Member Contributer AnikMankar Posted June 23, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2013 Guys - guess have a little more time on hand these days. :) after i fitted the Givi Top case rack realized the seat cowl can't be easily taken out. earlier i had the press release pins on the cowl Now with rack fitted ... So trimmed out the tabs.. This allows me to fit the cowl without securing it to the bike. Purchased couple of Rubber latches... and mounted them on the rear tail cowl and the seat cowl.. Alignment took sometime but eventually got there. This is quite secured and can be taken off easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 That's a new one, never seen that before. Hooray for invention! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer V-FORE Posted June 23, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2013 Great idea, good job! Luckily my 4th Gen the top case rack does not use the grab rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BCmcrider Posted June 23, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2013 Most excellent. I've placed my cowl on the seat a few times and thought it would be nice to use but didn't because of my givi rack with all of it's associated washers and shims etc. Where did you get the rubber latches? Part number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AnikMankar Posted June 24, 2013 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 24, 2013 Most excellent. I've placed my cowl on the seat a few times and thought it would be nice to use but didn't because of my givi rack with all of it's associated washers and shims etc. Where did you get the rubber latches? Part number? These are bonnet latches. after a lot of searching purchased them from good old ebay. there are two types - i purchased both but used only rubber bones. http://www.ebay.com/itm/290903532493. (USED THIS ONE) http://www.ebay.com/itm/230778341819 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BCmcrider Posted June 24, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted June 24, 2013 Anik, thanks for posting the links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Do you find the givi rack useful?I'm worried it may spoil the look of the bike,I have a givi maxia E55 tech box,it may look massive on the Vfr, I've been mulling over getting the rack for ages, today I had a friend do the the cut outs on my seat cowl,because he is neater at that type of work,or so I thought,turns out he ballsed it up,the cut on one side is a half inch out of place,it took me so long to find a seat cowl I'm boiling with temper but it's done now and that's that. So I may just buy the givi 257fz rack and throw the messed up seat cowl in the trash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Do you find the givi rack useful?I'm worried it may spoil the look of the bike,I have a givi maxia E55 tech box,it may look massive on the Vfr, I've been mulling over getting the rack for ages, today I had a friend do the the cut outs on my seat cowl,because he is neater at that type of work,or so I thought,turns out he ballsed it up,the cut on one side is a half inch out of place,it took me so long to find a seat cowl I'm boiling with temper but it's done now and that's that. So I may just buy the givi 257fz rack and throw the messed up seat cowl in the trash. Sorry to hear about the damaged rear seat cowl. Nothing is worse than a botched trim job, especially when you measure three times, cut once, and still manage to screw it up anyway. I will no longer be attempting plastic trimming of the seat cowl myself. Ergo, I know how you feel. In regards to the GIVI Rack on your bike, I have a GIVI rack for a top case installed on my 5th gen and an E55 Maxia case. I was a bit worried about what the case would look like since it is cavernous enough to swallow both my children with enough left over space for the family dog (ok, so I'm stretching the truth a bit. Honestly though the family dog, a mini Dachsund would certainly find it quite comfy) and find that the E55 Maxia actually looks better when installed than the E52 I had earlier. I had borrowed an E52 from a friend last year after he sold his bike and kept the luggage and though they are roughly the same size cases the lines on the E55 seem to suit the bike a bit better IMHO. I would be happy to post up a picture of the bike with just the rack, and one with the E55 installed if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks very much,I would like to see the pics alright,I got the guy to do the cutouts for the oem passenger grab handles,he is so neat at everything I didn't like to be telling him what to do and assumed he would do it right,I'm so pissed off though now,live and learn the hard way is all I seem to do, thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Saoirse32, I know you have a 5th gen but you might peek in my gallery at my 6th gen pics with and without my Givi trunk. I love my VFR w/o the Givi rack but have chosen to just leave the rack on because it is so nice to just pop the trunk on when needed. Givi did do a fairly good job of keeping the rack lines close to the bike's profile. Mounting and removing the rack is just too much of a PIA so leaving it on is just easier. The rack on my 4th gen was much easier to mount/remove so that was hardly ever on the bike. Now that I've had the rack on the 6th gen for a year, I almost don't see it anymore, it's just a part of the bike. My Givi trunk is a 46l. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks Mailman, I think I've had my mind made up for me, I'm not going to buy another seat cowl,I had to search ebay for a long time to find this one that's now ruined,so it's gona be the givi 257fz and fit the monokey top box as needed.I ordered a givi wp400 seat bag this week,figured that would do me along with a magnetic tank bag for short breaks,but having the top box will be very handy but not too pleasing to the eye, still though,function over form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I gotta ask... Why? Do you think the VFR is sportier with a seat cowl and luggage rack? I don't get it, but it is your bike. I would rather waste that time figuring out how to turn my stock seat into a useful Corbin or Sargent's. Since you don't have the side bags, why didn't you search for the other Givi VFR rack which doesn't use the Frankenstein bolt holes? It only mounts to the grab handles. I just hate seeing a bike get cut up and drilled. I cry a little for the bike. Just like when I read a sale ad and it says, Great VFR, dependable, adult owned, street fighter. All I read is a bike which saw a lot of abuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Saoirse32, Keep an eye on eBay, cheap ones pop up once in awhile. I cut mine and I'm no perfectionist, measure, mark carefully and cut slowly. Zoom, I'd like to see the big trunks if you don't mind posting. I have an e360, 42l, and when taking the two cats to the vet I really have to cram them in, they'd appreciate a bigger bag I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks very much,I would like to see the pics alright,I got the guy to do the cutouts for the oem passenger grab handles,he is so neat at everything I didn't like to be telling him what to do and assumed he would do it right,I'm so pissed off though now,live and learn the hard way is all I seem to do, thanks again. As promised, here are the photos of the bike with just the Givi rack installed, and a few shots from different angles with the E55 Maxia installed. Here are the pictures with the case installed. And the photos of the bike with just the rack installed. And Last but certainly not LEAST. A photo with the family pet in the E55 Maxia. This shot is for size comparison only you understand. Buster loves to sit in the case on a blanket whenever I do any work on the bike. He feels safe and comfy and I don't have to worry about him getting under foot. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks very much,I would like to see the pics alright,I got the guy to do the cutouts for the oem passenger grab handles,he is so neat at everything I didn't like to be telling him what to do and assumed he would do it right,I'm so pissed off though now,live and learn the hard way is all I seem to do, thanks again. As promised, here are the photos of the bike with just the Givi rack installed, and a few shots from different angles with the E55 Maxia installed. Does that come with tail lights? Looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks very much,I would like to see the pics alright,I got the guy to do the cutouts for the oem passenger grab handles,he is so neat at everything I didn't like to be telling him what to do and assumed he would do it right,I'm so pissed off though now,live and learn the hard way is all I seem to do, thanks again. As promised, here are the photos of the bike with just the Givi rack installed, and a few shots from different angles with the E55 Maxia installed. Does that come with tail lights? Looks good. You can buy the cases with the lights already installed and wired but when I bought the case they didn't have any with the lights installed in stock and the case was an extra $125 with the lights installed from the factory. I purchased the light kit separately for only $59 and installed them myself. Here in Canada the case from GIVI can be brutally expensive compared with the US pricing. After checking locally I found that the dealers wanted nearly $800 for an E55 without the light kit installed. I purchased the E55 plus the light kit for a tad under $500 including shipping. I like to support the local economy when I can but the retail cost for these in town was just simply outrageous. The brake light kit was easy to install and just as easy to wire. The only thing I didn't care much for was the wiring the kit includes to attach to the rack system. There is a two piece pressure switch that installs in the case and the second piece attaches to the base plate. The wiring for the base plate portion has no where to run down the side rails so that the wiring is invisible. I chose to run the wires down the seat side of the right rack assembly bar and then under the seat. It looks good enough but a bit more forethought on GIVI's part to provide a way of running it inside the side bars might be nice. I am nitpicking though. LOLMy sincere apologies to Anik for the thread jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr350 Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Saoirse32, Keep an eye on eBay, cheap ones pop up once in awhile. I cut mine and I'm no perfectionist, measure, mark carefully and cut slowly. Zoom, I'd like to see the big trunks if you don't mind posting. I have an e360, 42l, and when taking the two cats to the vet I really have to cram them in, they'd appreciate a bigger bag I'm sure. Thats a givi rack? Never seen that one, nice setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgsx400e Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 This week I wanted my seat cowl on the bike as well. Could not find many ideas for quick release ideas.... So I as well cut the tabs so it would sit flat and used a strap to secure it to the bike. I like the idea of your rubber tabs to secure it better, so will probably use it!!! Thanks.... Great job!!! Here us s pic of mine for the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFRMAN Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 Thanks for the pics ZoomZoom,your bike looks great and such a lovely dog,my dog wouldn't sit still long enough to sit in the top box!! Sorry to the original poster for the thread jack,great what you done to modify your seat cowl,necessity is the mother of invention as the saying goes. I can't seem to use the quote function here and I'm not great at uploading pics either.Thanks again everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I used the nose of a belt sander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 I see the scooter !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted June 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2014 I see the scooter !!!! LOL, darn it, caught red handed. Yes, there is a scooter in front of the Dodge, but since the homestead is a duplex, THE "When I grow up I wanna be a motorcycle" belongs to the next door neighbor. It has a severe case of road rash on both sides and the rear exhaust has a flat kink in it and the exhaust pipe has been drilled with about 8 extra holes. The neighbor wanted the exhaust to sound a bit more throaty and aggressive. It is louder, but not nicer sounding. The young guy who owns has asked a couple of times if he could try out my VFR. I mentioned he could rent my bike for the day if he likes,...................... For the paltry sum of $5000, cash up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfr350 Posted June 29, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2014 I was unsure when ordering my topcase, i envisioned the 55l looking like a pop-up camper levitating behind the bike but it doesnt look that way at all in the pics here. I pulled the trigger on a 45l plus it was $100 or so cheaper. Hoping to get some riding impressions soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I have an original Givi VFR800Fi rack. I have owned it since Givi installed it on the bike in 2001 at Bike Week. 150.00 shipped to you. It might go on eBay if no one claims it. MikeE@RideWNC.com will be the fastest way to contact me. I originally used this with a 46L but that could not hold two helmets. I went to a 55L and then decided to make my Y2K my full time two up bike for day trips around the mountains. With slight modification for the exhaust high pipe and the Corbin seat, I was able to make this work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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