The LidKeeper is a tethering system for the pannier (saddlebag) box lids on the GL1100. Anyone with a GL1100 (or GL1200) knows that it is a royal pain in the butt every time you have to access something in one of the boxes. You unlatch the lid, pull it off, lay it across the seat - only to have the wind blow it onto the ground, scratching the paint. And if you want to remove both at once, one has to balance precariously on the seat, the other propped up on the ground - it's just not a good system. Worse, if you forget to latch one of them on properly, it will take flight while you're running down the highway at 60 mph...and smash into pieces when it hits the ground. Those lids are expensive!
Rudy's system solves both of these problems, and it does so very well. It took me about 45 minutes to install both sides, and that was with me taking pictures along the way.
The heart of the LidKeeper system is the adhesive pads. These are made of extremely strong thermoplastic, to which the tethers attach:
On the underside of the pads you'll see the steel pin fastened in place, and two strips of industrial 3M adhesive.
Each bag gets two sets of two pads, which are tethered together in sets of two. One set fastens from the inside front of the box to the inside front of the lid, and the other set fastens from the inside rear of the box to the inside rear of the lid.
The tethers have an extremely strong quick-release fastener, so that if you want to remove the lid completely, doing so is a very simple procedure taking only a few seconds.
On the inside (underside) of the lid is some sprayed-on paint, almost like a powder-coat. This paint has to be removed, and bare ABS plastic exposed, in order for the adhesive to work. I used regular painter's masking tape to mask off the area where the pads would adhere.
Using one of the bases as a gauge, I made sure there was a slight bit of extra space around each one.
The edge of the rear base should be about five inches from the rear lip of the lid.
The edge of the front base should be about four inches from the front lip of the lid.
To start, I used 100 grit sandpaper, to take the paint off of the plastic.
With the 100 grit sandpaper, I used just enough pressure to remove the paint, and not score the underlying plastic. Here, you can see I have removed half of the paint, so you can see the difference.
After the paint has been removed, I used 240 grit sandpaper to smooth the plastic.
Lastly, I used 000 extra fine steel wool.
I used the 000 steel wool in a circular motion, to polish the plastic, making it as smooth as possible. It should end up being almost shiny again, it's so smooth.
I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the paint and plastic shavings away. I used copious amounts of alcohol on a clean shop towel. There must be absolutely no trace of grease or oil remaining - that includes oil from your fingertips! Once the plastic has been cleaned with the alcohol, don't touch it with your bare fingers.
Here is the lid, with the paint removed and cleaned.
I used one of the adhesive bases and put it into place in the box, to give me an idea of where it was going to fit. This is the outer front corner of the box, right underneath the weatherstripping.
I did the same thing at the outer rear corner of the box.
Now that I knew where the adhesive bases were going to go in the box, I used alcohol and a clean shop towel to clean the areas well. This area of the boxes is unpainted ABS, so it does not need to be sanded or polished with steel wool - once it's been cleaned up and degreased, it's perfect as it is.
The LidKeeper kit comes with a packet of adhesion promoter, which is good for four bases.
After tearing the top of the adhesion promoter open, I used the sponge inside to spread copious amounts of the fluid on all four of the areas where the adhesive bases will be positioned. Don't get this stuff on your skin! Once it has been applied, let it dry for a good ten minutes.
I separated the tether bases from one another, and picked up the one with the shorter tether. This one goes into the lid.
Turning the base over, I carefully peeled back the plastic strips from the adhesive. Be VERY careful not to touch the adhesive with your fingers!
This is the most critical part of the entire process. Very slowly and carefully, the base needs to be moved into position on the underside of the lid, and then pressed into place. The instant the adhesive touches the plastic on the lid, it will be stuck together FOREVER, so make sure you get it right! Once it's in place, you need to apply some pressure to make sure the adhesive base contacts the lid completely. Then repeat the procedure with the second base in the lid (also using the shorter tether).
One base with the longer tether gets pressed into place into the rear outer corner of the box.
The other base with the longer tether gets pressed into place in the front outer corner of the box.
Peeling the masking tape off leaves just the bases in place. It's quite professional looking!
Reconnecting the short and long tethers together, you can see how the lid now hangs off the side of the box when you want to access the contents of the box.
Because the tethers are fastened to the outer corners of the box, they don't get in the way of anything in the box.
Looking inside the box with the lid in place, you can see how the tether hangs loose, so it does not restrict how full you can stuff the box.
Overall, I'm mighty pleased with Rudy's LidKeepers. It's a project that I had been trying to figure out how to do on my own for quite some time, and had never come up with an acceptable method - which is why I had never done it. I don't know that I would have ever come up with a system as simple, elegant, and strong as Rudy's. I highly recommend it!
Also available are Rudy's SecondBase kit, for keeping side covers from being lost if they come loose, and the PanelKeeper Deluxe kit, also for side covers, which uses two retainers per cover for an even more secure hold. I have installed the SecondBase kit on my GL1100, and it works great!
- Rudy's SecondBase
- Rudy's PanelKeeper Deluxe
Please advise if I'm incorrect (a common occurrence...)