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Anybody ever refinished a GIVI case?


RossR

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I have two cases which are scratched up, and I was wondering if anybody had ever refinished a black GIVI case and had lasting results. They are made of polypropylene.

I was thinking of painting with flexible paint (like car bumpers) or covering with 3M film.

Any input and ideas would be highly appreciated, or if the topic has been covered please point me to the relevant thread.

Thanks

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I went on a 5,000 mile trip round the Baltic Sea.... Side case had a blemish...

Time to cover it up...

 

 

IMAG4426.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMAG5106_1.jpg

 

Top tip?

Try and avoid the crash.... :goofy:

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3 hours ago, Dutchy said:

I went on a 5,000 mile trip round the Baltic Sea.... Side case had a blemish...

Time to cover it up...

 

 

IMAG4426.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMAG5106_1.jpg

 

Top tip?

Try and avoid the crash.... :goofy:

re: "Top tip?

Try and avoid the crash...."

 

I will pass that piece of advice onto the guy that I bought them from. He used them off road and crashed so much that he decided to switch to Aluminum cases.  My gain as I got a good deal on them and now have a "project"  

 

I did think of doing the Country sticker thing but that would be cheating as I haven't really traveled out of Canada with the bike as yet.  

 

That's a nice looking bike Dutchy!  With the topbox as high as a flagpole how on earth do you manage to stay upright?     

 

                                               

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A heat gun works great to restore a shine if you have to re-work the scratches with fine sandpaper. Not perfect but easier than paint.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I hit one with a few coats of black Plasti-Dip because it was severely faded red and my bike was no shade of red. Turned out fine, some deep scratches showed up, but not too noticeable. 

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They do make great frame sliders don't they?! (blush). I prefer to consider it patina. A mark of someone who has gone places and done things.

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On 5/21/2018 at 9:28 AM, RossR said:

I have two cases which are scratched up, and I was wondering if anybody had ever refinished a black GIVI case and had lasting results. They are made of polypropylene.

I was thinking of painting with flexible paint (like car bumpers) or covering with 3M film.

Any input and ideas would be highly appreciated, or if the topic has been covered please point me to the relevant thread.

Thanks

 

Side cases as frame sliders is a very funny, albeit functional, concept. Cracks me up.

 

My 5th gen came with Givi side cases that had silver door/access panels, and the right case had been significantly gouged up in a close encounter of the ground kind. I have had a friendly bodyshop guy do side-work (evenings and weekends, not through the shop he works for) paint on other motorcycle projects. He filled in the scrapes on the smooth door and textured black body, retextured the body and painted it black, then repainted both cases’ doors with Honda Italian Red to match my bike. Total charge was $250. Givi USA has replacement badges available. Here’s how it came out:867F9E87-1E28-4752-B704-1470B4A0B454.jpeg.2c0f3e9b20b151097185edb8bb591671.jpeg

 

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On 5/22/2018 at 12:50 AM, RossR said:

!  With the topbox as high as a flagpole how on earth do you manage to stay upright?     

 

                                               

 

 

I was doing just fine,

until that oncoming cager did a left turn in front of me....  :tongue:

 

The camera angle makes it look very very high.

In real life is was ok.

 

 

Whilst the cases did end up being good sliders, the frame snapped so that was game over for redslut

 

redslut.JPG.d43c07b14731524208c40d80ad85e6ab.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

That topbox did get a second life though... 😎

 

 

IMG_0072.thumb.JPG.fb42049bbae2b4d544334a25ad27f6af.JPG

 

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20 hours ago, Dutchy said:

 

 

I was doing just fine,

until that oncoming cager did a left turn in front of me....  :tongue:

 

The camera angle makes it look very very high.

In real life is was ok.

 

 

Whilst the cases did end up being good sliders, the frame snapped so that was game over for redslut

 

I still get a little verklempt seeing pictures of Redslut--all those tours, all those windmills ... :sad:

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Holy smoke Dutchy! The mass-times-acceleration required to snap the frame like that must have been immense.

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6 hours ago, Belfry said:

 

I still get a little verklempt seeing pictures of Redslut--all those tours, all those windmills ... :sad:

 

Unless Dutchy is a fan of '90s Mike Myers SNL skits (but with Leon, you never know...), I don't know that he will get your apparent "Coffee Talk" reference.   But I know what you mean!

 

Ciao,

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On 5/25/2018 at 1:53 AM, Dutchy said:

 

 

I was doing just fine,

until that oncoming cager did a left turn in front of me....  :tongue:

 

The camera angle makes it look very very high.

In real life is was ok.

 

 

Whilst the cases did end up being good sliders, the frame snapped so that was game over for redslut

 

redslut.JPG.d43c07b14731524208c40d80ad85e6ab.JPG

 

I've seen a break like that before. The mass-times-acceleration required to snap the frame like that Was Immense.

dear slayer 1.jpg

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You were my inspiration for my crash Terry :goofy:

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19 minutes ago, Dutchy said:

You were my inspiration for my crash Terry :goofy:

The frame was broken in the same spot on the other side. Notice how undamaged the rear area is. Bags as frame sliders saved the rear end.  And the bags stayed locked up! Unfortunately, the machine was totaled. At 105,000 miles. 

 

Theory: Since I figured I hit the vermin-on-stilts at a 90 degree angle, the bags, wanting to remain in motion, went straight up, loading the frame at the fulcrum point. I figured I was launched over the bars clear of the windshield and mirrors.  I was able to remove and transfer the racks and bags to my replacement. My Schuberth C-3 and my leather Transit Suit saved my life.

 

Sorry for the thread hijack.

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Mine snapped both sides as well my hero...

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4 hours ago, MaxSwell said:

The frame was broken in the same spot on the other side. Notice how undamaged the rear area is. Bags as frame sliders saved the rear end.  And the bags stayed locked up! Unfortunately, the machine was totaled. At 105,000 miles. 

 

Theory: Since I figured I hit the vermin-on-stilts at a 90 degree angle, the bags, wanting to remain in motion, went straight up, loading the frame at the fulcrum point. I figured I was launched over the bars clear of the windshield and mirrors.  I was able to remove and transfer the racks and bags to my replacement. My Schuberth C-3 and my leather Transit Suit saved my life.

 

Sorry for the thread hijack.

Friendly thread hijacks are always good!   The Virtual camaraderie is what it's all about.

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Max, Dutchy,  Do you think that front frame sliders like R & G ones would have helped to prevent the frame from breaking, or made it worse.

 

There you go. I hijacked my own thread!

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If you T bone a deer, or a car, or a cow,  because you wanted  a T bone steak,

the sliders will do you no good.

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On 5/27/2018 at 1:05 AM, RossR said:

Max, Dutchy,  Do you think that front frame sliders like R & G ones would have helped to prevent the frame from breaking, or made it worse.

 

There you go. I hijacked my own thread!

 

Good on ya Ross, it IS your thread :goofy:

 

 

I am 99.9999999% sure frame sliders would NOT do any good here.

 

 

I hit the rear wheel/axle from the car that turned left in front of me, with the front fairing (fully dived down) mostly as we later established the rim and forks were 100% straight.

I can think of 2 (or both) reasons the frame snapped on both sides on my VFR as well

-all the impact energy going in a straight line underneath me and with the rear heavy from luggage snapping it "up" aka Terry's fulcrum

(maybe the 2 bottles of single malt whisky in the top case were the straws that broke my camel's back?? :tongue:)

or

-as the bike fell on its side, it did not slide but the side case acted as some kind of lever against the frame...

 

the whole story and more pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other that either paying a professional company to do a sanding, priming and painting, the result of doing it yourself will be less. Simply because you donot have a spraybooth and the equipment. 

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Aha Dutchy!  I told yer that high Top case was dodgy. I'm glad the precious cargo survived, 'cause you probably needed it after the event. Hats off to you for travelling in style! Now, if only someone one could design a comfortable4 piece of gear to protect your arms as well as the bottles were protected!

 

I am just reading your Baltic Trip thread, and it's way more interesting than "refinishing cases". You were having such fun. What a shame that it got cut short, but you sure have such a great attitude.

 

I should have read your posting and Terry's posting more carefully. DUH! Full frontal 90 degree crash in both cases. Of course sliders would have made no difference whatsoever with regard to saving the frame.

 

The main thing is that both of you survived to ride another day.

 

North of 40 where I live (Alberta) we have lots of four legged vermin especially at dusk and dawn when the sun is low, and in your eyes, and too many 4-wheeled vermin in the city. Left turning cagers are the #1 cause of serious motorcycle  accidents in Calgary according to the police. Short riding season, so cagers don't look for or see motorcycles, and everybody is in a hurry to get nowhere.

 

Thanks to all the posters for the advice. I shall get back on track in my next post as my purpose in starting this thread was partly to see what others had done with their damaged cases, but also to share what I have gleaned from Internet searching as it's not an uncommon problem.   SFDOWNHILL, my cases are identical to yours. Givi E-41N Keyless, and can you believe it,  Givi Canada does not have the chrome surrounding the Givi logo, even though they were still selling the cases last year! They say that they have discontinued the cases, and will not be carrying spares for them. Fortunately, it's only a decorative part.

 

As a starting point, many people assume that their cases are ABS just because that's what most fairings are made of. Givi cases are not ABS. They are polypropylene (PPE) which is one of the more difficult plastics to paint, but not impossible because most car bumpers are PPE so the appropriate materials are available.  Always look for the plastic identification on the inside of the case before starting a refinishing project.

 

SWEEPER, thanks for the tip on the heat gun. I just might try that before I sand and fill them.

 

I shall post Before and After pictures when I eventually refinish the cases.

 

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Regarding frame sliders: Some may protect plastic in a low-speed or stopped tip over. Your own Radar made the best I've seen. I ruined several sets. (there's that blush again) His used a through-the-engine bolt that kept the forces focused on a strong part of the frame. But Radar is long out of the business. Others I've seen seem to threaten to crush fifth gen radiators. YMMV.

 

I'm eager to see your finished results Ross.

 

BTW: Your neck of the woods is one of my top two riding environs. From Banff to the Pacific it's some of the best roads and scenery I've been on. (The other top spot is southern Utah between Moab and Zion.) Perhaps if I'd done the PCH from LA to Vancouver there'd be some competition for the top spot. That is still on my list. Perhaps this summer after SumSum4. 

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