Caribou Luggage Rack Disaster
Before setting out on last year's adventure through the Americas, I did a lot of research on luggage systems. In the end I went for the Caribou luggage system because it looked easy to install and used Pelican 1550 cases which would still be waterproof after a nuclear blast. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that although the Pelican cases held up beyond expectations, the Caribou rack itself continually fell apart. By the end of the trip, almost every weld had been redone. Luckily it is relatively easy to find welders in even the most remote places of the world.
The structural problems didn't end with the welds, however. Perhaps most disconcerting was the fact that a couple of the steel tubes broke well away from any joint. This was not the result of any impacts. Rather, the vibration from the washboard roads of Bolivia was sufficient to break the weak steel tubing used in the Caribou rack. Yes I had previously dropped the bike in deep sand and loose rocks (all at low speed). But this is to be expected if one plans to ride across Bolivia. A luggage rack designed for adventure motorcycling should be able to withstand a few dumps.
One of the most annoying (and potentially dangerous) problems occurred in the mountains near Medellin, Colombia. The bolts holding the rear crossbar ripped out causing the crossbar to fall and get wedged between my rear tire and the swingarm. My rear tire was destroyed. I'm lucky I didn't get thrown from the bike. This wasn't a matter of not using locktite (which I did). The entire socket with the thread ripped out. The locktite worked but it didn't matter. Luckily I found a welder in the next village who was able to weld the crossbar back into place. It certainly could not be repaired using new bolts.
My advice to people considering the Caribou luggage system is that it is simply not worth the hassle. Instead, buy the Pelican 1550 cases off of ebay (where they can often be found for less than $100 each) and either make your own rack or order the SU Side Rack from Happy Trails for $239 (Be sure to also order the pannier mounting kit for $50). The total of this luggage system before taxes and shipping is only $489, which is considerably cheaper than the $760 (before taxes and shipping) required for the Caribou luggage system.
In summary, the Caribou luggage system may be alright if you never leave the asphalt, but for any serious motorcycle adventure it is practically guaranteed to fall apart.
A common theme that developed over the course of the trip is illustrated above: Caribou rack breaks; use duct tape and zip ties to limp to the next welding shop. Pictures taken in Costa Rica.
Left: Caribou rack being welded in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Right: In the mountains near Medellin, Colombia, the Caribou crossbar fell off and became lodged between my rear tire and the swingarm. The bolts holding it in place had ripped out of the rack. Notice the pile of rubber ashes on the swingarm. My rear tire was destroyed.
Left: Caribou rack being repaired and welded in the mountains near Medellin, Colombia.
Right: Caribou rack being welded in Quito, Ecuador.
Left: Caribou rack being welded in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Right: Caribou rack being welded in Juliaca, Peru (near Lago Titicaca).
Left: Luckily repairing my Caribou Rack was more fun than working down in the mine. Photo taken in the remote mining village of Tatasi, Bolivia.
Right: The washboard roads of Bolivia were hard on my body, but even harder on my Caribou Rack, which basically disintegrated because of the vibration.
If you are intent on buying a Caribou rack, or are unfortunate enough to have already bought one, you should at least know where the weak points are so that you can try to strengthen it, perhaps by welding reinforcing struts across some of the joints (for example). I'm not sure that would be enough, but it would be better than leaving home without modifying the rack. Below are pictures showing what my Caribou rack looked like after my trip from Toronto to Buenos Aires (Argentina), using green tape to show the spots where it broke.
Looking at the right side of the rack (front points to the right). Broken welds that needed to be repaired are indicated with green tape.
Looking at the left side of the rack (front points to the left).
View from above (rear at pointing towards the bottom). Note that 3 out of 4 of the smaller tubes that attach the rack to the bike broke mid-tube - not in a location where there was initially a weld. This occurred because of vibration from rough roads and not from dropping the bike.
View from underneath (rear is at bottom of image). Note that the breaks in the 3 tubes go all the way through. You can also see the large gaping hole where the bolts holding the crossbar ripped out. See below for a closeup.
Note where the bolt, along with its thread, ripped out of the rack.
View of the rack from the front showing the right side (the back of the rack is at the top of the image)
View of the left side of the rack from the rear. Note where the crossbar has been welded to the rest of the rack. This was necessary when the bolts holding the crossbar ripped out.
My rack has since been launched off a balcony 21 stories high onto the roof of a grocery store. Anyone care to bet on whether it broke?
***POSTSCRIPT***
I have since been contacted by a fellow rider who had a remarkably similar experience as I did with his Caribou racks while on a trip in South America. I encourage you to read his informative post at http://www.motorcycleramblings.com/?p=327 before considering a Caribou Luggage System.
The structural problems didn't end with the welds, however. Perhaps most disconcerting was the fact that a couple of the steel tubes broke well away from any joint. This was not the result of any impacts. Rather, the vibration from the washboard roads of Bolivia was sufficient to break the weak steel tubing used in the Caribou rack. Yes I had previously dropped the bike in deep sand and loose rocks (all at low speed). But this is to be expected if one plans to ride across Bolivia. A luggage rack designed for adventure motorcycling should be able to withstand a few dumps.
One of the most annoying (and potentially dangerous) problems occurred in the mountains near Medellin, Colombia. The bolts holding the rear crossbar ripped out causing the crossbar to fall and get wedged between my rear tire and the swingarm. My rear tire was destroyed. I'm lucky I didn't get thrown from the bike. This wasn't a matter of not using locktite (which I did). The entire socket with the thread ripped out. The locktite worked but it didn't matter. Luckily I found a welder in the next village who was able to weld the crossbar back into place. It certainly could not be repaired using new bolts.
My advice to people considering the Caribou luggage system is that it is simply not worth the hassle. Instead, buy the Pelican 1550 cases off of ebay (where they can often be found for less than $100 each) and either make your own rack or order the SU Side Rack from Happy Trails for $239 (Be sure to also order the pannier mounting kit for $50). The total of this luggage system before taxes and shipping is only $489, which is considerably cheaper than the $760 (before taxes and shipping) required for the Caribou luggage system.
In summary, the Caribou luggage system may be alright if you never leave the asphalt, but for any serious motorcycle adventure it is practically guaranteed to fall apart.
A common theme that developed over the course of the trip is illustrated above: Caribou rack breaks; use duct tape and zip ties to limp to the next welding shop. Pictures taken in Costa Rica.
Left: Caribou rack being welded in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Right: In the mountains near Medellin, Colombia, the Caribou crossbar fell off and became lodged between my rear tire and the swingarm. The bolts holding it in place had ripped out of the rack. Notice the pile of rubber ashes on the swingarm. My rear tire was destroyed.
Left: Caribou rack being repaired and welded in the mountains near Medellin, Colombia.
Right: Caribou rack being welded in Quito, Ecuador.
Left: Caribou rack being welded in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Right: Caribou rack being welded in Juliaca, Peru (near Lago Titicaca).
Left: Luckily repairing my Caribou Rack was more fun than working down in the mine. Photo taken in the remote mining village of Tatasi, Bolivia.
Right: The washboard roads of Bolivia were hard on my body, but even harder on my Caribou Rack, which basically disintegrated because of the vibration.
If you are intent on buying a Caribou rack, or are unfortunate enough to have already bought one, you should at least know where the weak points are so that you can try to strengthen it, perhaps by welding reinforcing struts across some of the joints (for example). I'm not sure that would be enough, but it would be better than leaving home without modifying the rack. Below are pictures showing what my Caribou rack looked like after my trip from Toronto to Buenos Aires (Argentina), using green tape to show the spots where it broke.
Looking at the right side of the rack (front points to the right). Broken welds that needed to be repaired are indicated with green tape.
Looking at the left side of the rack (front points to the left).
View from above (rear at pointing towards the bottom). Note that 3 out of 4 of the smaller tubes that attach the rack to the bike broke mid-tube - not in a location where there was initially a weld. This occurred because of vibration from rough roads and not from dropping the bike.
View from underneath (rear is at bottom of image). Note that the breaks in the 3 tubes go all the way through. You can also see the large gaping hole where the bolts holding the crossbar ripped out. See below for a closeup.
Note where the bolt, along with its thread, ripped out of the rack.
View of the rack from the front showing the right side (the back of the rack is at the top of the image)
View of the left side of the rack from the rear. Note where the crossbar has been welded to the rest of the rack. This was necessary when the bolts holding the crossbar ripped out.
My rack has since been launched off a balcony 21 stories high onto the roof of a grocery store. Anyone care to bet on whether it broke?
***POSTSCRIPT***
I have since been contacted by a fellow rider who had a remarkably similar experience as I did with his Caribou racks while on a trip in South America. I encourage you to read his informative post at http://www.motorcycleramblings.com/?p=327 before considering a Caribou Luggage System.
Hey Tyson, I had almost the exact same experience with Caribou. I also had a very bad reaction when I called the owber and discussed the problem. I just posted a review of my problems like you have with a link to your website. If you do the same more people will find our comments when they do a web search.
Safe travels.
Reply to this
hey dude ,they might be bad but i would not recommernd happy trails as the same thing happened to mine (junk) , i ended up making my own in guatamala
Reply to this
T,
Have you completed the install of the Happy Trails system yet? I am about to go the same route after reading you post and those of others who responded. I'd be very interested in feedback on the new setup. Thx bro.
Reply to this
Thanks for saving me from buying these racks. I think the solution is to fabricate my own.
Reply to this
That can seriously be dangerous when a rack (or anything for that matter) gets itself wedged between your spokes like that.
It is a little more dangerous if its the front tire though, it hurts to do a flip and have your bike land on top of you!
Glad you made it one under 2 pieces though. One thing about welders is that no matter how small the town (village?) there will probably be a welder or two, cause people need them!
Reply to this
Good morning. Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.
I am from Sao and know bad English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: "Cheap plane fares, southwest airlines cheap flights, cheap air tickets, discount airfares, cheap international airline tickets,cheap flights."
Thank
Reply to this
What did Roger say when contacted?
Did he offer to make good on any of the mounting system?
Did he admit a problem on his end?
Reply to this
Funny I've had mine on a 1100gs for 4 years and over 40k miles of rough roads throughout Asia. The racks are holding up well. The bushing are wearing out and I bent a latch and nearly ground a hole in one of the pelicans during crash.
But the racks are fine! Go figure!
Reply to this
Wow!, this was a real quality post. In theory I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real effort to make a good article... but what can I say... I keep putting it off and never seem to get something done.
Reply to this
I wouldn't suggest the Happy Trails system either. I lost a case in baja due to vibration on crap roads similar to you.
Reply to this