SW-Motech Alu-Rack & topcase Adapter Plate Failure - long post

I am starting this thread for informational purposes for anyone considering luggage mounting solutions as well as a vendor customer service review. It can either serve as a testimony to their dedication to the motorcycling community or as a example of their indifference.

For my VFR1200 I bought on 03/16/2015 and installed on 04/02/2015 a SW-MOTECH Alu-Rack Toprack To Fit TraX, Givi & Other Topcases For Honda VFR 1200F '10-'14 Part #GPT.01.723.15000.B
http://www.twistedth...le.com/sw-motec... r-1200f-45.....

I also ordered & installed the monokey adapter plate SW-MOTECH Alu-Rack Topcase Adapter Plate (GIVI / Kappa Monokey) Part #GPT.00.152.405
http://www.twistedth...le.com/sw-motec... pa-monokey.....

I bought a Givi V47 top case to mount on the hardware.
http://www.twistedth...le.com/givi-v47... iters-case.....

On Wednesday 06/03/2015 I was coming home from my motorcycle club meeting. The entrance to the highway is a long sweeper that has a poorly done patch job on the merge lane that stretched across the entire road. It is not a dangerous bump, just enough so that you know it is there. It has been there as long as I have been a member of the club so I know to keep my speed below the speed limit until after the bump. As soon as my rear tire goes over the bump, I feel something thump me in the back. I reach back and it is gone. So I pull over and look behind me and my top case is gone! I ride down to the next exit and make a loop and find my case in the middle of the highway. It tumbled and was most likely hit by a car. Every corner or edge is rounded and there is a crack in the lid.

In the case, I had my gym bag (pair of shorts, a shirt, and headphones), Contigo water bottle (empty) bungee net, extra foam ear plugs, and a towel (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for those in the know!). I tried using the bungee net to secure it to my bike, but it was just not big enough. So I set my case on the side of the highway so as to not endanger anyone else. I rode home and grabbed the car and came back to retrieve the case. Thankfully it was still there!

Once home I inspected the case. On these first two, you can see how the lid will not longer close:








This is the bottom of the plate where it attaches to the Alu-Rack.


The top of the adapter plate with the female part of the camloc secure points.


And these are the camloc pins that failed. All three of them sheared off.


I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but when I was installing the SW-Motech mounting kit & plate, I was very impressed with how well it appeared to be made. When you are assembling Givi kits, you leave everything loose until the end and slowly tighten things down then loosen to adjust as necessary to fine tune the alignment. The Alu-Rack was precise! No adjustments. Just follow the easy to read instructions and done in 20 minutes.

That night (06/03/2015) I went to the Twisted Throttle website and dispassionately described the incident from the SW-Motech parts failure. I also sent a message to SW-Motech from their Facebook page. I received a reply from Twisted Throttle the next day.

Alright, they recognize this is an issue and are going to take some steps to rectify the situation. However, This ruined my top case through no fault of my own. It is clearly a case of manufacturing quality. I believe that they should offer more than a discount on a 2 month old top of the line top case. We will see how much of a discount they offer.

SW-Motech unfortunately are not impressing me much with their communication. via Facebook messaging:

And here is the email after I gave them my information:

I am not getting the warm fuzzies, but that could be because of the language barrier or perhaps they will work with Twisted Throttle behind the scenes. Here is my reply to them:

I am not passing judgement yet, I will of course wait until this entire situation plays out. But I will be keeping this thread updated here and on the other forums. This way it will be indexed for searches and other people may be able to use my experience when deciding on what mounting kit to purchase. As of now, I have no animosity towards SW-Motech nor Twisted Throttle, but nor am I endeared towards either as of yet.

 

I am happy to report that I have resolution already! I just got off the phone with Twisted Throttle and completed my order of a new adapter plate and replacement Givi V47. As I said previously, I contacted both SW-Motech and Twisted Throttle. I do not know if Twisted Throttle had any communication with SW-Motech or not, but Matt at Twisted asked a few questions, got a lot of pictures, and made the judgement call.

The adapter plate is being replaced at no cost to me as a warranty issue. The top case is being sold to me heavily discounted. They did not ask me to keep it private, but out of respect to Twisted I will say that it is a price that I am happy enough with. So in this case, everyone wins. Twisted Throttle converted a casual customer to a fan and most likely loyal customer. I'll buy a $1 item for $2 if I trust the company selling it you get my meaning. My only tip is to make sure all your ducks are in a row. Receipts with money and dates are important.

So in conclusion, Twisted Throttle is a website that you can buy from with confidence that they will stand behind what they sell and they will not treat you like a scammer. SW-Motech accessories are usually of high quality, this is most likely an aberration and just an unlucky incident.

 

Good go know. Glad everything worked out for you.

 

The question is, why did it break in the first place? Then what makes it not happen again? You have the same set up again. I also have the same Motech going to keep and eye on it seeing I'm on the road with it.

 

I have done quite a bit of searching and I found a few similar issues, but not the exact same one. I do not think that I will be buying SW-Motech again even though I like the way everything works together. Givi is not the best looking of the bunch, but at least I know they are good quality from my past two bikes.

I am thinking I will replace the camloc setup for a good old fashioned bolt + washer combo. I don't swap out adapter plates since I only have the one topcase.