If you're an adventurer or dual sport rider, you're always looking for easier
and more convenient ways to pack luggage and supplies on your bike.
Tusk has developed an affordable complete pannier system with functionality and simplicity in mind.
The Tusk pannier rack system is the perfect addition to your bike to meet all your adventure needs.
The pannier racks are made from thick three quarter-inch powder coated steel tubing
and feature a four-point mounting system for rugged durability.
Their hood design rack made to fit the Tusk pannier boxes
are easy to accommodate just about any other pannier or piece of luggage.
With these racks, you'll receive mounting hardware that allows you to mount the Tusk panniers
or most any other brand aluminum panniers or plastic pelican type cases.
Installation of the Tusk pannier racks is complete in just minutes.
In this video, we'll be installing a set on a 1998 KLR650.
This install will be the same on the KLR650 from 1987 all the way up to 2007.
If you have a second generation KLR650, please refer to our 2008, a newer install video.
So the first thing we're going to do is disconnect both rear blinkers
and you do that underneath the rear fender.
When that's done, we can start removing the bolts holding the stock rear rack on.
There's two bolts on top and then one on each side.
Go ahead and completely remove those.
Once those are out, you should be able to pull that rack off.
You might have to work the blinker wires through the holes in the fender.
And now, the rack is off the bike that gives us access to the stock helmet lock.
We'll go ahead and pull that off by removing the two bolts holding it on.
We'll be installing this on the Tusk Pannier rack a little later.
We're also going to remove both blinkers from the rear rack as these will need to be relocated
to allow the pannier boxes to be mounted.
We'll also be using the Tusk pannier rack kit to relocate these blinkers a little later in the video.
So now, we can re-install the stock rear rack along with the two top bolts.
We're going to tighten both those bolts down to help us align the other bolt holes.
Next we're going to remove the top passenger peg bolt from both sides of the bike.
When you've got those out of the way, we're ready to install the pannier racks.
So these racks have got three main parts.
A hoop for each side and then a rear brace that will wrap around the rear end of the bike.
Each hoop is going to attach to the bike with three different bolts.
So go ahead and attach the first rack with the longest bolt threading into the middle mounting hole.
You'll use the shortest bolt to replace the one we removed from the passenger foot peg mount.
Just loosely snug both those bolts down for now.
Next comes the blinker mount.
This is going to sit on the outside of the top mount with the supplied bolt and nut to attach it.
You can go ahead and snug this bolt down
and then repeat these steps for the other rack.
Now, we can install the helmet lock in its new location on the rear support cross bar.
It's a good idea to use a low strength thread locker on both these bolts.
Tighten both bolts and secure this in place.
And then we can install the crossbar using the supplied four bolts and nuts.
You'll install two bolts on each side.
So when all four bolts are in place, you'll want to finish tightening the other three-rack mounting bolts.
And when you've got those tight for both racks, go ahead and tighten the four rear crossbar brace bolts.
Now that the racks are mounted, we're going to mount the blinkers.
We're going to first run the wires through the supplied 10-millimeter spacer
and you'll notice the stock blinker has two small plastic knobs on the end.
You can either choose to keep these on or you can cut them off using a razor blade for a more flush fit.
Either way works.
Now, we can route our stock wires to see if they'll reach the new location of the blinkers.
We've provided wire extensions for both blinkers if the stock wiring isn't long enough.
On this bike, the left blinker wires reach just fine but we need to cut
and extend the right wires in order for them to be long enough.
We'll start by snipping the blinker wires coming from the harness and then strip the ends of those wires.
After that, we can crimp a butt connector onto both those wires
and then connect the other side to the provided wire extension.
When you finish that, strip the ends of the two blinker wires coming from the harness
and connect them to the extension using the provided butt connectors.
Make sure you get a good crimp on each connector so they hold together.
When you're finished, it should look something like this.
Now, you can run those extended wires through the rear fender and up to the new blinker location.
Then run the blinker wires through the new mounting hole and then through the stock blinker nut.
Now's a good time to make sure the blinker works, and it does so we can finish tightening the blinker down.
Now, just go ahead and connect your wires.
It's a good idea to tape your connections with electrical tape for more protection.
Then we'll also zip tie the wires to keep them in place.
Now, we're ready to install the pannier boxes.
We'll be installing a set of Tusk panniers but these steps can be used to help mount
many other types of panniers or luggage to these racks.
First step is to install the rear pannier brace into rack hoop.
And now, you'll want to get another set of hands to hold the pannier box in the desired location.
It's important to leave enough room for the passenger's
leg and foot if you ever plan on carrying a passenger.
Then just make sure you got it positioned exactly where you want it before marking the location
of each hole in the brace onto the backside of the pannier box.
Once you have the holes marked, remove the rear brace from the rack hoop
and line it up with the marks on the pannier.
We're going to mark two of the corner holes with the center punch
and then go ahead and drill them using either a 11/32 drill bit or a 3/8 drill bit.
And then we're going to stick a bolt in both those holes to hold the brace in place while we drill the other holes.
When all the holes have been drilled, take that pannier and set it back to back with the other box.
Then use a marker or tire pen to mark the location of the holes we just drilled onto the other pannier.
Once you have them all marked, follow the same steps we used to drill the first pannier box.
After that, we can go ahead and start bolting one of the braces to each box,
and it's not a bad idea to use little medium strength thread locker on each of these bolts as they go in.
On the lower four bolts, you'll want to use a big washer on the bolt
and come out from the inside of the box so the nut is threaded on the outside.
Doing this is going to make it easier to get your luggage in and out of the box.
The top three bolts have to go in from the outside without using a washer,
and then you need to install the inner brace onto those top three bolts.
Once that's in place, go ahead and thread the three nuts onto the back side.
And now that all the bolts are in place, we can just go ahead and tighten all them down.
Once you're down with the first box, follow these same steps to mount the brace on the second box.
So now that we have the braces mounted to each box, we need to test their fitment with the racks.
Go ahead and install each box onto the racks checking for tightness on the rack and alignment of the latch pin.
If yours needs adjustment, we've provided washers to space the box out from the mount ring.
Keep in mind each application will be a little different.
Some boxes will require a washer behind every hole while others might require washers for
only the top three holes.
Some boxes might not even need any washers so just keep this in mind.
For pannier and latch assembly, you can refer to our Tusk pannier box assembly video.
Now, just install the panniers onto the racks to make sure everything fits properly
and to make sure your latch pin is lining up.
If everything looks good, we're going to mark the location for the locking knob on each box.
Keep in mind these locking knobs are for security purposes only
and are an optional accessory for your panniers.
So with the locking knob in place and both lid latches locked,
there's no way for anyone else to remove the panniers from your bike.
You'll see the threaded hole in the top front corner of each hoop
and we're going to mark the location of this hole onto the back side of each pannier box.
So remove the pannier from the rack and then we need to remove the side panel from the bike
so we can mark the location of the hole.
Go ahead and re-install the pannier onto the rack,
and then using a marker or small screw driver,
mark the location of the locking knob hole onto the back side of the pannier.
Remove the box one more time and go ahead and drill the hole you just marked.
We're using a 3/8 inch drill bit for this.
Once that's done, re-install the box onto the rack and thread the locking knob into that hole.
Repeat this process for the other box and you're done with the installation.
So when you're ready for adventure motorcycle riding,
Tusk is ready to make your trip easier and more enjoyable.
Tusk has also made convenient carrying handles for the Tusk panniers available to help you
with carrying your boxes to and from your bike.
For more information on these carrying straps and the Tusk pannier and rack system,
visit our website, www.rockymountainatvmc.com.
Rocky Mountain ATV MC carries all the dual sport and adventure rider parts, tools, gear,
and accessories you need to be ready for your ride.
We'll see you out on the trail!