5th Gen Givi racks and JC Whitney trunk/rack

[MidTNJasonF]

Thought I would share this bit of information on my hard luggage install. I know there have been a number of posts regarding different levels of success with the Dubious Chinese Givi Knock off aka JC Whitney hard bags.

I previously had a JC Whitney purchased trunk on my Suzuki Bandit and I removed it before I sold it. This box uses a mounting system similar to the cheaper Monolock Givi bags and therefore will not mount to the Givi Monokey FZ257 and PL257 rack systems for the VFR. I recently purchased a used Givi FZ257/PL257 rack combo without any bags because I already have two E36 Monokey cases in addition to the Chinese top case. I was able to mount all of the Givi rack system and clip on my E36's with no problem but in an effort to save money I wanted to mount my top case until I can buy an E55 Monokey Givi trunk.

I was completely successful and thought I would post a couple pictures for those interested.

The original Givi 257 rack and base plate all mounted up.

rearrack02 Standard FZ257 Givi top case mounting rack. Installed with PL257 side racks as well.

Givi base plate removed with racks still in place

rearrack03 Givi plastic base plate rack removed.

I took a few moments to turn out four half inch aluminum spacers on the lathe and used them to space up the rack just a bit. The original Givi rack and hardware had smaller plastic spacers where these aluminum spacers are going.

rearrack04 Made 4 aluminum spacers to raise the new base plate up just a bit.

First test fit shows the two rear holes of the Givi rack line up perfectly with two mounting holes in the JC Whitney base plate. I used them to secure the rack so I could mark and measure for the other two holes.

rearrack05 Test fitting knock off rack. Two bolt holes lined up with the Givi racks

I drilled the two additional hoes which ended up being in a good spot on the JC Whitney base plate. No interference with mounting hardware or trunk clips. They are in a nice strong location with no concerns of pulling through or bending the plate.

rearrack07 Two new holes lined up and drilled in the knock off plate to line up with the other two Givi rack holes

I bolted down the plate with all 4 bolts and did a quick test fit with the trunk itself. Everything clicked and locked in place just fine.

rearrack09 Test fit with the trunk in place. Still need to wire up the brake light at this point.

The Givi Hardware was crap. It was all rusted and was smaller in diameter (lighter duty). I used the much beefier and CAD plated hardware that came with the JC Whitney trunk which coincidentally has not rusted at all in over two years on the Bandit.

rearrack10 Givi hardware was a real disappointment. All of it was badly rusted. I used the much nicer cad plated hardware that came with the knock off trunk.

One final view where you can see the spacers and the hardware all bolted in place.

rearrack11 low view with the spacers and hardware in place.

Side notes on the JC Whitney case. I have had this case for over two years. It has served me very well and has been very solid. It is certainly not as nice as a Givi Monokey trunk but It was less than $50 (caught a serious sale). The only time it has ever come open on me was through my own operator error. The latching mechanism is not as easy to use as a Givi bag but it is secure if you pay attention to how it works. It has never come loose from the base plate accidentally, in fact you have to work to pop it loose when you want to. I also was able to make a $14 brake light modification to it with the stock reflector and some strip LED lights from Autozone. It gives me a nice bright and high brake light since the rack somewhat shrouds the stock brake light.

If you have any questions about my setup or install feel free to post away and ask.

[vfrurknee]

Jason,

I have been using a PL257 w/E360 as a trunk for over five years but a few weeks ago I was coming home on a scenic road, parallel to the Arkansas River and observed in my rear view mirror on the left side, the case hanging by a thread. Apparently the frame had fatigued just behind the loop and broke loose on the right side. The case swung over and blocked the exhaust causing some slight melting of the underside of the mounting plate. I pulled over and broke it off the rest of the way so I could get it home safely. Insurance denied the claim because it was caused by " metal fatigue" . Made some big gouges in the rear plastic assembly and the tail light lens. Estimate was over $800. Keep an eye on that area of the tubular frame just behind the "grab" loop.

Ernie

[MidTNJasonF]

Jason,

I have been using a PL257 w/E360 as a trunk for over five years but a few weeks ago I was coming home on a scenic road, parallel to the Arkansas River and observed in my rear view mirror on the left side, the case hanging by a thread. Apparently the frame had fatigued just behind the loop and broke loose on the right side. The case swung over and blocked the exhaust causing some slight melting of the underside of the mounting plate. I pulled over and broke it off the rest of the way so I could get it home safely. Insurance denied the claim because it was caused by " metal fatigue" . Made some big gouges in the rear plastic assembly and the tail light lens. Estimate was over $800. Keep an eye on that area of the tubular frame just behind the "grab" loop.

Ernie

Good to know. Did you have any corrosion issues? Do you think there were times the trunk was overloaded with weight? I was very unhappy with the level of rust on the hardware in the GIvi rack.

They often list the weight capacity at a stupidly low amount for trunks. It is hanging fairly far off the back of the bike, levered out there if you will. I typically just throw my lunch back there for the commute and store the helmet there when I am parked somewhere. On longer trips I keep the camping gear in the side cases and use the trunk for small items like a camera, snacks, and spare gloves. The JC Whitney trunk and the base plate are considerably lighter than a Givi trunk and base plate so I guess that is one point in its favor.

[smoothsailin]

Since there seem to be other owners of 5th-generations who like me have been searching for more reasonably priced mounting and hard case options for adding a top trunk and/or pair of saddlebags to our viffers, thought I would pass on what I have learned:

A few weeks ago I decided to purchase one of the J C Whitney top cases like the one mentioned in this thread. Mine is the larger version with a matte black finish and is rated to hold 40 liters. I have confirmed that one ull-face helmet will fit, but not two. The price is currently listed @ $44.95, but a 20%-off discount code dropped the total cost to $37.76, which includes 5% VA sales tax ($1.80) and free shipping.

Yesterday while searching online for the best price for a Givi 257FZ monorack (top trunk) hardware mounting kit, I discovered a vendor's website which I had not visited before (tourandride.com),

I discovered unlike other vendors, this seller offers buyers the option of purchasing the Givi 257FZ Monorack sidearms without the Givi Monokey or Monorack mounting plate for less $ (currently $112 w/free shipping). Better yet, I discovered they also are currently offering 10% discounts for all Kappa products...and that Kappa offers a similar Monorack topcase mount (KZ257) for the 5th-generation.

I placed an order for a KZ257 mount for $81.57 w/ free shipping as follows:
$95.40 (reg. price) - $9.54 (current 10%-off all Kappa products promotion) - $4.29 (5%-off coupon code pd2013) = $81.57.
As a result, my total to purchase the JC Whitney top case w/mounting plate and the Kappa KZ257 mount kit only came to $119.33

Tourandride.com also offers the Kappa KL257 kit for adding saddle bags to a 5th-generation which is currently available @ $118.50 after the 15% discount, and also offers the the Givi side case (PL257) mount for the 5th-generation @ $154.85 (after 5% discount).

The vendor also offers a wide range of top and side cases from several manufacturers in case you may not want to go with one of the relatively inexpensive cases available from JC Whitney.

In any case, I hope this information may be useful....

Edit: It just dawned on me that the mounting plate provided with my J C Whitney topcase seems to have been re-designed so that it it is compatible with the monokey mounting system instead of with the monolock type as shown in the image at the beginning of this thread. The mounting plate I received (note: the case is sold by US Autoparts Network) lacks the raised and slotted section shown near the seat in the image provided.

Just f.y.i.

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