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Not sure which GCAG soft rack or strap kit fits your bike? Start with the general rule: a stock, narrow dirt-bike fender calls for the Hardcore Soft Rack, and an aftermarket rack that adds width plus rear mount points makes the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit workable. The Scramble Rack is the minimalist option for carrying bags on the sides. Find your bike below. If it isn't listed, email photos to Info@GreenChileADV.com.
Jump to: How the Green Chile luggage system works | How to choose a soft rack | Rigging tips | Exhaust heat and strap routing | Fitment by make and model | Quick reference by bike
A GCAG soft rack (the Hardcore Soft Rack, GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit or Scramble Rack) attaches to the back of the bike and adds loops along the top and sides. Strap kits such as the Mondo Straps Kit and GCAG Bag Snake Kit girth-hitch to those loops or to mount points on the bike, and cam buckle tensioners keep each bag tight. Every piece is modular, so the same parts can be rearranged for a day ride or a multi-day trip. For a walkthrough, read How Does The Green Chile Luggage System Work?
Yes. GCAG's system is built around any bag on any bike: strap kits such as the Mondo Straps Kit and GCAG Bag Snake Kit secure dry bags, duffels or other soft bags to a GCAG soft rack or directly to mount points on the bike. Strap kits don't include bags; GCAG recommends dry bags such as the Explorer Dry Bag.
Use the Mondo Straps Kit for top (rear) bags and the GCAG Bag Snake Kit for side bags. The GCAG Mondo UL is a lighter option for top bags. Trail Ties work well for small-diameter bags. One strap kit secures one bag.
The GCAG Bag Snake Kit uses one strap that crosses the bag three times. Its ring tensioner has a double ring that acts as a secondary buckle, so you can loosen the cam tensioner to open the bag and the bag stays on the bike. Each kit includes a cam tension loop, a metal ring tension loop, a six-foot runner loop and a metal ring loop.
Make a girth hitch with the runner loop around any mount point on your bike or soft rack, thread the flat runner back through the metal cam buckle and pull it tight. The built-in tensioner keeps the bag snug while you ride. A Mondo Straps Kit has two cam buckle tension loops and two four-foot runner loops, carries one bag, and works with or without a GCAG soft rack.
GCAG generally suggests side bags of about 20 liters or less; that's a preference rather than a hard limit. The Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle and the Pecos Value Bundle both come with two 20L Explorer Dry Bags.
For dirt bikes and enduros with a stock, narrow plastic rear fender and no rear subframe, GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack. Its two carbon fiber support bars give the plastic fender weight-bearing support, and its loops and side straps give strap kits places to attach. For a complete camping setup, the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle adds two GCAG Bag Snake Kits and two 20L Explorer Dry Bags.
The Hardcore Soft Rack is built for enduro-style bikes with narrow plastic fenders and little or no subframe; its carbon fiber support bars add weight-bearing support, and its base is about 15 inches long by 6 inches wide. The GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit was developed on the Kawasaki KLR650 for bikes with a rear subframe or an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points; its base is about 17 inches long by 10 inches wide. On a bike that has a subframe, the Hardcore's extra support usually isn't needed and the Uprising costs less.
Yes, if the rack adds width and rear mount points and is braced down to the frame, such as a True North rack on a Husqvarna FE 501; then the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit becomes a workable choice. On a stock, narrow dirt-bike fender, or with a small rack bolted only to the plastic fender, use the Hardcore Soft Rack instead.
The Scramble Rack is a minimalist soft rack optimized for carrying bags on the sides, with only a small top surface for small packs. It's also what most riders run on the KTM 690 and Husqvarna 701. It comes in three versions (Enduro - Fender Hooks, Street - Girth Hitch, and Dual Sport - Girth Hitch with Fender Strap), and GCAG recommends GCAG Bag Snake Kits for the side bags.
It depends on your bike, and because rear plastics change between model years, the right version can vary by year. The Enduro - Fender Hooks version hooks under the fender or around a rack, and you must be able to set the side straps at a sharp angle to the base's rear rings to keep it from sliding forward. The Street - Girth Hitch version uses a girth hitch instead of hooks, so it needs grab handles or a rear rack to attach to, and it gives a more positive connection than a hook. The Dual Sport - Girth Hitch with Fender Strap version is the Street version plus a fender strap that keeps the rack from sliding forward, and it's GCAG's favorite Scramble Rack for any bike that allows a fender strap.
The Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle includes the Hardcore Soft Rack, two GCAG Bag Snake Kits and two 20L Explorer Dry Bags. The Pecos Value Bundle is essentially the same bundle built on the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit instead of the Hardcore. Choose the Hardcore bundle for a bike with a narrow plastic fender and little or no subframe, and the Pecos for a bike with a subframe or an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points.
Both are built on the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit. The Pecos Value Bundle adds two GCAG Bag Snake Kits and two 20L Explorer Dry Bags, so it suits riders who need side bags. The GCAG Uprising Luggage System adds two Mondo Straps Kits and two Bag Snake Kits with no bags, for riders who already have bags and want to carry up to four.
Each GCAG soft rack is anchored at the rear differently. The Hardcore Soft Rack uses a fender strap, and so does the Scramble Rack's Dual Sport - Girth Hitch with Fender Strap version, which keeps it from sliding forward. On the Scramble Rack's Enduro - Fender Hooks and Street - Girth Hitch versions, set the side straps at a sharp angle to the base's rear rings. The GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit's standard rig attaches the rear base straps to slots on a tail rack, grab handles or similar points; on bikes without those, criss-crossing the rear straps is a modified rig that works like a fender strap.
Girth-hitch the side straps to the rear rings of the base. Run the fender strap through the top of the left rear ring, around the fender, and back up through the bottom of the right rear ring, then tighten the cam buckle. The fender strap is what keeps the Scramble Rack (Dual Sport - Girth Hitch with Fender Strap) from sliding forward.
Yes. All GCAG soft racks and luggage, including the Hardcore Soft Rack, GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit and Scramble Rack, can be removed quickly, for example to ride trails for the day without luggage. They attach with adjustable straps and cam buckles.
Bikes differ so much that GCAG has few bike-specific written instructions; a Quick Start Guide PDF is on the Instructions page, and product pages have videos. If you're not sure how to rig your bike, email photos of the seat area (top, both sides and underneath) to Info@GreenChileADV.com and GCAG will help you set it up.
It depends on your bike. Side bag weight can push the side plastics into the muffler, and a bag that touches the muffler can melt. The Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield prevents this. It keeps your bags off the muffler and acts as a standoff that holds the side plastics away. If your bike already has a built-in heat shield, or you don't carry side bags, you may not need one. If you do need a heat shield, we highly recommend the Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield.
On many dirt bikes the exhaust header sits very close to the frame, so the lower part of a soft rack's side straps has to be routed carefully. The GCAG Mount Point solves this: it adapts a bolt to a strap slot, giving an easy place to route the lower side straps. It's stainless steel, takes 1-inch webbing, is sold individually and doesn't include mounting hardware.
GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack, usually as the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle, for KTM EXC, EXC-F and XC-W models with a stock plastic rear fender. A GCAG Mount Point gives an easy place to route the lower side straps past the exhaust header, which is often close to the frame on dirt bikes. The Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield keeps side bags off the muffler; whether you need it depends on your bike's existing shielding and whether you carry side bags.
On a KTM EXC-style bike with a stock plastic rear fender and no subframe, GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack or the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle rather than the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit. The Hardcore was designed for enduro-style bikes, and its support bars give the plastic fender weight-bearing support. The Uprising only becomes workable when an aftermarket rack adds width and rear mount points and is braced down to the frame.
A small bolt-on fender rack, such as a NiceCNC rack on a KTM EXC, adds no real support for luggage. On those bikes GCAG recommends the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle, which is built on the Hardcore Soft Rack and its carbon fiber support bars.
It depends on how the bike is set up. Most riders run a Scramble Rack and carry side bags only. If the bike has an aftermarket rack that adds some width, the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit is a good choice because the gas cap can be reached through the opening in the Uprising.
On a stock Husqvarna FE with a narrow plastic rear fender, GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack or the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle. The GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit only works with an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points and is braced to the frame, such as a True North rack on an FE 501.
For a stock Honda CRF250L, GCAG suggests the Hardcore Soft Rack. The CRF250L is something of a hybrid, but it still has a narrow dirt-bike-style rear fender. The GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit can be made to work, and it becomes a workable choice when an aftermarket rack adds width and rear mount points.
On a stock Honda XR650L, GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack. With an aftermarket rack that adds some width and rear mount points, the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit can work.
GCAG generally recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack for the Suzuki DR-Z400, including bikes with a small tail rack. The GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit only becomes workable when an aftermarket rack adds width and rear mount points.
The Suzuki DR650 is a little different from most bikes: GCAG has rigged both the Hardcore Soft Rack and the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit on it, so either one can work. If you're not sure which suits your bike's setup, email photos to Info@GreenChileADV.com.
GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack for a stock Kawasaki KLX300 and for the KLR250. Like the Honda CRF250L, the KLX300 is a bit of a hybrid but still has a narrow dirt-bike-style rear fender. On a KLX300 with an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points, the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit can work.
GCAG recommends the Hardcore Soft Rack or the Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle for Beta RR and RR-S models (390 to 500) and for the Sherco 300 SE. These are enduro-style bikes, the category the Hardcore was designed for.
Yes. The Chile Tech Pannier Bundle pairs two GCAG Bag Snake Kits with two soft pannier handles so you can strap a dry bag or duffel on top of your panniers. Most pannier mount points accept the Bag Snake. Low-profile ring loops are an option for the pannier handles. You'll really only need them with Trax panniers, the same boxes Suzuki uses as stock on the V-Strom 650. Their brackets sit too low to fit GCAG's thicker webbing.
| Make | Model or type | Suggested GCAG setup |
|---|---|---|
| KTM | EXC / EXC-F / XC-W / XCF-W (250-530), stock plastic fender | Hardcore Soft Rack or Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle; GCAG Mount Point to route the lower side straps near the header; Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield as needed |
| KTM | EXC with a small bolt-on fender rack (e.g. NiceCNC) | Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle |
| KTM | 690 Enduro / 690 R / 690 SMC R | Most riders run a Scramble Rack with side bags only; GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit if an aftermarket rack adds width (gas cap reachable through the Uprising opening) |
| Husqvarna | FE / TE 250-501, stock | Hardcore Soft Rack or Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle; GCAG Mount Point; Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield as needed |
| Husqvarna | FE 501 with a True North rack | GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit |
| Husqvarna | 701 Enduro | Same as the KTM 690: most riders run a Scramble Rack with side bags only; GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit if an aftermarket rack adds width |
| Honda | CRF250L / Rally | Hardcore Soft Rack on a stock bike; the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit can be made to work, especially with an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points |
| Honda | XR650L | Hardcore Soft Rack stock; GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit with an aftermarket rack that adds width and rear mount points |
| Suzuki | DR-Z400 E / S / SM (including a small tail rack) | Hardcore Soft Rack; GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit only with a rack that adds width and rear mount points |
| Suzuki | DR650 | Either the Hardcore Soft Rack or the GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit (GCAG has rigged both) |
| Kawasaki | KLR250 | Hardcore Soft Rack |
| Kawasaki | KLX300 / KLX300SM | Hardcore Soft Rack stock; GCAG Uprising Soft Rack Kit workable with a rack that adds width and rear mount points |
| Beta | RR / RR-S 390-500 | Hardcore Soft Rack or Enduro Hardcore Camping Bundle |
| Sherco | 300 SE | Hardcore Soft Rack |
Email photos of the seat area (top, both sides and underneath) to Info@GreenChileADV.com and GCAG will help you set it up. You can also browse all GCAG Products.
