SW-Motech Sideracks and Givi E360 hard bags
In the Spring of '04, I purchased a set of SW-Motech sideracks and Givi E360 hard bags from Twisted Throttle.com . I figured I'd put my impressions on the racks and side bags up here.
The racks (pair) cost $199 and the bags (pair) cost $366.
For the F650GS, there is one rear mounting bracket that is installed under the license plate holder.
On the left and right sides there are mounting tabs that fit pre-exisiting bolt holes beneath the muffler and the catalytic converter can.
A third mounting point is through the removable plastic discs above the muffler and can.
The installation instructions that came with the sideracks are in german, but the diagram is clear enough, it wasn't necessary to read anything. Installation of all the brackets took about an hour. All mounting bolts got a dab of "Blue" threadlock.
The main advantage of the SW-Motech racks is that they can be quickly removed from the permanent mounting tabs via quick-connect cam-like fasteners.
So far the quick connect fasteners have been very secure over about 2,000 miles on pavement. The racks are well-built flat steel and align perfectly with the mounting tabs. There's an optional keyed lock that can be installed on each rack, that I didn't get (but may be nice). If I'm leaving the bike somewhere with luggage installed, I simply run a cable through each bag and through one of the grab handles and lock it so the bags can't be removed without destroying them.
The Givi E360 bags are just wide enough to fit my Arai Quantum full face, but fit a surprising amount of gear.
The whole set up has been great for commuting and for two solo camping trips so far. The only downside is that with the E360 bags, the set up sticks out quite a bit.
I think I have a visual cross-section of a Goldwing with this setup. All the better to be seen! Plus, you'll note I added retro-reflective tape to the Givi bags - VERY visible at night.
So far, I've been very pleased.
The racks (pair) cost $199 and the bags (pair) cost $366.
For the F650GS, there is one rear mounting bracket that is installed under the license plate holder.
On the left and right sides there are mounting tabs that fit pre-exisiting bolt holes beneath the muffler and the catalytic converter can.
A third mounting point is through the removable plastic discs above the muffler and can.
The installation instructions that came with the sideracks are in german, but the diagram is clear enough, it wasn't necessary to read anything. Installation of all the brackets took about an hour. All mounting bolts got a dab of "Blue" threadlock.
The main advantage of the SW-Motech racks is that they can be quickly removed from the permanent mounting tabs via quick-connect cam-like fasteners.
So far the quick connect fasteners have been very secure over about 2,000 miles on pavement. The racks are well-built flat steel and align perfectly with the mounting tabs. There's an optional keyed lock that can be installed on each rack, that I didn't get (but may be nice). If I'm leaving the bike somewhere with luggage installed, I simply run a cable through each bag and through one of the grab handles and lock it so the bags can't be removed without destroying them.
The Givi E360 bags are just wide enough to fit my Arai Quantum full face, but fit a surprising amount of gear.
The whole set up has been great for commuting and for two solo camping trips so far. The only downside is that with the E360 bags, the set up sticks out quite a bit.
I think I have a visual cross-section of a Goldwing with this setup. All the better to be seen! Plus, you'll note I added retro-reflective tape to the Givi bags - VERY visible at night.
So far, I've been very pleased.
posted by dbtgeology at 4:51 PM
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