Givi panniers?

[Laurence243]

I want some panniers for my Fazer, these look decent and seem to be the only ones specifically made for the FZ6. Any thoughts or experience? Also how do you pronounce Givi? -.-

Givi 351KIT fitting kit to fit Givi PL351 Sideracks without Givi 351FZ Toprack for Yamaha FZ6 Fazer '04-'06 & FZ6 S2 Fazer '07-'11 - TwistedThrottle.com

Givi Tubular Sidecase Racks Yamaha FZ6, '04-'06 - TwistedThrottle.com

Also will that stuff work on an 08?

 

[major tom]

I like my Hepco Becker. Juniors, narrower, don't need key to get in, more rugged, inside rectangular no bulges-indents. Might have to rig turn signals back and narrower. Capital Cycles.

 

[kinderwood]

First, you should decide if you want a top case in the future. The pannier racks require a topcase rack to be installed or the 351 fit kit you linked. If you do want a top case at some point, I would install the top case rack now at the same time as the side racks. If you're pretty confident you don't want a topcase, you can do the 351 kit. So top case rack or 351 fit kit?
Top Case Rack
351 fit kit

Second, decide which cases you want. From Givi, if you can afford them I would suggest the V35s. They were built to "hug" the shape of most sport bike tails. The first picture on twisted throttle is an FZ6 with the bags, it shows the tight fit. This reduces how far they protrude. Downside is they are somewhat pricier than other options.
Givi V35 at Twisted Throttle

Third, you can then choose a side rack that works for the cases you picked. If you choose the V35s, they require a specific luggage rack due to their unique shape. The "PLX" rack is what you are after. Otherwise, the "PL" rack would fit standard Givi Monokey Luggage.
Givi PLX360
Givi PL360 racks

The parts I linked would be what you need for your 08 using Givi racks and Givi sidecases.

 

[kinderwood]

I put a Givi V46, Givi V35s, SW-Motech top and side racks on my bike. The full setup with those was quite expensive. But they work beautifully with the FZ6, you'll find a lot of forum users with that same setup. I use my bike as primary transportation year round, so for me it was worth it.

I purchased SW-Motech racks instead of Givi because they can be removed when not in use. However, I use the luggage so often I generally just leave the racks on. SW-Motech had a rack equivalent to the PLX360 racks from Givi, but I just checked and it appears it was discontinued? You can see in the pictures what I mean about removing them.
SW-Motech PLX Style Racks

To add to your options, you could consider cases from Bags Connection or Coocase as well. Let me know if you need more advice, I researched this to death when I bought my setup.

 

[MattR302]

The givi brand top case rack is the same for all years, givi pn FZ351
The side case racks are different for the 04-06 and 07-09, because the passenger pegs changed in 07. Givi pn PL360 or PLX360 are the side case racks you want. If you want the side cases without a top case, you'll also need givi pn 351KIT.

Personally, I have both a top case and side cases. If I was only having one, it would be the top case. I would say start with that, then decide if you need more storage than that.

 

[regder]

Personally, I have both a top case and side cases. If I was only having one, it would be the top case. I would say start with that, then decide if you need more storage than that.

^ This. A big chunky top case might look dorky as Urkel but is incredibly practical. I only use my V35 panniers for longer trips, but my E52 top case never leaves the bike. The single best thing I've ever done to any bike. My E52 and a 60L duffle is all the space I really need, the V35's are just glutony

PS, I pronounce it Jeevee in my head, no clue if that's correct or not.

 

[summerb37]

I have the E55 LUX and Keyless E41 cases from Givi. Like what another person said, it was an expensive setup, but for me it was worth it because my motorcycle is my only form of transportation. I purchased the E41 because they have more room inside when compared to the V35 cases. The E41 are shaped more normal inside versus the case molding of the v35 has indents for hugging the motorcycle and that takes away storage space. I have never felt my motorcycle vibrate at high speeds (above the cases speed limits) so I don’t really believe the V35 cases are that much better limiting vibration, but I can see how they most likely limit drag.

Personally and from my experience with cases, I would purchase a back hard case and soft side cases if I only needed them for a rare road trip, only rode my motorcycle in the summer, I didn’t need the extra security and/or didn’t require the motorcycle for daily living, like getting groceries etc.


If you go to the Givi website, you can try selecting different bike specifics to see all of the different setup options.

GIVI.CA

 

[VEGASRIDER]

If your patient, quite a few of these are sold here on this forum if you're looking to save money.

 

[Laurence243]

Tons of great info, thanks guys. Are all panniers so expensive? I have a set of P3 lights for my brakes and turn signals, so I don't really feel like I need aux lights on the panniers if that would save me money

 

[kinderwood]

Tons of great info, thanks guys. Are all panniers so expensive? I have a set of P3 lights for my brakes and turn signals, so I don't really feel like I need aux lights on the panniers if that would save me money

Well to reiterate and build on what others have said, if you plan on hauling anything at least semi-regularly a hard top case is great. They are huge, keep their shape, let a passenger ride uninhibited, are waterproof, etc. Dollars/litre they are very good compared to sidecases. Also, like I mentioned before you can't do side rack without top rack.

So my advice to save money and get a luggage setup going would be to do a top rack and hard top case now, and for the sides consider soft bags like these:
Cortech 20s
You can always add on the hard side cases later if you have need and money permits.

 

[kinderwood]

Forgot to ask, do you plan on riding with a passenger or just you?

Also, to better inform you there are a few downsides to a top case.

Wind:
It can cause some odd wind effects like buffeting. There is a low pressure zone behind you that air rushes to fill in, but then it hits the top case. Which has another low pressure zone behind it. Not present all the time, but if the wind hits you just right it you'll notice it.

Weight:
Can't go crazy with the weight due to the fact they are mounted on offset arms. You can bend the arms or break welds if you overload it. Givi weight limit is spec'd at 22lbs for top case. On short trips I have gone over that, but be careful. Also, heavy loads may affect handling some due to raising center of gravity up.

Looks:
Even if you take the topcase off, the bike has the big ol' mount hanging off the back. It completely disrupts the look of the tail and tail light. Tail Light becomes VERY hard to see from behind with or without case. Would recommend installing one of these or something like it.
License Plate Light Bar

Hard topcases are phenomenal ways to carry things around, but like everything there are tradeoffs.

 

[Laurence243]

I don't plan on riding with a passenger, I think at this point the biggest barrier to a top box is the look... It's so dorky!

I'll take a serious look at them though

 

[Laurence243]

Oh and I want to add that my Fazer is my primary year round transport I like the looks of those cortech bags, how do they attach? World the work with the givi top case mount and a V47?

In fact.. I might go with those cortech saddlebags and a wolfman "wolf tail" tail bag until I can afford hard luggage. The only real benefit to hard stuff is being able to lock them as far as I know and that wouldn't likely be a big issue most of the time

 

[kinderwood]

I don't plan on riding with a passenger, I think at this point the biggest barrier to a top box is the look... It's so dorky!

I'll take a serious look at them though

Yeh, they're not the "coolest" looking thing around but they do work. One thing with the Givi is a big piece of the plastic paneling comes off. You can have a paint shop match it to the bike's bodywork. They look much better when that is done. Almost like a pint sized FJR.

Oh and I want to add that my Fazer is my primary year round transport I like the looks of those cortech bags, how do they attach? World the work with the givi top case mount and a V47?

In fact.. I might go with those cortech saddlebags and a wolfman "wolf tail" tail bag until I can afford hard luggage. The only real benefit to hard stuff is being able to lock them as far as I know and that wouldn't likely be a big issue most of the time

Well, the hard bags have lots of advantages too. Yes they lock, they have way more volume than soft, you can strap large lightweight items to the top of hard luggage (tent, camping mattresses, etc), they don't intrude on passenger comfort, waterproof, don't have to worry about them when stopping to eat or shop, they don't shift around when heavily loaded, on and off a lot easier, probably more I'm forgetting.

So most soft saddle bags have large straps that connect the two bags together. You then drape them over the passenger seat and they just hang there. At the front and rear of the bags you have adjustable nylon webbing straps to pull them tight. That keeps them from bouncing around. I used a full softbag setup for a few years. Cortech Tribag tailbag, saddlebag, and tank bags, discontinued now.

The soft saddlebags and tailbags usually form a system. Once the saddlebags are installed and cinched, the tailbag snaps into the saddlebags. One of the pictures in the link below shows the attachment. You may want to check if the wolman tail bag will attach to the cortech saddlebags.

Tailbag at Revzilla

The soft bags are very cost effective. You can remove them entirely preserving the stock look of the bike. And they don't obscure the taillight.

Downsides include:
The saddlebag straps are over the passenger seat, meaning your passenger would have to sit on them. Not very comfortable and my wife found it hard to stay planted, so was sliding around on them. They will also scratch the paint on the tail and grab rails some. Keeping the bags and tail clean of dirt helps prevent that.

They are not normally rain proof. They have a separate rain cover you have to stretch over them and pray doesn't blow off while riding.

If you use a soft tailbag, there is no more passenger seat. Also, when loaded they have a tendency to creep forward a little. I was constantly shoving mine back towards the rear. With more extra strapping you could probably fix that though.

They are not rigid. The tailbag tends to "flop" around as the contents shift. Tailbag works best for large lightweight things, like clothing, sleeping bags, etc.

I would check out twisted throttle's offering of soft bags as well. SW-Motech makes very nice soft bags. Their Dry-Spec stuff looks cool too. Solves the problem of separate rain covers.
Soft bags @ Twisted Throttle

 

[dpaul007]

Just an FYI, I haven't started a thread yet, but my v35 hard cases with the soft inner bags and the rack is up for sale. PM for info

 

[Laurence243]

I'm interested in in using pelican cases instead as panniers.. Has anybody here done this? What mount should I buy? Which cases?

 

[MattR302]

I'm interested in in using pelican cases instead as panniers.. Has anybody here done this? What mount should I buy? Which cases?

A lot of guys on ADVrider.com use pelican/storm cases as panniers on their on/off-road bikes because they're more durable, less likely to damage the case if you drop the bike on a rocky trail. I'd suggest searching on that site for ideas. It would take some work for them to be quick-release. You could possibly get the sw-motech side racks, hard bolt the Pelicans to those, and then just remove the whole racks when you don't want them on.

But in reality, unless you get massive Pelican cases, the Givi E21s or E22s will give you just as much storage, be a lot more convenient with the top-loading, easy quick release with the key, and most likely cheaper.

 

[Laurence243]

I can't see the pelicans being more expensive ; the mount is ~200 and each case is ~100, versus 500+ for contoured panniers