6th gen luggage option

Disclaimer ; none of the pictures in the next posts are mine , they were taken from ; the internet , forums and users gallery . They were all public and I hope using them isnt against any forum rules here .

Im currently shopping for luggage for my 09 Vfr and I figure putting all the info I gathered into one thread might save some people the time consuming research I had to do . Im posting this in the 6th gen section as most of the information is related to that bike .

Tank bags , tail luggage ; soft , Honda OEM , GIVI old plx system and the new PLXR are
I think most of the option we have .

I am in not way an expert about luggage or VFR , Im fairly new to the VFR so what I giving here is information and my opinion .

p.s. French brain at work here , bear with me lol .

 

Tank Bags , a must IMO

I went with Alpinestars Tech Aero tank bag , very well made , quality all around .

It can be mounted with straps or the magnetic base ( wich is included ) . The tank bag can be unzipped from the base and use as a back pack , the straps for the back back are very well made and the magnetic base can also be use on its own as an all weather map holder , the bag also come with its own rain cover in an easy to acces compartment . To give an idead of the size , once expanded to the max ( zippers let you open the extra room ) it can carry a full face helmet . The magnets are strong and grip very well , I am using some soft padding between the bag and the tank to make sure it doesnt scratch .

The picture of the Astars bag below really dont give a good idea of its size and potential , I will try to take some better one and post them soon , this tank bag is really something . It is small and yet can carry a lot , it doesnt block the " dashboard " and is never in the way .

( thers is only one picture of the Astars bag , the other two are of the soft material to protect the tank )

 

Soft luggage ,

if I was to go with soft luggage I would most likely consider " Cortech sport tri bag " , more info
here ; http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/7663-cortech-sport-tail-bag-saddle-bags.html .

With the soft luggage come the risk of melting it with our undertail exhaust but thanks to people
who " know how " and who took the time to post it we can now make our own custom rack for
soft luggage . I cant find it now but I know someone on this board posted his rack and how to make it .
I will post a link to it asap once i find it .

Theres also this one I found on the net , we now have two to chose from .
( I dont have any credit in those two racks )

" Instructions: Start by bending the bar 2.5" across the center section of the bar, making two bends at 35 degrees. Measure the width of the bolts at the rear fender and drill. This will make it easy to fit the bar to the bike periodically to check dimensions. At 4.5" from the first bends, make another set of bends in the opposite direction again at 35 degrees. At 4.5 inches from those, make 90 degree bends toward the front of the bike, creating an overall width of approximately 19". At 10" inches from those bends, bend the bar inward at 90 degrees. The final bend was made using a vise since there isn't much bar stock left to work with on the bender. When I finished there was about 1" of excess on each end of the bar that needed trimming. Additionally, to get the bar to fit flush with the vertical angle of the rear fender, I placed the end piece (2.5" across) in a vice and bent each leg of the brace to about a 20 degree angle.

Note: Check your work frequently for fit and size. You may need to make adjustments here and there to get proper fit and to the particular dimensions you like. Good Luck. "

 

Honda OEM ,

if money is not a factor then I guess go with the Honda OEM .

Pros ,
- fit the bike perfectly
- perfect color match
- no other racks get the bags closer to the bike .

Cons ,
- price
- replacement parts , from what I understand you might as well buy
a new kit if you need any spare parts . ( can anyone confirm )

Pictures ;

 

GIVI ,

with GIVI we have two choise of rack for sidecase , and some more if your looking to add top case wich I didnt research yet .

Rack wise we have ,

- PLX ( regular ) wich stays on the bike at all time . Im personally not too tempted with this one , as far as I understand one of the anchor points is on the lower part of the passenger peg and I dont like the looks of it . But this might only be with the top case setting . ( if anyone can confirm )

- PLXR ( removable ) with this rack once the case are remove we can take the whole rack off the bike with the twist of 3 screws , this leave only 3 little bracket and a cleaner look .

Depending on the rack you have you can pick many cases and if you ever change bike you only need to get a new bracket . As far as I know with the PLXR system we can only get the V35 case ( Im not sure if its the same for the PLX ) .

V35 case ,

Pros ,
- Price , a few hundred less than the OEM .
- Replacement parts , name it they have it , from A to Z .
- Different colors , matte black ( least expensive ) or you can get the V35 with color insert / tab in , black , red , blue , green , yellow and coming this fall pearl white ( to fit my 09 )
- Can be equip with custom lights that will match brake and turn signal .

Cons ,
- Wont fit as snug as the OEM .
- Color tab / insert may not match all bike .
- Cant think of any other cons for now .

In order for pictures to not be a mess Ill put them in the next posts as ,
- V35 case
- PLX
-PLXR

I hope this can be of help to those like me trying to figure out wich case , rack , system is the best for their needs .

 

V35 case .

 

PLX rack ( regular ) , wider fit , might be better for those with aftermarket exhaust .
One of the anchor point is on the lower part of the passenger footpeg .

 

PLXR rack ( removable ), their newest rack . This is actually the one Im considering .