Panniers won't open

Tantalus

Tantalus

Joined
Jul 22, 2021
Messages
19
Location
Washington, DC
Bike
'10 NT700, '02 BMW 1150GS
I recently bought mine with 16K miles. After a few openings and closings, the panniers have decided to stay closed. The key can be inserted, turned and removed, but the levers will not pull out and release either lid.

I tried the dowl-in-the-vent trick, discussed in the one pertinent thread I found. I believe I moved the rod, but nothing changed. I'd appreciate any ideas.
 
Tantalus said:
I recently bought mine with 16K miles. After a few openings and closings, the panniers have decided to stay closed. The key can be inserted, turned and removed, but the levers will not pull out and release either lid.

I tried the dowl-in-the-vent trick, discussed in the one pertinent thread I found. I believe I moved the rod, but nothing changed. I'd appreciate any ideas.
Click to expand...
Well, one of them finally cooperated.
 
If you ever get both sides to open, you should remove the saddlebag lids and the saddlebag inners from the bike then remove & clean the latching mechanisms. With the seat off, you can barely see the mechanism on each side but to clean it thoroughly requires removal from the inner. After all this time, the factory grease on the moving parts of the mechanisms has gummed-up.

Good luck.
 
Thanks! I probably angered the sludge demon by squirting some WD-40 on things. I'll disassemble things for a more thorough job.
 
...and once clean, only use silicone spray on those spring-loaded moving parts because it's less apt to attract dust and grime.

ps. WD-40 is not a cure-all for everything!
 
WD-40 should never be used as a lubricant, it's prime use it Water Displacement, hence the name WD, it's also good for removing that tacky glue residue when you've peeled tape.
If you need a lubricant and a protective film then please go with ACF-50.
 
Tantalus said:
I recently bought mine with 16K miles. After a few openings and closings, the panniers have decided to stay closed. The key can be inserted, turned and removed, but the levers will not pull out and release either lid.
Click to expand...
There's a very good video on Youtube that describes very exactly how the pannier locking mechanism works. It might be worth a look. It changed my approach to opening/closing.
 
harryhendo said:
There's a very good video on Youtube that describes very exactly how the pannier locking mechanism works. It might be worth a look. It changed my approach to opening/closing.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but I wish Soundtechguy had filmed his teardown. I'm still chasing goblins. Both sides now latch properly, but the release levers won't budge. I have to actuate the rod to open them.
I am now mulling over whether to take everything apart or give up and mount external latches, which is disappointing given I just bought it. Wonder how the PO got it working long enough to sell it.
 
Sounds like the cables from the saddlebag lock cylinder to the latch mechanisms are not working properly, with the seat off if you look at the mechanisms while turning the lock cylinder with the key, you should be able to see it move Hardware in the Locking mechanisms. It doesn't move far, but it moves far enough to let the external Saddle Bag opening levers do their job.
 
As far as external latches go, has anyone ever found a good, wide one to use -- one for each case? I found speculation about a Hepco Becker one in a '17 thread, but no follow up.
 
rc_heli_nut said:
Not sure ACF 50 available in the USA, but PB Blaster is, available virtually everywhere. Better choice than WD 40 for freeing up gummy mechanisms.
Click to expand...

You can get ACF 50 off Amazon. If I remember correctly it’s made in Canada. It’s used a lot in aircraft applications. I bought a couple of cans several years ago and still have one full one and about 1/2 of the other left. A little goes a long way and it works really well in moist applications.
 
Tantalus said:
Yeah, but I wish Soundtechguy had filmed his teardown.
Click to expand...
I've often found that the 'exploded' diagrams on the parts sites are incredibly helpful in tracking down problems. Like this one for the left pannier:

leftpannier.png

You can zoom in on the diagram and see all the intricate details. As an engineer, I'd have to deduce that this is much too complicated a mechanism just to open a door.
 
harryhendo said:
I've often found that the 'exploded' diagrams on the parts sites are incredibly helpful in tracking down problems. Like this one for the left pannier:

View attachment 18527

You can zoom in on the diagram and see all the intricate details. As an engineer, I'd have to deduce that this is much too complicated a mechanism just to open a door.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm sure Honda will adopt a different, simpler approach on any new integrated system.

For the near term, I will go with a push-rod setup. If I don't solve the problem soon I'll go with an external latch (although I hate all the ones popular here). When I find something I like I'll share. I realize this is an ancient issue for most of you.
 
Warren said:
You can get ACF 50 off Amazon. If I remember correctly it’s made in Canada. It’s used a lot in aircraft applications. I bought a couple of cans several years ago and still have one full one and about 1/2 of the other left. A little goes a long way and it works really well in moist applications.
Click to expand...

I would suggest going with the ebay 1Ltr of ACF-50 here in the UK it costs us £28.00 much better and easier to apply than using the aerosol version 1Ltr will last for a good few years.
 

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My latches stopped working after some wet riding in VT after a Hurricane. They had repaired a lot of riverbanks with crushed granite and the "dust" fouled the grease in the mechanisms. Cleaning off the factory grease restored function. I am not one to spend a lot of time making my bike pretty but in spite of having it fall over on the right bag twice they still work.

Don't treat them like a 63 Chevy and they will be O.K.
 
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