Side case hinges.

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

I posted earlier I had my 2014 RT-S in for service. After getting it back I saw the right front
side case hinge was broken. Of course they said it was like that when I dropped it off.
I had planned to buy the side case hinge upgrade from Roadsterrenovations anyway. I'm
handicapped and when I got them I saw it was a bit more than I could do. I could have
done the 3 that were not broken, but that last one... So I wrote Steve, he said he would
do the install, for free! So I arrive at his garage a little past 11 AM this past Friday. It turned out
that broken hinge was very broken. It didn't help somebody (me) tried to super glue it in place.
To repair a broken one he took the lid off to access the area easier. First he tried to glue it in place
properly but it wouldn't have been strong enough. So Steve went to work and drilled 2 small
holes in the case and ran 2 steel bolts through. Then he made steel brackets that attach to the bolts,
that attach to the hinge. He even painted the brackets. There was no trial and error, he knew
just what he needed to do and got the job done. It still took over an hour to complete.
All the time and parts he still wouldn't take a donation. He believes in his products that smooth out our rydes.
I think I've made new friends. His wife, Cathy was right there to help whenever Steve needed anything.
There's a lesson to be learned here. Even though Can Am makes a superior machine, some things aren't.
These side case hinges are mounted to plastic, pretty flimsy. Easy to break and when they do it can be
a bear. Think of breaking one an vacation hundreds of miles from home. The only way to close the lid
is to duct tape it closed. I thought of buying these hinge upgrades earlier but waited until it was too late.
I'm glad I live relatively close to where Steve runs his business.
Some farkles are just that, farkles. Something not necessary, but something just wanted. These hinge upgrades
are not a farkle, they're necessary.
When the work was done Steve and Cathy even escorted me the 40 miles to get back on I-74
Great people these Humphries.
Thank you Doc!
Buckeye Chuck

[Roadster Renovations]

Thanks, Chuck! We had a great time!!
Here is a picture of the plastic area the hinge attaches to.

159921

As you can see, when they molded the case they left voids in the front and back to extend the plastic and make holders for the backing plate. So you have this long piece of plastic with just a little plastic to keep it from breaking. That is what is holding up the lid. Very flimsy. We have yet to have a case hinge break that has the side case upgrades. Here is the link:

https://www.roadsterrenovations.info/misc-items

[Bob Denman]

Chuck,
Glad to hear that Doc got your bike all healthy again! :thumbup:

[CentralCoastCA]

I've been meaning to get those for awhile - thanks for the reminder, just ordered them. The hinge on the left side of the Spyder side case has always been problematic.

[Lew L]

This thread got me curious:dontknow:, and I decided to check the hinges on the side cases. All 16 bolts were not tight. Not rattling loose but not " snug ". Don't know if there is a torque spec. for these fasteners BUT it has to be higher than what I found on all the bolts that hold on the side case doors.

So I tightened them, snugged might be a better term. I wonder if this could be part of the cause of the hinge breakage issue????

Lew L

[ruralgirl]

Probably a dumb question, but exactly what is the determinant that limits the luggage weight in the side trunks to 15#? Do the hinges contribute, and if so, if I replaced them with your hinges, Steve, could I carry 25# harmlessly? I regularly want to put one 25# bag of kitty litter in each side trunk, and did so just one time, but felt guilty and worried all the way home.

[Roadster Renovations]

Probably a dumb question, but exactly what is the determinant that limits the luggage weight in the side trunks to 15#? Do the hinges contribute, and if so, if I replaced them with your hinges, Steve, could I carry 25# harmlessly? I regularly want to put one 25# bag of kitty litter in each side trunk, and did so just one time, but felt guilty and worried all the way home.

Our upgrade are not new "hinges". There is nothing wrong with the hinges. Click on the picture I posted in post #2. The plastic the hinges attaches to is very weak. Not on the lid, but in the case. What our kit does is strengthens the existing hinge setup by using spring steel that makes contact with a solid area.

159947

This is only part of the solution. We use a "sandwich" setup that integrates the inner and the outer to strengthen the entire joint.

159948
159949

The backing plate is shimmed and nutted to incorporate the bracket and the plastic on each side to make one solid piece. With the inner spring ability to flex, it allows the plastic to move like it is designed to do. The more flex the harder the spring "pushes back".
I will tell you how good this design is. It was created in 2015 and I have yet to make one single change in all that time.

Care should be taken when pressing downward on the lids. That will quickly break them. And as I said, we have yet to get a report of a broken hinge for any RT's that have our kits installed.

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

I wrote this thread because I'm aware of the problems RT models have with side case
hinges, well, not the hinges but the plastic holding them.
I'm bringing awareness to all that own any RT model, these hinge brackets can fail.
I know, if one fails it can ruin a vacation or long ryde.
I hope I can make it to Spyderfest so I can show off some of Doc's work.
Chuck



Chuck,
Glad to hear that Doc got your bike all healthy again! :thumbup:

[ruralgirl]

......Care should be taken when pressing downward on the lids. That will quickly break them. And as I said, we have yet to get a report of a broken hinge for any RT's that have our kits installed.

Thanks for your post. I shouldn't have said "hinges" as I did read your explanation on your product page and understood that it's the (pictured) brackets. But somewhere I thought there was a brief comment about the kit influencing the overall ability of the trunk to carry weight.

[UtahPete]

Our upgrade are not new "hinges". There is nothing wrong with the hinges. Click on the picture I posted in post #2. The plastic the hinges attaches to is very weak. Not on the lid, but in the case. What our kit does is strengthens the existing hinge setup by using spring steel that makes contact with a solid area.

159947

This is only part of the solution. We use a "sandwich" setup that integrates the inner and the outer to strengthen the entire joint.

159948
159949

The backing plate is shimmed and nutted to incorporate the bracket and the plastic on each side to make one solid piece. With the inner spring ability to flex, it allows the plastic to move like it is designed to do. The more flex the harder the spring "pushes back".
I will tell you how good this design is. It was created in 2015 and I have yet to make one single change in all that time.

Care should be taken when pressing downward on the lids. That will quickly break them. And as I said, we have yet to get a report of a broken hinge for any RT's that have our kits installed.
I'm interested in getting these brackets, but would like to know what is involved in installing them? Thanks.

Update; found the install video on your website. Thanks. https://www.roadsterrenovations.info/how-to-videos

[Bob Denman]

Pete,
Order them: Once you get them in place: it's pretty easy to see how they perform their magic! :thumbup:
I put them on mu 2014, and my 2018...
(Hint: it's easier to install them on the right side; if you pull the muffler off the bike.)

[UtahPete]

Pete, Order them: Once you get them in place: it's pretty easy to see how they perform their magic! :thumbup: I put them on mu 2014, and my 2018... (Hint: it's easier to install them on the right side; if you pull the muffler off the bike.)
I just ordered a set so I'll have a chance to find out for myself. Then, I can order a set for the other RT. The website won't let me order multiple sets at one time, so we'll try one and then see where I go from there.

I was also considering the spring stiffeners, but I need to first do some research on here. Seems like BajaRon has a stiffener also?

[Bob Denman]

Yes; he does... I had a set of them, and liked the adjustability. :thumbup:

[rtotten]

I am sure glad the wife and I have them on our bikes.

[pegasus1300]

I posted earlier I had my 2014 RT-S in for service. After getting it back I saw the right front
side case hinge was broken. Of course they said it was like that when I dropped it off.
I had planned to buy the side case hinge upgrade from Roadsterrenovations anyway. I'm
handicapped and when I got them I saw it was a bit more than I could do. I could have
done the 3 that were not broken, but that last one... So I wrote Steve, he said he would
do the install, for free! So I arrive at his garage a little past 11 AM this past Friday. It turned out
that broken hinge was very broken. It didn't help somebody (me) tried to super glue it in place.
To repair a broken one he took the lid off to access the area easier. First he tried to glue it in place
properly but it wouldn't have been strong enough. So Steve went to work and drilled 2 small
holes in the case and ran 2 steel bolts through. Then he made steel brackets that attach to the bolts,
that attach to the hinge. He even painted the brackets. There was no trial and error, he knew
just what he needed to do and got the job done. It still took over an hour to complete.
All the time and parts he still wouldn't take a donation. He believes in his products that smooth out our rydes.
I think I've made new friends. His wife, Cathy was right there to help whenever Steve needed anything.
There's a lesson to be learned here. Even though Can Am makes a superior machine, some things aren't.
These side case hinges are mounted to plastic, pretty flimsy. Easy to break and when they do it can be
a bear. Think of breaking one an vacation hundreds of miles from home. The only way to close the lid
is to duct tape it closed. I thought of buying these hinge upgrades earlier but waited until it was too late.
I'm glad I live relatively close to where Steve runs his business.
Some farkles are just that, farkles. Something not necessary, but something just wanted. These hinge upgrades
are not a farkle, they're necessary.
When the work was done Steve and Cathy even escorted me the 40 miles to get back on I-74
Great people these Humphries.
Thank you Doc!
Buckeye Chuck

I like your Avatar.When I in Argentina if you get a number like that (ascending/descending order) on your bus ticket it was considered good luck.It is called a copicua