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Need help deciding on luggage for Wifes bike

jb882

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I am trying to decide which luggage to get for my Wifes 2016 Nc700x. I have narrowed it down to either the Givi Monokey system or a Shad SH59X top case and a set of matching SH35 panniers. Both units would be mounted with bike specific hardware.

Does anyone have an opinion or experience with either brand mounted on an NC 700X? Pictures would be great, opinions etc. The only hard luggage i have experience with are factory options from Ducati and Honda.

Right now im kind of leaning to the Shad but my mind is certainly not made up although it needs to be real soon as i want to get these for her as a holiday gift. I like the adjustable top box size of the Shad SH59X and the pannier mount looks really low profile when the panniers are not attached. I cant find any good pics of the Givi setup without the luggage on it.
 
I haven’t seen the Shad side cases you specifically mentioned, but one thing I noted when Shad first came out with NC cases, was that the mounting hardware sat way out from the bike, making the sidecase package very wide. You might want to compare overall width to Givi. Also, not to intentionally steer you away from Shad, but they are a very unresponsive company to deal with in the USA.

I think Givi is overpriced for what it is, but if you go with their Kappa brand, you get much the same products for less money. However, I think Tour and Ride is the sole US distributor for Kappa products. Givi/Kappa will give you more case choices than Shad.

Givi PL1111 side mounts are not removable, so whether the bags are on or not, you’ll always have the metal hardware. Another option is to go with the SW-Motech rack and hardware, with adapters to fit Givi luggage. When the luggage is removed, the side brackets are also removable, and the bike has a clean look.
 
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The SW Motech stuff sounds like a good option, a little research is will work with almost any case.

FWIW, here is the Shad setup for the side bags using the 3P system mount. It looks really low profile when the panniers are not mounted.
h0nt74if.jpg
 
I've never had Shad luggage and can't comment but I have had Givi on several bikes. In my experience Givi is well designed and finished well. Some folks have complained about Givi engine guards rusting but I did not have that on top box and pannier rack mounts. My Givi panniers have been on three different motorcycles and have been a good value.

I echo 670cc's comments. I had the PL1111 MonoKey pannier racks mounting 36 liter boxes and the arms for a top box mount. The racks are not removable and mount the panniers out from the bike. I replaced that system with SW Motech racks using their Monokey adaptor kit. These mount the same Givi boxes a little closer to the bike and the racks come off the bike in seconds when not needed. The Givi tail rack that mounts on the Monokey arms is a bit fugly, reminding me of a miniature toilet seat. It is also hard to use it to carry small items like rain gear or a jacket no longer needed for the day's ride. They fall through the hole in it. I had that one for two years and replaced it with the SW Motech AluRack which can handily carry small items and with it's adapter it carries a Givi MonoKey top box. It's better looking to my eye.
 
I have the SW Motech quick lock side racks and their ALU top rack. I also have the luggage plate that snaps on the top rack. Great racks. I recommend them. You can get the Givi adapter kit that screws right on.

I don’t have Givi cases though. I went with Tusk panniers and a waterproof duffle on top. The Tusk are top loading and relatively cheap (price and workmanship).

JT
 
I have SW/Motech quick 1/4 turn attachments on my 2012 NC700 DCT with GIVI E22's and I have the same setup on my CBR 1100XX with E41's and a alu rack with a conversion plate with a V57 top box. All very sturdy. I can swap the side panniers to either bike if I need more or less storage for what I am doing and remove them all in under 5 minutes.
I like it a lot.
Cheers,
Guy

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
I have zero experience with the SHAD stuff.

My wife has GIVI V35 side cases on her bike with the case specific GIVI racks. Unlike some of the other cases, the V35 cases are contoured to fit close to the motorcycle. She never removes the cases. Here are some random photos from different angles to show what the cases look like and how they fit.

BTW, one nice thing about the V35 cases is that they have built in reflectors to increase visibility of the bike. But the reflectors can be upgraded to LED lights with a simple kit from Admore lighting.

7-Lerb7-Ju-SM2ho9vsk-Kh-Jqg.jpg


Pwf-Tp-Lq0-QPCc-Vt-Zv-Bu4-Syw.jpg


vk8u-QZ-Th2kfoyex4l2gw.jpg


Ts5-Nx-v-RTKe-Gsz-Nwhi2oj-A.jpg
 
I have zero experience with the SHAD stuff.

My wife has GIVI V35 side cases on her bike with the case specific GIVI racks. Unlike some of the other cases, the V35 cases are contoured to fit close to the motorcycle. She never removes the cases. Here are some random photos from different angles to show what the cases look like and how they fit.

BTW, one nice thing about the V35 cases is that they have built in reflectors to increase visibility of the bike. But the reflectors can be upgraded to LED lights with a simple kit from Admore lighting.

The mention of reflectors on the V35 cases interested me. On all the rounded contour Givi/Kappa top cases I’ve used, their design incorporates large areas of red translucent plastic that one assumes to be reflective, but upon closer inspection and testing, I found they are for show and they don’t actually reflect light. I was curious if the V35s are different, and do the red plastic areas really reflect as a vehicle reflector should?
 
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The mention of reflectors on the V35 cases interested me. On all the rounded contour Givi/Kappa top cases I’ve used, their design incorporates large areas of red translucent plastic that one assumes to be reflective, but upon closer inspection and testing, I found they are for show and they don’t actually reflect light. I was curious if the V35s are different, and do the red plastic areas really reflect as a vehicle reflector should?

Honestly no clue if/how well they reflect because I installed the Admore LED lights into the V35 cases before I even installed the racks on her bike.

1-D5918-E2-0474-47-C3-8473-3799-BDEB694-F.jpg
 
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Does anyone have an opinion or experience with either brand mounted on an NC 700X? Pictures would be great, opinions etc.
I have Givi Outback 37 liter cases on a Monokey mount. About 40,000 miles on them and no issues. I also have 42 liter Outback top case.
Not familiar with the Shad stuff...

I purchased the Givi equipment online and had it shipped from Europe...saved a considerable amount of $$

Here are some pics of the Givi cases and top box on and off the bike. Takes about 20 seconds.



IMG_2516-X2.jpg


IMG_2772-X2.jpg
 
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Everyone, thanks for the info. Please keep it coming.


I have zero experience with the SHAD stuff.

My wife has GIVI V35 side cases on her bike with the case specific GIVI racks. Unlike some of the other cases, the V35 cases are contoured to fit close to the motorcycle. She never removes the cases. Here are some random photos from different angles to show what the cases look like and how they fit.

BTW, one nice thing about the V35 cases is that they have built in reflectors to increase visibility of the bike. But the reflectors can be upgraded to LED lights with a simple kit from Admore lighting.

7-Lerb7-Ju-SM2ho9vsk-Kh-Jqg.jpg


Pwf-Tp-Lq0-QPCc-Vt-Zv-Bu4-Syw.jpg


vk8u-QZ-Th2kfoyex4l2gw.jpg


Ts5-Nx-v-RTKe-Gsz-Nwhi2oj-A.jpg

I really like how those bags look on the bike.

What does the hardware look like without the racks? It looks like the Givi v37 is the current model and it uses uses their “PLX” mount system. I really like the SW Motech mounts but not sure they are compatible with this PLX setup.


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I really like how those bags look on the bike.

What does the hardware look like without the racks? It looks like the Givi v37 is the current model and it uses uses their “PLX” mount system. I really like the SW Motech mounts but not sure they are compatible with this PLX setup.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The V35's only mount on the PLX racks. V35's have a complex curved backside. The SW Motech racks with the adapter(s) for other brand bags only mount flat-sided bags like Givi Trekkers, Outbacks, and older E-series bags. These all have a flat side to the bike.
 
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I really like how those bags look on the bike.

What does the hardware look like without the racks? It looks like the Givi v37 is the current model...

She likes how they look too.

She always rides with them on so I don't think they have been off the bike for more than a couple moments since I got them installed. So no photos of just the bike with just the PLX rack.

V35 cases are still a current model. V37 is also available. The V35 has a visible carry handle, the V37 has a recessed carry handle.

For whatever it is worth, there is a trim panel on the V35 that can be removed, painted to match your bike, and then reinstalled. I didn't do a paint match on her cases because I thought it looked good stock. My wife mentioned it might look good with a silver color match so that may end up happening one of these days.



The V35's only mount on the PLX racks. V35's have a complex curved backside. The SW Motech racks with the adapter(s) for other brand bags only mount flat-sided bags like Givi Trekkers, Outbacks, and older E-series bags. These all have a flat side to the bike.

Yup. The slab sided boxes are pretty adaptable to several different rack systems.

Might also want to look at the Hepco & Becker C-Bow system if you are more interested in the rack than the specific boxes.
 
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If you haven't found this thread yet you might find it helpful. Well, except for Photobucket pics.

Pictures of Various Honda NC700X Saddlebags

Thanks for that link. Super helpful....
I think after looking at those pics the Givi V47 top case and V37 bags might just be the ticket. They both come with aluminum inserts that would really go well with her silver bike. From the pics i saw of that combo in that thread they really look like they were designed to fit this bike and would be super functional too. Part of this exercise for me is getting the aesthetics right since that is every bit as important as function for her.

I purchased the Givi equipment online and had it shipped from Europe...saved a considerable amount of $$

Any links to where you bought from? I did some google searching and found some great prices on the different parts but the shipping costs to get them here bring the price within 50 bucks of buying it all from Twisted Throttle where i can just drive there to pick them up or have them shipped for free. I'm curious to see how much money is saved doing that although my preference is to buy them from Twisted Throttle anyway. I like to give my money to local companies whenever i can. The fact that they let us dual sport/off road guys park our trucks/trailers in their lot when we ride the trails in Pauchaug SF and the Arcadia management area gives me more incentive to support their business.
 
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