Has anyone not had an eventual problem with the sidecase latches?

[MotoFly]

The latches seem to be the one consistent design flaw on this otherwise reliable and enjoyable motorcycle--and I see many ingenious solutions offered here. Does anyone have a story of non-failure to share, or is such only a matter of time??

Tom

 

[junglejim]

I think mine were broken by the dealer when I picked it with 0 miles on it. He was showing me how to operate the side cases and repeatedly slammed them trying to get them to latch. I'm sure he broke the plastic then. However they did work for a few years. I reinforced the plastic bosses on the lids with epoxy, but eventually the bosses on the inside half broke too.

I believe most of them are already broken, in that the plastic is already cracked. But they continue to function until they become sufficiently displaced and then won't work. As noted on the forum it is possible (and advisable) to reinforce the plastic with epoxy. That helps a lot. My experience is that even after reinforcement they will eventually break. And like everything else, they seem to fail at the worst possible time.

 

[DirtFlier]

It's only a matter of time.

 

[ARKNT]

I think many of the latch posts were cracked from the factory. It just isn't a robust design at all.
If they are reinforced, you are careful, and the stars align, you can get many years and miles out of them.
One of the reasons I liked the NT in the first place was a full face helmet would fit in bag (big lids).

Brad

 

[dnktng]

I haven't had a problem yet, but I did take the seat latch off so if it does happen I can get in there easier. My secret is to make sure there is nothing in the seating surface and never slam. If it doesn't click shut check everything again and slowly push shut. It would also be unfair to omit that I use my top box more than the panniers because I find it is more convenient for commuting and most day-trip rides.

 

[NoVa Chris]

I have never been able to explain why some owners never have problems with the latches, including apparently many owners in Europe. But for me, its not a case of if they will fail but when. Even though I reinforced the inner towers with epoxy, I still lacked confidence, and it was always a nagging worry on longer trips. And in fact when I took the assemblies apart over the past month, a few of the towers were showing cracks at the top even with the epoxy reinforcement.

I have adopted Dirtflier's approach and replaced the self tapping screws with lengths of threaded rod epoxied into the towers. I now am about as confident as I can be in the system, and the lids close with a nice secure thunk.

I now feel better about the NT as a whole. And that's really the point. Why live with the uncertainty?

I would either install the threaded rods, or go to exterior draw latches. Otherwise you are never going to be sure.

 

[DirtFlier]

My threaded rod fix is now going on 3-years without any additional grief. Once a year at the start of the season, I remove the seat and clean the spring-loaded latches with brake cleaner then apply some silicone spray.

The threaded rods go deep into the plastic towers plus tightening the nuts doesn't cause the towers to stretch and crack like the screws did!

 

[WVRider]

Knocking on wood as I say this. No I have not had any problems on my 2010 with 64,000 miles, YET ! I treat them very gingerly and hope not to, However, now that I say this I'll probably start carrying something to hold them on when they do fail. :/

 

[moriniman2011]

Mine are fine at 9 years and 65000 miles including 3 years with the AA in London (breakdown service in UK) so they can last......and the US seems to have more issues than Europe as pointed out earlier.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Mine have been replaced under warranty, but are failing again. I've got draw latches to install when I get home from our trip to see my daughter.

 

[JimTid]

I had a 2010 model with 25,000 miles. I overloaded the left pannier on my Alaska trip. I was having to force it closed compacting the contents. The rear receiver on the lid cracked where the metal clip screws in. I repaired it with Plast-aid, an excellent and easy to use product. I sold the 2010 when I bought a NC700 DCT. I enjoy the DCT but missed the wind protection of the NT so I bought a 2011 model recently. The latches a fine but I think I will go ahead and reinforce them with plast-aid before they fail.

 

[Warren]

This summer it will be 8 years since I bought my NT. The latches held up until last year. One morning when I arrived at work the left lid was open. The latch posts had disintegrated. I will be instilling external latches as soon as it warms up. Clear packing tape is currently holding it closed. I seldom use the side bags as the top box holds what I need for my daily commuting. i suspect the posts cracked due to vibration and the jarring they received from daily riding.

 

[NoVa Chris]

In 2015 I attempted to repair cracked latch mounting points in my saddlebag assemblies. But the mounts were too badly cracked and broken to be repairable. I could have switched to external latches and saved money and time. But I wanted to preserve the original locking method. So I purchased new saddlebag assemblies from Partzilla for $125 each.

I recently noticed that these assemblies are no longer available from Partzilla. Some other on-line parts suppliers still list them, at prices starting at about $170 per side. But I am concerned that they may become unavailable. Which is one reason I decided to further reinforce the mounts on the assemblies I have.

 

[karl]

Have had mine refuse to open after a wet ride in Vermont with lots of granite dust on the roads from flood repairs. The original latches are still working with the big lids on with the right side scarred from falling over twice.