givi wingrack install questions/thoughts

'86 VFR givi wingrack install success!!

'86 VFR700F1

So, against all advise from Givi and their dealers, I'm attempting to install an N141 wingrack on my VFR using the Y135 Universal Fit kit. Initial impressions are that Givi has some great engineers, but needs to work on packaging... The box contents weren't quite right, and the wingrack beat itself up pretty well in shipping via UPS. Lots of scratches.

I've found a couple interesting mounting points, after spending a couple hours playing around with things.

Lower mount is definitely by the passenger foot peg and the muffler, although I might reposition that to where the cowl stay bolts to the frame.

The stock turn signal tab is PERFECTLY located... But it looks thin, and dubiously welded in place to the cowl stay. Not sure if it will crack or not. I may use it anyway, and keep an eye on it, although it's perfect for being the location for two supports to connect to.

The other location I've found is an unused threaded hole on the rear subframe, halfway between the front and rear cowl-stay bolts. Anyone have any idea what size threads they are? The 8mm bolts don't fit.

 

Tonight I finished the install. It's pretty solid. I'm certain that their custom fit kits for the later bikes are much sturdier, but I can easily move the whole bike from just the wingrack on the back, and it barely moves relative the bike itself.

it's located further back than I had originally wanted, to clear the helmet/seat lock. So it's MUCH further back than most factory bags are. We'll see how I like it.

Anyway, the install was a massive PITA, but no fabrication was required, just a bunch more M8x35 socket head cap screws and a couple different M8 bolts and M8 nylock nuts.

The final mounting points I used were:

Right Side:
- passenger footped/exhaust bracket
- threaded hole on rear frame halfway between the cowl stay mounts
- factory right turn signal tab

Left Side:
- passenger footped/exhaust bracket
- front cowl stay bolt (replaced with a new, longer M8 bolt).
- factory right turn signal tab

The top plate just clears the seat for installation, on the middle set of holes. So I could only go forward about an inch with the brackets and still get the seat on/off to get to the tools and paperwork and such.

I'll be letting Givi USA and Cal Sport touring both know that it works (as well as Road Rider in SJ, CA. All just repeated Givi USA's line that it wouldn't work without major fab work. As it was, it installed just fine, just took a while to figure out the best way, and then to realize that I couldn't put the seat back on (lock blocked), and so had to move it back a fair bit, which took another 2 hours or so. I'll post pics (and instructions as to which supports go where) in a bit.

Getting late and I want to ride the girl into work tomorrow... She's been torn apart on the garage floor for a week now.

 

What happen to the pics?

 

No idea. VFRWorld has modified the post (the links are missing from the post body).

Here's a link to the flikr photostream for my bike:
http://flickr.com/photos/98355595@N00/sets/72157600069992518/

 

wrong post...

I wrote up a separate post with the instructions in it:

http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-acc...ack-86-vfr-using-givis-universal-fit-kit.html