Top Box

[SKID]

I would like a top box for my '09 TA XL700V and wondered if anyone has any experience and/or preferences with a particular brand.

My last bike has side cases but I found these slowed my commute so I only put them on when touring so hardly got used.

I don't really like to but I now use a backpack to carry the stuff I need to take to work on a daily basis but at weekends I'm forced to carry one, sometime two, full face helmets when at a rest stop so would prefer a top box that stores them.

[jarl]

I've got the huge givi jobbie on my 650. It's ace, 2 FF helmets or 1 FF, boots and trousers (wear/carry the jacket).

[royster]

hi you say huge what litre is it?
cheers Royster

[tramp]

hi Royster/skid

givi are great and cheap on fleabay but you need a givi quick release mount or permently fix by bolts.

Bought a cheap tank bag off fleabay also for the occassional use £5 cant be bad, and miles better than a restrictive backpak.

Weight upfront and lower than a back pak too! just whatch those locks on givi1s as they sometimes stick when the box is rammed full of stuff

My advise would be have a look ij the local bike shop at sizes and try out to see which is bes t, then look for best price as they do variy , oh and they are handy for stickers too

[SKID]

Thanks for the advise tramp

I seem to have made my mind up with a Givi V46 with the clear, not red, reflector.

It's 46 litres and holds two full full lids so is ample for me.

There's a deal on eBay for this top box plus back rest for £205 and then there's the cost for the rack plate at about £50-60 dependent on who you get it from.

I might need to wait and save a bit as I also want the taller Givi screen and if I buy it from a Givi dealer at the same time will save on the postage.

Other than that there's the MCN Motorcycle Show coming up early into February so will chance my arm at getting a good deal on the day maybe.

[cpp01]

Hi,

Thoroughly recommend a top box, although they're not very pretty they do make life a lot easier especially for commuting. I was going to recommend another website for you but having seen the cost compared to eBay seems like you have a good deal. The website is Search Results : Motorbikes and Parts - Givi / Kappa Motorc. They are quite cheap compared to most places and offer all sorts of bits for Givi and also for the Transalp. Postage is a bit slow but I suspect they order stock in for specific customer orders to save on their costs.

Although I have all Givi boxes you can save money by going for the Kappa alternative, these are identical but have a different badge on them (built by Givi too) they use the same frames etc (or so I'm told). Can save you a couple of quid.

Make sure you match your top box to the frame you buy, as you get monlock and monokey top boxes and bases to match each one independently but not both. Easy to mix the two up, I personally have monolock boxes and monokey panniers. I've always had a monolock box (have 3 now) so to allow me to change them over I stick to the same base plate. As I've built my collection up I now have a small box for commuting and 2 big boxes for touring. You could save yourself a fortune and go for the monlock box that I've just bought which is also 45 litres Givi E450 45 Litre Top Box Without Plate Monolock - £75.20 - Motorbikes and Parts - Givi / Kappa Motorcycle Luggage Specialists - givi-e450-45-litre-top-box-without-plate-monolock-p-16362.html (looks better in the flesh). You need to buy the specific plate for the Transalp anyway so don't buy the model with the base plate unless you have a universal carrier on another bike which you will use.

Difference between the monokey and monolock is the monolock was developed for the scooter market. I'm not sure what the differences really are other than styling and fixings. Mechanically both are strong enough for the required job, both limit you to ~80mph and both have the same mximum load of 5kg. These restraints are more to do with the adverse effect on bike handling rather than the topbox strength. I may have exceeded both (legally- German autobahn) and not had a problem on my last bike. Topbox did have the affect of causing the front wheel to wobble slightly, only noticeable when you took your hands of the bars- fix, keep hands on bars!

Sorry, rather a long post but hopefully of some use.
cpp01

[tramp]

hi all,
yeh thats the baby I have one on mine [650] brilliant had it for 4 years no probs at all, bought it from a yamaha dealer at sale time

[jarl]

I've got the 52L one.

[SKID]

I've got the 52L one.

That's like carrying a small house on the back of your bike but you can never have enough space to carry kit on a bike when you need it.

[BuckarooBanzai]

If you're going with Givi (and I did) then these were the cheapest I found at the time (was 5 years ago, mind you).

Used Motorcycles, New Motorcycles, Honda motorcycles, GIVI luggage, Shoei Helmets, Used Kawasaki Yamaha Suzuki Motorbikes - First Line Motorcycles - 1st Line Motorcycles

edit: forget it, I see that the firm in cpp01's link is a fair bit cheaper!