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Somebody help me understand the luggage options

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wczimmerman

wczimmerman

The ORIGINAL Pie Man
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So, I found this top case mounting hardware:

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/index.php/trade/productview/232/91/

and it says it will work (with an adapter) with most of the major luggage products out there. I am familiar with Givi and Krauser, but only by name. Who sells this stuff for a good price and how much am I looking at for cost of a topcase? Are there others I should look at? I understand the cost will differ on the size of the box.
 
I got my Givi top case and mounting hardware from Honda Direct Line for just under $350 as I recall. The cool thing is, there's no sales tax, and no shipping on any orders over $100.

If they don't have VFR mounting options listed, you might also check out AZ Motorsports. They also carry Givi and have some real nice prices ... almost bought from them instead of HDL.
 
Gixster had the Krauser bags on his Busa in Hico. I like they way they work (and look) better than the Givi bags and racks. He bought the bags off of ebay and the rack from some place like Twistedthrottle.

In most Givi and Krauser any medium sized case can be used as a top or side case. That is a pretty nice looking mount, not too large without the case.
 
bluedogok said:
Gixster had the Krauser bags on his Busa in Hico. That is a pretty nice looking mount, not too large without the case.
Click to expand...

Yeah-and after our little "Quality Assurance" run, I looked up the Krauser bags online. I really like the look of the mount compared to some that I've seen.

My problem (among others :scratch) is I would like to carry some luggage for big rides like the coming CO rally, but I don't want something that destroys the lines of the bike. The Givi mounts for the VFR are butt ugly when the bags are removed. I've had my concerns, too about the look of the top case alone without side bags. This mount addresses the asthetics when the bag is removed, so now I need to see if the VFR looks goofy with a top case. Assuming everything is fine, then I need to find a reasonably priced case. I have also considered soft luggage, but because of the shape of the tail section of the VFR, that is proving to be difficult. Most saddle bags get pointed outward at the front. Again-probably functional but, in my eyes, dumb looking.

I know....I know...being picky. :shrug:
 
I like the looks of the SW-Motech racks much better that the Givi, they look much nicer when the bags are off, at least they did on Tracy's bike. And we all know it is hard to make a Busa look nice :mrgreen:

From the pic they have on the SW-Motech rack for the Sprint, it doesn't look too difficult to pull the mount off. Not sure how accurate that is, but it didn't look too bad. Buck runs his top case without the Aprilia sidebags most of the time, it looks a little goofy to me, but I think you learn to live with the function day to day.

I know that right now I am going the softbag route, atleast until I get some paying work so I can start buying accessories and a new bike for the wife.
 
Scott had a topcase on his VFR (I don't know if I ever saw it with the side bags on, but the rack was there). He has always loved the ease and convenence of hard bags on a bike, regardless of the look.

Maybe he has some pics of how the VFR looked from different angles with the luggage. I found these, but I don't know if they give you the angle you're looking for.

thumb11.JPG


thumb12.JPG
 
The blue VFR setup is kinda what I'm thinking of doing. I also looked at buck000's setup as mentioned earlier. It might work for me. According to AZ Motorsports, the E45 case is about $180.
 
:tab Lots of pics: http://sfriday.com/VFR800/givi.htm

:tab I don't think the Wingrack was all that ugly personally. But to some people it was sacreligious to have something so hideous on the bike :shrug: Once you ride around with it for a bit, you get to where you hate to not have the topcase on because it is just so freaking convenient. I only used side bags for trips. Our first trip out to Colorado was 8 days of riding and Beth and I both used only the E50 topcases for the whole trip. In the shots above, that was our second trip and what you see is all the luggage we took with us. Somewhere in the pics of the first trip is a good shot of her SV650S with a solo tailbag.

:tab Bang for the buck, I loved the GIVI. The Wingrack I had was made of metal and VERY sturdy, having survived two low speed get offs and acting as a rear frame slider. I have since sold it and the bags to another TWT member. Even when the bags were not on the back, it was great for strapping stuff down. The newer GIVI stuff is being made of some kind of plastic. It is lighter, but I question its durability :-|

Adios,
 
Doh, forgot to mention, if you order from AZmotorsports, tell them you are a member of the VFR mailing list and ask for the 10% discount. I think they are still doing that!

Adios,
 
When I had the VFR, I had a Givi E460 topcase with E21 side cases. It was the perfect setup for my needs. The rack was a Five Star and I was pretty happy with it.

I've got pics of the whole setup..I'll try to find them and post a few.

Pete
 
Thanks, Scott. Those pics helped quite a bit. I think a Givi case with the above rack mount might work for me. Can you tell we're ramping up for CO?

Pete-I would like to see those pics, too.
 
I'm thinking an E45 case....

What's the minimum size that will hold a helmet? I would like a case that doesn't stick up too much. I'll probably buy 2 since Jen's GS already has the Givi mount.
 
I've got the V 46 and it's a tight fit but it will hold a helmet. I imagine the next size down wouldn't
 
Randy,

:tab Not seeing a side view of the way the topcase mounts, I am suspicious. If it mount to the two holes where the passenger grab rail mounts, and the two holes further back from that, it is no good. That is how my Jesse topcase mounted. The aluminum rack on the GS cracked all the way through where the forward set of holes are located. I did not over load the bag either. It was just a case of fatigue. I am currently working on a better mounting system that can more efficiently handle the load.

Adios,
 
Take an extreme position

No more being reasonable. :suicide:

Either take the extreme position and cobble something together for cheap using Pelican and bailing wire as 10-95 suggested

http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=3038

Or pay through the wazoo for Givi, Krauser, OEM or whatever and dont gripe about the price.
 
Tourmeister said:
Not seeing a side view of the way the topcase mounts, I am suspicious. If it mount to the two holes where the passenger grab rail mounts, and the two holes further back from that, it is no good.
Click to expand...

I mounted the Givi TopCase this past weekend. It mounts using the two grab rail holes (Side note: I didn't realize that those two grab screws hold the entire taillight assembly on.), and then there are two support braces that mount on the two rear bolts supporting the side case mounts. These braces run under the BMW rack and extend out to the two slots on the end. The mounting plate is secured through the grab rail holes and to the support braces through the BMW rack.

It seems fairly solid. I will probably still not want to overload it.

The cool thing is that is will hold two full face helmets inside.
 
Please post pics of the mounting hardware!!

Adios,
 
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