SV Owners Lend Me Your Ears (need intell on Givi Sideracks)

[namflashback]

Hey SV Owners,

I recently acquired a 05 SV1000S and want to start the ST process.  It has had an undertail and fender elimination, and I need to know about options for hard case sideracks.

I've read through the stuff on twistedthrottle.com that the SW-Motech racks won't go on if the rear fender has been eliminated.

I was looking at the photos of the Givi racks -- it looks like they attach to the fender as well, mounting to the holes where the signal light stalks attach (relocate).  I was wondering if the racks tubes go all the way through stalk holes.  

Any info you can provide would be a great help.

 

[TRaGiK]

The only way that the givi side racks will work, is with the givi top rack. Neither of which bolt to the fender, and the rack setup will work* without it.

*Work - By work, I mean it'll physicallly bolt to the bike, and hold luggage....as long as you don't ride the bike. On my last SV1k, I installed the givi racks, E21 side cases, and a 46 liter top case (e46 i think it was?). Within a couple months, the top case fell off, never to be found again. Thinking it may have somehow been my fault, I PAID for another one. A month or so later, it fell off, and I KNEW it wasn't *MY* fault.

Called givi, and they'd never heard of the problem before, but told me to come to their US HQ in Charlotte, and they'd "fix" the problem. They installed all new racks, and all new cases, free of charge. While it was free, they still seemed to think it was *MY* fault. 2 months later, one of the bolts they installed fell out, and another broke. They wanted me to bring the bike back, rather than just having me ship the stuff back to them for a refund. I refused, and EVENTUALLY got my refund without having to drive back to charlotte.

Short version - Don't buy the givi racks for the SV1k. I sold off everything Givi I owned because of the entire experience.

[shil]

Halfway through a 3500 mile trip:



Get a decent tailbag and bring less stuff.

[TRaGiK]

Get a decent tailbag and bring less stuff.

I sorta agree.

I'd say get a damn good tail bag, and carry almost as much stuff.

Here's a review I wrote a few years ago on the Bags Connection Racepack. I wrote this review approx a month after I got the luggage.
http://www.ncsportbikes.com/reviews.php#luggage

I had it on that bike for ~2 years, and roughly 20k miles. It's hands down the best luggage I've ever used that didn't come on a bike from the factory. It's 100 percent waterproof without even using the rain liner...more waterproof than the Givi setup I had.

The only real downside to it over hard luggage is that it can't be locked to the bike, and could easily be "broken into".

Also, in the review above, I said that it didn't touch any of the painted surfaces. Eventually, the aluminum frame sagged some, and it would rub the plastics/paint some. Not a problem if you use the clear "sticker" that it comes with. Definately worlds better than typical soft luggage.

After being on the bike for nearly 2 years straight, the only thing wrong with it when I sold the bike and luggage, was the black had faded a little....very little.

[namflashback]

Thanks for the intell and suggestions.

I'm a little torn, because I also will likely use the cases when commuting.  I like the idea of being able to lock stuff (gear) in the cases and leave them on the bike.

Decisions, decisions.  Thanks again.

[Zerosum]

I know it's not the same bike, but I've had the Givi sideracks on my V-Strom for the last 2.5 years with never a problem.  I also have Givi's "Wingrack" on my VFR and it's quite solid.  I swap the same set of luggage between the two bikes.  I love having all three cases with me at all times.  It's secure, you can pick up groceries on the way home from work, etc.    

[Kat_Pilot750]

Another alternative to Givi to consider is Shad.  It's a spanish brand with US operations based in Miami.  Their prices are about $100 less than givi for a side-case set up, and they have side cases with 43L capacity each side (SH-43 model).  I got them because I ride everyday to work and school, and each case can fit a small shoei and medium HJC helmet.  All in all, my set up was ~$600 give or take.  If you're interested, cycleluggage.com has the best price on the mounting rack and sportmotogear.com has the best price for the cases.  Hope this helps

Chris

[Strog]

I've read through the stuff on twistedthrottle.com that the SW-Motech racks won't go on if the rear fender has been eliminated.

I was wondering the same thing since I bought mine used and it didn't have the fender so I've been looking around. Over on svrider, several people have said that they use Givi and SW-Motech racks without the rear fender. It's supposedly not bearing weight on the rear fender anyway. It's just there for aesthetics.

So far I've just been using the top case and strapping a bag to the rear seat but I still want to add some side bags at some point.