Luggage Rack on Topcase ?

'bout to pull the trigger and get an '05 (unless I see an awesome deal on an '07 before then)

.... still selling the 31,000 mile Speed Triple ....

I've been lurking for about a year now, and done LOTS of searching.

I'm thinking that I'll need more luggage space than the top and side cases,

and no, I don't want to put one of those humungous 50+ Givi's on my bike.

Has anybody made or mounted an additional luggage rack on top of the factory top box ?

... or something similar with any other top box ?

(search engine hasn't yielded any ideas ...)

Or, more directly, riding long distance, two up, I need space to carry camp chairs, big rolled up

thermarests, and a tent, i.e., things that will not fit in the side or top cases .... any suggestions other than the rack I'm asking about ?

Thanks All !

I have the Givi V46 with the optional luggage rack on top. It looks very nice but I don't think you can put much weight up there without taking a chance of cracking the lid.

If I could have gotten the humongous E52 with a color matched lid for my '05 I would have gotten that. It doesn't look that much bigger than the V46 or the factory box when it's on the bike, but it holds a bunch more stuff.

How about a trailer? :yahoo:

IIRC, the same rack is used on all Givi topcases.

You might consider putting something on the side cases to keep the weight lower and a bit closer to the rear axle. The only problems I can think of are:

Finding racks that would bolt on; the "walls" are double thickness; racks would prevent the handles from rotating and being able to open or remove the panniers.

Or, more directly, riding long distance, two up, I need space to carry camp chairs, big rolled upthermarests, and a tent, i.e., things that will not fit in the side or top cases .... any suggestions other than the rack I'm asking about ?

Click to expand...

Have you thought about adding 4 "Bungee Buddies" to each sidecase. That would provide many oprions for tying or strapping the bulky articles you mention. There are a number of places they are available, here are a couple:Lookie here, and here.

My wife and I went on a 9-day trip this past year. Below is a photo of my best shot at packing. What you see attached to each saddlebag is a stuff bag (with a sleeping bag and a ThermaRest in each). Tent poles were attached to one saddlebag and the 2-person backpacking tent was folded in the topcase.



Strapping something to the top of the trunk would make the load too high for me to feel comfortable.

I have a Pelican Case on one of my other bikes that would be plenty strong enough to pile crap on top of. It would afford you a flatter surface also so you might want to check out one of these cases as an alternative. That along with some Bungee Buddies as Mike referred to would probably work great. If I recall correctly, IGNACIO has a Pelican case on his bike and might be able to shed some light on loading up the top of it.

I have the Givi v46 w/ top rack.





I use it more as a place to rest my helmet than anything.

Yep! I have the same rack on my E-42. I have strapped/bungeed light stuff onto the rack. It is far behind the rear axle and very high on the bike for adding much weight. It'd be easy to overload the rack/topcase combo.

Murph said:

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Sweet !

That looks like the ticket for us .... looks like the sleeping bags make the pillion seat look like an easy chair !

(she'll like that setup)

faster675 said:

That looks like the ticket for us .... looks like the sleeping bags make the pillion seat look like an easy chair !(she'll like that setup)

Click to expand...

It didn't end up too bad. After the trip, my wife said she only felt somewhat cramped ... but, if she had been truly uncomfortable, I would've heard about it right away!

We're already talking about doing another 7-9 day trip next year using the same setup.

Isn't the stock little luggage rack limited to 7 pounds or so? I think I read that.

I know people overload them, but at some point you risk breaking the rear subframe of the bike. I believe there are some threads about that.

Might be worth a search

I have a rack on my Givi 46 liter trunk. For one of trips in Florida I put on one of my double tanks bags on it. I tied it with straps . I tried to keep just the light bulky stuff in there.

I look around and see if I can find some pics.

Murph's set up looks very nice - I'd prefer to keep mass up front and centre (see Murph's big tank bag) than way up high and out back (like on top of the top case).

The stuff sacks can also be dry-bags so that they would be completely impervious to water - and at the same time, add that luxo-recliner feel for Her on the back.

faster675 said:

'bout to pull the trigger and get an '05 (unless I see an awesome deal on an '07 before then).... still selling the 31,000 mile Speed Triple ....

I've been lurking for about a year now, and done LOTS of searching.

I'm thinking that I'll need more luggage space than the top and side cases,

and no, I don't want to put one of those humungous 50+ Givi's on my bike.

Has anybody made or mounted an additional luggage rack on top of the factory top box ?

... or something similar with any other top box ?

(search engine hasn't yielded any ideas ...)

Or, more directly, riding long distance, two up, I need space to carry camp chairs, big rolled up

thermarests, and a tent, i.e., things that will not fit in the side or top cases .... any suggestions other than the rack I'm asking about ?

Thanks All !

Click to expand...

I put a Goldwing rack on my Yamaha top case and it works great. By the way my Flawless 05 is for sale. It has the best options which include Italian undertail and hugger, Staintune exhaust, Corbin seat, Cee Bailey screen, BMW grips,K&N, GPS mount with radar, risers, sliders,throttle stop,Yamaha top box with rack and backrest, Corbin backrest, power outlet etc. The bike is flawless with 5000 miles. I ordered it new in Galaxy Blue. I live in Washington State and you can contact me at [email protected] if interested. Thanks

formlines post pulled in 5.....4......

put extra weight as close to the centerline of the bike and as low as you can get it (pillion seat or over the sidebags as pics above have). The givi's extra luggage rack is just useless for actual cargo. I saw someone with a stuffed bear or moose on one, that seems about the weight limit.

GunMD said:

I have the Givi v46 w/ top rack.

I use it more as a place to rest my helmet than anything.

Click to expand...

I have this same set-up and find the top rack very handy for storing light weight stuff like tee shirts, gloves, liners, dirty clothes, etc. in a Cortech Bag, which stores relatively flat, or can be used as a trunk liner when not needed.

Okay, go ahead and laugh, but I'm considering a hitch rack setup. I've used one on my Wings for years. If you're in the "touring mode" you don't expect to have ALL of the "sport mode" available, do you? Figuring out how to protect the box from the exhaust is gonna be a challenge, though.