Hi folks,

As a newbie to everything K75 I'm probably just not looking in the right place, but I have looked at all of the parts sites I've found and I'm getting nowhere. The latches on my panniers are not the locking type but I would consider converting. They're all pretty beat (as is the luggage), broken or missing and could benefit from replacement.

My latches look like this:





[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pEhRyR]

Anyone got a source for OEM or aftermarket replacements? TIA.

Those are the GEN 1 early locks. They are locking. You can see the keyhole if you flip up the rectangular cap in the center.

If you flip them open you will see the key code stamped into the side.

Well, would you look at that... those locks are well hidden!



I still need replacement latches though, for one side at the very least... and I don't have a key for them. Any idea where I might find either... alternatively, do Gen 2 latches fit?

A further search (https://forums.bmwmoa.org/threads/saddle-bags-1995-k75.65816/post-852408) reveals that these Gen 1 cases are not a factory match for my '92, and that even if I can find new latches, the keys can't be matched to the ignition and are very hard to come my. So that leaves me wondering if Gen 2 latches will fit, or if I should be looking at a used set of Gen 2 or 3 cases.

Get the gen 3 cases, the locks face out. Gen 2 they face into the bike and are very fiddly. Also gen 3 are bigger, 35 litre instead of 30 litre.

If you do decide to replace the Gen 1 latches with later models then there is a very good chance you will elongate the plastic holes that the original pop rivets use to hold the latch in place.  Even though I drilled the heads off they don't have the purchase to stop them spinning during this process and they still need to be punched out.  

To replace the original 1/8"-ish sized rivets I needed to use 5/32" ones as well as enlarging the holes in the latch.  As you use the latch as the base for one end the only real way to effect a repair is to access the holes from the interior of the pannier (after you separate both halves of the pannier).  You may get away with using 1/8" again but I decided to go over size for piece of mind.  

I repaired one pannier within the first year and the other thirty years later and used the same repair method for both by placing an alloy patch covering all three rivet holes on the inside of the pannier.  Both were for the lower latch which attaches to the Z frame but the others are just a variation of the above method.  You could use washers instead of the patch if you prefer but the patch repair will have far more strength than individual washers.  

Using air tools and skin clips make the job fairly straight forward by allowing you to accurately align all three rivet holes.  

The second image is the first repair after thirty years of abuse and mine are Gen 2 latches.  

Motobins and Motorworks in the UK still have the latches but they are not cheap.  

Have you tried kleinanzeigen.de ? Search for BMW kofferschloss. Here are some Latches for example. R-series frame latch seems to be a bit different to my eye by design.

I just noticed this thread. A slightly different approach to replacing a latch on a pannier that has lasted well for me is tapping a thread into the holes on the base plate of the latch then screwing them on from the inside using blue locktite on the threads of course. You need to do a trial fit to adjust the length of the metal thread screws so that the latch can close properly before final fit with locktite.

I was lucky in that I got the rivets out without doing any enlargement of the holes which is likely as Tackler has pointed out. Also I was using the same series of latch to the original. A backing plate as per Tackler's repair would certainly improve the strength of the mounting from what I did.







Cheers

I found a good compromise on Amazon so I went with that. I like the results:

TacKler wrote:If you do decide to replace the Gen 1 latches with later models then there is a very good chance you will elongate the plastic holes that the original pop rivets use to hold the latch in place.  Even though I drilled the heads off they don't have the purchase to stop them spinning during this process and they still need to be punched out.  

If you pull the lock away from the case and use a sharp drill bit at high speed then you can keep the rivet from spinning and be able to drill it out. One also needs to be careful not to let the rivet get too warm when drilling as that can melt the plastic around the hole which can mess things up.

I've taken many case locks off to learn these lessons.

"Experience teaches us many things that we never wanted to learn in the first place."