Building a Rack for rifle on a scooter

[Chris]

Continuing a topic that came up in crak's thread in Off-Topic.....

You know, you could probably make a fair bit of cash by making them for all the gun-toting bikers here.

I'd have to clean up my welding first. I get a strong weld, but it's not the most beautiful.

Anyway, I created a small bracket that attaches to my scooter and leaves only a small visible piece with two holes in it when the rack isn't on.

Next, I made a rack frame. It's basically just a big "H" with the center bar at an angle so that the gun case will lean back a little when mounted.

I need to go get some more angle iron and bar stock to complete the cage on the rack frame, but this is looking good. It won't completely enclose my rifle case, but will have a strong frame on the lower 2/3 to keep it in place and protect it from any minor impacts.

Here is the bracket. The upper red metal is heavy aluminum and I attached the bracket to same reinforced mounting locations as the tailbox is attached. As you can see it isn't much hanging out.

Here are two shots with the frame in place. Sorry the backgrounds are so busy - makes it hard to see how it's set.

I intend to paint it and add reflectors (as you can see from the flash photos, I like reflective tape. In 'normal' light, all that gold is virtually invisible.)

As for making them for others... I guess I could. I'd have to figure out how to price it as I've never measured how much MIG gas and wire I use and I don't make any effort to minimize stock use, I build things to last. For example, the bracket on my scooter and the main mount on the rack frame are made of 1/4" thick plate. (all the stock I have was bought for building Jeeps, not gun racks)

Anyway, let me finish this first one and we'll see how it works. I still need to finish the cage, shape the square plate pieces a little, grind down the welds, file the corners, prime and paint.

 

[Chris]

Did some more work on the rack this afternoon.

I'm waiting while the final coat of paint dries, but the primed frame held my Waller rifle case perfectly. Well, in actuality it's a little snug, but that might be a good thing.

Rather than bolting the rack to the bracket, I installed some 9/16" Grade 5 bolts from below the bracket and torqued them down with loctite to create mounting studs. Not only did this make mounting the rack easier, it also lifted the rack a little more which I think placed it in the perfect place and makes it far less likely to touch the body of the scooter.

I think I hit the angle just right. From the front, it looks as if it will tuck nicely into the airstream of the rider, and most of the bag sits in the shadow of other things so I think drag should be minimal and not add too much sail effect. We'll see.

Paint was dry to the touch, so I did a quick mount...

Maiden voyage will be to class tomorrow morning. I'll try to get some photos up this weekend with the bag inserted.

 

[crak]

Very nice.

 

[MassMark]

Chris - you are living proof that sometimes having some time on your hands is a good thing - what a cool idea and great result!

 

[Big_Red]

Nice work Mr. Fabricator. OCC's got nothing on you!

 

[dwarven1]

Nice work Mr. Fabricator. OCC's got nothing on you!

Yes, they do... criminal records and totally dysfunctional familial relationships.

 

[matt]

dupe: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=38252

[/jk]

 

[rscalzo]

Nice job of frabrication and welding. If my wife still had her Helix the rack might be an option !!

 

[PaiN]

dupe: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=38252

[/jk]

What are you saying........? making fun of my fanny pack and chris's scoot??
You will pay

 

[Chris]

Well, maiden voyage worked out great. Sorry, no pics, forgot to do it when I got home and after what turned out to be 7 hours from the time I arrived to the time I left, I was tired when I got home and was unpacked before I remembered. Oh well. I'll get some shots at some point.

Rifle case carried just fine. I got one hit on the body of the scoot and I think it was when I rode across a construction site and hit a fairly large dip in the pavement. I'm going to stick something at the contact point to cushion any future such impacts.

Casual looks at the case via the mirror while traveling about 55mph show the free end above the cage flapping, but I'm not sure that means much. Since that is the barrel end of the bag, there isn't much to give it any support, so a little flapping is probably not an issue.

I'll load up and do a short highway run later this week and see what wind and airflow do.

All in all, I'm pleased. The weld beads are not the greatest (although the later ones are MUCH better than the early ones) but they seem to be strong. I stood on the rack in various places after the first primer coat to see if I could get any welds to crack. I can stand on one foot on the center of the wide bar stock at the top and it just flexes. So, it's going to take more than 220 lbs to cause any damage to the holder. Between the cage and the case, I can't see how I'd need any more protection for the rifle.

Although I hadn't planned this, when loaded, the bag's handles and the lock for the zipper sit just low enough in the cage that I can stick a Shotgun size cable lock around the top of the cage and the handle and zipper lock and it all sits nicely along the front edge with very little play. I don't have any illusion of this being truly 'secure', but it's nice to know that I have a locked case that can be locked to the scoot. Not worried about the case falling out as it fits snugly into the cage. It's snug enough that the straps sewn to the outside of the bag snag on the top and middle barstock. You have to kind of feed the straps past both in putting the case in and pulling it back out. At first I was a little annoyed at this, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like a nice bit of extra 'security' knowing the case is held snugly.

In any rate, no more driving the 3/4 ton pickup just because I want to go shoot the AR.

 

[Chris]

Final pics...

Finally, I have the pics ready.

Here is the rifle bag packed into the rack:

And here is a view showing how it tucks in behind the scoot:

Surprisingly, the 'sail effect' isn't nearly as bad as I worried. Perhaps it's because the bag sits behind the rear wheel, but when a gust hits, the scoot gets pushed just as before and a slight steering correction and lean does the trick.

All in all, VERY happy with the result.

 

[USMA-82]

Having seen it in person, I can confirm that Chris did a nice job. If we lived in a pro-gun, non-hellhole state, he'd be going into business cranking those things out!

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

Chris, good job!
You may want to consider some rubber bushings where it is bolted to the bike.
Over time, bumps and road vibes MAY cause stress fractures in the body work.

 

[Chris]

Chris, good job!
You may want to consider some rubber bushings where it is bolted to the bike.
Over time, bumps and road vibes MAY cause stress fractures in the body work.

Thanks.

I thought about stress, but I don't think I'll have much of a problem. That wrap around red 'wing' under the tailbox and to the side of the seat is one piece of heavy aluminum. Under the Topbox, there are reinforced structures for the attachment of that topbox with 4 mounting points. I added my own reinforcement to this by bolting a 1/4" steel plate under the 'wing' and then welding the visible bracket to that. The 'wing' bolts directly to the frame of the scooter with nothing touching any of the plastic body work. The wing is designed to used to lift the scooter up onto the center stand as well as providing the passenger a place to hold on. I'm thinking if it can handle the stresses of that, a 30 lb rack and rifle hanging off isn't much of a challenge.

Perhaps over time there will be some stresses found in my brackets, but I don't think any of that will be transferred to the scoot itself.

If I'm worried about anything, it is this location above all others. This is why I built the brackets out of 1/4" plate, not only to provide as flex free a bracket as possible, but to also provide a fairly wide cross section where the mounting plate and the bracket meet so that I could get a thick and deep weld.

Time will tell how it holds up. If I see cracks forming, I'll weld in some angle iron between the mounting plate and bracket to distribute the stresses more, but I thought that was really over the top. (^_^)

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

Thanks.

I thought about stress, but I don't think I'll have much of a problem. That wrap around red 'wing' under the tailbox and to the side of the seat is one piece of heavy aluminum. Under the Topbox, there are reinforced structures for the attachment of that topbox with 4 mounting points. I added my own reinforcement to this by bolting a 1/4" steel plate under the 'wing' and then welding the visible bracket to that. The 'wing' bolts directly to the frame of the scooter with nothing touching any of the plastic body work. The wing is designed to used to lift the scooter up onto the center stand as well as providing the passenger a place to hold on. I'm thinking if it can handle the stresses of that, a 30 lb rack and rifle hanging off isn't much of a challenge.

Perhaps over time there will be some stresses found in my brackets, but I don't think any of that will be transferred to the scoot itself.

If I'm worried about anything, it is this location above all others. This is why I built the brackets out of 1/4" plate, not only to provide as flex free a bracket as possible, but to also provide a fairly wide cross section where the mounting plate and the bracket meet so that I could get a thick and deep weld.

Time will tell how it holds up. If I see cracks forming, I'll weld in some angle iron between the mounting plate and bracket to distribute the stresses more, but I thought that was really over the top. (^_^)

Well thought out, Chris.
Usually, I just fire up the torch and welder and have at it!
I thought those scooters were all plastic. With the setup you have, you should not have any major problems.

Now, a handlebar mounted bipod could be interesting...especially in heavy traffic!

 

[Chris]

Well thought out, Chris.

Thanks. The final bracket was my 4th attempt. I started with a lighter design that was going to have the cage mount slide up under the wing into a double receiver, but to get it to fit was causing problems due to the tight space I had to work and I felt the stock wasn't going to provide a solid support.

Finally I just scrapped that idea and made it simple and BIG. Once I started down the path of heavy duty build, I just made the whole thing stronger than it needed to be.

I thought those scooters were all plastic.

There are a lot of machines that are coming out of China that are very cheaply built. However, this Honda is quite solid.

Now, a handlebar mounted bipod could be interesting...especially in heavy traffic!

HEH. Back when I had my Jeep, I came REALLY close to mounting a DEWAT 50 cal to the roll bar just for giggles. Had the Army/Navy store in Mystic, Conn met the price I wanted to pay, I would have done it. (^_^)

 

[curlymaple42]

Hey!!! I just saw this basic post on another forum (held for privacy reasons, given you live in the PRM)!!! We should hook up sometime when we are down in MA. My inlaws live in your area. PM me or email me: chris(@)wildcherrywoodworks.com (remove brackets of course)

 

[Chris]

One update...

I had to mount a piece of aluminum sheet under the bottom of the rack. On rides where I would have to stop and idle for a light or something after a long ride, the heat of the exhaust was enough to heat up the rack and cause some minor melting of the nylon case.

No photo, but it is just a piece the size of the bottom of the rack with 4 bolts holding it about 1/4" below the rack. Works like a charm. Rack doesn't even get warm now.

 

[Gonzo]

You know, if I saw that while driving, I would have to laugh.



....but quietly and in a way that you couldn't see me.

Seriously though, you might want to consider marketing those.

 

[dwarven1]

Just wish I could figure out a way to mount one of those on the Reynolds rack on my Beemer.

 

[Tackleberry]

That is a great job. Makes me want to buy a scooter

 

[Chris]

Just wish I could figure out a way to mount one of those on the Reynolds rack on my Beemer.

Gotta be something solid on that thing we can create a mounting point.

Although on that R80 I could see the official "Appleseed Trailer" complete with enclosed rifle armory, target file, and of course, the holding tank of Concord River water for anointing new riflemen. Might even have room for a camping locker and a built-in cook kit. (depends on how many dozen 10/22 loaners you want to carry.)

(^_^)

 

[dwarven1]

Gotta be something solid on that thing we can create a mounting point.

Although on that R80 I could see the official "Appleseed Trailer" complete with enclosed rifle armory, target file, and of course, the holding tank of Concord River water for anointing new riflemen. Might even have room for a camping locker and a built-in cook kit. (depends on how many dozen 10/22 loaners you want to carry.)

(^_^)

I'd need to find a Reynolds trailer hitch for it, first - that whole monolever suspension makes it a little tough to just weld one together in a home shop.

But thanks for reminding me... I need to get to Concord between now and February 7th to fill a few bottles. Just in case someone shoots a 210.

 

[crak]

This just in: Dwarven1 will beat you with a bottle of frozen North Bridge river water if you score 210 on 2/7. My recommendation would be to score 211.

 

[dwarven1]

This just in: Dwarven1 will beat you with a bottle of frozen North Bridge river water if you score 210 on 2/7. My recommendation would be to score 211.

 

[Chris]

I need to get to Concord between now and February 7th to fill a few bottles.

What? You don't just keep it on hand? For Shame.... (^_^)

This just in: Dwarven1 will beat you with a bottle of frozen North Bridge river water if you score 210 on 2/7.

With the number of layers I'm likely to have, who cares. I'd take the beating over actually getting WET any day in this cold.

My recommendation would be to score 211.

Screw that. At this point I'll take the 210. Better than more 20x scores.

that whole monolever suspension makes it a little tough to just weld one together in a home shop.

Do you have a photo or drawing of the hitch? Does it attach to the suspension arm or the frame above it? I would suspect it's the frame. Heck, something has to be holding those hardcase panniers. (^_^)

I'd hate to think the big bad BMW is not as sturdy as the little scooter. (^_^)

Seriously, when the weather gets a little warmer, lets take a look at that and see what is back there. It's bad enough staying warm while riding in this cold, I don't want to try to fabricate as well.

 

[dwarven1]

Do you have a photo or drawing of the hitch? Does it attach to the suspension arm or the frame above it? I would suspect it's the frame. Heck, something has to be holding those hardcase panniers. (^_^)

The hitch, from what I've seen, goes along the right side of the rear tire up to the frame and bolts on near the driver's footpegs - from there back there is no frame, just a rear swingarm with the shaft and the rear end. It's not a matter of "not sturdy" so much as it's a matter of "there's nothing at the rear axle you can mount a hitch to"! The panniers attach to the frame at the front and the rear subframe behind and below the seat.