Hello, I have just aquired a Tour pack to fit to my 99 Road King Classic. One option for fitting is the detachable rack but I have seen the posts about this becoming sloppy in a short period. I wondered whether it would be possible to fit the thing to the standard 4 channel rack? I lose the easy on/off but save $ and (maybe) the sloppiness problem?

Thanks
Pete

 

Don't know what the 4-channel rack is; but a simpler solution is to just buy the chrome support rack that EG Classics and Ultras use for supporting the TP. The mounting points on the RK and EG are the same so there won't be fitment issues. Check out a Classic or Ultra and you will see the chrome rack attached at its forward point behind the chrome strut cover just forward of the shock absorber, and in the rear by the license plate bracket.

If you are going to leave the box on the bike, why not do it the factory way instead of jury-rigging something that will likely be less stable and durable?

 

Thanks for this - because all the dealers I talk to tell me this is the only way!! I kept asking about this route and - strangely - they say "no, spend a lot of money on one of these and you need these to go with it....."

 

I've got the quick change and for 4 years there's been no slop issue. If you want to save a little cash, check E-bay. That's where I got mine for a little under half price.

 

Unfortunately, most dealer personnel, especially parts people are totally ignorant of doing anything that is not "standard." Permanently mounting a tour pak on a Road King is one of them since it is not offered by HD.

My experience on this is similar to what you are going through. I bought a police model EG but wanted the bike set-up like a Road King, for example, no permanently mounted tour pak. When I went to the parts counter at the local dealership, no one could tell me if the detachable hardware for the solo or two-up detachable hardware and rack would work on an EG because the P&A catalog does not say that they work on an EG. It is only in the past several months that HD has come out with a mounting kit for the detachable tour pak racks to "fit" EG classics and ultras.

So I did my own research and determined the mounting points on the EG are the same as a Road King and went ahead with buying the mounting hardware and solo rack--everything worked fine.

You are in a similar position since the RK doesn't come with a permanently mounted TP and the dealers' folks aren't familiar with what you want to do. The chrome rack you needare often on ebay as a take-off item from Classic and Ultra owners whoconvert to the detachable mounting racks, as are the license plate support bracket that supports the rear of theTP. You should be able to get the hardware you need,chrome support rack and license plate bracket for under $100.

As for the reports of slop with the two-up detachable mentioned in your original post, I haven't noticed this and many have not either. For those who have experienced it, I don't have an answer. Personally, I would consider the rubber bushings that the rack mounts toat the front of the solo detachable rack as a "wear item" that need to be replaced at some point given the vibration inherent in our HD v-twin motors, the weight carried in the TP's, etc., and manufacturing variances that may cause some racks to mountmore/less tightly than others.

I have the two-up detachable rack and haven't seen any slop; but I don't leave the box on the bike. Good luck with whatever mounting solution you use.