Hi guys (and ladies),

I've been looking for a set of panniers for my '85 rs with not much luck. I recently came upon an ad for a set of Krauser cases from a '77 R100. Anybody tried a retro-fit or would this require surgery?
I do have the original BMW mounting racks.

Thanks,
Rob

I'm not sure exactly which cases you are looking at, but the ones on my K75s fit the mounting rails perfectly. If you take a look at the mounting area on the back of the panniers and compare them to your rails, you will be able to tell if they will work. I suspect they will not, but you never know.

My instinct is the Krauser cases from the R100 may not work. If the Krauser cases are 1977 types then its unlikely, but if they are a retrofit they may well be later ones [K2 type] like the ones in my photo and if they are grab them fast. All parts are readily available for them.

The K panniers are made by BMW so have a good look at any photos of the mounting rails as its most unlikely any Krauser cases will fit these rails.

If you get the mounting rails off the R100 with the Krauser cases you can make or buy the mounting fittings or you could contact Krauser as they are very helpful. I have Krauser K2 panniers on my K [they don't fall off....or open] and the mountings/rail sets for early and late Ks are readily available for them. I got them new off Krauser last year. The rails for the K2 cases are standard for all bikes because they are made to fit the panniers, only the mounting kits differ.

Feel free to pm me.

Panniers from most Monolever Airheads, '85 on, can fit the K pannier mount, no worries. But a '70 through '84 pannier and mount are not worth any hassle you will have attempting to get them to fit a K.

The Z frame mounts of a K bike are nothing at all like the early BMW/Krauser rectangular mounts of an Airhead and there isn't much of a chance you'll easily locate sufficient mounting points to fit the early mounts and panniers to your K.

As TWB says the 70s Krauser uses a rectangular frame and its not compatible with the K. The Krauser K2 uses a Z frame that  incorporates indicators and is compatible with the K. I had them on the L T and rate them highly. The 40 litre ones take a full face helmet.

k-wopper wrote:Hi guys (and ladies),

I've been looking for a set of panniers for my '85 rs with not much luck. I recently came upon an ad for a set of Krauser cases from a '77 R100. Anybody tried a retro-fit or would this require surgery?
I do have the original BMW mounting racks.

Thanks,
Rob

Hi Rob,

Parting out a whole 85' RT.  I have both side panniers, as well as the top luggage.  Please see a quick pick below.  Not in bad condition.  One of them, has one of the 2 locks that doesn't close.  Might be an easy fix, dunno.  Pictures are below.  Last image shows the damage to the one.  IF I hold it up, it will click into place, but because the top lock won't hold it falls down.

I'm located in Ottawa, so shipping might be a bit but let me know.

Yeah, I think dodgy DIY mounts might make for an uncomfortable miss-hap at highway speeds.
I'll continue the hunt for something more appropriate.
Thanks for the advice
Cheers,
Rob

I've got an 84 k100 RS and just purchased some k1100RT panniers for it in red. Cost me £75 so bit steep but quite nice as they are larger than my others. Personally I'd say look into other k models.