Convert R18TC into bagger

[denis13]

hello everyone and thank you for accepting me among you. I am French, owner of a transcontinental.

I have a question: do you think that BMW will follow through on its ambitions by developing a real range of accessories?

I took the plunge, after 5 Harley Davidsons (sportster, dyna, heritage, street glide and road glide).

on street and road glide, I installed a kit to remove the tour pack. This transformation is fundamental for me, otherwise I will not take the vehicle out alone. with my wife it's great, but alone i have to be masochistic…

I asked my dealer who replied: "No we won't have that, because if you don't want the tournpack, you have the bagger model." I'm obviously not going to respond to this nonsense. I nevertheless wonder if BMW has understood that the custom spirit means adapting your vehicle to your needs, and not just buying overpriced parts manufactured by Roland Sand... what do you thing about ?

Sincerely yours
Denis

 

[Batt13]

I have the R18B it would be a great option to add the top case but it probably be very expensive & if that was the case I should of bought the TC. Switching the top case out may have issues with the electrical. The Indian Roadmaster has that option to remove the top case. Good luck & keep us posted

 

[BigJimSlim]

I have the R18B it would be a great option to add the top case but it probably be very expensive & if that was the case I should have bought the TC. Switching the top case out may have issues with the electrical. The Indian Roadmaster has that option to remove the top case. Good luck & keep us posted

Adam from this board priced out a stock TC topcase from BMW. It’s about $6000 for all the bits and pieces you need. And there are limitations is hooking up the rear lights and speakers!

Being able to easily detach, or add, the topcase would be really cool. I’ve got some trips planned that the case would be nice for, but I’d never want to do a day ride with it. I wonder if that becomes an option down the line if they keep the bike in the lineup. I do suppose their logic is sound tho - if you want the case, get a TC. If not, go B.

 

[Batt13]

Adam from this board priced out a stock TC topcase from BMW. It’s about $6000 for all the bits and pieces you need. And there are limitations is hooking up the rear lights and speakers!

Being able to easily detach, or add, the topcase would be really cool. I’ve got some trips planned that the case would be nice for, but I’d never want to do a day ride with it. I wonder if that becomes an option down the line if they keep the bike in the lineup. I do suppose their logic is sound tho - if you want the case, get a TC. If not, go B.

It would be a great option for TC owners to remove their top case but for a Bagger to purchase the top case for $6,000 is not an option for me

 

[BigJimSlim]

It would be a great option for TC owners to remove their top case but for a Bagger to purchase the top case for $6,000 is not an option for me

Yeah, insane at that price. Someone on here used the stock case bracket and got a cheapo case on Amazon that did them well. I nearly went that way but backed off after reading reviews of the case. Like $80 bucks, so you get what you pay for.

I’ll just bolt up my backrest and strap my biltwell bag on and be good to go.

 

[Deleted member 1618]

Probably best to purchase a TC from a dollar & cents standpoint, if you can tolerate the gun metal gray color scheme and then remove the rear top case and purchase a Model B seat for that matching Bagger look.

 

[2021FE]

My question is this: as a TC owner can I simply unbolt and unplug the pigtails without having any fault codes or malfunctions and then when I am ready plug the pigtails back in bolt it all down and have it functional again? I would like to remove my rear trunk as I really only “need” it like twice a riding season. I just haven’t made the attempt yet as I’d prefer avoiding a costly trip to the dealership for the bike to be hooked up to the BMW electro-digital machine. Anyone who knows I’d appreciate your experience. Thanks all for contributing to this awesome forum.

 

[BigJimSlim]

My question is this: as a TC owner can I simply unbolt and unplug the pigtails without having any fault codes or malfunctions and then when I am ready plug the pigtails back in bolt it all down and have it functional again? I would like to remove my rear trunk as I really only “need” it like twice a riding season. I just haven’t made the attempt yet as I’d prefer avoiding a costly trip to the dealership for the bike to be hooked up to the BMW electro-digital machine. Anyone who knows I’d appreciate your experience. Thanks all for contributing to this awesome forum.

Hmmm, I wonder this as well. I could understand the bike registering a fault as it’d be looking for those lights and not finding any current. Maybe there’s a dummy plug to fool it?

Could also look into clearing the codes with the Motoscan app, but I’d bet they’d pop up each time you turn the bike on.

Would be nice if bmw included a menu option on the tft to run the trunk or have it removed.

 

[Deleted member 1618]

My question is this: as a TC owner can I simply unbolt and unplug the pigtails without having any fault codes or malfunctions and then when I am ready plug the pigtails back in bolt it all down and have it functional again? I would like to remove my rear trunk as I really only “need” it like twice a riding season. I just haven’t made the attempt yet as I’d prefer avoiding a costly trip to the dealership for the bike to be hooked up to the BMW electro-digital machine. Anyone who knows I’d appreciate your experience. Thanks all for contributing to this awesome forum.

Maybe ping Adam Chandler, as he purchased a Top Case from a TC owner (Byron - who I think sold his TC and dropped off of the R18 forum); however, I don't recall any issues being reported by Byron after removing the rear case.

 

[D-Rail]

@2021FE did you ever try removing the top case?

 

[2021FE]

I decided against it for now. Still want to give it a try mainly to see how it improves handling.

 

[Morlin]

I just recently purchased a 2022 TC. I love most things about it, but rarely need the rear top case. Removing it was fairly straightforward, the mechanic at the local BMW dealer was kind enough to tell me where all the connections are, and how to get to them. Everything works fine except that I get an error message "Brake Light Malfunction" every time I apply the brakes. Everything functions ok, but it is just annoying to see the message. I am thinking of buying a brake light that I can mount on the rear seat mount and hooking it up the case pigtail that I have stored under the seat. I just have to figure out which wires are for the brake light, which should be easy enough, trial and error. If anyone had a wiring diagram for this bike, that would be VERY helpful!!

 

[Morlin]

It took me about an hour to get everything off, including the metal support brackets, but it was my first time. I think I can put it back on easily in 30 minutes when I want to use it. Any ideas on the brake error message would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Morlin]

My question is this: as a TC owner can I simply unbolt and unplug the pigtails without having any fault codes or malfunctions and then when I am ready plug the pigtails back in bolt it all down and have it functional again? I would like to remove my rear trunk as I really only “need” it like twice a riding season. I just haven’t made the attempt yet as I’d prefer avoiding a costly trip to the dealership for the bike to be hooked up to the BMW electro-digital machine. Anyone who knows I’d appreciate your experience. Thanks all for contributing to this awesome forum.

I did remove my top case, fairly easy, but you get a fault message every time you touch the brakes! I am trying to find a work around by putting either a dummy load, or a small brake light that I can mount on the seat mount screw. That would not look bad, and should solve the problem. Taking the case, with the heavy metal mounting brackets off was very simple. I think it is about 50 pounds! The bike seems to handle a little better.

 

[2021FE]

Update: I removed the trunk. It was very straight forward as mentioned before. Underneath the trunk there is a plastic cover being held in with two plastic push pins. There are two zip ties that hold the witing that need to be cut and then two electrical plugs that need to be disconnected. Inside the trunk there are four plastic plugs that need to be removed. Underneath the plastic plugs are a T40 torqx head bolt. Remove the four bolts and then lift the trunk off. Yes the break light warning will illuminate on the dashboard. When you reinstall the trunk the warning will go away on its own.

 

[2021FE]

Update: I removed the trunk. It was very straight forward as mentioned before. Underneath the trunk there is a plastic cover being held in with two plastic push pins. There are two zip ties that hold the witing that need to be cut and then two electrical plugs that need to be disconnected. Inside the trunk there are four plastic plugs that need to be removed. Underneath the plastic plugs are a T40 torqx head bolt. Remove the four bolts and then lift the trunk off. Yes the break light warning will illuminate on the dashboard. When you reinstall the trunk the warning will go away on its own.

 

[Cu Dubh]

Update: I removed the trunk. It was very straight forward as mentioned before. Underneath the trunk there is a plastic cover being held in with two plastic push pins. There are two zip ties that hold the witing that need to be cut and then two electrical plugs that need to be disconnected. Inside the trunk there are four plastic plugs that need to be removed. Underneath the plastic plugs are a T40 torqx head bolt. Remove the four bolts and then lift the trunk off. Yes the break light warning will illuminate on the dashboard. When you reinstall the trunk the warning will go away on its own.

Nice. Would you post photos of your bike without the top case? I'm curious!

 

[Star-Lord]

Do you have a HEX tool GS-911? Maybe you can eliminate the error code via the GS-911?

 

[Morlin]

My question is this: as a TC owner can I simply unbolt and unplug the pigtails without having any fault codes or malfunctions and then when I am ready plug the pigtails back in bolt it all down and have it functional again? I would like to remove my rear trunk as I really only “need” it like twice a riding season. I just haven’t made the attempt yet as I’d prefer avoiding a costly trip to the dealership for the bike to be hooked up to the BMW electro-digital machine. Anyone who knows I’d appreciate your experience. Thanks all for contributing to this awesome forum.

I removed the Top Case easily, remove the two pigtails from the top case and tuck under the seat. It is best to remove the metal side brackets, as they are bulky and heavy. You will get a fault code that your brake light is not working. The brake light is the 2 conductor plug. I bought an inexpensive "bullet" style brake light, and mounted it with the seat bolt, connected to the two wires going to the two prong plug, and everything works as it should!! Looks awesome also.

 

[Morlin]

I decided against it for now. Still want to give it a try mainly to see how it improves handling.

It is very easy! remove the 4 big bolts behind the side cases, pop the cover off underneath the top case to expose the pigtails, and fold the pigtails under your seat. I also bought a small brake light (actually a directional signal with a red lens) and connected it to the two wire connector, then bolted it down with the seat bolt. Everything works as it should, and no error messages! Bike looks and feels better without that bulky and heavy top case.