Trunk mount

Hello; My question is whether the trunk mount would effect the ride. Offset the balance and all. I took my box off the other night and noticed that I got a better ride. Thanks.
MarkR

There has to be some wind resistance. I'm hoping for a little more weight to bring the back end down so I will be flat-footed...LOL. I will put light things in the case.

I recently added a smallish (35 liter) Givi topcase to my Swing, and I can't say I notice any difference at all, which in my case I'm happy to say. The ride feels the same to me, which is to say, pretty good, with or without the trunk.

swing one wrote:

Hello; My question is whether the trunk mount would effect the ride. Offset the balance and all. I took my box off the other night and noticed that I got a better ride. Thanks.
MarkR

There can be little question that the center of gravity (CG) is raised (moved up) and moved slightly rearward (aft) when the top box is mounted on the bike. The movement of the CG aft may not be as noticeable as the movement up, which truth be told is probably barely noticeable with an empty box. The CG does affect the balance, more so when the top box is loaded down. I rarely ride with the top box installed when just commuting. We only use them for travelling and remove them once we reach our destination.

Coralee - I don't think you will be able to add enough weight to the top box to see a significant compression of the rear suspension.

Another observation here: Carrying around extra weight in the trunk of your car redduces MPG. I'd have to guess that carrying extra weight around in the underseat trunk and top box would reduce the MPG of our scoots.

jdeereanton wrote:

Another observation here: Carrying around extra weight in the trunk of your car redduces MPG. I'd have to guess that carrying extra weight around in the underseat trunk and top box would reduce the MPG of our scoots.

When I went to Big Bend National Park, I had the SWing full packed AND my camping gear (tent, thermarest pad, sleep bag and camping chair) strapped across the passenger pillion. I was still getting 60 MPG on a hilly roller coaster ride.

Bill,

I'll admit Kim and I generally get better mileage when travelling. I get terrible mileage in comparison while commuting. When we are travelling we cover longer distances without stopping and I tend to keep the speed under control a bit more. I wonder about a head to head comparison between commuting and touring with equal load conditions.

But - did you notice a difference in handling with the load on your bike?

I've never really noticed any difference with the top case (Givi E50). When we travel, we try to load the lighter stuff in the top box and the heavier stuff under seat, but it doesn't always work out the way. Still, I don't really notice any balance issues with the top box.

When my wife is on the pillion it will compress the rear shocks enough that my 'look over' windscreen becomes a 'look through.' Rear passenger does affect balance, center of gravity, etc. But I haven't really noticed much different with just the top box. Of course, I rarely take it off, so I am used to riding with it on.

Come to think of it, I took it off about a month ago so that I could place my new tires over the Givi passenger backrest, bungie them down and take it to the dealer to have the tires installed. Didn't really feel any different then than with the topcase on.

jdeereanton wrote:

I wonder about a head to head comparison between commuting and touring with equal load conditions.

I live in the country and drive back and community roads to school to avoid traffic and delays with some stop signs and stop lights then travel to work on busier roads with stop lights and slightly higher speeds. On the way home I may ride on the interstate after picking up my daughter at school ... so most of the roads 55 or 65 MPH.

I changed the Power Commander map before my Big Bend Trip and when I returned with the same map ... my commuting milage jumped to 56 MPG.

jdeereanton wrote:

But - did you notice a difference in handling with the load on your bike?

I did not notice any significant difference. When I load the trunk with heavy groceries (without loading the seat storage) then I notice the load on the bike.

honda_silver wrote:

...When I load the trunk with heavy groceries (without loading the seat storage) then I notice the load on the bike.

And I think that's the kind of feedback swing one was inquiring about.

jdeereanton wrote:

honda_silver wrote:

...When I load the trunk with heavy groceries (without loading the seat storage) then I notice the load on the bike.

And I think that's the kind of feedback swing one was inquiring about.

The heavy groceries weight is much heavier then what I would pack for travel. The only time I feel the heavy weight is slow speed maneuvering especially self-propelled movement.

If I am traveling I would try to pack heavier items that I do not need frequently in the seat storage.

Hi swing one,
I just put my Bestem 929 box on a few weeks ago; it's a fairly large container. Haven't had it loaded to any degree so can't speak for that feature. Have been out in some windy conditions tho and thought I might have some problems there; surprisingly - no.

My biggest buggaboo was that at first I kept thinking I was getting glimpses of someone following too closely; but got used to seeing the corners of the box back there. Guess I need some mirror extensions to increase my field of vision. All-in-all, the box hasn't interferred with any riding conditions that I've had.

I do notice a difference with a side wind when the top box is on .When I go on my trip I will just keep gloves and helmets in the top box .I will keep heavy stuff under the seat ,and a duffle bag with clothes on the passenger seat .
Some times I cary a 5 gallon water jug on the back seat ,now that you notice on corners .I think it is worse than a passenger .