened up the lock nuts with a 10mm wrench. I might add some rubber washers between the mount and the tour pak but it might not be necessary. I chose not to install the back rest and luggage rack on the top purely for cosmetic reasons.

I got everything tightened up and it looks pretty good! The vivid black matches my bikes black, there are no apparent swirls or scratches in the paint and it all came together very easily. Standing back and eyeballing it, I was worried that my saddlebags would not have enough clearance to open. To my relief they both fully open without touching the tour pak. Although a little bit of access is lost on the back side of the saddlebags.

I rode about 75% highway and 25% around town for a little while. The roads in my city absolutely SUCK so the tour pak got jostled around plenty. It held in place fine but it does have some wiggle room on the quick detach mounting points. There might be some adjustability there but I have not looked closely at it yet. Even if it is already as good as it can get, it is fine in my opinion. The only time I notice the movement is when I hit a bump and it rattles a little. With luggage in the tour pak it likely will not rattle too much.

All in all, it was very simple to set up and install that I am happy with. I will be putting it to the test in a few weeks when I ride from west Texas to Daytona Beach for Bike Week!

I am also glad I went with the chopped tour pak. It is sleek enough to leave on all the time and "look cool" but has enough room inside for a backpack or whatever else.

TL; DR I like the cheap chinese tour pak and would but it again.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...94a1338ca9.jpg

Side view just showing the tour pak

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...43cff42dfe.jpg

Thanks crewchief25 for the black air cleaner!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...1d48938510.jpg

Forgive the fingerprints

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...bf0c1d21e4.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...fe37e137bd.jpg

It blocks the saddlebag a little but there is still plenty of access.

***UPDATE***
************************************************** *****

I put about 600 miles on my Road Glide this weekend with the tour pak on. It held up great! I put a one inch piece of double sided tape on the mounting hardware and it no longer rattles. I rode to the store and loaded it up with about 15 pounds worth of stuff and made it home without a hitch. I am thinking about adding a Custom Dynamics plasma rod onto the back for better visibility. I am glad I bought it and I would buy it again without hesitation.

Looking at buying one of these kits myself because the only time I would use the pack is when riding two up which is rarely. Solo most of the time.
Were holes marked for drilling for the backrest pad and base? I know you said you didn't use the backrest but wanted to inquire about how difficult it would be to get this lined up and drilled correctly.

Thanks

There are 4 little indents on the base where you drill holes to mount it, so that part was super easy.

There are 3 screws on the back of the backrest and I do not see anything on the tour pak itself that looks like it will help line it up. The back rest is not predrilled.

Hang tight, I will try and get a pic...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...1b9dd1e99b.jpg

There are 2 screws on top and one in the center on the bottom



https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hdf...f3f8662fdf.jpg

The holes in the center are for the tether that keeps the lid from flopping open

Thanks for the info. Helps with the decision. Hate that there is no guidance for that part. I plan to order the King tour pack with wrap around backrest because the only time it would be used would be a couple times a year for road trips the wife decided to join on. I still may try this one but may just bite the bullet and go with Advanblack too because I know it would all be right that way. Decisions!


Thanks,