Tell me about Top Cases

SVsick50

Well-known member
I’ve always thought they look geeky, but man, oh man... are they handy. I had one on my KLR650 year’s ago, but it was one of the universal types and bolted on. It felt flimsy, but I did a short tour to LA and back and it rocked.

Considering one for my SV, but do the higher end ones snap in and snap out? How have your passengers done with them doubling up as back rests? I wouldn’t use it all the time which is why I’m wondering if they snap in and out. Also, may consider a tail bag, but it defeats the dual purpose of having a back rest (I kinda like that concept).

Any one better than the other? Givi vs. Shad vs. Generic/Chinese?

Any input is greatly appreciated!
 

cheez

Master Of The Darkside
Givi's mono-key system is awesome, you can get a smaller one for around town and a bigger one for road trips, and it takes 10 seconds to swap 'em out. The biggest deal to me is picking a unit that can fit your helmet, so that you can lock the lid on the bike while out in public and not worry about someone using it as a toilet (or just stealing it.)
 

Aware

Well-known member
Yes the better ones snap in/out. And they are very sturdy.

Manufacturers state weight limits and probably suggest *this is not a back rest* :) but Kappa luggage I had years ago came with optional back rest. My gf at the time found it comfortable. Didn't like the box without that extra soft, curved pad as the bix was hard and bruised her.
 

kneedraggeroldy

Well-known member
I second the Givi monokey system. Wife did not ride a lot with me until we got a HUGE top case...the thing will swallow two full face helmets and we have taken three different FJRs on 1 and two week rides and she LOVES having the ability to use as a back rest. Push of a button it can be removed.....a little spendy but well worth it for us. :)

You can ctually see a bit of it in our pic on the left...yes that's an FJR in the dirt bwahahahahahahah
 

sckego

doesn't like crashing
Givi has two lines, Monokey and Monolock. Monokey are a bit sturdier and better built, but I've put lots of miles on both and have never had any issues.

Wifey has used them as backrests for thousands of miles, never felt insecure or had any problems. Givi sells back pads that easily install to the case with a bit of drilling specifically for this purpose.

On/off for both styles is a matter of seconds. Literally takes less time to remove than it does to take off your jacket. The baseplate stays with the bike, though, that is a bit more involved to remove.

I would go with one that can fit two full-face helmets. The extra room comes in handy more often then you'd think - being able to stuff my helmet, along with jacket and pants in there, is awesome.
 

matjam

Crusty old UNIX engineer
+1 for the Givi monokey system. I'm a huge fan of Givi's stuff in general. It's well made.

My Multi has the full Ducati factory bags and top case and they seem ok. I believe they are made by Givi also. I just liked the way it looked.

Fitting the back rest is a must imho, the extra cushion is worth it for your passenger.
 

kneedraggeroldy

Well-known member
I would recommend sitting on the bike with the pad just being held in place before you drill the holes. Wife and I did this and it "pushed" her forward and she did not like it as it was not comfortable so we declined to put it on and her too..thousands of miles. GL with choice :)
 

dravnx

Well-known member
I have a Givi Monokey 47L. One of these days I'm going to treat myself to a smaller Monokey. The 47L is great but looks huge on the bike and it's not the biggest Monokey. As with anything, the more room you have, the more crap you carry.
 

Cincinnatus

Not-quite retired Army
I used to have a top case on the K12R but yanked it because I felt it affected the handling, plus the base limited the weight to 22 lbs.
 

bergmen

Well-known member
I have Givi Monokey Trekker 33 and 46 boxes. I travel solo so I designed a mounting system to hover over the passenger seat:



I've ridden everywhere over 5 years and these have been flawless.

Dan
 
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davidji

bike curious
I have Givi Monokey Trekker 33 and 46 boxes. I travel solo so I designed a mounting system to hover over the passenger seat
I did similar on my Versys, bolting an SW Motech brand Givi Monokey adapter plate in the pillion area.

Racks that replace the pillion seat are available for some bikes that have a 2-piece seat.

I just put the top case on a regular rear rack on other bikes.

In a crash where I had a rack-mounted top case, the case absorbed impact energy that otherwise would have been absorbed by me. Subframe was twisted, but I walked away. I walked slowly, but people watching me become the squishy filling in a car sandwich didn't expect me to walk away.
 

bergmen

Well-known member
I did similar on my Versys, bolting an SW Motech brand Givi Monokey adapter plate in the pillion area.

Racks that replace the pillion seat are available for some bikes that have a 2-piece seat.

I just put the top case on a regular rear rack on other bikes.

In a crash where I had a rack-mounted top case, the case absorbed impact energy that otherwise would have been absorbed by me. Subframe was twisted, but I walked away. I walked slowly, but people watching me become the squishy filling in a car sandwich didn't expect me to walk away.

I started conceptualizing this mounting scheme right after I got my 2014 FJR in November of 2013. Nobody had anything like what I wanted so I designed and fabricated my own (I'm an ME by profession). It took me forever but it has been bullet proof.







Dan
 
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SVsick50

Well-known member
Thanks all! I don’t see us needing to get something to put our helmets in. I’m actually thinking about those weekend rides when we get a little something, to hold hoodies, and something I can carry my martial arts stuff to and from the gym or dojo. Like, I got sent on a food run by my wife and son when I was already out and was like “Can’t, on my bike”. Anybody have the smallest Givi? I think it’s 27L capacity...
 

HadesOmega

Well-known member
I have a Bestem trunks on my KLR650 and Empulse and they're alright. They are a little flimsy. I rode with a Givi in Japan and it's more solid. If you can afford the Givi I'd say go for it. The Bestem is good enough for me. I have taken my KLR650 adventure riding with it and it's held up fine. It moves around a little but a trick I do is put some rubber grommets where the mounting studs are to take up the slack with the trunk. It sure is handy to have one. The mount is a nice solid steel rack also. The Givi trunks you need to buy the rack seperately.

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tgrrdr

Не мои о&#1073
I've used Givi bags since about 1998 and have been happy with all of them. You can get top plates for almost any bike and use the same box. I used one box on a CBR, Triumph Tigers and a couple BMWs and two KLRs. I broke the key from the last one I had and when I tried to switch the lock I couldn't get it back together so I ordered a new one last year.

I couldn't find any in stock locally and it was way cheaper to order from Spain or somewhere in Europe.
 

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tgrrdr

Не мои о&#1073
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It looks like I got a new box when I bought my BMW RT but it was the same one in the other pics and I'm pretty sure I used the same one with the CBR I had before I bought my first Tiger in 98. Those are Triumph branded Givi bags on the KLR and the Tiger - they would also work as top cases but aren't as big as the other ones.
 

davidji

bike curious
I started conceptualizing this mounting scheme right after I got my 2014 FJR in November of 2013. Nobody had anything like what I wanted so I designed and fabricated my own (I'm an ME by profession). It took me forever but it has been bullet proof.
As a PE (Electrical) I can't do that sort of stuff. Mine wasn't show quality by any means, but the flaws weren't obvious when the case was on. And it was on a Versys, not a shiny Harley.
 

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SVsick50

Well-known member
I ended up ordering Givi top case support brackets and the smaller Givi B29NT Tech Monolock, I just needed something small and handy.

Curious, is there really a speed limit with the Monolock?
 
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