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| Med. sized trunk /w fringe on a bike | X-Large Truck /w rivets and conchos as I ordered it |
I'll add pics of it on MY bike when I have them.
http://www.allamericanrider.com/
Here's the trunk that I just received for my bike. I had been looking for a trunk for my bike for a while now. I originally wanted to get a hard-shell trunk but I found the prices ridiculous. When I did find a reasonable priced hard shell trunk I found that it was impossible to mount and use on my luggage rack and high backrest combination (probably wouldn't have worked with stock either). When I came across this Ameritex bag on the web I thought I found what I was looking for.
Notice the flat bottom with curved top. It fits snuggly right in to the back of the backrest even though the backrest is angled. No box type trunk would be able to do this, it would either be sticking away from the bottom of the backrest or it would be leaning at an angle along with the backrest.
The top is re-enforced with semi-rigid plastic so it will keep it's shape (NOTE ADDED, not in the hot sun it doesn't) though flexing easily enough to open it straight for access in the bag. The opening inside is oval shaped and doesn't take up the entire top of the bag. This along with the Velcro that supplements the straps should make it safe in the rain. The opening is large enough however to put my helmet inside with tons of room to spare for other things. I've been asked if two full-face helmets will fit in there... Nope. It's actually more of the opening size than it is the capacity of the bag overall.
By itself the X-Large version (that I got) might seem too large or out of place on the back of a cruiser. I simply moved my saddlebags a little up and back (see saddlebag support mod) and it all blends in together great now.
The whole thing is mounted with four Velcro straps on the bottom to secure it to the luggage rack plus one four inch wide strap that goes around the backrest with plenty to spare. I don't see this bag flying off anywhere.There's a carry handle on top and comes with a detachable shoulder strap.
The bag can be ordered directly from the company that makes them or through your favorite dealer. If ordering from the company note that at the time I ordered their on-line web ordering didn't work and my order went into limbo so calling them direct was needed.
Made in the U.S.A.
Be sure to read the notes added below:
Note added 5-3-99:
Since I have the Xtra large model I ran into the problem of the bag sagging down around
the sides because the luggage rack covers such a small area of the bag bottom. I ended up
cutting a piece of Lucite acrylic to act as a shelf for the bag to sit on. It bends a
little but isn't sagging all over the place like it was. I emailed a suggestion to the
manufacturers that the bag should have a firmer bottom for this reason, I've received no
reply. I still like the trunk though.
Note added 6-16-99:
OK so now I'm ticked. It's still a great design, I just wish that someone else made it. On
the way to Americade the bike was rained on. No big deal, I don't mind riding in the rain
and I'm not a fanatic about waterspots, I just figure I'll give it a washing when I get
home. The next morning EVERY SINGLE stud on the bike had rust stains on them. So design is
great, materials suck. Oh yeah, and one of the belts is starting a crack at one of the
holes already where you bend it to put through the buckle.
Note added 7-7-99:
Forget the lucite mentioned elsewhere on this page, it broke after a few months. I'll be
going to the hardware store to get a black metal wire rack type thingy to use as a
support. On the way back from Americade I noticed a BMW using this under their trunk. I'm
really starting to consider taking this bag apart and using it as a pattern to make a new
one with better materials.
Mod made:
I wanted the trunk to act as a bolt-on so someone couldn't walk up to it, undo the Velcro
and walk off with it. I used SS 3/8" x 2" bolts and matching large washers and
lock washers and wing nuts. I also grabbed a couple of the rubber washers from some Grolsh
Beer bottles (I make mead). I cut some flat bar steel (1/8") and used a couple of
6" long pieces (or was that 8?). Anyway, removed the Velcro bracket on bottom of bag
to make it flat, drilled holes in bars and bag and Lucite (from note above)(measure four
times, drill once). One steel bar on inside of bag, one under luggage rack. Inside bag is
top of bolt, rubber washer, steel washer then steel bar. Under bag is the Lucite, then the
luggage rack, steel bar, steel washer, lock washer and finally wing nut. So it's possible
to remove without tools if I need to, not as easy for someone to walk away with it (can
still happen, it just won't pop off with a tug like it use to. Granted it would be much
more secure (security wise) if I reversed it and had the wing nuts on the inside of the
bag but I didn't want to keep on banging knuckles into them digging for stuff. Thinking
about it I might reverse them anyway.
