JC Whitney top box

[elizilla]

I don't think JCW makes a side case for any bike. Just the two top boxes. The one thing I DON'T like is that the mounting base for the two are different. You can't just swap the big and medium. You have to change the base too.

Unless you have the new PLX style Givi sidecases that tuck in around the exhaust, the Givi topcases and sidecases have identical mounting. You can use many of their cases as either top or side, and the cases of various sizes all fit the same mounts. When you put a Givi three case rack on a bike, you could have three identical cases since the mounts interchange. The case that your JCW case most resembles is the E360, and these are commonly also used as sidecases. Before I got the NT with its integrated cases, I would often ride to some event with a pair of E360 cases mounted on the sides, then leave one case behind in the motel, put the other on top, for the day rides. That's why I am taking note of how the JCW case might work as a sidecase.

The Givi topcase rack I built for my NT will hold any of the Givi cases in this household. Between my sig other and I, we have seven of them, in four different sizes and shapes. When I trade bikes with someone who has a Givi topcase, we can each move our topcase to the other's bike, and keep our own rain gear and face shields and whatnot with us. I once had the experience of packing everything for a trip, and my two friends were here to ride with me. They had all their gear on and were waiting while I was checking my tires, when the valve stem on my front tire broke off in my hands. I moved the Givi cases from the VFR to the TDM and was ready to go on a completely different bike, before my friends even understood what had happened.

So yeah, if you're looking at a topcase as a standalone item, the JCW stuff is probably as good. But there's a whole Givi interchangeability ecosystem that you don't get. You have to decide what that is worth to you.

 

[suvcw04]

elizilla, my other bike is a Yamaha Majesty 400. I'm afraid the big box would look like a saddle on a sow on the Majesty, so I just go with underseat storage (2 full face helmets +) and a duffle bag bungied to the back rest if needed. The Givi interchangeability would be nice, but not worth $300 plus dollars to me.

 

[Chuck 500]

After reading this post, several reviews and looking over bike pics (thanks 1TRAK) I have ordered a JC Whitney box. Should be here this week. Any advice on painting the orange trim piece? Is it removable? I would like to paint it to match the bike (silver) which should set off nicely against the flat black box.

"Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it" (Rocky).

Chuck

 

[Frosty]

Chuck,

Let me know how that works out. I was thinking the same thing after I get a few other things done. I was thinking rattle can paint but have not done any research. ColorRite has the exact match in a spray for $34. I was thinking more a close off the self match. Let us know how it works out.

 

[1TRAK]

After reading this post, several reviews and looking over bike pics (thanks 1TRAK) I have ordered a JC Whitney box. Should be here this week. Any advice on painting the orange trim piece? Is it removable? I would like to paint it to match the bike (silver) which should set off nicely against the flat black box.

"Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it" (Rocky).

Chuck

Morning Chuck, I wasn't able to remove the trim piece on mine so I just taped everthing off around it and used Krylon paint on it. Put four coats on it and it looks great! Steve

 

[Chuck 500]

Got the JC Whitney box mounted this afternoon. It took about an hour including a trip to the hardware store. Also the first time ai have taken that much stuff off a bike and gotten it back on. The biggest problem I had was sourcing the bushings. I went to three Ace Hardware stores, Grainger Industrial Supply and Houston Bearing on Friday, no luck. Finally I printed the picture of the product from the first post. The picture worked, we found the last package in the store. One bushing was missing!:mad1: I ended up using two long bushings, 1/2 x 3/8 x 1 1/2", in front and two bronze 1/2 x 3/8 x 1" bushings in the rear. That required the extra trip because the rear two bolts were too long with the shorter bushings. The case looks good and sits level and close to the tail cover. Will post some pics tomorrow.

Definitely have to paint that red (orange) trim piece though.

BTW, its worth the extra time to remove the grab rails to insert the square nuts. I also had to remove the rear two nuts and pass a 1/2" drill through the hols to get the bronze bushing to fit.

Chuck

 

[Chuck 500]

Here are the pictures:

All in all, this was a fairly simple project, even for a mechanical novice like me.

Chuck

 

[Phil Tarman]

Looks good, Chuck! It will look better when the orange becomes almost any other color.

 

[MAC]

Chuck, I have a JCW box I use on my Valk when on trips. The only problem I have with it, is the backrest pad makes my wife's jacket black, not sure what it is made of ( very hard ) but I am going to have it redone.

I think I am repeating myself, nice Stang sitting there. IIRC, you showed a pic of your bike when you got it back when and the car was in it.

 

[Chuck 500]

Thanks MAC and Phil. MAC, you are correct about the red 'stang. It has been in several of my pictures. Great little car BTW. The red trip on the box WILL go, but not for a few weeks. I have long weekend rides the next two weekends.

 

[suvcw04]

Chuck 500, don't you feel bad about not paying FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS for your box? Nah, me either. My $80 JC will hold just as much as a $500+ Givi. Nice looking Pony, too.

 

[elizilla]

Does the backrest come off? If so, take it off and fill the mounting holes with some sort of epoxy putty or sugru putty. Let the passenger lean on the case without a backrest. They get more space that way, and the shape of the plain box is actually more comfortable than those too-high backrests, anyway. If the passenger has a back protector in their jacket, they are carrying their own cushion and don't need a cushion on the case.

Or, if you decide to keep the backrest, I wonder if it could be coated with tool dip to stop it leaving a black stain on the passenger's jacket?

 

[Chuck 500]

Chuck 500, don't you feel bad about not paying FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS for your box? Nah, me either. My $80 JC will hold just as much as a $500+ Givi. Nice looking Pony, too.

The GIVI I was settled on was going to come in around $350, $210 for the case, $100 for the mount, plus shipping. The JCW was $125 MOL, $98 for case plus shipping, mount included, $25 or so for hardware and paint.

No, I don't feel bad. The case is on commuter duty already and will get a 1,000 mile "shakedown" this weekend.

 

[johnha]

I too am cheap and I've been using the same Givi E45 for years, first on my V65 Sabre, then my ST, now on the NT. The E36's I used for sidecases went with the V65 when sold. Crashed the Givi's twice, one high side, one low. Scuffed a bit but still fully functional and leak free.

I just found the E45 for $140 at sporttour.com (two big thumbs up for that outfit), and you can get the top plate made for the NT for $90 shipped from them too. If you're into form more than I, you can still get a fancy pants Givi from them for around $200. Personally I'll stick with the non-Chinese counterfeits.

I was seriously thinking of the large pannier lids for the sidecases until I fitted the 45 liter Givi. If the wife ever decides to take a trip with me I may revisit the pannier lids, but a large topcase even has me searching for stuff to fill the tank bag with.

 

[Chuck 500]

I have now painted the orange trim. Used Krylon Fusion gloss black. The gloss is "blacker" than the case body so it sets off nicely. Here are some hastily taken pics. It is an improvement and looks better in real life.

On another note, the case seems to latch to the mount with some free play. Is this a concern or just a characteristic? I'm not really worried about it coming off. I read some reviews that comment on it coming open if not correctly latched closed but none that mentioned having the case falloff the bike.

 

[suvcw04]

Mine is a loose fit, too. I just fold a grease rag (shop cloth if you prefer) So it's about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Put it on the mounting plate just ahead of the locking latch. Solves the problem PLUS you always have a grease rag if you need one.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Chuck,

I really like the look with the gloss black strip. (Beats the phooey out of orange, don't it?)

 

[Chuck 500]

Yes, the black on black looks much better. The Fusion paint is intended for plastic, too. It's actulally marketed for painting plastic lawn furniture so it should hoild up reasonable well.

Thanks, suvcw04. I'll try that trick before I "tamper" with anything else.

 

[elizilla]

On another note, the case seems to latch to the mount with some free play. Is this a concern or just a characteristic? I'm not really worried about it coming off. I read some reviews that comment on it coming open if not correctly latched closed but none that mentioned having the case falloff the bike.

The Givi racks that this is a copy of, have little rubber bumpers on them. They keep tension on the connection between the case and the rack, so it doesn't rattle. If you lose those, they rattle like you are describing. Maybe the JCW rack needs some of these bumpers added? My local hardware store has dozens of bumper choices, which I selected from when I was building my sliding topcase rack.

 

[its just rain]

Hi suvcw04

Just finished putting the large JC Whitney box on my bike. Thanks to you or I wouldn't have known about it. Your hints on the installation helped too. My next project will be to spray paint the orange trim and the project will be finished. Thanks a lot for mentioning it here!