Bike Rack Compilation Thread Options

[Andyrew]

So im getting into biking a lot and want to take my 914, However I need to build a rack for it. I wanted to make a thread for bike racks to put all the links and pictures together in one place. Also I was hoping any closet bike rack makers might come out and show their setup if they havent already.

Also if you could comment on a setup if your using it, that would be great!
Answering questions like the following.
1. How easy is it to set up (time, difficulty aka preventing scratches)
2. How easy is it to take down (same as above)
3. How confident are you durring cornering and braking that nothing will move
4. What was your cost
5. Would you do anything different/ modifications
6. Does it cause any scratches


Onto the setups,

Elliot Cannons setup
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=52072&st=0

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1659-1174070864.jpg)


Josheph Mills setup
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=52072&st=0
(2/3rds down the page)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-39-1147989772.jpg)


Gopacks setup
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...mp;hl=bike+rack
(1/4 way down the page)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-2472-1284834888.jpg)


Dlee2604s setup
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...mp;hl=bike+rack
(2/3rds down the page)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-5956-1284948173_thumb.jpg)


Dontravers setup
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...c=97880&hl=

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-2461-1248572570_thumb.jpg)


Mepsteins setup
Mepstein comments on his targa top setup used for 5 years, SEE POST # 17
More comments, SEE POST # 6
Comments by Rand SEE POST # 22

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10825-1287589824_thumb.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10825-1287532185_thumb.jpg)

Majkos's hitch mount setup
Majkos comments on his setup. See previous posts as well for more info!

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1729-1287597471_thumb.jpg)

Jmargushs setup
Comments and detailed pics!

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-2176-1287664639.jpg)

JTarver
Comments

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-11559-1287800871_thumb.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-11559-1287874685.jpg)

Joe Owensby
Description SEE POST 52,53,55

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-5385-1287894368_thumb.jpg)

Andyrew
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-172-1288246281_thumb.jpg)

mettelman's setup
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-15132-1370980307_thumb.jpg)
Comments and Pictures

Here are some aftermarket options. (From Bowlsby's web site)
http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Accessories.htm


"Hardt"

REVIEW BY TOM_T, SEE POST # 8
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530446.1.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530446.2.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530447.3.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530447.4.jpg)


"Piper"

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530447.5.jpg)


"2 Bikes"

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530447.6.jpg)


Next as refference it was claimed that the bolt hole size is M6x1.00 for the holes under the targa bar.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;hl=Bike*+Rack



Please post up any information you have and I'll try to encorperate it!

[Tom_T]

Here are some aftermarket options. (From Bowlsby's web site)
http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Accessories.htm

"Hardt"
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530446.1.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-172-1287530447.4.jpg)

Okay Andy - I can comment on this one above, because it's mine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

BTW - the Hardt instructions above list 6x16mm Allen Bolts/screws for mounting under the rollbar (3 per side), & that's what was also used on ski racks mounting up under there.

Not necessarily in your number order above ......

Cost -
It was about $35-45 back in the late 70's from Chick Iverson Porsche+Audi (now Newport Porsche), so if you use the 2x per decade rule of thumb inflation rate, that's about $140-180 in today's dollars.

Stability -
Listen - common sense has to rule a bit here. You're just NOT going to find any bike rack set-up which allows you to corner all out, as you would without it on. The Hardt B14 was certainly stable enough for me to have a fun time driving, but I didn't go out playing "double the speed limit" (yellow diamond speed warning signs) on the corners either! You have to choose aggressive driving or a bit of common sense speed/cornering - or suffer the consequences to bikes, racks, 914 body parts, etc.! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Set-up & Dismount -
About 10-20 mins. including mounting 1-2 bikes - about the same either way on or off - but only 5-10 mins. to get just the bikes off to ride or access the rear trunk (see below) assuming you take off the trunk/seat plates to avoid their sliding or dropping to damage paint with the lid up.

Once you've got the hang of it, it was in the shorter time frame, or if you had a partner to help. You'll want the bikes well secured, so a race to mount them isn't helpful, as you're best to recheck & re-tighten everything once. Ergo, dismounting the bike(s) &/or racks is slightly faster.

BTW - with quick release wheels I usually removed them & put them in the rear trunk first/out last, in order to avoid theft when in food/pee/gas/etc. stop, since I could use a cable lock on each to secure them to the racks & park it in-view to at least deter theft.

Functionality -
I used it & it was stable & held the bikes well - even at freeway speeds & on the winders, but I used a couple of old towels doubled up under the plates for the bike seats where they go on the rear trunk/deck lid to protect the paint a bit more than the foam pads did.

That said - I still would not use it that way if your 914 has fresh paint, it's still pretty perfect, you're picky &/or is a CW queen. In which case I wouldn't recommend it at all in such cases, and probably not any bike racks nor my other hauling method for that matter.

The way it mounts you can remove/replace the targa top with the bikes on, but you still need to take them off to open the rear trunk to stow the top &/or to get at luggage/etc.

It can haul either 1 or 2 bikes (street + mountain, 1 for your gal or buddy), with the securing straps to an empty seat plate with just 1 bike (see instructions pic above). I liked them & used them often 76-85 & never had a problem with them, and was very careful to not cause paint damage.

But frankly, when hauling just my 1 bike - unless I needed the rear trunk for luggage, camp gear, etc. - I just took off the quick release front hub/wheel & stowed it in the rear trunk with a towel over the rear wall/lip & a shoestring to secure the trunk lid (wink-wink-nod-nod), since I didn't have quick release pedals & the height was a bit more than the trunk closed dimension with them on. That was usually a lot faster & easier for a quick trip by myself to San Diego or wherever to go cruzin with my buddies.

Future Use & What to Do Different -
That above was when it was my DD & only car as well, so I had to use it more functionally then - than I & others do today as a collector/vintage car (or than I will do - whenever my resto is done, that is! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ). I doubt that I'll use them soon after my resto - until a later time when the paint isn't quite perfect anymore, unless if I can take some additional steps to protect the paint & bodywork from damage when in use.

Other Bike Rack Ideas -
I've seen another set-up similar to Elliot's modified Yakima set-up below, except that it had 90 degree-angled riser plates similar to on the Hardt I have - connected under the rollbar & extending up, to carry a standard Yakama cross-bar above & clear of the rollbar & targa top. That guy had used it for skiis, surfboards, kayaks, bikes, etc. The downside is that everything had to come off to access the rear trunk.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1659-1174070864.jpg)

.

For skiis alone, that is why I preferred the ski racks which spanned flat above the targa top from the rollbar mounts to the ones in the windshield frame, because the skiis could stay on & locked in place, but still get access to the rear trunk for your stuff. I used these ski racks for about the same price & purchased from the same P+A dealer in the late 70's.



.

.

Word of Caution on mounting into Targa Top -
The FG targa top will crack & break with the stresses of a bike rack etc. mounted into it - even if it's a 2nd top, which is just asking for trouble. A lot of VW Westy owners have had trouble with the FG pop-tops cracking/failing with the various roof rack mounted on them & loaded up. It would have to be a highly reinforced top - or steel with under bracing as with the 916/914-6GT racers' steel roofs - in order to hold up.

Even then, you're adding a lot of stresses to the windshield frame, which can be bent out of position simply by people using it as a hand-hold getting in & out of the car! Plates or washers alone underneath won't prevent the FG from cracking with a couple of bikes above & the speed & cornering forces the 914 will generate - & a steel X-brace with welded plates for the rack attachments - similar to what many 914/4 & 914-6 racers use for bracing the rollbar to windshield frame - may or may not "save" the FG top from stresses from the through bolts to the rack.

Plus, I don't even know if the targa top latches will stand up to the stresses & weight of a couple of bikes up there! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Hope this helps your quest for the Holy Grail!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[mepstein]

I don't know if our targa tops are thicker than a Westy fiberglass top but mine did not crack over 5 years of daily use. Yakima does make mounts to fit fiberglass tops used on pick up trucks. The mounting feet are nice and wide and distribute the pressure. I have a feeling that 2 racing bikes that total less than 40lbs is much less than what Westy owners are loading up on their tops.

There are no quick release pedals but you do need to take the time to remove them if you put the bike in the trunk, otherwise you will dent the trunk from the inside out. The metal is very thin and the pedal will force alot of pressure to a very small spot. * Remember - left side pedals thread in reverse.

[Tom_T]

I don't know if our targa tops are thicker than a Westy fiberglass top but mine did not crack over 5 years of daily use. Yakima does make mounts to fit fiberglass tops used on pick up trucks. The mounting feet are nice and wide and distribute the pressure. I have a feeling that 2 racing bikes that total less than 40lbs is much less than what Westy owners are loading up on their tops.

There are no quick release pedals but you do need to take the time to remove them if you put the bike in the trunk, otherwise you will dent the trunk from the inside out. The metal is very thin and the pedal will force alot of pressure to a very small spot. * Remember - left side pedals thread in reverse.

No trunk lid dents in 10 years Mark, but I put a 4-8x towel between the pedal & top, then cinched the tie-down lightly to not press nor allow bounce.

BTW - my buddy into racing back then did have a quick release on his pedals, so we could pop his apart & completely close the rear trunk lid with no problems (even with the 8x towel) when I took him to races a couple of times. I wasn't a racer so I don't know the make nor type for those pedals, nor if they're made today (I basically got back into bikes for training for my Rugby after a bad case of shin splits one summer).

The Westy tops are thinner on top, but about the same at the sides/edges where the Yakima brackets mount, & yes those Westy types overload their tops - esp. the Synchro guys going to Baja etc. We never did.

My comments were directed more towards the folks wanting to drill mount through a FG targa top, as that will start stress fracture points for sure in the top - at any thickness. Even with edge/gutter mounted racks, it may cause enough torsional stress to tweak the FG top & cause stress fracturing, more due to the stresses of having the bike(s) weight pushing & pulling in response to lateral G-forces in corners, &/or due to wind pressures acting on them as "sails".

Your Yakima edge mount may be okay with lighter race bikes, but do monitor the edges for chips & cracks over time.

I say so because I recently discovered a small 1/8" v-chip at the front edge of my top just where the front ski mount goes into the windshield frame, apparently caused by the torsional pressure of it twisting slightly with the skis mounted (wind pressure?). 35-40 yr old FG can be more brittle than fresh stuff, as any vintage surfboard, Hobie Cat or other FG hulled boat owner can tell you!

BTW - for those mounting skis in the vertical (side up) position on 914's, make sure to mount them nose to the rear, so as to avoid additional pressure on the front mount into the windshield frame mount from the curved out tips (or up/down in a flat mount rack). My 914 ski rack had that tip in the instructions.

I agree with the others Mark - plz post pix & the info of your set-up - esp. which gutter mounts you used for your set-up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif)

Nice set-up at your link Elliot!
Although I liked your yellow zonker avitar better, than the UPS 747 of you former days! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

This was a great idea to do this link Andrew, now you need to do one for Ski Racks, or one of our active skiers needs to do so. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)
... (neither my skiing nor 914 are "active" right now, so I don't qualify to do so (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ).

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)