Nickel II
08-09-2004, 05:10 PM
Below is a link to a cargo box similar to the Thule sidekick. 7.5" cubic of space, roughly 53" long x 24" wide by 14" tall. I went with this based on the price and seemed to look more aerodynamic than the sidekick.
Performace Bike Xport Xcess Cargo Box (made by Sport Rack at Sportrack.com)
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=13423&subcategory_ID=4415
Regularly $200, on sale for $120. If you are a performancebike.com member, you get 10% back for every $100 you spend. This past weekend they had 20% back so got this for < $100 in store. The internet site has 19 left in stock. This is a discontinued item.
First a caveat - this box was a major pain in the @ss to put together. There is less to do than what is described in the Thule Sidekick manual. The biggest pain was getting the locks to match up with the latches themselves, even though those pieces are factory installs. Even after I got them lined up, I needed to do some minor bending of the lock pieces themselves as they actually would get stuck on themselves in the locked position. This might not make sense, but I can offer a better explanation if you buy one and have the same problem. Simply know it is fixable.
Second Caveat - the box is made for 22" to 29" barspread. Even though Thule advertises a 28" spread, on my E it is 30". I did drill additional mounting holes to accomodate the brackets for the longer spread. Slight risk I suppose because I extended the mounting by 1". Used 1/4" drill bit and looks very clean. Drilling was effortless. I suspect this design warning is more weight related and don't plan to put anything other then light camping stuff, sleeping bag, mat, small 2 person tent, E cabana, 1 - 2 rain tarps. Be advised you will need to do this if you bar spread is more than 29" (Even at 29" it might be a tight fit). The amount of cargo box space to the front and rear of the box is still a good 11" on each side.
I mounted it last night and drove around town for an hour. Zero wind noise, no difference in handling feel, stopped a few times to check on it and it stayed secure. My wife commented how quickly it came off when I got home too.
The mounting brackets have spaces for straps. I plan to get 2 longer duffel bags to put my equipment in. I will then strap down the duffel bags to keep the stuff stable inside. I realize I increased failure risks by drilling the two new holes so I want to keep the contents as central to the box, weight evenly distributed, and secure as possible (ie, no shifting all the way to the front or rear.)
Also, with everything in two duffel bags, loading and unloading will be a breeze.
Performace Bike Xport Xcess Cargo Box (made by Sport Rack at Sportrack.com)
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=13423&subcategory_ID=4415
Regularly $200, on sale for $120. If you are a performancebike.com member, you get 10% back for every $100 you spend. This past weekend they had 20% back so got this for < $100 in store. The internet site has 19 left in stock. This is a discontinued item.
First a caveat - this box was a major pain in the @ss to put together. There is less to do than what is described in the Thule Sidekick manual. The biggest pain was getting the locks to match up with the latches themselves, even though those pieces are factory installs. Even after I got them lined up, I needed to do some minor bending of the lock pieces themselves as they actually would get stuck on themselves in the locked position. This might not make sense, but I can offer a better explanation if you buy one and have the same problem. Simply know it is fixable.
Second Caveat - the box is made for 22" to 29" barspread. Even though Thule advertises a 28" spread, on my E it is 30". I did drill additional mounting holes to accomodate the brackets for the longer spread. Slight risk I suppose because I extended the mounting by 1". Used 1/4" drill bit and looks very clean. Drilling was effortless. I suspect this design warning is more weight related and don't plan to put anything other then light camping stuff, sleeping bag, mat, small 2 person tent, E cabana, 1 - 2 rain tarps. Be advised you will need to do this if you bar spread is more than 29" (Even at 29" it might be a tight fit). The amount of cargo box space to the front and rear of the box is still a good 11" on each side.
I mounted it last night and drove around town for an hour. Zero wind noise, no difference in handling feel, stopped a few times to check on it and it stayed secure. My wife commented how quickly it came off when I got home too.
The mounting brackets have spaces for straps. I plan to get 2 longer duffel bags to put my equipment in. I will then strap down the duffel bags to keep the stuff stable inside. I realize I increased failure risks by drilling the two new holes so I want to keep the contents as central to the box, weight evenly distributed, and secure as possible (ie, no shifting all the way to the front or rear.)
Also, with everything in two duffel bags, loading and unloading will be a breeze.