looking for some luggage/rack advice

My previous bikes came with luggage, so this having a choice thing is new to me.
Seems like Honda luggage is little on small side + expensive.

SW- Motech for the racks?
And what for the luggage-Givi or something else?

 

Hi check out my motech/givi combo which fit the bike like a glove 10/10, which is also what I would give that meringue even without tasting it!

 

I've always used Ventura rack & bag(s). Their easy to put on & take off + When I'm not using the rack I have the passenger grab rail fitted. The bags zip together when you need extra carrying capacity. I have a new bag (came with the rack) but still have the original set that I've used on previous bikes. So now over 20 YO & still good from all the abuse I've put them through. Make bugger all difference to the bikes handling & no wukkin furries to the bike at speed.
Huge Motorcycle Accessories & Luggage Range | Touring Luggage and Racks | Ventura

Grab rail


From my previous bike. 2 bags zipped together.

 

I believe the PO talking about 7 gen bags

 

Depends on what you want to do with the luggage rack. Honda cases are expensive but you can use the same ignition key to work all of them. Plus them are body color matched.

If you want soft luggage, you probably don't even need much of a rack.

However, if you want to use generic aftermarket top case and panniers, the best and most versatile system is the SW Motech AluRack and the Contour side rack for the Givi V35 pannier. That is what I went with. I already have a Givi E55 top case from the C14, and I have seen enough pics of Givi's own rack failed on the VFR1200 to want to use it. I've had 2 previous bikes that had SW Motech AluRack and they look great and work even better. SW Motech offers a wide selection of adapter mounts, which will let you mount just about any commercially available top case or motorcycle luggage. This thing is stout! Much more so than for my Sprint ST 1050 and SV1000S. I wouldn't trust anything else to hold up the big E55.

I have a bad habit of swapping bikes out rather quickly (hopefully VFR1200 is here to stay a while), so I prefer to reuse my top cases and panniers if at all possible.

 

Need some pics of that!! I went with the Givi racks and Givi V35 side cases. LOVE the cases! They hold a TON compared to the stock Honda cases, which I also thought were much too small. I went with the GIVI racks instead of the Motech because the grab handles are so much nicer on the Givi racks, but I'd be very interested to see some good pics with the Motech racks. And the Givi cases have a removable/paintable panel if color match means that much to you. All for half the price of the stock cases. They're also feather light. I believe the shipping weight on all including the racks was just 8 lbs. I'm also perfectly fine with them needing a separate key. Just means the wife can get in the cases while I'm filling the tank. I've been very happy with them.

 

Any chance of knowing what gen is being discussed here?

 

Well, it's in the 7th-generation-2010-present forum, so I'm going with that. :wink:

 

7th gen - hard cases only, because I've gotten used to having secure storeage

 

+1! :thumbsup:

Is that strawberry cheesecake? :biggrin:

 

Twisted Throttle back ordered the SW Motech Contour racks for me, and they are supposed to ship to me next week. Will post some pics of the whole set up when I get them.

I rarely carry pillion (more like never), so grab handles are not all the important to me. I can see the need for them if you do carry a pillion on a regular basis thought.

 

For a 7th gen, I think GIVI hard cases are cheaper than the OEM. The prices on OEM are outrageous.. Did you check on davidsilverspares.com?

 

i went with Givi V35 and SW motech quick release racks. Very happy with the setup, looks great on or off. I don't use a top case so larger side cases were important to me. V35 swallows a XL helmet too, which most reviews say the stock cases will not. If you are worried about security, quick release may not be good for you but you can buy locks or chain them to bike when parked.

 

Man, I sure wish one of you guys with the V35s and Motech brackets would post up some pics already! I'm really curious how much tighter the cases actually fit to the bike with the Motechs vs the Givi brackets.

 

It was -25 wind chill here the other morning, needless to say, the VFR is covered in storage for winter, if it warms up I can take some pics . . . .

 

The SW Motech Contour racks just arrived today. Will try them on this weekend and post some pics. I expect exhaust side to interfere with my TwoBro M5 can. I will have to see by how much. Option 1 will be to shorten the Two Bro can. Option 2 is replace with DAM or low-mount Akro. Not looking forward to Option 2 ($$$$).

 

If you're on a budget like I was, check out the Bestem 46 liter top box. I drilled matching holes in the top box mounting plate to match my Honda rear carrier. The only complaint I have is at lower speeds it rocks and makes a some noise that can be annoying and not Honda like. It's basic cheap luggage for the few times I go on long road trips. I did add the aluminum rack with hopes of tying a sleeping bag to the top and luring the woman out into the woods...
Bestem Quick Release T-Box 929 Top Box, Flat Black

Also makes for a fun beer run (before drinking) since it envelopes 2 cases of beer nicely!

 

I had a Bestem 929 too. Great box for the money. It is a Givi E460 clone and is compatible with the Givi monokey mount. For awhile there I was going back and forth with a Givi E55.

 

I really dislike the look of a trunk myself, which I realize is just personal taste and you can't deny the usefulness. So when the wife and I were planning a two week trip all over the eastern US on my FJR, I knew I'd want the extra storage space, but didn't want to pay Yamaha's exorbitant price for a factory trunk and all the fixings. Found a thread on the FJR forum about this guy from JC Whitney Garage Pro Universal Motorcycle Travel Trunks - JCWhitney which comes with its own mounting bracket. The price was crazy cheap for what you're getting. Everybody raved about its function, although the looks were a sticking point for many. Lord only knows why they put the hideous orange plastic band around the front of it, and the emblem on top was an iron cross! Cheap as it was I could afford to work on the cosmetics a bit. I have a friend who's a painter at a body shop who said he'd spray the lid to match the bike for $35! I removed the orange plastic trim and painted it silver from a rattle can for 5 bucks. And I peeled the stupid iron cross and replaced it with a Yami factory tank badge off ebay for $15. I've searchewd my computer, but just couldn't find any pics of it. But if you didn't know it wasn't a factory case, you wouldn't have guessed. Held a ton of stuff. After I totalled the bike, I resold the case for basically what I had in it. If the looks don't bother you, it's a pretty good case that cost almost nuttin'.