So I wanted something hard, lockable, and waterproof for holding my work stuff on my way to and from work. I haul a laptop, change of clothes, a couple books, etc, etc.

I used to use a Cortech sport tailbag which was too small for my stuff, not really waterproof, and not at all lockable.

I looked at the Ventura rack options. They were big enough, but again not lockable, and waterproof was questionable.

I came across http://www.cariboucases.com, which rocked, but they had no rack for a little 250.

Finally, I decided to roll my own using a combination of options. I bought the side brackets and a rack from Ventura and a 35L Topcase, mounting plate, and locking mechanism (DIY version) from Caribou Cases.

Note that this is not a cheap way to go! If I hadn't bought all the stuff last fall then I probably would not be buying it now with the economy the way it is... anyway.

I cut the top off the ventura rack and welded the part I cut off to the back of the rack. This way the rack was "flush" so I could mount the top-plate for the case on it. I drilled it, mounted the plate, etc. etc.

The case, plate, and my commute stuff (backpack with clothes, books, laptop), weighs about 25 Lbs. The Ventura people say the rack can hold 20... so I am taking it easy, checking the bolts, looking for signs of stress, but with about 100 miles on it now everything looks to be holding up OK. If something looks like it is going to fail then I will get out the welder again and go to town.

The rack is very, very sturdy. You can hold on to it and lift the back of the bike well off the ground.

The case locks to the rack, and the case also has a lock on the lid. It is a 35L pelican case. Which is waterproof, dust proof, and crush proof. You can quickly take the case off the rack with a twist of the key and a twist of a big ass knob.

The top of the Ventura rack is held in place buy some heavy duty thumbscrews. There is a little tool that they include to really, really, really tighten them down. I don't know if I would leave the case on there overnight, but I certainly feel comfortable about leaving my stuff in there in a parking lot for a half hour or so. (whereas the tailbag could be removed in 3 seconds).

All in all I think it is a nice, semi-secure, certainly waterproof, and definitely tough case.

Photos:

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very nice and creative.
but honestly, that does take away the look.
if i need storage i would have gone with a touring bike.
anyhow, a very well done job.:thumbup:

very nice and creative.
but honestly, that does take away the look.
if i need storage i would have gone with a touring bike.
anyhow, a very well done job.:thumbup:

Yeah, it's ugly. I'm a function over form type of guy. But I take it off on the weekends when I'm just cruising around. Best of both worlds I think. :D

Nice work! :thumbup:

Yeah, it's ugly. I'm a function over form type of guy. But I take it off on the weekends when I'm just cruising around. Best of both worlds I think. :D

I wouldn't say that it's urgly. It just takes away some of the characteristics of a sport bike. I could definitely see that on a dual sport.
It's good that you can take it off when you don't need it.
again, nice job.

Looks like it would be great for touring.

You wouldn't happen to be delivering pizza's with that would you? lol

Sorry, couldn't resist. It looks good for what you want to use it for at least.

Looks like it gets the job done. Nice work. :thumbup:

I added this as a wiki article right here:

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Caribou_hard_luggage

I added this as a wiki article right here:

http://www.ninjette.org/wiki/Caribou_hard_luggage

Cool!

When I get a chance I will add some better pictures of how I attached the caribou top plate to the ventura rack piece. It's really a simple mod if you can borrow a welder for 10 minutes and use a drill press to drill 6 holes.

Also feel free to edit that wiki page however you'd like; anyone can improve those pages along the way. :thumbup:

wbhahhaha....Love the "pizza delivery comment"...
one thing for sure though..you ain't going to pick up any chick with that contraption for sure :D

wbhahhaha....Love the "pizza delivery comment"...
one thing for sure though..you ain't going to pick up any chick with that contraption for sure :D

Haha, true, but I'm already married, so I don't need to pick up any more chicks.

And If I only bought a bike to pick up chicks it wouldn't have been a 250 :D

I think you did a fine job there my friend.

Good job! I think it is great that it is removable. You can use it when you need it.

I just got a Ventura rack as well. I am not crazy about the design. All the stress is on those two little bolts that hold the L brackets to the cross member mounted under the seat. If those bolts fail the whole the will swing down onto the rear rubber and potentially lock it up. Obviously that isn't going to happen with 20 or 25lbs but it seems stupid when a slight modification would enable it to carry 50...75+ lbs safely. I am thinking of drilling it out so that a stronger bolt can be used.

I agree it looks a little weak, but I've had 30 pounds on them and they held fast over some pretty big highway bumps (grooved pavement transition to cement bridges. Nasty bumps!)

Also, the way mine is mounted it could only drop 1/2 inch onto the rear seat. It might be more hazardous in the stock configuration.

Good job! I've been trying to find a bit more information about how the Ventura racks mount to the back of the bike. Do you think you can take a picture of the rear mounting points up close? Pretty please? :)

Good job! I've been trying to find a bit more information about how the Ventura racks mount to the back of the bike. Do you think you can take a picture of the rear mounting points up close? Pretty please? :)


Page 2 of this thread has a bunch of large, close-up, glossy photos of the rack and how the install works.

http://www.kawiforums.com/ninja-250r/107850-just-bought-ventura-bag-system-2.html

Enjoy :)

Note: Not my bike, but after I saw that thread I decided to buy the rack. I never did by the backpack though.

Page 2 of this thread has a bunch of large, close-up, glossy photos of the rack and how the install works.

http://www.kawiforums.com/ninja-250r/107850-just-bought-ventura-bag-system-2.html

Enjoy :)

Note: Not my bike, but after I saw that thread I decided to buy the rack. I never did by the backpack though.

Many thanks! That's exactly what I needed. I see what you mean about the two bolts. I'm surprised they didn't mount to the blinker brackets to get the bolts horizontal. Interesting. If I can re-inforce it, this could actually make my Givi side mounts a whole lot easier!

Cheers!

I don't think the week point is the way the crossmember is mounted. Its the way the L brackets mount to the crossmember. I'll take a picture from the back later so you can see what I mean. The crossmember doesn't slide inside the L-bracket or anything. The bolt is the only thing holding it.

http://i30.tinypic.com/5d6ull.jpg

Thanks for the clarification. Personally, I would trust those more than i would trust the bolts holding the crossmember to the subframe. I would think it's easier to shear off the threads on a vertical bolt than it is to shear those side bolts in half.

Regardless, I'll be ordering one up soon because of these excellent pics you and Chris have provided. Thanks!