Looking for best tail luggage

Just got a new 2009 red Silverwing and rode 600 miles home from dealer. Great underseat storage but needed a back pack too. Shopped for top carrier and GIVI V46N monokey seemed most often recommended by dealers (with SR19 mount). Then i saw one on your forum pix with a silver and goldwing end to end. The case seemed higher than the windshield. I read it can affect handling in the wind. And shipping weight is 30 pounds? Another 30 pounds that high -- could be a back-breaker maneuvering by hand in the lot. What experience do folks have here?

Hi "Stvwilley",
I'm not the expert here but when you come up with a shipping weight of 30 pounds for "any" top box I have to suspect that something is amiss. My big "Bestem" top box wouldn't weigh five pounds (empty) no matter how hard it tried. Of course, the Givi's are built a little fancier so hope I'm not to far off base.

I've carried a lot of "stuff" in mine and never felt like it was a top-heavy hindrance... even in some heavy crosswinds here in Kansas that aren't much fun under any circumstances. Aside from that, my Bestem box sits some seven to eight inches lower than my tall Givi windscreen. Do you still have the standard screen?

So, in the long run, it just depends on how much money you want to spend. In my estimation, having any top box sitting up there just isn't a problem. Good luck to ya' and welcome to the forum.

Any weight/air drag up that high and behind rear axle center is bound to have negative effect on handling---I have over 1.5 million miles of riding, that said GIVI E-46 worked fine on my SilverWing, taking care not to overload---load is like adding rock to rear of arrow. Givi on my 400 Burgman which has more rear weight bias than SilverWing can be downright scary---took off yesterday.

Givi is worth the money, my box has over 500,000 miles on a variety of bikes/scooters.

Cheap box solution----$15 yellow Stanley 24" tool box from WalMart bolted directly to rear spoiler, holes are already there in spoiler, fender washers use in box, 6mm bolts fine. Yellow great for being seen. I have both large and small versions. Work Fine. Other carry solutions, "tank Bag", moves weight to front, GIVI has one for hump--I have does the trick. Rubber bag/bags from Aerostich work fine for luggage and are waterproof=handy. Go on passenger seat.

You won't go far wrong with a Givi. Also the plate that attaches it to the scoot will allow you to use a number of different top boxes within their range and Kappa ones as well. Therefore you can have a small one for carrying day to day stuff and anything up to 50 litres+ for touring (or storing your helmet etc).

Cheers,

Stvwilley wrote:

Just got a new 2009 red Silverwing and rode 600 miles home from dealer. Great underseat storage but needed a back pack too. Shopped for top carrier and GIVI V46N monokey seemed most often recommended by dealers (with SR19 mount). Then i saw one on your forum pix with a silver and goldwing end to end. The case seemed higher than the windshield. I read it can affect handling in the wind. And shipping weight is 30 pounds? Another 30 pounds that high -- could be a back-breaker maneuvering by hand in the lot. What experience do folks have here?

Stvwilley, Welcome to the site and congratulations on your purchase.

We had the V46N's mounted on SR19 racks on our Silverwings. You are right the box is high up there in the air. I'm about 6 feet tall and the top of the box was some where around my chin height. Realize one of the best reasons to use the GIVI is the rack that makes it possible to easily take the box off when not needed.

It is not a heavy box and my guess is the shipping weight is an estimate.

I did not notice (nor did my wife) any appreciable difference in handling while the box was on. It is additional weight (especially when loaded), but it is not really noticed.

I do agree with you about the height, and I'm not sure why they have to be so high. The top luggage on our Goldwing is lower (and larger), but that is the design.

As for which is the best... That is a bit subjective and while the options are fewer asking which is the best will get many answers all influenced by personal experience and preference.

Coocase, Bestem, GIVI, JC Whitney - all provide various luggage at different prices and quality. If it matters to you how it looks I'd avoid the tool box approach. It is functional and it is cheap, but it has some real limits in addition to looking ugly as mud (my opinion).

Remember you can also use soft luggage like a "tail bag" Joe Rocket makes a nice one as do many others.

I have the maxia 52L top box and I have no problems with its weight, height or size.

Also certain boxes will allow for internal brake lighting while others don't. GIVI has a lighting kit for some of their boxes to add the brake lights. Admore also has lighting kits which many feel are better than stock. Some of the new top of the line GIVI boxes have features like remote trunk open and alarm.
Another nice thing about GIVI is on a trip you don't take things out of your box to your hotel room. You press a button to disconnect the box from the rack, and take the box to your room as if it were luggage.

Welcome to the Forum Stvwilley, I have a Givi E-52 and have no problem with it's weight or size in the wind, I'm 69 yr.s old, 5'9" and weigh 175 and have no problem pushing the scoot around. With the under seat storage, the top box and a back pack, I can haul a lot of groceries from Safeway. Enjoy your new Swing and Ride Safe.

My Givi E52 top box is a good size but I prefer using the larger E55, and if Givi ever bring out the E58 or E60 I want one. On holiday last month I had my E55 clammed full of gear without a problem. Part of the appeal of the Silver Wing and other maxi scooters is the ability to carry lots of gear with you securely. Another myth is "top boxes ruin handling", they don't.

Thanks for the responses. I am about the same age and height as Robert, though a bit lighter, so that encourages me to go with the Givi. I have also an electric scooter (www.currentmotors.com) that goes freeway speeds but 40 mile range, on which I used a Shad SH-40 top box and was disappointed with the lid latching system. Also had to make a custom mount for the Current rack, so can't just swap that box to the scoot of the day. So I gues I will do the Givi and maybe later get a second mount so ther Givi could fit both scooters rather than re-packing stuff.
Hey -- Great website here with all that info that would take years to find otherwise.

I have a E470 Givi top box that I don't use. If you want, it's $50 plus shipping, no mounting hardware but have both keys.

Thanks Darth, the used box sounds like a good deal and probably would have done the job. But I just ordered a V46A900 silver top with the SR19 mount plus stop light kit and backrest. Good grief, almost $500 for all that, surely not justified, but my wife thinks she will slide off the back and disappear onto the highway surface upon acceleration unless I get that box on there. So that will all work out. Now I have to start riding enough to justify it all.

Good choice. You will be please with your purchase. The brake light kit is a good add on.

Stvwilley wrote:

Thanks Darth, the used box sounds like a good deal and probably would have done the job. But I just ordered a V46A900 silver top with the SR19 mount plus stop light kit and backrest. Good grief, almost $500 for all that, surely not justified, but my wife thinks she will slide off the back and disappear onto the highway surface upon acceleration unless I get that box on there. So that will all work out. Now I have to start riding enough to justify it all.

I too was looking for a rear box and spent a ton of time online looking at the good/bad. The jury decided on the Bestem 2012 in gloss black to match the bike. It cost $141.78 delivered to Canada and comes standard with mounting plate, LED tail/brake light, padded backrest. I also liked the look of the Givi cases but couldnt justify the $500.
All that being said im waiting for the box to be delivered (just ordered it) so im hoping its not a junky trunky!!

My bestem 2012 top box arrived and i now have it installed. I was very impressed with the quality for the money spent. It was fairly simple to install. I had to drill 4 extra holes in the mounting plate that came with the box because none of the factory holes lined up with the holes on the swing rack. I also had to cut off the included bolts because they were too long and wouldnt allow the plastic cover underneath the rack to be reinstalled. The brake light was also relatively easy to wire in ( i was already familiar with the rear wiring because i installed a brake light wigwag a couple weeks ago).
The gloss black finish matches the swing perfectly. I didnt want a box that looked too large but this 42 liter size is perfect.
So anyone looking for a nice topbox at an affordable price, i highly recommend the Bestem 2012.

Good result!

hotwings wrote:

My bestem 2012 top box arrived and i now have it installed. I was very impressed with the quality for the money spent. It was fairly simple to install. I had to drill 4 extra holes in the mounting plate that came with the box because none of the factory holes lined up with the holes on the swing rack. I also had to cut off the included bolts because they were too long and wouldnt allow the plastic cover underneath the rack to be reinstalled. The brake light was also relatively easy to wire in ( i was already familiar with the rear wiring because i installed a brake light wigwag a couple weeks ago).
The gloss black finish matches the swing perfectly. I didnt want a box that looked too large but this 42 liter size is perfect.
So anyone looking for a nice topbox at an affordable price, i highly recommend the Bestem 2012.

Is that the beaten tbox 2012 that u r talking about? I am looking for something inexpensive for a rear luggage box. There is a thrift store across the street from my office and she bought about 50 rear luggage boxes brand new and is selling them for $35. I know they aren't the quality of givi or bestem and comes with a padded backrest but don't believe it has light option only red reflectors. Thinking I don't need the light hook up anyways. The only thing is that it would bolt directly to the back and would be non removeable. Not sure if the others are permanent or not as I have only just started the search. Would like to hear others opinions either for or against. I know I would have to drill holes to mount it. Do all rear boxes require drilling?

Not sure what you mean by "beaten" tbox 2012 !! it is the Bestem tbox 2012. As my post says i did have to drill extra holes in the mounting plate that came with the box so it would line up with the existing holes on the bike. The box i have can be removed in 5 seconds (as most boxes do) However i like the way it looks on the bike so i dont have a reason to remove it.
I suppose you could mount the box "permanently" to the bike without any issues. if your swing doesnt have the holes predrilled for you, you will have to remove the rear tail piece to be able to drill the factory determined holes. You will have to remove the tail piece anyways to mount the box!! MAKE SURE to test where the box has to be positioned (seat can still open etc) before removing tail piece because if you are permanently mounting it you will have to install it to the tail piece before reinstalling it onto the bike. Sounds a little confusing but relatively easy once you start. Good Luck

hotwings wrote:

Not sure what you mean by "beaten" tbox 2012 !! it is the Bestem tbox 2012. As my post says i did have to drill extra holes in the mounting plate that came with the box so it would line up with the existing holes on the bike. The box i have can be removed in 5 seconds (as most boxes do) However i like the way it looks on the bike so i dont have a reason to remove it.
I suppose you could mount the box "permanently" to the bike without any issues. if your swing doesnt have the holes predrilled for you, you will have to remove the rear tail piece to be able to drill the factory determined holes. You will have to remove the tail piece anyways to mount the box!! MAKE SURE to test where the box has to be positioned (seat can still open etc) before removing tail piece because if you are permanently mounting it you will have to install it to the tail piece before reinstalling it onto the bike. Sounds a little confusing but relatively easy once you start. Good Luck

Sorry, I did mean Bestem tbox. Was on my kindle fire and spell check corrected it and I didn't catch it. Lol. I think I will go with the Bestem then. Can't justify $400 for the givi to the wife. I have the candy red silverwing anyone have recommendations as to what color I should go with? Silver? Flat black?

i just checked ebay and the Bestem 2012 is available in red. Not sure if its the same red as you would need. my bike is black so it was easy to match, plus being a black bike it would be obviously faster than yours LOL.

Silver Bestem box is on its way. I am sure the black Colorado makes it faster. Lol. I don't have the financial resources to make it speedier. Right now I bought it for reliability and my commute to and from work and sipping around south Florida in style.

just kiddin of course! Call me weird but i was never into biking for speed. However i did test the speed the other day while traveling alone on an empty highway, got her up to 165km/hr and it was still climbing but i chickened out when i thought of the wife n kids n the love of life in general!!! My kind of biking is at a leisure pace with my wife onboard.