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Have upgraded my last two touring bikes with tour packs to a larger diameter stainless cable.Never had a problem with the factory one but didn't want to chance it and damage tour pack.
I forgot to latch my tour pack one day-The lid blew open while passing a semi on the interstate, and the wind it caught almost pushed me off the road.Lost a new pack of cigars and 1 expensive glove,but the factory cable didn't break.
Fixed it good.
I got some 1/16 inch cable from the hardware store and some crimps. You hit the crimps with a hammer to secure them. As has already stated it's best to have 2 cables. If one breaks you can be extra careful untill you get a replacement.
and I never did realize the standard straps were non retractable. My cycle came with retractable. I too like things simple.
Simple = Reliable
I got tired of the stock cable on my 2012 RGU always getting in the way and hanging out of the pak when it closed and wanted a retractable cable but had read too many stories if the retractable cables breaking. My solution was to buy the newer retractable teather from the Rushmore series. It is a flat nylon cable that at least looks much stronger. It took a little modification to install it but nothing too difficult and it works great. Here is a picture .
I got tired of the stock cable on my 2012 RGU always getting in the way and hanging out of the pak when it closed and wanted a retractable cable but had read too many stories if the retractable cables breaking. My solution was to buy the newer retractable teacher from the Rushmore series. It is a flat nylon cable that at least looks much stronger. It took a little modification to install it but nothing too difficult and it works great. Here is a picture .
i wonder how many failures of the new ones have happened ? some or none ? i have the newer flat one and am thinking of installing alittle extra protection.
I use my Tour Pak often but twice I had the cable that prevents the lid from plopping all the way open broke. The Tour Pak lid then drops to the side of my trunk and bends the hinge.
This bends the hinge. To remove the hinge you have to drill out the rivets. I can straiten out the hinge in a vice. Today when the cable broke it cracked my Tour Pak at the hinge. Not too bad.
The cable broke at the bottom piece.
The last time this happened was just under a year ago. I bought a new cable retractor from HD.
At least this time I had screws in place of the rivets.
Anyone else have a problem with this? I think I'll replace it with a chain. I'll have to be careful to pull the chain into the Tour Pak as I close it.
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Get the one like my 09 EGUC uses thats a cable coated in blk insulation like elec wire uses which is a lot stronger then the one that keeps breaking on your bike.
OK so I used two 1/16 inch cables to create my own limiting strap but because of the curve in the Tour Pak each and every time I closed my lid the cable would come outside my Tour Pak and hang out where the passenger would sit. How do the regular tethers work that do not retract?
Closing my Tour Pak became an 2 handed job. That was a pain because the reason I need in my Tour Pak is because my hands are full and I need to put things into (or take them out) of the Tour Pak.
So what I did was go to the automotive store and bought a throttle return spring. I routed the cable through the spring and mounted the spring where one of the cables was mounted.
The spring is light enough that it still lets the Tour Pak open all the way.
The next picture you can see the spring moves the cables out of the way when I close the lid.
Last edited by Durango Dave; May 22, 2016 at 07:07 PM.
I got one of the retractable cables for Christmas a couple of years ago. When I saw how thin the cable was I put the original back on and made a key chain out of the retractable one. Hope the keys don't bust it.
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