City Cases VS System Cases?

ebincia · Post by **ebincia** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:08 pm

I am fairly new to the R1100R ; and in the process of researching the BMW System Cases.

My Questions.

Does anybody want to comment on the differences between the (smaller) City Cases
and the standard (larger) System Cases.

Also , does anyone have the City Cases in white? I just noticed they are availabel in white but cannot finf any pics, or info.

Thanks in advance,

Ebincia.

darcym · Post by **darcym** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:49 pm

I have both.

The city cases are fine for commuting, depending on how much stuff you carry. Can always add the top box or a duffle if you need more. The city case will hold my jacket and gloves when I park for the day. Big enough for a purse or soft sided briefcase, picking up some dvd's at the rental store, a couple of grocery bags. Narrow profile though so less of a chance of rubbing someone if you split lanes on your ride.

The standard lids work fine for commuting too, but a little larger. I've lane split with these but very carefully. Better for touring.

You can get aftermarket hinges which make it easy (easier) to swap between the different sizes. Quik-Hinges or Kugler Klamps are two models.

I've heard that the white ones are for painting the lids to color match to your bike. Probably have to order new, not likely to find used.

hirsty · Post by **hirsty** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:17 pm

The physical cases are the same, it's just that the two different size lids are inter-changeable as described above. You'll quite often find one or the other size of lids on eBay & similar, so if your first set turn out to be too large / small you can get the others as well.

I got System cases new with my bike but found them too wide for me, esp. filtering ("lane splitting") whilst commuting in city traffic, so bought used City lids & drilled out the two rivets on each hinge.

The left-hand side case with the cut out for the silencer is next to useless with a City lid on it & there is no problem with running around with one case depending on load.

I'd also recommend Flat Strapz from Andy Strapz, but you'd have to email them to find out if they'll ship where you are. Most often I just strap my laptop case to the rear seat with these & leave the cases at home!

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 4:42 pm

You can get the city case lids in white..but they are about double the price..if not more...they are made for the Police bikes (I think)

The normal lids are the most popular size..I can fit a full face helmet in mine..but some others can't fit one in theirs..I guess it depends on which brand of helmet and how big your head is.

I have the normal lids..and I don't use them much..more for trips where I need to carry heaps..the reason I don't use them much is because I often lane split..and I bumped them once because I forgot they were on..that's put me off using them.

I plan to get the narrow city lids..then I will use them more..and just swap the lids when I do a trip....anyway that's my thoughts.

DJ

GeoffJ · Post by **GeoffJ** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:00 pm

I once added City System lids to the cases on a K1200RS I used to ride. Over time I found that due to their limited capacity, I preferred the regular system case lids.

sloopy_farklehump · Post by **sloopy_farklehump** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:48 pm

I've been debating about which lid to go with as well. Does anyone have the actual physical measurements of the city and system cases? The number of liters they carry doesn't mean much to me.

GeoffJ · Post by **GeoffJ** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:12 pm

sloopy_farklehump wrote:I've been debating about which lid to go with as well. Does anyone have the actual physical measurements of the city and system cases? The number of liters they carry doesn't mean much to me.

It's hard to determine capacity from physical measurements because the inside of system cases have cavities that vary by model. When I replaced the standard system case lids on my '02 K1200RS' with city system lids, I estimate I reduced capacity by about 30 percent.

Eqyn Dad · Post by **Eqyn Dad** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:43 pm

I have only the city cases and this is what I can stuff into each:

left case: rainsuit, gloves, bandana and disk lock; this pretty well fills the case.
right case: laptop, power supply, jean jacket, street shoes, calendar and 4 to 5 file folders; that fills it to the brim.

Hope this helps.

Post by **scottybooj** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:13 pm

I only have two sets of lids...only.

I have the city lids for cruisin' round town and the OVERsize lids for trips.

perfect combo.

oh, btw, the standard system cases do NOT extend past your mirrors so lane splitting would not be a problem. some may have a mental problem with it, but they are not wider than your bars or jugs.

the oversize are wider. I had to lane split the ENTIRE state of Pennsylvania on I-80 last year after the BMWMOA rally. Talk about close calls!!!!

Post by **socalrob** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:29 pm

No real trouble for me to split traffic with the standard system cases, so not sure I'd ned the city lids. The standard case lids are narrower than the bars. Just have to take a bit of care.

HornHonker · Post by **HornHonker** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 7:39 pm

Canadian R1150RT-P s came with white city cases.