XL700VA & Givi B36N Sidecases

[McGyver]

After quite a lot of searching, asking around, measuring, etc. I finally concluded on the touring setup for my XL700VA ...

What I asked for:
1. Minimum of 35 liters capacity per side case.
2. The least possible width.

What I got:
Givi (Kappa) rear side case holders and two Givi B36N cases.
36 liters each and due to the 20cm width, the overall width is only 93cm (the maximum bike width without the side cases is around 91cm).

The pleasant surprise:
Even though it is not mentioned in Givi's website the T468 inner bags are a perfect fit companion.

The drawback:
Since B36Ns are not sold in pairs (as e.g. E41s) they have different keys. This will be solved soon by replacing all three locks (2 side cases and the top case). The cost is expected to be arround € 15,00.

The cost:
€ 130,00 for the bars.
€ 139,00 each side case.
€ 24,00 each inner bag.
€ 14,00 shipping.
Total € 470,00.

And the necessary photos:

[Bluff]

That looks like a great set up

I have the monokey set but it wouldn't bother me if I had to have different keys TBH. Your overall width looks great to, mine is increased quite a bit by my boxes, but I quite like that appearance... I'll see if I can post a picture so you know what your not missing so to speak.

[McGyver]

That looks like a great set up

I have the monokey set but it wouldn't bother me if I had to have different keys TBH. Your overall width looks great to, mine is increased quite a bit by my boxes, but I quite like that appearance... I'll see if I can post a picture so you know what your not missing so to speak.

Thanks m8 ...

I only consider the 3 different keys a "minor inconvenience" and changing the locking barels is a low priority task.

Just for the record:
Bike overall width (hand protectors edges) -> 90,5 cm
Side case bars width -> 53 cm
B36N width (each) -> 20 cm

Other Givi cases:
E36 -> 27 cm
E360 -> 28 cm
E41 -> 29 cm
E45 -> 30 cm

[Bluff]

Have you thought about a touring screen? I have found it a great help over long distances at speed, it does improve comfort.

[McGyver]

Have you thought about a touring screen? I have found it a great help over long distances at speed, it does improve comfort.

Already ordered and waiting to be delivered to my local Honda dealer .

[Bluff]

My E360 monokey panniers (40 litre) are a lot wider on the bike. But then I like her to have a nice beamy bottom Oh...errrr ahem, I seem to have strayed off topic a bit

[rotax793]

Thanks for great information, McGyver! Looking to get a pair of side Givis (already have a Honda original top box) for next summer myself for the XL650V. I am thinking about the 45 liter version though, I believe they are just a few centimeters wider.

What is your main reason for wanting minimum width?

[McGyver]

I am thinking about the 45 liter version though, I believe they are just a few centimeters wider.

What is your main reason for wanting minimum width?

When you say 45 liters, I assume you are talking about E45's.
Well, the E45's are 30cm each in width, which is actually 50% wider than the B36N's.

I wanted the most streamlined setup, meaning that I didn't want to have the side cases much wider than the steering handle.

Better weight distribution, better handling and cornerning, easier filtering, etc.

[Twickers]

Looks good, although not entirely convinced by your filtering argument TBH. I've only got the E21s on mine, which are great although an ideal size for me would probably be a couple of litres bigger, about 25 - 28 litres. But, even though they are only as wide as the handlebars they do restrict my filtering somewhat. I've found that when trying to filter through the worst of London traffic then normally you can wiggle through quite small gaps by alternately moving the handlebars one at a time , as it were. But you can't do that with the panniers on, even E21s.

Upshot is that filtering to some extent goes out the window with panniers on, so just get the biggest panniers you need and have done.

IMHO.

[rotax793]

My E360 monokey panniers (40 litre) are a lot wider on the bike. But then I like her to have a nice beamy bottom Oh...errrr ahem, I seem to have strayed off topic a bit

Maybe they don't work as well as the narrower ones for filtering, but they sure look awesome! Would match my rather bulky top box Thx for posting the pic, noting it down as a strong candidate!