,
 |
| This “fender brace” is the actual platform that supports a luggage rack over the rear fender. There are photos on the internet (yeah, probably fake) of this piece cracked through all the red lines. I made gussets that capture all the failure points, reinforcing them and eliminating the edges that cracks connect to become breaks. This is also a good time to perform any modifications required if you're planning on changing the turn signals. I stripped the factory anodizing before welding and applied an undyed anodizing afterward. If I were to go back, I'd make it blue to match the radiator guards and have a little more even appearance over the welds. |
Husqvarna relied on the flexibility of the fender brace to make everything line up. The gusseted brace is much stiffer, so it's necessary to shim the mounting points. Shimming is a good idea even without gussets – bending something before you vibrate it tends to make it break even faster. With the shims, I wanted slightly longer bolts, so I used ARP again. They're not really necessary to carry the load, but the threads are good for a lot more cycles of assembly and disassembly. They won't rust, and they're about twice as strong and durable as stainless from the hardware store.
 |
| The Wolfman Rolie is a heavy-duty dry bag with integrated straps and an anti-skid pad to make it work as adventure bike luggage. Rolies can be strapped to each other to stack, and there are harnesses and racks to allow several of them to be hung on a bike. Spend a little time on the Wolfman site exploring the options. |
At this point, I was only looking for a tail bag for the Husky. I shopped around, trying to save a few bucks, but found no other dry bag for a price that made sense to give up the application-specific details offered by the Rolie. For a motorcycle tail bag of this size and waterproofness (it will keep its contents dry even underwater), it's actually inexpensive.
I chose the large Rolie, since it can be compressed with the straps if I need to carry less. The straps feed through holes in the Husqvarna factory accessory rack. There's a spare 18-in tube for the Husky's rear wheel, some tools, the entire front fender pack from the YZ (saving repacking when I switch bikes and including a 21-in tube for the front) and a first aid kit, with space left over for a Gore-Tex jacket. With all that, the Rolie is about 18 lb. I wear a hydration pack with snacks, camera and smaller items, but the Rolie lets me put the heavy stuff on the bike, rather than on my back.
I'll say it again: This bike is fun! For sixteen years, I've explored the roads around Southern California, wondering where they go and what happens when the pavement ends. I've driven on the freeway, checking out the dirt roads and trails winding around the mountains and wishing I could explore them. Now I am.
From challenging singletrack to lonely desert highways, this bike does it all, while getting better-than-Prius mileage (at least if you're not in second and third gear the whole time). And I've met a lot of really cool people out there. Maybe soon, it'll be some Moto IQ readers!
Sources
Zenith Performance Fabrication
