A Pelican Tank Box ------------ I'm Wired

[Lost Rider]

I've been wanting a Pelican tank box to add to my bike, and I finally put together all the components.
I had some special requirements for the box, and here's what I came up with.



Since I already had a SW-Motech tank bag, with a tank-ring and quick release mount, I had that covered. I finally decided on a Pelican 1200, not too big, not too small. Lockable, removable, waterproof and indestructible.







I took the mount off of the SW-Motech bag, lined it up, drilled 4 holes and was good to go. That's the easy part.













Notice the wires coming out? Well that's where things started to get a little more complex. I wanted the box to have a multi-pin, waterproof connector wired into it so I could remove it very easily, either to bring it with me or to just lose it all together. I managed to find a suitable 9 pin connector at one of the audio companies I work with.







One twist and it's gone.





I wired in 2 power cables for my GPS, and for the dual accessory outlet, each individually fused and grounded. Then I wired in a stereo audio cable to get sound out of my iPhone, iPod, or XM from the Garmin. That leaves me 2 empty pins for future use.
I also shortened the iPhone/iPod charger's cable to keep it neat.










Since I had most of this stuff hard wired into my soft bag, I could move it out of the way to fuel, but could not remove it all together. Not any more!
















Now, on to my last hurdle. Since I used a GPS mount that connected to the tank bag, I had to figure out how to mount the Streetpilot and XM antenna to the box. It had to be self contained with no wires coming out of it to a handlebar mount, etc...
I ended up modifying a SW-Motech/Garmin handlebar mount, drilling a hole through one of the halves of the bar mount. 1 screw and nut for the GPS ( It's very solid), and 2 small factory screws to hold the antenna. It takes less that 5 minutes to install or remove the GPS system to the box. Thats good enough for me, since I only use the GPS for out of town trips anyway for the most part.













Flood Warning! Good thing I don't have to worry about rain covers any longer
















I'm hoping to shorten up the USB cable, but I'm going to talk to Garmin before I get to cutting.



A little e-tape on the inside keeps the rain out when the GPS is off



Here's where the Audio comes out.




Pelican Cases Rock!

[OU812]

Nice job Joe! Hey, did you wash your bike?

[Lost Rider]

Thanks, Yes I finally broke down and washed it. It was sad to see all the dirt from so many different places go.......

[DJ Downunder]

..I'd be worried that it might stress the tank if you were to accidentally lean on it.

DJ

[sweatmark]

Nice project! Share your love for Pelican cases... and also have SW Motech/Bags Connection tankbag. Might have to consider this Pelican option.

Who makes that cool multi-pin connector?

Is your Autocomm (or equivalent) under the seat?

[Lost Rider]

Nice project! Share your love for Pelican cases... and also have SW Motech/Bags Connection tankbag. Might have to consider this Pelican option.

Who makes that cool multi-pin connector?

Is your Autocomm (or equivalent) under the seat?

Not sure of the brand name, I'll try to find out from the production company I found it at. Here's something like it I found googling "multi pin connector"

http://www.meltric.com/html/multipinplugs.html

No autocomm, I just have a boost-a-roo that goes in the tank box ( not pictured)

[riceburner]

Not so sure I'd have the connectors and wires exiting the box at the front - but otherwise a neat job!

The only thing I dont like about the Peli-cases is that they look so awful - if someone were to make a nice, sculpted box that integrated properly with the shape of the tank I'd buy one like a shot!!

[wncbmw]

Nice project! I like what you have done with the rear Pelican and am thinking of that for a winter project.

If I was getting a new bike, I would consider the Caribou cases and mounts, using the large Pelican cases instead of the stock cases!

[rdsmith3]

You did an incredible job on this project. However, style is a subjective thing and IMO pelican cases are only acceptable looking on a GS. The pelican cases are very functional but sort of ruin the looks of a beautiful bike, IMO.

[MikeCam]

All, hail! Pelican cases rock. Looks are overrated.

[Brady]

Chitown,

Great looking case. Can you give simialr detail to your rear case?

Brady

[Lost Rider]

Thanks for all the comments - and you're all right in ways.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for me this works. I love the simple industrial look of Pelican cases, ( think Mad-Max) but can see how some people might want a more sculpted look.

This spring I sub-leased out my Bimmer for the summer, making the commitment to riding my bike everyday rain or shine...

Function over fashion, I live in the heart of Chicago and having a lockable, removable, waterproof tank case is priority one to me. I was sick of having to worry about putting a rain cover on my tank bag, especially with the extreme, unpredictable weather here. The quick release multi-pin connector allows my to have the things I need for my Adventure road trips ready to go ( don't need a GPS or Audio in the city) , again function over fashion.
The rear Pelican ( my trunk) makes it possible to not have to use my side bags in the city, allowing me to squeeze between cars in heavy traffic, a common everyday thing for me. (though bumping my mirrors with SUV's mirrors still happens sometimes)



Brady,

The Pelican on the back is a 1510 ATA- carry on size approved box. I removed the retractable handle and wheels, then mounted it to the OEM rack by just getting longer screws than BMW used to hold the silver trim to the actual mount (it's a different setup than the 1150R), drilling a few holes in the box, and thats it. I don't think you can mount it like that on the 1150R, I tried. I did have it mounted on my 1150R briefly before I traded it in, using a Givi top box mount I bought, and still have if anyone wants to buy it. Heavy duty stuff, and perfect for mounting a Pelican to a 1150R. The 2 mini-Rok Straps I have on the top box expands the carrying capacity greatly. The rounded BMW top box couldn't have things strapped to it, and is what made me look for other options to begin with.







The lid organizer, a must have IMO.







The mount, and the s-clips I put on it where the handle used to be, very handy when in camping mode.




Try doing this with anything else but a Pelican.




Here's the other thing I've done to the boxes, along with the rest of the bike- reflective tape!








Since we're talking Pelican cases, here's my luggage for touring by plane or bus:


Shot with Canon PowerShot A710 IS at 2007-08-09

You did an incredible job on this project. However, style is a subjective thing and IMO pelican cases are only acceptable looking on a GS. The pelican cases are very functional but sort of ruin the looks of a beautiful bike, IMO.

Nobody told me that I didn't buy a GS !

[riceburner]

Do you know if Peli-cases ever come with integrated keyed locks??

that's one of the things I DON'T like about them - the need for a seperate padlock. I find padlocks fiddly and awkward to use so would far prefer a built in lock on the catches - something every bike-specific top-box has.

[wncbmw]

I put the GS bag mounts on my bike and stupidly sold the stock setup. After a big trip the wife and I are taking next month (no excess funds to be spent right now!), I will have to proceed to find a used stock setup and GIVI mount to do the Pelican box thing on the back. But that is my intention! I am also a Pelican fan!

MikeCam said

Looks are overrated.

I assume he was referring to bags but the same could be applied to the riders!

[MikeCam]

True for me.

[wncbmw]

Me too!

[rdsmith3]

I put the GS bag mounts on my bike and stupidly sold the stock setup. After a big trip the wife and I are taking next month (no excess funds to be spent right now!), I will have to proceed to find a used stock setup and GIVI mount to do the Pelican box thing on the back. But that is my intention! I am also a Pelican fan!

You could always (temporarily) get one of the Givi-clone boxes from J.C. Whitney for the back. I have one. It's not bad. See pic

[Lost Rider]

Do you know if Peli-cases ever come with integrated keyed locks??

that's one of the things I DON'T like about them - the need for a separate padlock. I find padlocks fiddle and awkward to use so would far prefer a built in lock on the catches - something every bike-specific top-box has.

As far as I know Pelican doesn't offer any integrated lock at this time.

My solution is a pair of Masterlock, programmable combination locks. Same code for both, easy to use, and I can then just lock my keys in my bike and don't have to carry any keys if I want.
It would be slick to have 1 key for all, but this isn't too much of a hassle for me, and the benefits outweigh the inconvenience to me.










** For sale Givi SR683 - MONOKEY® case carrier----- see for buy, sell, trade thread

[snowprick]

ChiTown,

Is that Grand Marais as in the North Shore of Lake Superior?

I had three months in Minneapolis last year and got up that way in the fall. WOW I got some photos.

I am SICK with envy. You have a great motorcycle and you are able to ride it in such a beautiful country.

Please, no more photo's, your making me nuts.

[boxermania]

ChiTown

My hat goes off to you....how functional and NEAT!!!! I didn't clean my bike too often either.

I spent a few years in Chicago, Elk Grove Village, to be precise and really enjoyed my time there.