The Problem

A weak casting leads to...

My handle broke!

Many owners report their latch handle breaking under normal use. Knowing of this weakness, many have modified the latch hooks on their bikes in the hope of avoiding this failure. In spite of these efforts, an un-scientific and subjective 'straw poll' indicates a significant failure rate across model years, possibly as high as %70. The manufacturer's 'fix' is to replace the entire lower half of the tail trunk. You can not buy the OEM latch handle itself. Prices for this assembly have been reported to run from $600 to $800. Fortunately, many owners have been able to replace their broken latch handles by having their tail trunks replaced under warranty. Some have been replaced multiple times.

There had to be a better way